How to Cut Strawberry Flowers

Remove the flowers from the strawberries for bigger berries.

Many home gardeners look forward to growing and eating big, delicious strawberries. But to grow big strawberries, it is important to remove the flowers from the strawberry plants during their first season. This will help the plants store and use the extra energy that would otherwise go into producing fruit. Your strawberry plants will be healthier, stronger and bigger by doing this. If you allow the strawberries to flower and bear fruit, the result will be smaller berries and plants.

Things You'll Need

• Garden fork
• Water
• Bowl
• Fertilizer
• Shears

Instructions

1. Dig up the bed in a place that has full sun. The best time to plant strawberries is in late March or throughout April. If you have bare-root plants, trim off the leaves. Before you plant them, soak the roots in water. Leave them to soak for an hour, then plant immediately.

2. Plant the strawberry plants so the crown is even with the soil's surface. The crown is where the leaves and buds begin to grow. If your strawberries are already growing in pots, plant them in the ground at the same depth as their root ball.

3. Water the strawberry bed, then add some starter fertilizer to the strawberry bed. Mix 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 starter fertilizer with a gallon of water. Give each plant 1 to 2 cups of this mixture.

4. Remove the blossoms with shears or by using your thumb and forefinger. Find the area where the stem attaches to the base of the flower and cut the flower off the plant.

5. Remove flowers from the plants that bear fruit in June as soon as they appear. Do this for the entire growing season. If you have ever-bearing or day-neutral plants, only remove the flowers until the end of June.

References

• University of Illinois Extension Strawberries & More: Growing Strawberries
• Iowa State University Extension Horticulture & Home pest News: Planting Strawberries in the Home Garden
• University of Minnesota Extension: Strawberries for the Home Garden