The Best Way to Keep Weeds Out of Strawberries

Keep your strawberries weed free for plenty of delicious fruit.

Low-growing strawberry plants can't tolerate weed problems. The weeds rob nutrients and moisture from the strawberry plants. Weeds may host insects or diseases harmful to the strawberry plants. Most weeds also grow much taller than strawberries, eventually shading them out and decreasing berry production. It's rarely possible to eliminate all weed issues in a standard bed, but controlling the weeds so they don't impede the healthy growth and production of the strawberries is possible with planning and effort.

Things You'll Need

• Handheld cultivator
• Straw
• Herbicide

Instructions

1. Weed the bed thoroughly before planting. Pull out weeds and remove the root systems completely to prevent perennial weeds from invading the bed after planting.

2. Pull weeds from planted strawberry beds while the weed plant is still young and before it sets down deep roots or sets seed. Weeds allowed to set seed cause an even greater weed problem in the bed.

3. Break up the top 1/2 to 1 inch of soil in the bed with a handheld cultivator to prevent weed seeds from germinating successfully. Strawberries produce roots close to the soil surface, so cultivate carefully to avoid damaging these roots.

4. Mulch the bed with a 2- to 3-inch layer of straw mulch. Place the mulch so it doesn't cover the crowns of the strawberry plants. Mulch requires replenishing each spring to maintain its depth. Monitor the bed frequently and pull weeds that sprout from the hay as they appear.

5. Treat severe annual weed infestations with a herbicide rated safe for use with strawberry plants. Apply the herbicide according to the package directions.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant in raised beds filled with sterile, weed seed-free soil in areas plagued by perennial weed problems. Weeds may still invade the bed but usually only in manageable quantities.

• Herbicides rarely control perennial weeds since strawberries are susceptible to most herbicides formulated for perennial weeds.

References

• Washington State University; Weed Control in Strawberry; Kassim Al-Khatib; September 1995
• North Carolina Cooperative Extension; Strawberries in the Home Garden; E. Barclay Poling; September 1993