How to Prune Strawberry Bushes

Pick strawberries daily and don't allow them to rot on the plant.

Most plants that produce fruit benefit from pruning, and strawberry bushes are no exception. In fact, if you neglect pruning, your strawberry patch will become a tangled, unproductive mess. The process is simple, requiring light early spring maintenance to remove blossoms the first year. Thereafter, you'll prune strawberries after the harvest only. Pruning strawberries is less complicated than pruning orchard trees or bramble fruits. Just remove plants to narrow the rows, and you are done.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Pruning shears
• Lawn mower

Instructions

1. Plant strawberries in early spring when the soil is soft. Keep the soil evenly moist and side-dress strawberry plants with fast acting, balanced fertilizer, according to package directions. Then, pinch all blossoms off for the first four to six weeks. This process eliminates early berry harvests, but encourages the plants to develop deep roots. You'll have healthier plants, with larger subsequent harvests. June-bearing types won't produce fruit until the following spring, although day-neutrals and everbearing varieties will produce a modest crop the first summer and fall.

2. Renovate strawberries after the final harvest in the summer or fall, depending on the berry type. Dig up and remove any strawberry plants that are weak and spindly. These plants haven't stored enough energy to produce a good crop the next year. Save plants that are strong, dark green, and have many leaves and runners. After renovating, your rows should have at 6 to 12 inches between them, with 4 to 5 inches between each plant.

3. Set your lawn mower blade on high, and mow over the remaining strawberry plants to cut back the leaves. This process removes dead leaves and encourages new growth, but make sure the blade is high enough that it doesn't hit the crowns of the strawberry plants.

Tips & Warnings

• Use pruning shears or a scythe instead of a lawn mower to shear strawberry plants if you grow container plants or have a raised bed.

• Completely renovate your strawberry bed every three to five years, removing all old plants. Buy new plants or replant young, vigorous plants from the old bed.

• Keep the beds free of weeds and water them frequently to produce large, juicy fruit.

• Cover strawberry plants with netting or floating row covers to keep out birds and rabbits.

References

• "The Garden Primer"; Barbara Damrosch; 2008
• Mother Earth News; Grow Superb Strawberries; Kris Wetherbee; April 2004

Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension; Strawberries for the Home Garden; Doug S. Foulk, et al.; 2009