A rich strawberry harvest sounds pretty tempting, doesn’t it? What could be better than picking ripe and plump strawberries? To achieve this, your shrubs need plenty of nutrients to produce abundant fruit. BILD der FRAU explains which fertilizers are truly worthwhile for strawberries.
Why Fertilize Strawberries?
Strawberry plants need nutrients to produce a bountiful harvest. Suitable fertilizers support their development, but it’s important to strike the right balance: a lack of nutrients, over-fertilization, or using the wrong type of fertilizer can all jeopardize your harvest. Here’s when and how to fertilize strawberries effectively.
Fertilizing Strawberries: When and How
Fertilizing strawberries differs from providing nutrients to other garden plants. Strawberries are quite particular about their fertilizer. Avoid using compost as strawberries thrive in humus-rich soil with few minerals, making them sensitive to salt.
Avoid mineral fertilizers with high nutrient salt content. Instead, opt for organic fertilizers—excluding compost—or special liquid fertilizers. Timing is crucial for strawberry fertilization.
When to Fertilize Strawberries
- Everbearing Varieties: These varieties provide strawberries over several months and should be fertilized throughout the summer to ensure a regular supply of nutrients.
- Single-bearing Varieties: Fertilize these varieties only after harvest. This supplies the plants with nutrients after their strenuous fruiting period in the summer and helps determine the richness of next year’s harvest, as these plants form flower buds in the fall.
Best Fertilizers for Your Strawberries
The best fertilizer for strawberries can be mixed with your irrigation water, acting quickly in the event of acute deficiency symptoms without needing to be worked into the soil. Look for this type of liquid fertilizer at garden centers. Options include berry fertilizers like Mairol Blueberry Fertilizer Liquid or organic fruit and vegetable food from NATUREN.
Alternative Fertilizers
- Coffee Grounds: Using coffee grounds as fertilizer is convenient since many households have this waste product. You can occasionally feed your strawberry plants with coffee grounds, but it should not become routine, as they mainly provide nitrogen and lack other nutrients.
- Horn Shavings: These should be used in combination with other organic fertilizers. Made from cattle horns and hooves, horn shavings are rich in nitrogen. However, strawberries primarily need potassium.
- Blue Grit: This mineral fertilizer contains a lot of salts, which can harm strawberry plants. Excessive nutrient salts can negatively affect plant roots and the environment if not used as directed.
Recommendations
We recommend using organic fertilizer or special liquid fertilizer to provide your strawberry plants with essential nutrients. These options are safer and promote healthy soil life.
