How long do strawberry plants live? I'm wondering because on some sites they say you can take the blooms off the first year so the plant will grow bigger and produce more fruit the next year.
The plant should easily live over 5 years unless something happens like black root rot. Commercially, they would usually de-blossom (whether planted in spring or fall,) and harvest the first crop of berries the following year. On a smaller scale, this is probably unneccesary unless the crowns of the plants you are planting are rather small, and you need a year to get strong plants established.
The method I use is to plant the first lot and harvest. When they let their runners go I make a second bed out of them . There are now 2 beds. (patches/pots) I will keep this cycle going over about 4 areas and when the 1st lot is about 4 years old I discard. Meanwhile still keeping the cycle going with new runner plants. Feed and mulch well and protect from birds and maurauding dogs (mine love them) and I usually manage a good crop each year. Liz
A strawberry planting will last you 2-3 years than will start to decline. It's a good idea to replace a strawberry bed every 2 to 3 years. If you plant day neutral varieties in the spring and remove the first flowers you will get a crop later in the summer and into the fall. Some of the varieties you can grown down there are quite nice. Just check with your local agricultural extension agent for info. Cheers
Hi karen; Yes you can use the coffee grounds around your strawberries. Miracle Grow will work for your strawberries as well. Hope you like this link about coffee grounds. I find they work well to keep slugs away. http://www.sustainableenterprises.com/Business/coffeefert.htm Cheers
