Question-Winterizing strawberries

[TZ-OH6]

I hear that I'm supposed to mulch over my strawberry bed to help the plants over winter. When do I do that? The leaves on all the trees have fallen so I have the shredded leave now, but the plants lok like they are still growing. We have occasional frosts now, but a hard freeze looks to be a several weeks away. Do I just go ahead and smother them now or wait?

[Barbee]

I would wait till after your first hard frost. The reason being if you apply now, you will keep the soil warmer, which might make your plants send up new growth and when that first hard freeze hits, it will burn the tar out of them.
What are you going to mulch with?

[TZ-OH6]

I'm going to cover them with leaves, which I guess will have to be removed in the spring.


Can I dig up daughter plants and replant into a new bed now or should I wait until spring?

[Barbee]

You can dig the runners in the fall, but it's getting pretty late for our area. So I'd wait till spring now. Ideally, you would want them to set some roots before cold weather hits.

We always mulched with straw then come spring, it was just a matter of raking the straw from the plants down into the rows. I'm sure you could do the same thing with the leaves.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

I'm going to cover them with leaves, which I guess will have to be removed in the spring.
Can I dig up daughter plants and replant into a new bed now or should I wait until spring?

Wait till spring, they'll have little chance of rooting this late.
If you can get straw it would be better, in the spring they will grow up through, saving you a job and keeping the fruit off the soil.
Before adding your covering, take shears to the foliage and do a haircut. Some even run a mower over them!!

[TZ-OH6]

Can't get a mower into the area but, I can just leave the gates open and the deer will nip them down to the ground, toot-sweet.


hanks for your help.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

Can't get a mower into the area but, I can just leave the gates open and the deer will nip them down to the ground, toot-sweet.
hanks for your help.

Who is hanks?
I would be cautious of the deer. They can browse right down to soil level, if so they take out the growing crown, bang goes next years plants.

[Barbee]

When we first got married we had an old pony that would get out and head straight for the strawberry patch. After he'd eat every ripe berry, he'd mosey right back and stand by the gate, waiting to be let in the fence. LoL

[TZ-OH6]

I have a keyboard virus that causes random typos. It is a mutant of an older virus that affects pencils and pens.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by TZ-OH6

I have a keyboard virus that causes random typos. It is a mutant of an older virus that affects pencils and pens.

I suffer with the same problem, except the letters are missing on my keyboard, good job I can touch type.

While I'm on, take a pair of scissors to reduce the foliage, if you don't want the deer to browse then down to nothing. It's only the larger leaves you need to get off.