Strawberry brown leaves dried up Fruit

myfirstgarden · June 17, 2012

I have a strawberry plant in about a 6 inch wide 18 inch long container. It takes up about 1/3 of the container. Recently the leaves have been browning from the edges inward. The fruit is small and looks dried. It was producing healthy nice fruit until I put bone meal on it. I am thinking I put to much (potassium overdose). Does this look like potassium burn? If so, what should I do? If not, what is happening to my poor plant? I will continue researching. Any information will be very much appreciated.
Thanks, Emily

PonyMan · June 17, 2012

I'm no expert but if it was doing fine before you added bone meal, my guess would be that's the culprit!

RayR · June 17, 2012

Strawberry plants baffle me, they are so sensitive to many things. Older leaves die off for seemingly no reason, but maybe that is normal. I know there are a lot of diseases that affect them and they do like consistently moist but well drained slightly acidic soil. NPK requirements are similar to Tomatoes, and secondary and micro nutrients are essential, they are particularly sensitive to Boron deficiency but if the soil has plenty of organic matter that's usually not a problem.
What kind of soil are you using and what kind of fertilizers?

myfirstgarden · June 17, 2012

The soil is a half soil/half manure mix. I did not fertilize it until I gave it the bone meal (about 2 tablespoons over two doses). I must look into fertilizers because all of my plants are in containers and will be needing it. Do you, anyone, have suggestions?

meadowyck · June 17, 2012

what was the indicated from the plant to make you think it needed the bone meal? If you had manure mix in there and the were doing fine, then you might should have waited, till it showed you, it needed something.

What type of manure, cow or horse?

I'm more use to horse and usually it is enough when mixed half for the growing season.

I've always used horse manure at 1/3 the mix.

Hope it recovers, maybe you could transplant it to other pot with new soil?

myfirstgarden · June 17, 2012

Meadowyck, there was no indication. I was buying bat guano for my nitrogen deficient zucchini when the worker said bone meal was good for flowering plants. I thought it would help make more flowers and better strawberries. This is my first time gardening and I didn't really think you could give plants to much nutrients. If that is what is wrong...At lease I learned before something went horrible wrong.

I will build a box for it tomorrow. I use cow manure because that is available.

meadowyck · June 17, 2012

Most likely, overly loving them will have a tendency to kill them.... ask me how I know...

If you didn't want to transplant, and only if the soil is very light, so that water can flow through so you could rinse it away. If you soil isn't light, down rinse as you will drown it. I think you might want to transplant, just be gentle and you should be ok. I've tranplanted many a item when I first gardening. Next door country neighbor told me to do that when I over fertilized them, in order to save them. I was getting tried of doing that so I quit over doing it...LOL

Hope for the best on your strawberry.

RayR · June 17, 2012

Did you mix perlite or anything to provide better drainage from adding all that manure? If the mix isn't draining well and the roots are sitting in water that can lead to root rot.

June 17, 2012	#1
myfirstgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Northern California Posts: 13	Strawberry brown leaves dried up Fruit I have a strawberry plant in about a 6 inch wide 18 inch long container. It takes up about 1/3 of the container. Recently the leaves have been browning from the edges inward. The fruit is small and looks dried. It was producing healthy nice fruit until I put bone meal on it. I am thinking I put to much (potassium overdose). Does this look like potassium burn? If so, what should I do? If not, what is happening to my poor plant? I will continue researching. Any information will be very much appreciated. Thanks, Emily

June 17, 2012	#4
myfirstgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Northern California Posts: 13	The soil is a half soil/half manure mix. I did not fertilize it until I gave it the bone meal (about 2 tablespoons over two doses). I must look into fertilizers because all of my plants are in containers and will be needing it. Do you, anyone, have suggestions? Last edited by myfirstgarden; June 17, 2012 at 02:03 PM.

June 17, 2012	#5
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	what was the indicated from the plant to make you think it needed the bone meal? If you had manure mix in there and the were doing fine, then you might should have waited, till it showed you, it needed something. What type of manure, cow or horse? I'm more use to horse and usually it is enough when mixed half for the growing season. I've always used horse manure at 1/3 the mix. Hope it recovers, maybe you could transplant it to other pot with new soil? __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

June 17, 2012	#7
meadowyck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brooksville, FL Posts: 1,001	Most likely, overly loving them will have a tendency to kill them.... ask me how I know... If you didn't want to transplant, and only if the soil is very light, so that water can flow through so you could rinse it away. If you soil isn't light, down rinse as you will drown it. I think you might want to transplant, just be gentle and you should be ok. I've tranplanted many a item when I first gardening. Next door country neighbor told me to do that when I over fertilized them, in order to save them. I was getting tried of doing that so I quit over doing it...LOL Hope for the best on your strawberry. __________________ Jan “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt

June 17, 2012	#2
PonyMan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: Central, La Posts: 14	I'm no expert but if it was doing fine before you added bone meal, my guess would be that's the culprit!

June 17, 2012	#3
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Strawberry plants baffle me, they are so sensitive to many things. Older leaves die off for seemingly no reason, but maybe that is normal. I know there are a lot of diseases that affect them and they do like consistently moist but well drained slightly acidic soil. NPK requirements are similar to Tomatoes, and secondary and micro nutrients are essential, they are particularly sensitive to Boron deficiency but if the soil has plenty of organic matter that's usually not a problem. What kind of soil are you using and what kind of fertilizers?