Strawberries in field

How to Care for your Strawberry Plant

Sign up for our mailing list here! Thank you for visiting our table in the Plant and Environmental Sciences courtyard during Picnic Day. Here are some tips on how to take care of your strawberry plant.

For a PDF of this information, click here!
 

Plant Features:

+ Picnic Day strawberries are tolerant to strawberry viruses encountered in California.
+ Picnic Day strawberries will produce vegetative shoots called “runners,” which will stretch away from the mother plant and, in the right conditions, root and produce a clone plant.

Planting Tips:

+ Plant in full sun; 6-8 hours per day.
+ Plant multiple strawberries 12” apart.
+ Avoid “J-rooting” the plant - dig a deep enough hole that the roots remain straight during planting.  
+ Plants prefer good drainage, whether in pots or in the ground.

Plant Maintenance:

+ Leave bare ground around plant if you want to let runners root. Runners can be dug up and planted elsewhere once they have developed their own roots.
+ Water plants at the base, avoid wetting the crown and canopy. Water on the crown, leaves, flowers, and fruits increases the chance of disease developing on those specific organs. A constantly drenched plant is also likely to collapse.

Flowers and Fruit:

+ Pinch off flowers until there are more than 5-6 leaves; otherwise, fruit that develops may be small.
+ Pollination is usually not an issue with modern varieties, but fruit set and uniformity might be improved by rustling the canopy with your hand back and forth vigorously once the plant has flowers.
+ Cut off old, browning leaves or aborted flowers with clean scissors. Clean scissors with Lysol before clipping each plant to reduce spread of disease between plants.

Plant Breeding Resources:

Plant Breeding Resources
UC Davis Plant Breeding Center: plantbreeding.ucdavis.edu
UC Davis Strawberry Program: http://knapp.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/
For signs of strawberry plant disease: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/selectnewpest.strawberry.html

Thank you to the UC Davis Strawberry Program, greenhouse staff, and volunteers for providing and expertly caring for the strawberry plant in your hands!