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How To Transplant Strawberries – An Easy 6 Step Guide

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Strawberries are one of the most straightforward fruits to cultivate in a home garden. Strawberry plants are low-growing and have a proclivity for prolific reproduction.

So, what do you do when the strawberry patch, which began with only a few plants, has grown to overflow? Your strawberry plants should be transplanted!

Learning how to transplant strawberries is a simple and effective technique to boost your revenue. Regardless of how they are started, Strawberry plants must be transplanted outdoors at the appropriate time to grow and produce berries.

Transplanting strawberries is an important part of growing the fruit. Without transplanting, your yields will be severely diminished, if not destroyed. Poor soil, lack of nutrients, and insects are just a few examples of the factors that lead to low yields when strawberries are not transplanted.

It is important to transplant your strawberries in the fall to prepare them for next year’s growing season.

If you do not transplant your strawberries in the fall, your yields will be reduced because the soil will not be warm enough to support new growth until late spring. When you transplant in the fall, it allows root and top development time.

How To Transplant Strawberries
How To Transplant Strawberries via Reddit

Things You’ll Need

  • Potting soil
  • Sharp scissors
  • Pots (optional)
  • Small shovel
  • Water
  • Pruning shears

A Step-by-Step Guide on How To Transplant Strawberries

Strawberries will populate the land if left on their own. When a long stalk comes into contact with the earth, it can sprout roots and grow into a new plant.

What looks to be numerous plants eventually becomes a web of strawberries that are physically linked together. Before transplanting, it is better to ensure that your strawberries are not flowering and there is no fruit on the plants.

This is key because it reduces the spreading of the disease to other strawberry beds. If the strawberries are still flowering, it’s not an issue; you need to take extra care while transplanting. Let’s see the step-by-step procedure on how to transplant strawberries.

Step 1: Choose the New Location

  • First, choose the new location and get it ready.
  • Make sure it’s warm and sunny, with a rich, sandy loam that’s well-drained and slightly acidic soil that’s ideal for strawberry plants.

 Step 2: Prepare the Plant for Transplantation Process

  • Choose the strawberry plants that you want to transplant. In general, the best option is transplanting established, young runners just a few months old.
  • Check to see if the plant looks sickly or dry.
  • Select healthy strawberry plants and yank the flower buds, discolored or broken leaves, and runners.
  • Dark green leaves on robust stalks appear stiff but pliable on a healthy strawberry plant. To keep this shape, water the strawberries first if the stalks on the plants appear limp or faded.
  • If the strawberries are in a pot, water them until the water drains out the pot’s base, then place them in the shade.
  • Since the soil will be too wet to transplant right away, wait. And, if handled now, the roots may be exposed to or harmed during the move.
  • Plants also require plenty of time to drink their fill. This will make the extraction process easier.

 Step 3: Prepare the New Location

  • Work your new location over to remove all weeds and grass, then spread an inch or two of excellent quality potting soil.
  • Scoop a deep enough hole to accommodate the plant’s root system. Make sure not to make it too big, but not too small either.
  • If you are planting strawberries in a container, find one at least 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide to provide space for the roots.
  • Water, the potting soil well before you, loosen it up around the edges of your hole to allow proper drainage and fill in any air pockets that may inhibit root growth.

 Step 4: Removing the Plants from the old location

  • Choose the strawberry plant you want to pot and cut all of the stems that connect it to the others using sharp scissors. The plant will not be harmed by snipping these stems. The strawberry is now free of the network and ready to be removed.
  • Do not pull up all of the strawberry plants simultaneously and then attempt to plant them all at the same time.
  • Use the spade to loosen the dirt all around the plant from a distance of 4-5 inches.
  • Then pick the plant up with the shovel, roots and all.
  • You can also do this with your hands, which will let you feel the roots and guarantee that you get them all.

 Step 5: Transplanting Strawberries

  • The next step in how to transplant strawberries is to get the strawberry plant out of its container and into the new hole by following these simple steps:
  • Remove the plant from its pot or take it out of the ground. If you take your strawberry plants outside, place them in a shady area.
  • Carefully remove the plant to avoid damaging any of the roots.
  • If you put your strawberries in a pot, make sure it has drainage holes on every side. Fill it with fresh potting soil and gently run your fingers through the roots until they spread out.
  • When you are ready to transplant your strawberry plants, place a two-inch layer of compost in the hole and fill it up halfway with soil before placing your strawberry crowns in there. You can cut them into smaller pieces if you have large crowns for easier transplantation.
  • Put your strawberries in a hole around 12 inches deep, ensuring that all runners are buried under the soil, and the highest part of the crown (the point where the roots meet the stem) is at ground level.
  • Fill in around the roots with soil, cover them completely with soil, and pat down the soil.
  • Give it a good drink of water. Water well after transplanting to wash any remaining soil away from the plant’s roots. If you are planting more than one strawberry plant, space them about 20-30 inches apart for good air circulation — this will cut down on disease.
  • For the first few weeks after transplanting, keep strawberries moist by watering a few times a week to allow new roots to grow and establish themselves.

 Step 6: Care After Transplanting Strawberries

  • Once your strawberries have been transplanted, it is important to continue caring for them properly before harvesting any fruit.
  • Until the strawberry roots establish themselves, water frequently but don’t over-water.
  • It’s also a good idea to fertilize your strawberry plants after transplanting them into their new homes with a liquid fertilizer formulated for strawberries and vegetables.

Final Remarks

Throughout their lives, most strawberry plants will generate many runners. When the maximum productive capacity of a limited strawberry bed is achieved, the little fellows don’t know when to stop making runners.

So, if a gardener wants a lot of good strawberries, he or she will have to deal with the overcrowding. It can be accomplished by moving the plants to a different location.

Transplanting them to a rich, sandy loam having good drainage can make a huge difference if the soil isn’t particularly good enough to grow strawberries.

Transplanting unwanted strawberry plants to new soil beds can also aid in developing new strawberry patches and maximizes strawberry yield by implementing a strawberry bed rotation system.

Now that you know how to transplant strawberries, you can enjoy fresh strawberries all season long. Start planning your strawberry patch now!