Strawberries

 

In the wild strawberries are perennial, thus will grow for many years in the same location if cared for properly. I would suggest you cut all the plants back to three to four leaves each. Remove all the dead and old leaves and other plant debris and put them in the green waste can. Doing this will remove many of the overwintering aphids and whiteflies. Next remove any very old and/or diseased crowns that have lost vigor and have outlived their productive life. Next cultivate around the remaining plants and pay attention to the presence of grubs, pupa and worms, which may be overwintering in the surface soil around the plants. Collect, cut in half or smash any of these you find. Cutworms and vine weevils, especially, like to overwinter at the base of plants. Next spray the remaining plants and leaves. The spray should cover all plant surfaces. This will control the aphids and whiteflies. Check the new plants in 10 to 14 days and spray again if aphid or whitefly activity is noted.

 

After clean-up and the first spray, the strawberry bed should be top dressed with an all purpose garden fertilizer, or you can use composted cow or chicken manure. Read the package for amount per area, so you do not over-fertilize. A little every few weeks is usually better than a lot all at once.

 

Keep checking the progress of the new (renovated) plants for aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and worms. Treat (spray) and fertilize as needed to keep plants healthy and vigorous. If all goes well, you should have some strawberries by mid-March/April.