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Strawberry

Complete care guide for premium berries seedling. Follow these instructions for optimal growth and maximum yield.

Complete Care Guide

Detailed care instructions for growing your Strawberry seedling successfully

Watering

Water is critically essential when growing strawberries. The plants need a lot of water especially when the runners and flowers are developing. Drip irrigation is highly recommended as it waters at the root. Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Strawberries are very easy to maintain.

Sunlight

Require 6-10 hours of direct sunlight each day. They do well in levelled or slightly higher grounds.

Soil Requirements

Strawberry farming does best in areas whose soil pH is 5.5-6.5. The soil should be well drained and weed-free. Planting: Till the land and remove weeds. Construct raised beds. Prepare planting holes deep enough to accommodate the entire root system without bending it. Plant seedlings at a spacing of 20 inches apart and 4 feet between rows. The roots should be covered, but the crown should be right at the soil surface.

Temperature

The crop thrives in hot climate and does not tolerate frost or extremely low temperatures. Strawberry farming in Kenya is done outdoors. However, for better performance, greenhouses are recommended because they protect the plants from drought and excess rain.

Fertilizer

Application of fertilizers and manure boost production. However, if too much fertilizer is applied, this promotes excessive leaf growth and poor production of flower stalks. Too much nitrogen results in soft and easily-damaged strawberries. NPK 5-10-10 during fruiting.

Spacing

20 inches apart and 4 feet between rows.

Time to Fruit

4-6 weeks after planting.

Pest & Disease Management

Pests:

•Strawberry bud weevil/Clipper (infestation leads to creation of holes in flowers and petals, stems are chewed or clipped through)
•Tarnished plant bugs (puncture plant tissue and suck sap leading to tissue distortion and premature leaf fall, secrete honeydew encouraging sooty mold)
•Strawberry thrips (adults and nymphs feed on leaves and flowers by sucking sap causing flower damage/abortion and malformed fruits)
•Nematodes (affected plants are stunted, older leaves die, few runners produced, roots may be short and stubby with swellings)
•Mites (infestation reduces plant vigour, plants appear retarded and distorted, leaves turn yellow with whitish feeding marks, silvery webbing visible)
•Aphids (feed through piercing and sucking plant sap resulting in distorted growth, excrete honeydew favoring sooty mold growth)

Diseases:

•Leaf blight (occurs on older leaves, large circular to oval reddish-purple spots form, develop brown centers bordered by purple zones, black fungal growth in center)
•Leaf spot (symptoms begin as round purple spots on upper leaf surfaces, center becomes tan/gray then almost white with purple border, can attack petioles and fruit stalks)
•Leak (infected ripe berry remains unchanged at first then changes to light brown, becomes soft and watery and collapses flat with juice running out, covered with white fluffy cottony fungal growth)
•Leaf blotch (characterized by purplish to brown blotches and large necrotic spots, often wedge-shaped on leaflet ends, can attack fruit stalk and fruit)
•Gray mold/Botrytis (major fruit rot disease, starts as blossom blight, progresses to berries stems and leaves, covered with gray masses of spores in damp weather)
•Leathery rot (occurs on green or ripe fruits, rotted area is light brown in center shading into purple at edge, fruit becomes tough and leathery in late stages)
•Anthracnose fruit rot (symptoms appear as soft to firm brown to black spots on green fruits and dark purple spots on ripe fruits, spots enlarge rapidly, surface covered with pink to orange spore masses)
•Powdery mildew (causes infected leaflets to curl upwards along margins, lower leaf surface may turn reddish, fruit infection shows as tan to rusty pink berry surface that often cracks)

Varieties:

•Chandler
•Tribute
•Tristar
•Tioga Selva
•Domail
•Rabunda
•Pajaro
•Douglas. Cultural Practices (Mulching - after planting the strawberry plants)
•mulching the beds with pine needles
•shredded leaves or straw helps to keep the soil temperature down
•mitigate the weed problem
•and also keeps the fruit cleaner by keeping the strawberries off of the dirt. As the mulch breaks down
•it also adds organic matter to the soil. Weeding - weeds compete with the plants for nutrients
•moisture
•space and sunlight
•as well as harbouring pathogens. Manual weeding is recommended. However
•during critical growth periods
•i.e.
•flowering
•fruiting
•daughter plant growth and establishment
•weeding should not be done. This is in order to avoid any disturbances. Training - strawberries are sprawling plants and the seedlings send out runners. These runners should be trained in order to follow a specific pattern for better performance. Irrigation - water is critically essential when growing strawberries. The plants need a lot of water especially when the runners and flowers are developing. Drip irrigation is highly recommended as it waters at the root. Pruning - this is majorly aimed at increasing fruit production. Flowers should be pruned off immediately they appear.

Growing Timeline

Phase 1

Planting

Prepare soil, plant seedling, water thoroughly

Phase 2

Establishment

Regular watering, fertilizer application

Phase 3

Growth

Pruning, maintenance, pest management

Phase 4

Fruiting

Harvest and ongoing maintenance

Common Issues & Solutions

Water Stress

Ensure consistent watering, especially during dry periods. Use mulch to retain soil moisture. Install drip irrigation for efficient water delivery. Water deeply but less frequently.

Cold/Frost Damage

Protect plants during cold periods with covers or windbreaks. Choose appropriate planting locations. Consider frost-resistant varieties. Water plants before expected frost to help protect roots.

Aphid Infestation

Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap. Introduce beneficial insects like ladybugs. Remove affected leaves and maintain good air circulation. Control ants that protect aphids.

Thrips Damage

Use blue sticky traps to monitor. Apply neem oil or insecticidal soap. Ensure proper spacing for good air circulation. Remove weeds that serve as hosts.

Quick Reference

Min Temperature

10°C

Ideal Sunlight

6+ hrs

Water Frequency

Regular

Soil pH

6.0-7.0

Ready to start growing?

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