Dead looking Strawberry plants

[sumbody]

Hi again - last year I bought from J Parkers some strawberry plants.  When they arrived they looked rotten and dying.  I told them - they assured me they would be OK - and would grow in the spring (also assuring me that if they do not grow they would deal with it at the appropriate time i.e. Spring).  I have planted them in window boxes outside (safest place for them as they seem to get eaten if in the ground) - but so far nothing is growing - leaves are brown and crispy - cannot see any new shoots coming from the centres at all.

I know its not quite spring yet - but not sure what to expect and when.

Should they be growing yet ?? or is it too early still ??

Thanks in advance

Monica

[sumbody]

[the_snail]

I would leave them until april or may before you can say they are dead. Strawberries die down over the winter and then start again in the spring. They are like a herbaceouse perenial that you grow in your flower borders.

The_Snail

[Growbe]

It has gone cold again this week, which will not help them.
Take the_snail's advice and wait a while.

Snowdrops are just starting to bloom so Spring is on the way :)

[Debs]

I took runners from my strawbs on the allotment last season,

they have all kept at least one or two leaves and apparently

a cold spell helps them to produce the fruit ( read it somewhere)

Most of mine were eaten by slugs/snails last year, so I am probably

going to put them in hanging baskets, or suspend them in some way.

Debs :)

[sandersj89]

Yes, they are probably fine. A couple of weeks ago I cleared up my strawberry bed and removed the dead material and there was very little else left.

But give it a few weeks and the shoots will appear.

And Debs is correct, they need a period of frost to intiate flowering.

Jerry

[Columbus]

Hi Sumbody,

Strawberries seem to always look terrible this time of year. Don`t worry about them. Like Sanders` I`ve had a pick through mine to remove dead material, I think this might help prevent mould and other nasties.

Col

[sumbody]

Thanks for all your replies - I'll hold on a bit longer and see what happens.

Monica

[deboydoyd]

If yours are dead then so are mine, they just sound like yours, but I am living in hope and time will tell....

[the_snail]

Dont Panic they will be fine. Mine look a little shaby and dead at the moment. They are 2 years old so I know they are alive.

The_Snail

Edit: If they where planted this autumn then what I normally do is the remove the flowers the first year to allow the plants to gain more strenght and they fruit just as well if not better the folowing year. The only time I do not do that is if I am growing the runners. This may sound strange but that is how I treat strawberrie plants and it seams to work. But if you want fruit first year then plenty of food and water then you will be ok.

[Debs]

Here's what the RHS says to do in jobs to do in February...

Pot-grown strawberries that have been in a cool greenhouse all winter should be placed outside, as they flower only after exposure to the cold. However, outdoor strawberries (already exposed to the cold) can be brought into the greenhouse to force them into fruit at warmer temperatures. Hand pollination may be necessary in cold weather.

Place cloches or fleece over outdoor strawberry plants for an early crop. Make sure to lift the sides of the fleece during the warmest part of the day, to allow pollinating insects to enter. High potassium feeds (such as tomato fertiliser) will also help to encourage flowers and fruit. Hand pollination may be necessary in very cold spring weather, when insects are scarce.