Question: Should I Mulch Strawberry Plants?
Kim Ruby asked:
Hello – I live in North Central Florida. My growing season is different than the northern climates. My strawberry season is ended by June. This past year I planted 40 Sweet Charlie bare root plants in November and they are doing great. I have been pinching the berries this year giving the plant a chance to establish. Should I use straw mulch to protect my strawberry plants from the summer heat? If not, what do you suggest? Thank You.
Answer to: Should I Mulch Strawberry Plants in the Summer?
Kim Ruby,
Strawberries are temperate beauties. They thrive in countries all over the world, including many chilly ones. Since they do so well where winter temperatures get cold, people have adapted techniques to harness the most vitality from their plants. Famously, that involves mulching them over the winter to protect them from cold injury.
But, straw mulch serves several significant purposes when it comes to growing strawberries during the summer in temperate regions or during the cooler seasons in hotter climates.
First, insulation is just as important during the summer as it is during the winter. Keeping the roots of the strawberry plants cool is important to maintaining healthy plants. Loose clean straw is an ideal insulator as it allows good air flow and shields the soil/roots from the direct heating rays of the sun.
Second, mulching with straw during the summer keeps your strawberries clean! Instead of resting upon muddy dirt, your berries stay much cleaner and have a barrier between themselves and soil-borne contaminants. Often, they can simply be rinsed briefly to wash away any debris instead of really needing a deep clean.
Third, straw mulch or pine needle mulch works to protect your plants and berries from a host of common pathogens, especially fungi. When it rains, the little droplets of water reach significant speeds as they hurtle from laden clouds above. When those liquified missiles repeatedly plummet into pools of muddy or standing water, that dirty water is splashed up onto the vegetation of your plants. That process has transmitted enough pathogens to kill many a gardener’s entire strawberry patch.
So, yes, mulching strawberry plants in the summer is a good idea. mulching insulates from freezing temperatures (for northern climes) in the winter, but it also insulates and allows for cooler air flow to keep the roots from overheating in the summer (for southern climes), protects, and keeps strawberries clean (all climes). So, yes, go ahead and mulch with clean straw this summer. Good luck!
This is a question submitted to StrawberryPlants.org by a reader. See the Strawberry FAQ for more questions and answers.
Jody
Can I use pine shavings to put under my strawberries? Zone 7b, N. Alabama.
Mary Ward
Yes, you can use sawdust or shavings as a mulch under your strawberries. DO try to keep it pulled back a little from the crown, though. Sawdust is a good mulch as a barrier between soil, which can harbor disease-producing pathogens, and the plants. It is good at reducing soil splash so may lower incidences of soil-borne disease. Do note that as it breaks down, it can tie up nitrogen in the soil (which it will return later), so keep an eye out for yellowing and be aware that you might need to bump up your nitrogen sources a little when mulching with sawdust. This article might help, too: https://gardening.org/14-uses-for-sawdust-in-the-garden-with-tutorials/
Kim
Would leaves from Northern white cedar trees be a good mulch for strawberries and blueberries?
Ricky D Edinger
If I mulch with straw for winter protection in Wa. St. And want straw under them for summer. Do I remove it? Or can I leave it on?
Laurie
Can I use red bark mulch on my potted strawberries in the summer to help keep the roots watered and protected? It’s the bag red cedar mulch from home depot.
greenbuddha
home depot has better mulch, the dyed/colored mulch is garbage
they have two, one is a natural pine/fir blend, and one is cedar, both are far superior and unless the others are on sale, almost the same price, for weed control, I prefer the cedar, the natural oils, but for mulching with the idea of compost down the road, I prefer the pine/fir blend. good luck
home depot lawn and garden associate, but don’t tell them I said that the dyed ones are garbage, maybe good for a business mulching around the plants and decorations, but not for a garden,
Shannon
Can I use leaf mulch? I just finished putting it down, now you’ve got me wondering if I should take it all out and use straw
Mr. Strawberry
Shannon,
No, don’t use leaf mulch if at all possible. The leaves compact and will hold moisture and rot, thus providing an ideal opportunity for pathogenic fungi and other problems to affect your strawberry planting. I would recommend removing it as soon as possible and replacing with clean straw. Good luck!
Anna Jones, Jones Strawberries
How long to leave straw and cloth covers on strawberries after frost is over. Thanks
Mr. Strawberry
Anna Jones,
Take it off right away! Good luck!
Cathy
Can I use silver maple tree shavings as mulch for my strawberries? We are in the process of cutting up the wood and wondered if this would work.
Mr. Strawberry
Cathy,
I wouldn’t recommend using fresh tree shavings. As they decompose, they suck nitrogen out of the surrounding soil that your strawberry plants need to flourish. Hope that helps, good luck!
Erma Shrock
It won’t take nitrogen out of your soil unless it’s mixed in the soil, is my understanding. If you mulch it with wood chips, it’ll keep the soil moist and will breakdown with time to a beautiful potting soil type soil. Check out back to eden gardening.
Kari
Can I plant carrots with my strawberries?
Mr. Strawberry
Kari,
Yes, you can. Good luck!