Getting too much advice about fertilizer and dont know who to listen to

[bobbyluvsstrawberries]

hi,

i need some advice from the very knowledgeable people who visit this site. ive been given advice from 2 different growers but they both contradict each other and i dont know who to listen to.

the 1st growers advice is that im using too much fertilizer and i should stop as there is too much nitrogen and because of that ive got too many leaves and not enough fruit.

the 2nd grower giving me advice, is saying the total opposite, that im not using enough fertilizer! he says that the reason my strawberry leaves are pale and yellow (see photos below)is because of the lack of nutrients in the soil.

im using richard jacksons premium plant food and the directions say to use it twice a week from june, which i have. im including a picture of the breakdown of the fertilizer.

can some please advise me on what i should be doing.
thank you

[marchogaeth]

Some one who knows something will be along in a minute. How many plants have you got in what size container there? They looked a bit cramped to me. Also what variety/ies have you got? If they are late strawberries you might be expecting too much, too soon.

[roitelet]

Never fertilize mine, topdressing with compost is all they get and they are fine. Mind you they are in the ground. I do also have some in troughs in the tunnel but won't be bothering next year. They do much better in open ground and are much less bother.

The pale leaved ones look to me as if they are overwatered as the ones in the trough next door look fine.

Speaking of strawberries, must rush out and net them as they are just beginning to turn red.

Bye for now.

[WendyC]

Are they the same variety? Do you have the same number of plants in each trough?

[Two_Sheds]

Yellow foliage sometimes is a sign of starvation, but it can also indicate other things.

Over-feeding is more of a problem than underfeeding, tbh. He's right, too much nitrogen will give you foliage at the expense of fruit. Nitrogen is a feed for leafy plants, such as brassicas.
Strawberries, and all fruiting plants, need more potash than nitrogen.

Having said that, I've never fed my strawberries anything at all. They get everything they need from the soil, which I mulch with chopped alfalfa & comfrey leaves from time to time.

Crops in pots obviously can't get nutrients from the soil, so they're dependent on you. I still wouldn't feed them though, not unless they completely fail to produce any fruit at all.

[zazen999]

What you really need to do with those is to give them more room.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I grow some of my strawbs in similar containers 6" wide 6" deep and 30" long. If I try to grow more than 3 plants per container I have problems as they are over crowded.

As to feeding. It is very difficult to overfeed a container as every time you water its like a clean rinse. I start the season with a high nitrogen feed such as Miracle Grow to help with green growth and then change to a high potash such as Tomorite for fruit production and growth.

Another thing to bear in mind is how old they are. First year strawbs do not produce much fruit anyway, years 2 and 3 are the best years after that you should be looking to have new runners ready from your original plants to act as replacements.

Potty