strawberrry advice please

[Claire72]

I have a strawberry bed in my garden, which has produced strawbs every year, but not loads. It is really very prone to buttercups, and is currently overgrown again.
I read in a book that you should get rid of strawberries after 4 years, and plant new ones, but I have allowed mine to produce 'babies' every year, so do I need to dig up all mine?
Would I be better to dig up all the bed, getting rid of the buttercups and strawbs, and then plant new ones, started from seed, and if I do, will they produce fruit this year?
any way to kill the buttercups, without the strawbs, or do they always live hand in hand?

[BarleySugar]

I would be inclined to dig the whole lot up, get rid of the buttercups, and replant the best of the strawberry plants, or buy in new plants.
If you aren't worried about using weedkiller, pot up the strawberries you want to keep, and when the buttercups start into growth again, spray with glyphosphate. Leave for around 3 weeks for the roots to be killed, add plenty of well rotted compost, and plant your strawberries back.

[bramble]

Take new runners from your strawberries every year. These are then your new plants.
Don't bother with plants that are over 3 year old as they are past their best.
leave plants outdoors over the winter, the frost will benefit them.
If there are lots of buttercups growing, it sounds like the soil might be holding water.
Dig in some sharp grit to improve the drainage.
Good luck with the coming season.

[Claire72]

Take new runners from your strawberries every year. These are then your new plants.
Don't bother with plants that are over 3 year old as they are past their best.
leave plants outdoors over the winter, the frost will benefit them.
If there are lots of buttercups growing, it sounds like the soil might be holding water.
Dig in some sharp grit to improve the drainage.
Good luck with the coming season.

Do I get sharp grit from the garden centre? is that what it is called?
How do I know which plants are over 3 years old?
Do I have to pot up the runners, as I usually just let them amble about over my strawberry patch!
I am happy to dig the lot up, how deep do the buttercup roots go do you think? Can I manure a strawberry patch? I have some manure promised from a local cow farm

[Two_Sheds]

How do I know which plants are over 3 years old?

Grow your strawbs in 3 or 4 rows: one year olds, two year olds, and so on. Label them so you don't forget.
Don't let them just ramble all over the place ...

[Two_Sheds]

Creeping buttercup is a real nuisance on my plot too: it likes damp, shady, acidic conditions.

Cut out each buttercup with a knife and it is easily removed. The severed root won't regrow, but a buried plant will, so don't just dig them in.

They prefer the moist conditions of clay soils, so improving drainage and applying lime will help to eradicate them.

Move your strawberry patch if you can, somewhere sunnier.

[di]

Cut out each buttercup with a knife and it is easily removed. The severed root won't regrow, but a buried plant will, so don't just dig them in.

They prefer the moist conditions of clay soils, so improving drainage and applying lime will help to eradicate them.

Cool!!You've just saved me from continuing to waste lots of time trying to get evry last bit of root out....I've always assumed they're like bindweed/cooch grass,where leave a little & they'll haunt you forever!

[maytreefrannie]

Creeping buttercup is a real nuisance on my plot too: it likes damp, shady, acidic conditions.

Cut out each buttercup with a knife and it is easily removed. The severed root won't regrow, but a buried plant will, so don't just dig them in.

They prefer the moist conditions of clay soils, so improving drainage and applying lime will help to eradicate them.

Move your strawberry patch if you can, somewhere sunnier.

Thanks a million for the guidelines on buttercups - which thrive in my garden. I'd actually been thinking about them this morning, I've been inclined to dig out and sometimes, dig in, which has been making the problem worse and I didn't realize that.

[daleclarke]

While talking about Strawberries am I right in believing they only have a small root structure so can be grown in guttering, only seen it somewhere (can't remember where, read too much*) and looking into doing it as I was successful with Spring Onions, Lettuce and Radishes as the slugs had no chance.

* I now use Zotero with Firefox as bibliography, getting organised now at last!

[Claire72]

moving the patch isn't really an option, although it seems to be a fairly sunny situation, however, I can add grit and lime, which will hopefully help Thanks for the advice

Creeping buttercup is a real nuisance on my plot too: it likes damp, shady, acidic conditions.

Cut out each buttercup with a knife and it is easily removed. The severed root won't regrow, but a buried plant will, so don't just dig them in.

They prefer the moist conditions of clay soils, so improving drainage and applying lime will help to eradicate them.

Move your strawberry patch if you can, somewhere sunnier.

[sarah_h]

While talking about Strawberries am I right in believing they only have a small root structure so can be grown in guttering, only seen it somewhere (can't remember where, read too much*) and looking into doing it as I was successful with Spring Onions, Lettuce and Radishes as the slugs had no chance.

* I now use Zotero with Firefox as bibliography, getting organised now at last!

Well, from my experience I find that strawberries have quite long roots and I've read somewhere that they *prefer* deeper soil. I used to grow SB in shallow planters; the crop was ok but not brilliant. Last year I grew them in bins from Morrisons and got a much better crop. So I feel deeper is better!?