When to refresh strawberry planters

[ourarka]

Hello!!

We have lots of strawberry plants, most of which are in good nick, but planted in some very old and tatty planters. They need new planters, with new compost and the older plants chucked out with the new 'runner grown' ones put in.

When is the best time to do this? Now, whilst they are dormant or in the Spring when they start to grown again and flower?

[ourarka]

Sorry to bump - any ideas anyone?


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[rustylady]

Just checked on the RHS site, and they say plant in early Autumn or Spring, so if I were you I think I would wait for Spring now. Grow your own strawberries / RHS Gardening

[FB.]

The best time to move fruit plants or change the soil in pots is when they are dormant, a few weeks after the leaves have fallen.
January and February are the best months because they're the coldest and the roots suffer least damage - assuming the soil isn't frozen!

Some general stuff regarding moving fruit plants of all types:

Many people don't realise that a plant without leaves isn't necessarily dormant below ground.

When leaves turn yellow in autumn the plant is moving nutrients and energy to the roots and will use those nutrients to continue growing roots (albeit slowly) whenever the soil temperature is above about 6'C.
But lifting too early after the leaves fall (when the soil is still quite warm and damp in late autumn) can result in all those soft new roots being broken off and left being in the soil - with the plant energy reserves being wasted.
As the soil cools in December and into the new year, most of those soft new roots harden and go dormant, making it the best time to get the plant out with the minimum of root damage.

That's why fruits such as currants and gooseberries have cuttings taken in autumn, as the leaves yellow, so those nutrients extracted from the leaves go straight into producing new roots.

So a plant which is hard-pruned after mid-August ends up with all those reserves being lost, resulting in poor new root growth in autumn-winter and a slow start to the next season. It's the most common way people kill their mature shrubs, bushes and trees (not just fruit trees).

[ourarka]

Thanks guys - the New Year it is then!


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[WPG]

On the subject of strawberries, I'm not too sure what to do. I ordered two dozen plants (or so I thought) in September, but they've only arrived today. Instead of plants, what I received are plastic bags of dry compost and bundles of roots.

I doubt if I'll be able to get to the allotment for a few weeks, so I'm not too sure what to do with the bags. Should I open them and add water to the compost? Or are the roots OK to leave in dry soil? Should I leave the bags out in a cold frame, or keep them in the house?

Any advice much appreciated, there weren't any instructions in the package.

[WendyC]

I'd take them out of the bag as they are likely to go mouldy if left in it. Then I would pot them into a few tall pots, the sort roses come in, as the roots are generally quite long. The individual plants don't need much room as they won't be growing. Old compost will do too. Water them once and allow to drain, then put in your cold frame. The house is too warm and they will try to grow. Keep an eye on the compost and water again if it gets dry, you want it just moist enough to keep the roots hydrated.

[Bigmallly]

There's a bit of info here WPG:

Storing Bare-Root Strawberry Plants | Strawberry Plants .org

[WPG]

Many thanks for your advice Wendy and Bigmally