Topic: Strawberry Plants after Harvest

[rokerman1973]

Hi, have finished harvesting my Strawberries and have pinned down the runners that I need and cut off the others along with the old foliage. This was done about a week ago. I now have new foliage on both my runners and their parent plants. The question I have is do I need to cut off the new foliage on both the parent plants and the new plants prior to the winter or just leave them on both as they are. Many thanks in advance.
Alan into his 5th week of retirement. 

[squeezyjohn]

My understanding is that you strip the old leaves from the established plants before the winter ... but you keep the leaves on the newly rooted runners.

[Deb P]

If you have already trimmed the foliage from the parent plants once, I would leave them alone and the runners as well...

[rokerman1973]

Many thanks to you both, that's what I kind of thought. Have a great day. Al 

[antipodes]

I have never done that in that way! I always leave them to their own devices, then at the end of winter when the first growth just begins, I get rid of all the old leaves. But I leave the old growth on over the winter and then feed and mulch them in spring...

[laurieuk]

When we used to grow quite large beds of strawberries and used straw under them , at the end of the season on a good dry day we used to burn the straw which in turn burnt all the old foliage but quickly so as not to damage the crowns.

[Tee Gee]

Apart from mulching I do the same as Antipodes!

Up here on top of the Pennines I see the old leaves as a a  frost protection for both the plants I intend to keep, and the rooted runners I use to fill any gaps where original plants have succumbed to the elements.

[Digeroo]

I cut off the leaves from mine a few weeks ago after flowering it seemed rather cruel, but pleased to say they have now produced another really healthy set.  I also watered, mulched and fed them, it is very dry here and the soil is very free draining.   

The deer here nibble the winter leaves so I do not do any more cutting it does not seem to affect the cropping.  Luckily they loose interest when the new spring leaves appear.

I rather like this for what to do with strawberries, though there is not much about feeding them.  I saw a program on tv about commercial strawberry growing and they feed constantly in the spring.

http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/image/data/pdf/Growing%20Guides/Strawberries.pdf

[squeezyjohn]

I didn't get a chance to get rid of the old foliage on my strawberry plants last winter ... the deer moved in some time in december and did the job for me too!

[rokerman1973]

Digeroo, thanks very much for the link. Brilliant. Thanks everyone else. Take care it's a Jungle out there!!!