Strawberry Plants are great looking plants that can make your yard stand out if cared for properly. In addition to enhancing the aesthetic of your garden, they are great sources of fresh strawberries throughout the year!
Strawberry plants need a lot of tender loving care when it comes to providing them with adequate water.
When watering strawberries, you need to pay close attention to both the timing of the application of water and the amount you apply in order to maintain proper levels of moisture in and around the plant.
You need to avoid allowing them to get too dry by not providing them enough water, but also avoid allowing them to get too soggy because of over watering them.
There are several factors that determine how much water your strawberry plants need and when they need to be watered including the type of soil being used, amount of sun exposure, and type of strawberry plant that you’re growing.
It’s also important to note whether your strawberry plants are being grown in pots as opposed to being grown in the ground and whether the strawberry plants are established as opposed to being newly planted.
Expectations: We’ll provide a detailed guide for watering strawberries properly, but before we do, let’s discuss those several factors that will dictate how to properly water your strawberry plants!
Factors Determining How to Water Strawberry Pants Right
There exist a multitude of strawberry varieties (over ten).
The effectiveness with which strawberries grow will be strongly influenced by the amount of water supplied and other maintenance practices employed throughout their respective lives.
The following factors will help guide you in determining how much to water your strawberry plants.
Soil type
Strawberries grow in different types of soil with corresponding differences in the amount of moisture available to plants as they grow.
Strawberries planted into sandy-type soils will need watering more than strawberries planted into soils that retain moisture better.
Although clay-type soils retain some moisture, they do not require as much watering as sandy-type soils, due to their heavier weight compared to sandy-type soils.
Important! Generally speaking, strawberries will require an average of between 1.5-6 inches of water each week during their growing season when they are fruiting, and when there are dry conditions.
To prevent strawberries from suffering from root rot, the soil around a strawberry plant must remain consistently moist, but not saturated; excessive moisture is harmful to the strawberry plant and can lead to death.
Sun conditions
Strawberry plants love full sun. Having access to between six and eight hours of sunshine each day is ideal for producing quality fruit but having even more sunshine can yield sweeter berries that are more flavourful.
Strawberry plants that are exposed to longer periods of sunlight will naturally transpire more than the same plants grown in a partially shaded area and therefore should be watered on a regular basis.
Strawberry variety
The way you plant strawberries can make your strawberry plants need water more or less frequently.
Strawberry plant varieties mature at different times and during their ‘fruit lugging’ stage; the plant has a high requirement for consistent moisture.
Nonetheless, when you compare possible strawberry varieties for your growing needs, there isn’t a significant variance in their average watering requirements.
Strawberry Water Requirements
Strawberries are very shallow rooted (less than 3 inches of soil), so if they are not continually watered, they will lose their moisture very quickly.
In moderate climate areas, most of the time, strawberry plants will not require much watering because the average weekly rainfall is at least 1.5 inches.
In extremely hot or dry areas, always water your strawberry plants at least twice weekly to prevent the soil from drying out completely; you want the upper two to three inches of soil to remain moist.
How to Tell it’s Time to Water Your Strawberries
To properly water your strawberry plants, you need to pay attention to how moist the soil is.
Before watering, check the moisture level of the soil. You can do this by inserting a stick into the ground, waiting two to three days, and then checking the moisture level with your fingers.
If the stick comes out dry, it’s time to water your plants.
Another way to see how well your strawberry plants are getting enough water is to put a bucket around them overnight. If you see water droplets on the tips of the leaves, this means that the plants are getting enough moisture through guttation.
The other option is to use a moisture meter.
How to Water Strawberries
When you water strawberry plants, you want to water them differently than you would most other plants.
For example, most plant types (including fruit trees) receive water from their roots all the way up through their leaves (i.e., you use sprinklers), but fragile strawberries can quickly develop rot if they remain in wet conditions for long periods of time (which is essentially soggy leaf exposure).
For this reason, you should not use sprinklers when watering strawberries; instead, use soaker hoses or drip irrigation methods.
Another thing to remember: always keep the irrigation system a minimum of 2″ away from your strawberry plant.
Water your strawberries early in the morning so that they can absorb enough sunlight and dry out completely by sunset.
Additionally, if your strawberry plants are growing in containers, you should check their moisture level more often.
Also Keep in Mind: soil mixtures in containers dry out more quickly, especially if they are placed in hot locations.
It may also be helpful to mulch your strawberry plants with an additional layer of material to help retain moisture and prevent water from splashing onto leaves. Aim for about 2″ of mulch per strawberry plant.
Lastly, be careful not to pile mulch up too high near your strawberry plant stems; this could cause your strawberries to rot or develop excessive moisture-related problems.
In Conclusion: It’s generally better to under water your strawberry plants than to provide a water-logged growing medium.
How Often to Water Strawberries
When it comes to watering strawberry plants, several factors determine how often and how much water they need, as mentioned throughout this page.
In most cases, strawberry plants require 1–1.5 inches of water each week, or slightly more when they start producing fruit.
Typically, strawberry plants should get 1–2 inches of moisture/water each day if grown in temperate climates. If grown in a particularly hot climate or during a cold season, you may need to provide strawberry plants with additional moisture by watering them 2.5 inches or more frequently.
Potted strawberries have different watering needs than strawberries grown in the soil.
Because potted strawberries have a drainage system and are generally easier to care for since you can manage soil moisture, you’ll want to be vigilant about providing water to your potted strawberries. Water your potted strawberries when the soil is dry to the touch.
Signs of Excessive Strawberry Plant Watering
Water and oxygen are essential to the survival of every type of plant.
To breathe normally, plants also require adequate amounts of air space in the soil – (air pockets between the soil and the soil particle), if they do not have enough air, they will suffocate.
When you are growing strawberries, always be on the lookout for signs of wrought wilting.
Usually, when a strawberry plant has wilting symptoms, it means that it is suffering due to a lack of water; however, it could also signify that the plant has been over-watered.
Final Thoughts
The way to properly irrigate strawberries has many unique aspects to consider.
Soil type is an important part of the equation; however so too are when and where the strawberry plants will be planted (in-ground; raised bed; or container).
Since raised beds and containers allow better monitoring of moisture levels than ground, that should be the first consideration when choosing a location for your strawberry plants.
If you do not grow in a raised bed or container, you will want to ensure that water is applied generously at the time of planting, then increase the amount of water during the fruit-bearing season. Correctly irrigating your strawberry plants will enable them to produce their fruit within four weeks.
Do not use overhead sprinklers, only use drip irrigation systems on your strawberry plants.