It’s the middle of April, and spring is surging ahead here in our small southern piece of the pie.
Strawberry pie, that is!
Well, I wish anyways… I’m a bit impatient.
Our strawberries are blooming like mad, but we have yet to get one, sweet, tender, juicy, warm berry from our little raised strawberry garden.
This isn’t our first rodeo, but this will be for our current bed. You see, we didn’t get any strawberries last year.
That was my fault, as I was more focused on increasing the number of plants we had rather than fruiting.
It was a huge success! We had runners everywhere!
This leads me to today’s topic: “When Can You Transplant Strawberry Plants?”
Transplanting healthy, happy plants successfully is how you ensure that your family will have bountiful harvests of tart, sweet little berries for years and years to come; all while replacing themselves (if you have June bearing varieties!) through their daughters, or runners.
Today, we’ll focus on timing your planting appropriately, in order to reduce any stress to the plant during this process.
When Can You Transplant Strawberry Plants?
Transplanting strawberry plants can be pretty easy… As a matter of fact, the runners just pop up anywhere and everywhere! Strawberries are incredibly resilient. But, just like any other plant, you don’t want to plant them under the worst circumstances. Plants should be strong, in good health, and protected while roots become established. Spring and summer tend to be the best seasons for transplanting your strawberries. Here are some excellent general guidelines that I follow:
- I never transplant strawberries while they are flowering. I only grow June bearing varieties due to their many benefits, and these plants only flower and fruit once a year. Therefore, I do it before or after blooming. If you are going to transplant a strawberry plant during this time, snipping off the flowers will redirect the plant’s energy into root and foliage growth.
- Never transplant strawberries when there is less than 6 weeks to go before the first frost. I’ve been known to do it, but I’m in zone 7a; our winters are rather gentle on strawberry plants, with the exception of a few cold snaps. If it gets too cold too soon, the plant may not have enough time to build a healthy root system and prepare itself for overwintering. This can ultimately kill the plant.
- Only transplant healthy, thriving plants. If a plant looks sickly, whether it is diseased, infested with pests, or simply thirsty, either dispose of the plant or get it back into health. A stressed plant may not pull through the transplanting process successfully.
- If you are transplanting runners, wait until they develop a small root system. Once the young plant has become established, sever the vine leading back to the mother plant and allow it to begin sustaining itself; after you see continued growth, proceed with transplanting.
- If your strawberry plants are showing signs of becoming root bound, or if they are still in their small nursery pots, they need to be transplanted immediately if conditions allow. This is generally planned out already by most people, but leaving them in those pots can cause problems for the plants. They are only for temporary use.
When to Transplant Strawberry Seedlings
Have you taken your chances with growing strawberries from seed? If so, you probably found out that it wasn’t too hard to do! I’ve started many plants from seed, with my current batch of seedlings being the beautiful Yellow Wonder Alpine Strawberries. I’m over the moon about these little plants, which have truly taken off. These adorable little seedlings should be allowed to get several sets of leaves before being transplanted out into the garden, that is, if you started them indoors. With their incredibly slow rate of growth, I do recommend keeping them in a nursery environment during their first 12 weeks. Once the plants begin to reach 3″ to 4″ tall, you can begin transplanting them. Make sure that the crowns of the plants are strong, sturdy, and above the soil line.
Planting Strawberry Plants in Spring
Once the frost date comes and goes, you know it’s time to plant your strawberries! Strawberries that are already presenting spring growth (as most purchased plants will be) do not need to be exposed to frosts and cold temperatures. This could be very confusing for the plant. For plants that are still dormant in your beds, this should not be as big of an issue. If the worst of the winter has already given way to spring, don’t feel shy about transplanting your overwintered plants. Transplanting may trigger the spring awakening, so keep this in mind. If you are expecting temperatures to fall well below freezing, especially for an extended period of time, do not proceed with any exposed outdoor transplants.
How to Transplant Strawberry Plants into Pots
Strawberries do best when planted in the ground, but they can thrive incredibly well in pots, too! Be sure to select a large pot, one that is at least 12″ in diameter. Fill it with a moist, loose, and fertile potting mix. Gently remove the plants from their pots, and place them into the new soil. Be sure that the crown is not buried and that the roots are not exposed; the soil line should be in the middle. Covering the crowns can invite disease or stunt the strawberry plant’s growth. A 12″ pot will give one plant plenty of space; while you could plant 2 or 3 in the same pot successfully, you may have low yields or small plants. This is not always the case, though!
How to Transplant Strawberry Runners
When runners begin to take over, you have to do something with them! Trust me, one plant can produce more runners than you could possibly need in a season if it is allowed to; your garden will be conquered rapidly. Once your selected strawberry runners have lots of young growth and established, healthy root systems after severing the tie to the mother plant, you’re ready to transplant. Choose a sunny, well drained location for the plants, and plant them carefully; again, watch the soil line and ensure that the crown is exposed while roots are covered very well.
How Far Apart to Plant Strawberry Plants in a Raised Bed
If you are planning to do a matted row system, plants should have a minimum 18″ spacing with 48″ (4 feet) between rows. This allows you to achieve matted rows approximately 2 feet wide. The previous image displays strawberry plants in this row system. If you are using raised beds, aim for a 12″ spacing if you are not allowing them to mat together. I allow my plants to mat the bed, and thin the runners as needed to ensure all plants get air flow, sunshine, and nutrients. Strawberry plants are quite aggressive, and they will choke one another out if they are not kept in balance.
I am in zone 7a. I have a bed of June-bearing strawberries that were planted last spring. They have SO many runners! I have prepared another bed to transplant into, but I am wondering what is the best month to do so. It is still quite hot here (August), reaching the 90’s most days. How long can I wait to move the runners?
Tisha, you are in the same zone I am in. We still have at least 6 weeks until the temperatures get cooler. You could pull them up now, replant them where you want them, and be sure to keep the soil moist around the roots and crowns for the next 2 weeks. Mulch them for the best results. They may die back this winter, but you should see them explode with new growth in the spring! If you really want to take the stress off of them, place a card table or shade cloth (most people have a card table, but not a shade cloth) over half of the bed for the first two or three days (unless it’s cloudy) to keep the sun from beating down on them during the initial transplant. They’ll still get indirect light. You shouldn’t have any problems anyways, as they’re very, very resilient plants! We can hit runners with the lawn mower four times in a season, only to see them bounce back with vigor the next year. You want the roots to establish themselves before the cold weather comes, but you don’t want to stress them out during a heat wave, either.
can I transplant strawberries in the winter?. we’re on long island ny.
Hello Karen! Absolutely! The only issue with transplanting strawberries during the winter is that you may have a hard time figuring out how deep to plant the crown. Before you dig up your plants, become familiar with where the soil line lays against the crowns of the plants. If you bury the crown too deep, it can contribute to rot and kill the plant; too shallow, and the plant’s root system is more exposed to harsh weather, dry air, and damage.