Honeoye Strawberry Fertilizer Requirements

Planting Time

• Honeoye strawberries demand rich, well-draining soil. Amend the soil with 2 inches of compost or manure to improve drainage and add nutrients. Raised beds work well for strawberries because they improve drainage and also control the runners' spread. Before planting, till 2 pounds of 6-24-24 fertilizer into the soil per 100 square feet of garden space. This nutrient profile supplies high levels of phosphorus and potassium to encourage strong root growth.

Early Growth

• Although honeoye strawberries remain productive for only three or four years, the first season's care is vital for later vigorous growth. Apply 2 pounds of 12-12-12 fertilizer per 100 square feet of garden space six weeks after planting. Make a second application in late summer. You can mow down the foliage at the same time.

Mature Plantings

• Honeoye strawberries are heavy feeders throughout the lifespan of the patch. To keep them growing vigorously, or renovate a neglected patch, apply 4 pounds of 12-12-12 fertilizer per 100 square feet of soil in the spring, as new growth emerges. The plants produce a heavy crop of berries for three weeks in spring to early summer. Following the harvest, honeoye strawberries produce the buds for the coming season in late summer. To support this bud formation, give the plants a second dose of 12-12-12 fertilizer in late summer, at a rate of 3 pounds of 12-12-12 fertilizer per 100 square feet of garden soil.

Organic Options

• If you're trying to avoid synthetic fertilizers, bone and blood meal make acceptable substitutes. Bone meal usually has a nutrient profile of 3-15-0, while blood meal has a profile of 12-0-0. Both fertilizers are byproducts of the slaughterhouse industry. Use these fertilizers -- especially blood meal -- with a light hand. Blood meal can burn plants if applied in quantity. Apply 1 cup each of blood meal and bone meal per 100 square feet of garden space in early spring and again in fall.