How to Separate Strawberry Plants

Strawberries are often included in gardens for their juicy, sweet fruit. These plants produce berries seasonally, with mature beds of strawberries being the most productive. Though strawberries are propagated using seeds, other methods include carefully guided growing or division of mature plants. Division of plants is possible because strawberries produce rhizomes, which are underground stems that set out roots and produce new plants as they grow. Dividing strawberries to make use of the rhizomes must be done properly to ensure proper growth of the future strawberry plants.

Trowel or shovel
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Select the group of strawberry plants you wish to separate. Use a garden trowel to gently dig beneath the plants and lift them from the soil. Be careful not to damage the roots of the plants. If the plants being divided are large and very mature, a shovel may be required to properly dig beneath and lift the plants.
- 2
  Brush away excess dirt from the roots of the plants, being careful not to damage the roots. Use water to gently rinse away any clumps of dirt or stubborn bits of dirt on the roots. Clean roots are easier to divide.
- 3
  Locate the separate crowns of the different strawberry plants in the clump. Each crown is identifiable by finding the thickest stems at the base of the plants from which the leaves grow. Determine how many separate plants your clump contains by counting the crowns.
- 4
  Tease the roots of the strawberry plants with your fingers, gently separating them from one another until the roots are loose and free.
- 5
  Hold one plant in the clump, and gently pull it from the rest to separate it. Repeat this with each plant until they are all divided.
- 6
  Plant the newly divided strawberry plants immediately to prevent death before planting and to increase the plants' chances of successfully surviving the transplant.

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