How Come My Strawberry Plants Grew Tall This Year & Didn't Produce Berries?

Pre-Plant Fertilizer

• Typically, strawberry beds are fertilized prior to planting. Commercial applicators often spread about 35 lbs. per acre of nitrogen on the field. Home growers can use a fertilizer consisting of 10 percent each of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium spread at a rate of about 4 lbs. for every 100 square feet of strawberry patch. In either case, if the amount of fertilizer applied somehow exceeds the recommended levels, or the soil originally has a high level of nitrogen, the actual soil nitrogen content could be too high and excessive vegetation and low fruit production results.

Accidental Fertilization

• In some cases, the fertilization occurs accidentally. If the strawberry patch is close to the lawn, for example, fertilizer meant for the lawn could drift to the strawberry patch. In some cases, this results in an uneven spread over the patch with areas closest to the site of the higher fertilizer concentration more greatly affected.

Recovery

• Strawberries are a shallow rooted perennial and typically require fertilization every year. If an excessive amount of fertilizer is applied one year, skipping the next year may be in order. Rain and irrigation washes the nutrients of the fertilizer deeper into the soil over time and can remove the chemicals from the root zone in a year or two. If the problem persists, tilling under the strawberry bed and relocating the plants may be in order. Have a soil sample done at the proposed new location to check for excessive nitrogen.

Other Crops

• If you do work under the current strawberry patch, you can plant other garden crops in the location. However, a soil sample may be in order. Some garden plants like tomatoes will react in the same way to the excessive nitrogen in the soil.