How to Plant Strawberry Rhizomes

Strawberries are low-growing plants that produce sweet, red berries once in the spring or continuously until fall, depending on the variety. Strawberry plants grow in long runners from underground root systems called rhizomes. When you plant strawberries in the early spring, you often have only the rhizome with perhaps one or two green sprouts at the crown. The rhizomes last for three to four years before they must be replaced.

10-10-10 fertilizer
Garden tiller
Shovel
Water

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until very early spring, as soon as the ground thaws and is no longer muddy. The best time to plant is on a cloudy day when there is no direct sunlight to dry out the rhizome. Locate an area that receives full sunlight and has fertile, well-draining soil, such as on a slight slope.
- 2
  Spread a 10-10-10 fertilizer over the area using 1 lb. for every 100 square feet of planting space. Work the fertilizer into the top 6 to 12 inches of the soil with a garden tiller or a shovel.
- 3
  Dig a hole the same depth as one of the strawberry rhizomes, and insert the rhizome into the hole vertically with the pointed end upward. If there are green shoots at the top of the rhizome, raise them until all the green portion is above the soil line.
- 4
  Fill in the hole with the soil you removed, and pat it down lightly.
- 5
  Plant additional strawberry rhizomes the same way, spacing each plant at least 18 to 30 inches apart to allow for the mature spread.
- 6
  Water the soil to a 1-inch depth, and repeat the watering once per week if no rainfall occurs.

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