Strawberry Irrigation

Irrigation Method

• Water strawberries by hand or install a drip irrigation system prior to planting. Strawberries have shallow roots and cannot access water deep in the soil. They require about 1 inch of water a week, or enough moisture so the top 6-to-8 inches of soil remain moist. Drip irrigation delivers the water directly to the soil, so little is lost to evaporation. Hand watering is more time consuming but works equally well if you use a hose or watering can to direct the water to the base of the plant. Overhead watering doesn't moisten the soil sufficiently and the wet strawberry foliage and berries are more prone to disease.

Watering Time

• Timing the strawberry irrigation properly during the day supplies the most moisture to the soil and prevents fungal issues on the plant. Water strawberries in late morning before the heat of the day. The moisture penetrates the soil instead of evaporating quickly, but any excess moisture on the foliage evaporates during the warm afternoon hours. Watering in the afternoon causes the moisture to evaporate from the soil surface before it has time to penetrate to the strawberry roots. Late evening and early morning watering leaves the foliage wet during the cool period when fungus is more likely to grow.

Mulching

• An established strawberry bed mulches itself as the strawberry plants sprawl and cover the soil. Row-planted strawberries or newly planted beds benefit from a light layer of mulch. The mulch prevents the irrigation water from evaporating from the bed, by providing a layer of insulation on top the soil. A 1- to 2-inch layer of straw or another organic mulch is sufficient. Avoid covering the plants with the mulch, as this can cause crown rot. Instead, spread the mulch between the plants or in the spaces between strawberry rows.

Late-Season Irrigation

• Continued irrigation is vital, even after the last berry of the year is harvested. June-bearing strawberry varieties set flower buds in later summer. Lack of irrigation prevents healthy bud formation and results in a weak strawberry crop the following summer. Everbearing strawberries don't set flower buds in late summer but they continue to collect energy through their leaves until fall. Lack of water in the late season causes everbearing strawberries to wilt prematurely and makes the plants less likely to survive winter or put on healthy spring growth. Continue irrigating the plants until they go dormant in fall, to ensure the healthiest plants possible the following spring.