[VickyR]

Sorry for second question - have looked in lots of books but still not sure about this one...

My strawberry bed is completely carpeted with mature plants at one end.  I have planted up runners at the other but am wondering what's the best way to deal with the other.

 :? Would I be best to pull out entire plants (leaving big bushy plants and big holes) and if so, how do I choose which are the best to keep - some do not appear to have flowered yet, does this mean they are old and tired (how I feel today!)

Or would it be best to chop each plant down a bit - this doesn't sound right given how strawbs reproduce and I don't want to kill em all off!

thanks as ever
Vic

[noshed]

When I took my plot over I dug all my strawbs up and dug over the bed, then planted out the best looking ones about 2' apart. I mulched between with rotted manure. This year we got a brilliant crop. No idea whether this is right but it worked for me.

[johnboytraveler]

Go over the old strawberries with a strimmer to remove all the leaves and runners.

[muntjac]

dig the lot up in spring put in plenty of manure then replant em 12inch apart . plant out another bed if you wish 3 rows wide 18 inch apart  cut runners off for the first 5 yrs n then replant the runners discarding the old stock

[Trillium]

The older plants will now have reddish leaves on them, which can be strimmed off fairly close to the the top of the crown but not at the crown. Young, new plants will be all green. I've still got the same mother plants after 4 years, and these will eventually die off of their own accord. But, it's really important to feed strawberries after fruiting or everything just declines. This fall I'm pulling out all my plants to totally refurbish the beds. The deeper soil needs loosening and feeding, and long weed roots need digging out rather than pulling and snapping. It's a big job but the reward will come next spring.