[MattHB]

Hi all,

Another newbie question if I may.

I've got 36 strawberry plants through the post today. They're dry rooted small plants wrapped in a cling film bundle.

Am I able to put the, straight in the ground? Or do I need to pot them up for a bit first, then garden off and plant out.

Many thanks.  

[HuwG]

If they are dry stand then in some water for a few hours then pot up into 3" pots for a while. It will mean tat if some are dead you won't have holes in your rows.

[MattHB]

Many thanks.

After looking around the allotment site I've seen people planting through weed membrane.  Is this a really good idea? I have a huge load of membrane so could do it if its the best way forward.

[HuwG]

Clear the soil, give it a good feed and you can then plant through the membrane. Give the plants at least 12" each way. Plants should last 3 to 4 years before getting woody and unproductive.

[mumofstig]

You can plant them straight away if you want to ; just keep the roots damp until you do.

If you get a gap it's easily filled with a runner later in the year

[Eileen M]

Strawberry plants are pretty hardy.  I would plant them as soon as you can or if you haven't got a site ready you could always pot them up & plant out later.

[yaxley]

I would plant them out straight away as alresdy said there pretty hardy ..

[MattHB]

Thanks all. I think ill put them out.

Just a thought though. The bed they're going into isn't currently manured although the soil is in pretty good shape. 

Am I better manuring and planting (if that's right), or hold the manure and just give them some growmore?

Cheers

[gavinjconway]

Mine are in membrane - I dug an sorted the soil with fert and manure, covered with fabric, cut slits and planted.. simples and works well. This year got a second strawb patch and will have my courgettes, onions, cabbage and sweetcorn thru fabric. Sorted all the holes last weekend

My fruiting strawbs and setting up, marking and planting them out.

[MattHB]

Cool, thanks for the pics that's a real help!

[fatcat1955]

Cut off any runners as soon as they appear this year and that will make the plant's stronger. Next year let each plant produce 1 runner and pot these runners up and you will have plenty of re-placement plants.

[MattHB]

Cut off any runners as soon as they appear this year and that will make the plant's stronger. Next year let each plant produce 1 runner and pot these runners up and you will have plenty of re-placement plants.

Excellent advice, many thanks for that. I'm going to dig over the bed tomorrow for the strawberrys.  Did under estimated the spacing they'd need, far more than I thought! So I've given them what I was going to use as the potato bed.