[Zippy]

Hi. I have strawberry plants growing in an upturned composter. Fruit was great - slug free as they were four feet above the ground. Good harvest.

The question is - do I need to cut off the leaves now fruiting is over or is this not necessary? Why do we do this when I would have thought the plants could do with their leaves to help replenish their energies after all that fruiting?

Can the leaves be composted if they are not obviously diseased? I know some people do not for whatever reason.

[Trillium]

Yes, cut-off non-diseased leaves can be composted.

As for the why of cutting off, these are now elderly leaves which the plant will try to shed anyway, so to keep things clean and healthy, clip them off. You'll find at the plant's crown a new cluster of leaves is already starting which will feed the plant for next year. Now is also the time to give the plants a good feeding (never during fruiting time) to give the plant its energy for next year, and keep them well watered. How you care for the plants now determines your crop for next year.

[Lady Lottie]

OOoo - thanks for that question - I didn't know that!

[love-my-plot]

Yes, thanks for that info ... I didn't know about cutting off the leaves and I certainly did NOT know that I souldn't be feeding them during fruiting 
I really need to read up a bit on strawb growing 

[Kagganz]

    I've been feeding mine too!

Mind you some have grown but not plumped up, the blackbirds didn't seem to mind them though 

Mine are in a strawberry planter and hanging basket but I'm thinking of taking them out and planting them in growbags (I have no soil on the floor all gravel) and overwintering them in the greenhouse. 

[Zippy]

Thanks for that. It seems a  lot of folks were asking the same question, so really useful info.

Cutting leaves back now will give me a chance to lift the plants and replant into new compost as the soil settled in the planter over the year and the plants are growing a little low in the big pot.

[LilyAnne]

I didn't know that either.

Mine are still fruiting but its useful to know.

How far down do you cut?

[Trillium]

What you really want to do is remove the old leaves which are starting to turn colour. They'll be the largest leaves and standing above the new set emerging from a centre crown.

Feeding the plants during fruiting time makes the berries go watery and more prone to mold, which is why feeding them is not recommended at that time. Strawberries are one of the few plants which can sustain themselves for a whole season on the previous year's 'feeding' of old manure or manure tea or comfrey tea or compost or a combination of these - applied after fruiting and as the new leaves develop.

[devondave]

Well I am among those who did'nt know that pearl of information, thanks for that, I want to move my strwberries inot the poly tunnel for next year, when is the best time to move them?

[Trillium]

When any runners are large enough to have a reasonably decent sized root system. You can then cut them from the parent plant and dig the young one up with some soil intact around its roots for the best success. Parent plants can be moved now as well, again, best with soil around roots and set in at the same height they're at now (soil immedately just below the crown joint, no higher, no lower. They're very fussy this way.

[green fingers]

thanks for all the advice trillium.  I was planning to reorganise my strawberries anyway ,so this has been really useful.
Been  to the plot and dug up and rearranged  mine and have giventhem loads of manure and chicken pellets.  Hope for a better crop next year.