[sazhig]

I have some strawberry plants in modules and a bed all ready to plant them in...only I'm not sure how to plant them...

All the instructions I find say to but the plants on a mound and spread the roots out either side of that...but the plants are in soil in the modules already so can I just plant them like I would any other potted plant or do I need to try and tease out the roots??

Also mulches? The bed in question has been very well dug and weeded and a mulch of spent compost put on...but I'm wondering whether to put some kind of weed barrier down like plastic or cardboard and plant through that?

Ta

[savbo]

I like to make a wide mound (about 2') cover with fabric and plant through that at the top. Don't worry about teasing the roots out

[Trillium]

If they're already happy in modules then you can leave them that way. They'll spread on their own in the nicely prepared soil.

But the key is that the final depth of the plant must be at the very same level they're at in the pot. Strawbs are very fussy on this point. A bit too deep and the crown will rot; a bit too shallow and roots are exposed and dry out.

As for mulches, you can add straw or plastic, but I wouldn't recommend the cardboard - it gets too moist and harbours slugs and earwigs.

[sazhig]

Thanks for the tips  ...now I understand why the ones I got last year rotted off 

I shall probably hold off on the mulch altogether tbh as the plastic tends to attract pests as well.