How to Split Strawberry Plants
Strawberry plants are a type perennial that is known to spread quite quickly. Therefore you will need to know how to split them so that they will not compete against one another due to overcrowding. Doing so will yield you better strawberries.
Things That You Will Need
- Some organic compost
- Some mulch
- A hoe
- A shovel
- Wait until your strawberry plants stop growing for the summer before dividing them.
- Find the runners that have grown off of the mother plant. This is where the new plants will be located.
- Gently tug on the younger plants. Plants with established roots will be difficult to remove but the newer ones probably are not established yet.
- Move the runner into the location where you want it to go.
- Cover the runner with one inch of soil to train it to root where you have put it.
- Use sharp pruning shears to clip the established plants off of the mother. Make sure to cut the runner halfway between the mother and the new plant.
- Prepare the garden bed for your new plants. This is done by using a hoe to combine two inches of organic compost with six inches of soil.
- Use a shovel to dig a 6-inch deep hole that is located at least 12 inches away from the mother plant.
- Move the plants from the soil into your new hole.
- Put one inch of mulch around the base of the plants so that they will hold in the moisture and keep out the weeds.
- Provide your plants with at least one inch of water per week.