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Strawberries, pruning

  • Strawberry plants reproduce by means of runners from the mother plant. Trim off all runners as they develop. The runners weaken the mother plant and reduce fruit size. For spring-planted day-neutral (everbearing) cultivars, remove the first flowers that appear after planting to keep them from setting fruit and weakening the plant. Subsequent flowers can be left on for fruiting.

    Remove and discard discolored leaves and any leaves that show signs of disease. Replace strawberry plants at least every 3 years, and rotate to a new area in the garden. Avoid locations recently planted with tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, squash.