How to Fertilize Strawberries for High Yields? Practical Tips to Share

SummaryApply sufficient base fertilizer: before planting strawberries, apply sufficient base fertilizer to meet the nutrients the plants need. Reasonable topdressing: from the start of growth until before flowering, apply about 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer per mu; during the berry stage, about 15 kg of high-nitrogen-potassium compound fertilizer can be applied per mu; in the late fruit-picking stage, topdressing can be carried out reasonably according to the amount of fruit picked. Foliar topdressing: in the mid-to-late stage of strawberry growth, foliar fertilizer can be sprayed on the leaves, generally on cloudy days or in the evening of sunny days.

I. Nutrient Requirements of Strawberries

1. Strawberry roots are relatively shallow, and the plants need a fairly large amount of fertilizer during growth, but they are quite sensitive to nutrients; applying too much or too little will affect their normal growth and development, thereby reducing yield and quality.

2. During growth, strawberries need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as various trace elements such as zinc, iron, boron, magnesium and calcium.

3. Strawberries need phosphorus in the early stage of growth, need a relatively large amount of nitrogen in the early-to-mid stage, and need potassium throughout the entire growth period. If strawberries lack phosphorus, purple-red spots will appear on the leaf surface, and they will also appear on relatively old leaves, and the flowers and fruits on the plant will be smaller than those of normal plants.

4. If strawberries lack nitrogen, the leaves will turn yellow, be slightly smaller than normal leaves, and have localized scorched areas.

5. If strawberries lack potassium, the leaf edges will turn black, brown or even dry up, with older leaves being affected more severely; the fruit color will be lighter and the taste poorer, because potassium fertilizer mainly promotes fruit ripening and increases the sugar content of the fruit, thereby improving fruit quality.

II. Strawberry Fertilization Methods

1. Apply sufficient base fertilizer

(1) Throughout the entire growth period, strawberries must be fertilized reasonably to ensure normal plant growth, which helps produce more flowers, set more fruit and larger fruit, thereby increasing yield.

(2) Before planting strawberries, sufficient base fertilizer can be applied together with deep plowing and land preparation; generally, about 2000-3000 kg of thoroughly decomposed high-quality organic fertilizer per mu can be applied, together with about 50-60 kg of potassium sulfate compound fertilizer.

2. Reasonable topdressing

(1) From the start of strawberry growth until before the flowering stage, in order to meet the plants' various nutritional needs during the flowering and fruiting period, about 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer can be applied per mu; if sufficient base fertilizer has been applied, it may be omitted.

(2) During the berry swelling stage of strawberries, about 15 kg of high-nitrogen-potassium compound fertilizer can be applied per mu. After strawberries bear a large amount of fruit, the plants are seriously depleted of nutrients, so appropriate topdressing can help restore plant growth and form more new leaves and new roots.

(3) The amount of topdressing can be determined by the amount of fruit picked: apply less when fewer fruits are picked, and apply more when more fruits are picked.

3. Foliar spraying

(1) In the mid-to-late stage, strawberries can be given foliar topdressing according to the growth condition of the plants, that is, spraying on the leaves.

(2) In order to increase the fruit-setting rate of strawberries and improve fruit quality, in the mid-to-late stage, potassium dihydrogen phosphate or other foliar fertilizers can be sprayed on the leaves about 3-4 times.

(3) Foliar spraying should generally be carried out on cloudy days or in the evening of sunny days, because the temperature at noon is too high and evaporation is too great, which can easily cause fertilizer burn in strawberries.