What to Do When Strawberries Grow Too Vigorously and Won't Flower? 4 Methods to Fix It Easily
In spring there is more rain, and temperatures slowly warm up again. However, in spring, because of fertilisation and temperature and humidity, strawberries are very prone to excessive vegetative growth. Excessive vegetative growth in strawberries has a huge impact on their growth, affecting the quality and yield of the strawberries, so we must prevent excessive vegetative growth in strawberries in spring. Next, let me introduce several methods to prevent excessive vegetative growth in strawberries.
1. Remove side shoots
When growing strawberries, you must pay close attention to the number of side shoots the plants produce. If there are too many side shoots, the nutrients of the strawberry plant will be spread out and cannot be concentrated in the flowers and fruit, affecting normal growth and thus the quality and yield of the strawberries later on. So during cultivation we should pay close attention to observing the growth of the strawberries; once we find that the plant has produced too many side shoots, we should remove them promptly to prevent nutrient loss. Generally it is enough to keep about two or three side shoots per strawberry plant, and after the strawberries ripen they should also be harvested promptly to make it easier for the fruit to grow again, so pay close attention to the side shoot growth of the strawberry plants.
2. Control water and fertiliser
During the growth of strawberries we should reduce the application of water and fertiliser. If too much nitrogen fertiliser is applied during strawberry growth, the flowers and fruit will have excess nutrients, reducing the yield of the strawberries. If too much water is applied, it will increase the growth capacity of the strawberries, causing excessive nutrient consumption and the phenomenon of excessive vegetative growth. So before planting strawberries you can add enough base fertiliser to the soil, and then during the growing period control the application of water and fertiliser, to avoid the strawberries absorbing too much nutrients and water and developing excessive vegetative growth.
3. Remove leaves and use treatments
Pay attention to the density of the stems and leaves of the strawberry plants; planting too densely will affect the growth of the strawberries, so during cultivation, if we find the plants are too dense, we should promptly remove leaves damaged by pests and diseases and leaves that are relatively dense. This can reduce the nutrient consumption of the plants, and can also improve the air permeability of the strawberry plants, promoting healthy growth of the strawberries. Also, for the phenomenon of excessive vegetative growth in strawberries, chemical treatments can be used; when applying them, add some monopotassium phosphate to the treatment to improve the growth capacity of the strawberry leaves. If the strawberries are in the flowering stage, then switch to phosphorus and potassium fertiliser instead of the chemical treatment to control the growth rate of the stems and leaves.
4. Reasonable ventilation
When growing strawberries in spring, you must pay great attention to ventilation and air exchange inside the greenhouse, because in spring the temperature rises and there is also more rain; if ventilation and air exchange measures are not taken in time, high temperature and high humidity will cause excessive vegetative growth in the strawberries. So when growing strawberries in spring, you must do a good job of ventilation and air exchange, lowering the humidity and temperature inside the greenhouse, which can control the growing environment of the strawberries well and increase the quality and yield of the strawberries.