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Fertilizing strawberry plants with organic fertilizers is a great way to boost plant health and strawberry size and yield. And you don’t have to add chemicals to your land or strawberry plants to get great results.
Growing your own strawberries is very rewarding, and seeing those red berries pop up is a sure-fire sign that summer is here. And, to enjoy more bountiful crops, you can use an organic fertilizer for strawberries (many of which you can make right at home!) that improves soil health as well as boosts berry production.
You might be thinking that organic strawberry fertilizers can’t possibly work as well as the ones you buy at the store, but the truth is, they do! On top of that, there are lots of options available to you, so it’s easy to make strawberry plant food that works with your budget and lifestyle.
Live on a farm? Manure’s the way to go, but only if you time it right. Looking to reduce your environmental footprint? Compost your food scraps rather than throwing them in the trash. Keep reading to learn more about these natural strawberry plant fertilizers and others, as well as the best time to fertilize to maximize your yield.
The Best Organic Fertilizer for Strawberries
Organic strawberry fertilizers are great because they’re made of natural ingredients that won’t harm the environment. While you can buy most of these fertilizers in stores, you can also make them at home to keep costs low and ensure you know exactly what you’re feeding your strawberry plants (and yourself!)
Compost
Compost is a plant-based fertilizer that adds nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil. It’s well-loved by organic gardeners, and it’s so easy to make! Start your own compost by collecting grass clippings and leaves, (we’ve got plans for DIY compost bins right here) and then dropping in plant matter from your kitchen, including apple cores and vegetable peels. Leave it in a designated spot in the garden, and over time, nature will do the work of transforming it into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that strawberry plants and other plants love.
You can use compost as a mulch and as a soil improver, too. You can apply it as a top dressing around your plants in early spring, then cover it with a thick layer of straw around your plants as the berries start to set. You can make compost tea to fertilize your strawberry plants throughout the growing season, and dig it into the strawberry patch over winter to break down into vital nutrients and enriching and structure-improving organic matter.
Manure
Manure is an animal-based fertilizer that’s composed of the waste of animals like cows, horses, and chickens. It has a high concentration of nitrogen, so you have to let it sit (or age) for some time before applying it. If you fertilize with manure before it’s aged, you might over-fertilize, which causes plants to produce excess foliage and fewer berries, or even burn your plants due to the high acidity of fresh manure.
Manure is nitrogen-rich and great for leafy plant growth, being as or more efficient than many inorganic fertilizers you find at the store. It’s usually free from farmers or ranchers, and your growing strawberries will love it.
Blood and Bone Meal
Blood and bone meal makes a great fertilizer for strawberries because they’re all-natural and high in calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Best of all, you can make this balanced fertilizer at home using a whole chicken. All you need is a cookie sheet, oven, food processor, and some time. (You even get to eat the chicken, if you’d like, or use it to make food for your pets.
Blood and bone meal is safe to use on edible plants and is a solid choice for a general, well-rounded fertilizer for your strawberry plants and will also provide a longer term nutrient boost to your soil, as well as helping to balance soil pH. Because of the high concentration of calcium, it’s great for amending acidic soil.
If you don’t want to make your own, you can buy natural blood and bone meal here.
Fish Emulsion
Humans have known for hundreds of years that fish makes good fertilizer. It’s true that fish emulsion stinks, but it’s great for fertilizing strawberries and every other plant, and the smell fades quickly. In the past, gardeners used to bury whole fish next to their plants. Today, you can enjoy better, richer results when you use a fish emulsion.
Made of fish scraps, compost material, and molasses, fish emulsion smells awful, but strawberries and other plants adore the slow-release nutrients that it offers.
Apply this slow-release fertilizer to your berry plants in early spring to let them take up the nutrients they need all season long for large, juicy berries and healthy plant growth.
How to Fertilize Strawberries Organically
Now that you know what some of the best organic fertilizers for strawberries are, it’s time to learn how to use them.
When to Fertilize Strawberries
There are many varieties of strawberry, each with its unique needs. Here’s information on when to fertilize the three most common types.
Fertilizing June-Bearing Strawberries
June-bearing strawberries are extremely popular because they produce a massive crop of huge strawberries. However, they only do it for two to three weeks. Due to this short harvesting period, you’ll want to avoid fertilizing. Doing so will lead to excessive leaf growth and soft berries that are prone to rotting.
Instead, fertilize June-bearing strawberries after they’ve stopped producing berries for the year. This will prime the plant for the next season.
Fertilizing Everbearing Strawberries
Everbearing strawberries don’t produce as many berries as the June-bearing variety, but they do offer two crops per season. For this reason, you need to offer this type of plant food throughout its growing season. To grow organic strawberries of this type, you’ll need to start fertilizing in early spring, and then continuing to do so on a monthly basis until early fall.
Fertilizing Day-Neutral Strawberries
Like Everbearing plants, day-neutral strawberries also produce fruit throughout the season. You won’t get nearly as many, but you can expect to step out each day to at least a few per plant. To keep this variety healthy, fertilize monthly starting in June and stopping in August.
How to Fertilize Strawberries with Compost or Manure
Compost and manure are solid fertilizers that look a lot like soil. They’re best to use when you first plant new strawberries and again after cleaning your patch and preparing for the next growing season. When using compost or manure, all you have to do is add a layer of about two inches around your plants.
How to Fertilize Strawberries with Organic Liquid Feed
After it’s had time to brew, fish emulsion turns into a thick liquid that you need to dilute before using. Use two to three tablespoons per gallon of water as a monthly fertilizer. Apply it to the soil around your plants so it gets to the roots. You can also use fish emulsion as a foliar fertilizer. You’ll use one tablespoon per gallon and mist it onto strawberry leaves in the afternoons when it’s cooler out.
RELATED ARTICLE: Why Are My Strawberry Leaves Curling?
How to Blood Meal to Fertilize Strawberries
Blood and bone meal are dry fertilizers that you sprinkle around the base of your strawberry plants. If you’re using a store-bought product, follow the instructions on the packaging to avoid burning your strawberries. For homemade concoctions, you’ll use one cup per 20 square feet of soil and then water thoroughly. You can use blood and bone meals on a monthly basis, but it’s a good idea to also invest in soil test kits to be sure you aren’t over-fertilizing.
Tips for Getting the Biggest, Most Delicious Strawberries From Your Strawberry Beds
Using an organic fertilizer for strawberries will certainly help you grow bigger, juicer berries, but there’s more that you can do to improve the overall health of your patch. Here are some more tips for growing the biggest strawberries.
Pick a Good Planting Spot
Planting your patch in the right spot is just as important as knowing how and when to fertilize strawberries. When choosing an area, be sure that it receives full sun throughout the day as these plants love basking in the light. The spot should also offer good drainage as strawberries don’t like being too wet. Strawberries grow best in full sun, with free-draining, slightly acidic soil
To keep your strawberries safe from Verticillium wilt, don’t plant in areas that were previously occupied by other plants that are also susceptible to the disease, including eggplant, peppers, potatoes, roses, and tomatoes.
Prepare the Soil Before Planting
To give your strawberries a good head start and boost fruit production, spend some time preparing the soil prior to planting. Add about two inches of compost or manure (homemade or store-bought) to give your baby strawberries the extra nutrients they need to grow big and strong in those first months of life.
Once your strawberry plants are in the ground, add a layer of mulch and continue to renew it every year. The idea is to keep a layer of protection between your strawberries and the soil, which may be home to pathogens that could splash up onto your plants when it rains. As a bonus, a layer of mulch will also help keep weeds in check.
Stay on Top of Weeds
No matter what you grow, you know that weeds are the enemy. In addition to being an eyesore, they steal nutrients from your plants. Letting them hang around your strawberries means smaller berries as the plants compete for nutrients. Rather than turn to commercial weed killers made with harmful chemicals, pull out your gardening gloves, these bamboo gardening gloves are recommended, and spend a few minutes each day keeping these pests at bay. While you’re at it, also be sure to remove dead and decaying plant matter to improve air circulation and keep away diseases.
Wrapping It Up
Everyone wants bigger strawberries, and now it’s possible for you to achieve this gardening dream because you know how to fertilize strawberries without dangerous chemicals. Even if you don’t consider yourself an organic gardener, it’s a good idea to learn about all the options that are available to you.
After all, today you’ve learned that you can use food scraps from home to make potent strawberry fertilizers that are safer than store-bought formulas and usually cheaper. Want to know more about strawberries? Learn about growing strawberries from scraps (it really works!), or take a peek at these genius ways to grow strawberries, even when you don’t have tons of room.
FAQs
Make strawberries grow bigger and sweeter by providing plenty of sunlight, planting them in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil, and by providing the right amount of organic fertilizers for strawberries at the right time during the growing season.
Yes, you can fertilize strawberries with 1 tablespoon of epsom salt granules around each plant, or add 1 tablespoon per gallon of water to your strawberry watering routine.
Encourage your strawberry plants to produce more fruit by giving them plenty of fertilizer, water, and sunlight. Apply a thick layer of straw as mulch, get rid of weeds as soon as they appear, and trim strawberry runners unless you want to grow new plants, so the plant puts its energy into berry production instead of new plant growth.
Yes, banana water is potentially a good natural fertilizer for strawberries and other garden plants. Bananas are high in potassium, so if your soil lacks potassium, banana water is a good option. Just don’t go too mad and end up with too much potassium in your soil, as that’s as bad as not enough.