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Curling strawberry plant leaves are an easy-to-spot symptom of a growing problem. Before you reach for the water, thinking that your plants are thirsty, consider that you may instead be dealing with an infection or nutritional deficiency, some of which can be made worse by dousing your strawberries in water.
Keep reading to learn more about why your plant’s leaves may be curling, as well as other symptoms that can help you diagnose and treat the issue so you can grow strawberries that are big and healthy.
Leaf Scorch
One of the most commons causes of leaf curling in strawberry plants is leaf scorch, a fungal disease that’s prevalent in matted row systems.
The first indication that you may be dealing with leaf scorch is dark purple spots on your strawberry leaves. Sometimes, these spots may also look red or black. These symptoms are similar to those of another fungus called leaf spot, so it’s important that you monitor your plants to determine which disease is affecting them.
Where scorch deviates from leaf spot is curling leaves. As that disease progresses, the leaves will turn brown, curl, dry out, and die.
How to Prevent and Treat Leaf Scorch
Leaf scorch infects plants when the fungus spores are blown into your garden and when rain drops disperse them onto neighboring plants. As such, the best way to prevent the disease from taking hold is to ensure that your strawberry plants have good drainage and excellent airflow.
Because you can further scatter leaf scorch spores through water drops, it’s important that you irrigate your plants at the roots rather than from above, allowing the water to pour over the leaves.
There is no cure for leaf scorch, but there are some steps you can take to minimize its effects and save your plants.
First, remove the infected leaves from affected plants so that the disease cannot progress or infect other leaves. Then, carefully clean around your strawberry plants to remove fallen leaves that can continue to spread the fungus when it rains.
RELATED READING: How to Grow Strawberries From Scraps
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew is another common fungus that infects strawberries and many other kinds of plants. This disease flourishes in dark, warm, humid areas, so it’s more likely to infect strawberries in a greenhouse than those out in the open.
The first sign of the disease is curling leaves. Because this is also a symptom of other infestations, you need to look under the leaves to diagnose powdery mildew. Depending on the strain of the infection, you may see a thin white film or a thick powdery growth.
How to Prevent and Treat Powdery Mildew
Prevention is the best weapon against this disease. When shopping for a new strawberry plant, inspect it carefully to ensure you aren’t bringing the fungus into your garden.
To keep the mildew from taking hold in your garden, make sure to plant your strawberries in a planting site that gets plenty of direct sunlight and airflow.
If you see signs of powdery mildew, don’t reach for chemicals, they’re not safe if you plan to eat the strawberries (and who wouldn’t?!) Instead, reach for natural solutions to fungal infections.
You can mix up a natural solution of 3 tablespoons of potassium bicardonate, 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap, and 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a gallon of water or a mixture of 3 cups of milk and 2 cups of water. Both of these solutions are effective against powdery mildew fungal infection by increasing the plant’s pH to levels that discourage fungal growth.
Boron Deficiency
When your strawberry patch is deficient in the element boron, its leaves will grow misshapen. In addition to being asymmetric many won’t grow as large, the leaves will curl upward and leaf edges and tips may die off.
Alongside irregular leaf growth, you’ll also notice abnormalities in the fruit. Your strawberries may split and display excessive bumpiness.
Treating Boron Deficiency in Strawberry Plants
The signs of boron deficiency are quite obvious, and treating the problem is easy. Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of boric acid to one gallon of water, shake well, and apply the mixture directly to the leaves of your plant. Treating the leaves rather than the roots is the fastest way to help your strawberries absorb this nutrient.
RELATED READING: Companion Planting Strawberry Plants
Calcium Deficiency
When a strawberry plant is suffering from a calcium deficiency, you’ll notice that its leaves don’t expand correctly. Instead of spreading out, the leaves will stay clustered and curl upward. You might also notice the tips of the leaves turning brown and dying off.
Treating Calcium Deficiency in Strawberry Plants
In most cases, calcium deficiency is not caused by a lack of calcium in the soil. Instead, it’s a result of uneven or irregular watering. When a strawberry plant isn’t properly watered, its root system cannot absorb calcium from the soil.
To correct the problem of irregular watering, consider installing a drip irrigation system. When drip lines are properly installed, they offer easy, even watering. And because they’re close to the ground, they deliver water right to roots. your plants stay hydrated and the leaves don’t get wet.
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