It can be confusing for strawberry gardeners to determine whether their plants are dead or just dormant in winter or early spring. The leaves die back and the crowns and roots wither and brown during cold weather dormancy. But is the plant still alive or has it given up the ghost?
Knowing the signs of true death versus temporary dormancy in strawberry plants is important It affects whether you should replace seemingly dead plants or simply care for them as they awaken,
This article covers how to identify dormant vs dead strawberries, overwintering tips and what to do if plants don’t recover in spring.
Signs of Dormant Strawberry Plants
During cold weather, strawberry plants go dormant as an adaptive survival mechanism. Growth halts as the plant directs its energy reserves into the roots and crown.
Here are the key signs your strawberries are alive but dormant:
- Leaves wither, dry up, and turn reddish-brown but remain loosely attached to crowns
- Crown, roots, and stolons persist but appear dried and shriveled
- Pulling lightly on leaves/stolons meets resistance from anchored but dormant roots
- Inner crown tissue still shows faint white or green when cut, not dark brown decay
- New leaves begin emerging after 1-2 weeks of warm weather
The overall plant will look dead and brittle above ground but key structures below survive. Dormant strawberries just need the right care as temperatures warm.
Dead Strawberry Plant Characteristics
If plants don’t rebound as spring arrives, they likely have perished over winter. Look for these signs of dead strawberries:
- Leaves are completely shriveled or gone, leaving bare crowns
- Stems pull away easily from the base with no root resistance
- Inner crown is very dark brown or blackened when cut
- Decaying odor from rotting crown tissue
- No new growth after 2-3 weeks of temperatures above 60°F
- Evidence of gray mold on old leaves or plant base
Sometimes lack of winter protection for roots or disease contributes to plant death. But older strawberry plants can simply die off after a couple years.
Overwintering Tips for Dormant Plants
To ensure strawberries survive winter, provide care before and during dormancy:
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Stop fertilizing and avoid excess nitrogen in fall so plants harden off properly.
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Remove old leaves/debris where pests or disease can lurk.
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Apply a 4-6 inch protective mulch layer before hard freezes.
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Maintain soil moisture. Water plants if winter is dry without heavy snow cover.
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Cover crowns with straw or row cover if temperatures drop below 5°F for extended periods.
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Remove mulch promptly in spring so plants wake up with warmer soil exposure.
Caring for Dormant Plants in Spring
Be patient in early spring for new growth. Wait 2-3 weeks after warm weather returns before taking any action. Here are tips for reviving dormant strawberries:
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Gently scratch away mulch from crowns if present.
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Water thoroughly ifsoil is dry. Avoid fertilizing until plants are actively growing.
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Examine crowns for signs of life like white inner tissue.
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Allow time for warm sun and air to penetrate.
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Look for new leaves emerging from crowns which indicates dormancy is ending.
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Resist urge to dig up plants that seem dead. Often they are just slow to break dormancy.
What to Do if Strawberry Plants Don’t Recover
If plants remain totally shriveled without new shoots after spring weather warms, they likely died over winter. Here are options if strawberries don’t rebound:
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Pull back mulch and gently dig up one plant to check roots and crown for rot or decay.
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Consider disease or winter injury caused the death. Test soil pH which can help avoid future issues.
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Remove and discard any dead plants to prevent disease spread.
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Replace dead strawberries with new young bare root or plug plants.
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Use cold-hardy varieties suitable for your zone if winter damage occurred.
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Protect new plantings better if winter weather was a factor.
Common Causes of Winter Strawberry Death
Why might strawberry plants fail to survive winter dormancy? Here are some potential causes:
Insufficient Winter Mulching
Exposed crowns and roots can easily desiccate, freeze, or rot over winter. Apply loose straw or pine needle mulch after the ground freezes.
Heavy Saturated Soil
Excess fall rain or irrigation that prevents drainage can suffocate roots and lead to crown rot. Improve drainage for healthier plants.
Freeze Damage
In very cold climates, prolonged sub-zero temperatures with no protective snow cover may injure or kill the strawberry crowns.
Gray Mold (Botrytis cinerea)
This fungal pathogen thrives on dead leaves and can spread to crowns, killing plants. Remove debris and avoid overhead watering.
Old Age
June-bearing strawberry plants tend to decline and die after 2-3 years. Consider replanting older beds with new young bare root plants.
Improper Fall Care
Too much nitrogen fertilizer in fall prevents proper hardening off for winter. Stop feeding by September.
Summing Up Dormancy vs. Death in Strawberries
It can be hard to tell if strawberry plants are truly dead or just in temporary dormancy during winter and early spring. Look for residual white tissue at the crown base, remnants of anchored roots, and eventual new leaf growth to determine if plants are still alive.
With proper care going into winter and a little patience in spring, most established strawberry plants will return to life from dormancy. But those that remain shriveled without any signs of new shoots won’t make it. Replace any that died and take steps to avoid winter loss going forward.
Spring of the second year and beyond
When the snow and ice are gone, you should take away the straw mulch that you used to protect plants from the cold in the winter.
This winter mulch makes a great summer mulch too. As the weather gets warmer, rake the straw off the plants and leave it between them to help save water and keep weeds down.
- If plants that bear fruit in June don’t make many runners by mid-July, it’s likely because they need more nitrogen.
- You can add organic fertilizer, like blood meal or compost, around the plants to help them grow by adding nitrogen.
- You might need to add more compost or organic nitrogen before the plants start to grow in the spring of the second year. This will help the plants and fruits grow.
- Weeds shouldn’t be in the strawberry bed because strawberries don’t do well with them.
- Hand-weeding is recommended for home gardeners.
- To get rid of weeds in strawberry plants, carefully work the soil with a hoe. But be careful not to dig too deeply, or you could hurt the plants’ shallow roots.
Berries should be red before picking.
Strawberries ripen from the tip towards the leafy stem end. Some types have “white shoulders” because the leaves cover the fruit and stop the red color from developing. But most will be completely red when ripe. They might not all be large, but a deep red, homegrown strawberry will always have a big flavor.
Look through the plants daily once you see the red color developing and harvest ripe fruit.
Strawberries do not store for very long in the refrigerator. For best results, pick the fruit when it is dry and place fruit in refrigerator immediately. This will help extend the storage life of the berries.
The crown of a strawberry plant may be killed at 15°F, therefore winter protection is essential.
- Cover the plants with 4 to 6 inches of weed-free straw after two or three frosts have made them hardy.
- In late fall or early spring, when it might be very cold without snow cover, straw is especially useful.
- Snow is a great insulator and will keep you safe where there is a good cover of snow.
When the plants start to grow in the spring, rake the straw away. But leave some at the base of the plants for summer mulch.
If frost is expected after the plants have flowered, either cover them again with straw or use spun-bonded polyester fabric row covers to keep them safe.
- By messing up their life cycles, renovations help get rid of diseases and pest insects.
- No matter what shape or size your strawberry patch is, you should mow or cut back the plants’ leaves before August 1.
- A new canopy will develop by mid-August.
Planting and caring for young plants
Strawberries require sun to produce fruit. The plants should get at least six hours of direct sunlight every day, but ten hours or more is best.
Before planting, a soil test will help you find out if you need to add any nutrients to your soil.
Its a good idea to work some well-rotted compost into the soil before planting. Compost adds nutrients to the soil, makes it drain better, and boosts the activity of microbes, all of which are good for plants.
Dormant transplants might look dead, but will sprout quickly once planted.
In the spring, most garden centers sell strawberry plants, but many of the best varieties for Minnesota can only be bought online or by mail.
- Nurseries usually send bare-root, dormant plants at the right time for planting in your area. The plants are small and brown when they get there; they haven’t started to grow yet.
- Plant the plants as soon as possible and make sure they stay cool and wet.
- About a week from now, you should see new green growth.
- If you buy plants in pots from a garden center, make sure the plants are healthy and don’t have any leaves that are turning brown or dying.
- Keep the soil in the pot moist until planting.
By choosing the right site to grow strawberries, you can lower disease and insect pest pressure.
- Pick a spot that isn’t near trees or buildings that block the sun for more than a few hours a day. Large trees will shade the strawberry bed and compete for water and nutrients. The strawberry bed should be placed farther away from the roots of large trees. The root zone is about the same size as a tree’s canopy.
- It is best to plant strawberries in soil that drains well and doesn’t stay wet after a heavy rainstorm.
- Planting strawberry plants higher up keeps them from getting damaged by frost and lets more air flow around them.
- Berries dry out faster when there is good air flow, which lowers the risk of some diseases.
If planting a large number of strawberries plant in rows. This makes it easier to control weeds, runners and pests.
There are a lot of good ways to plant strawberries in rows, but the matted row system is by far the most common:
- Space plants 18 to 24 inches apart
- Space rows 3 to 4 feet apart
During the season, June-bearing plants will send out a lot of runners that will fill in the space between plants. It’s important to follow the recommended spacing, or your plants will quickly get too crowded.
Strawberries dont need to be planted in rows when incorporated into the home landscape.
Day neutral types work well at the front of a perennial border or along a sidewalk or driveway. Because they produce fewer runners than June-bearing types, maintenance is minimal.
Strawberry plants may also be grown as a ground cover.
- To grow a strawberry ground cover, put the mother plants 1 or 2 feet apart in a grid.
- Weeds will need to be pulled out often, especially in the first year, but after the plants are established, they shouldn’t need much care.
- Maybe not as many strawberries will grow as if they are grown in rows, but strawberries grown as a ground cover will look beautiful in your yard.
In the spring, plant strawberry transplants that are dormant as soon as the ground is warm enough to work with a trowel. Potted plants should be planted soon after purchase, after risk of frost is past.
It is important to plant dormant transplants at the right depth.
- Crowns can die if they are planted too deeply because they lose water.
- If you plant the crowns too deeply, the leaves might not be able to come up from the ground.
- If you buy a growing plant from a garden center or nursery, just plant it at the same depth it was in its pot.
Dormant transplants have no growth, but sprout quickly when exposed to light and warm temperatures. Roots are fully buried, and you can see growth from the plant’s center of the crown (the red line).
Transplants can be planted into a trench as seen here, or into holes dug for each plant.
This transplant has been planted at the proper depth. The roots are fully below the soil line and the growth points are visible above the soil.
- Firm the soil around the plant after planting it and give it a lot of water.
- When it comes to growing strawberries, they do best when they get about an inch of rain every week.
- Check the amount of rain with a rain gauge and, if necessary, water with a soaker hose or drip system.
- Most types of soil only need one good soak every week.
- Water your plants early in the day so the leaves have time to dry out before it gets dark. This will help prevent leaf diseases.
I Was 100% Sure Our Strawberry Beds DIED and then a Miracle Happened
FAQ
What do dormant strawberry plants look like?
How to tell if a strawberry plant is dormant?
Will a strawberry plant grow back if it dies?
Why is my strawberry plant dying?
Whether you grow them in your backyard or in a small container, caring for your strawberry plants is crucial to ensure a healthy and fruitful harvest. Despite your best efforts, sometimes strawberry plants may die due to several factors such as root rot, lack of water, or rot. What are the Signs of a Dead Strawberry Plant?
How do you know if a strawberry plant is dead?
Check the roots of the plant for any signs of rot or damage. Healthy roots are firm, light in color, and flexible. If the roots are soft, slimy, or discolored, this may be a sign that the plant is dead. If the bare root strawberry plant has started to grow new leaves, then it’s an excellent sign that the plant is still alive.
Why are my strawberry leaves falling off?
Leaves falling off. If the leaves of a strawberry plant are falling off, it is a sign that the plant is not getting enough nutrients. This can be caused by a variety of factors, including poor soil conditions, pests, or diseases. No new growth. If a strawberry plant is not producing any new growth, it is a sign that it is not healthy.
Are dried up strawberries dead?
Dried up strawberries are plants that have been placed in a dormant state through lack of water. They usually come in a small container or plastic packaging and may appear dead at first glance, but they can be revived if given proper care. How to Determine if Bare Root Strawberries are Dead?
