If you want to grow strawberries, and hope that they stay healthy and regularly produce some delicious berries, you will need to ensure that you have the right strategy when it comes to watering them.
You will need to know how often to water them, and this depends on a wide variety of factors that you will need to stay on top of.
Some of these factors include; the weather, the soil type they are planted in, as well as the climate of your area.
If you grow strawberries yourself, but you are unsure what the best watering strategy is, keep reading!
How Often Should You Water Your Strawberry Plants
It is worth keeping in mind that your strawberries will grow best in soil (see also: Can You Grow Microgreens Without Soil? Here’s How!)that is moist, however, you do not want your water to be overly wet either.
Strawberries grow with pretty shallow roots, this means that if the surface of your soil is left dry, the roots of the strawberries will dry up as well.
Because of this you will want your strawberries to be getting somewhere between 1 and 2 inches of water every week.
Of course conditions will vary daily, so you will also want to water if the top inch of soil is dry to the touch.
So, if you are unsure whether your strawberries need to be watered or not, the best method to test is just by sticking your finger into the soil and testing the dryness.
You will want to water your strawberries whenever you can feel the soil dry down an inch.
Also, worth keeping in mind, whether the strawberries are being grown in a garden bed, grow bad, or pots, or even just seedlings indoors, all of these have different watering frequencies for them to thrive.
Because of this, let’s go through the different situations and when it is best to water them!
How Often To Water Strawberries That Are In Pots Or Grow Bags
If you do not know, it is absolutely fine for you to grow strawberries in a container or a pot, and even a grow bag if that is what you prefer.
You can even have them growing in window boxes and you can directly track how often it will be making delicious fresh strawberries for you!
If you are growing the strawberries in a grow bag or a pot, keep in mind that these have great drainage compared to a ground garden.
Because of this, they need to be watered a little more frequently, and even more so during the fruiting period as well.
You will need to use the same methods when your plants need water, however, you will just want to keep in mind that when being grown like this, these strawberries will simply need to be watered a little more.
Likely, they will need to be water twice a week instead of once!
The Ideal Method For Watering Strawberry Plants
One of our favorite ways to cheat the system a little when watering strawberries is to utilize a drip irrigation system.
This is because this method will take a lot of the guessing out of knowing when to water your strawberries.
All you have to do is hook this system onto a hose, then it will automatically drip the water into the plant throughout the day, and it uses a timer you set to do this.
This will ensure that the soil for your strawberry plant will stay moist, but it is unlikely to get soggy which can cause issues as well.
This method also gives you a much more reliable method for altering the frequency of watering whenever you want to, without having to memorize a whole new watering schedule.
For example, when it gets to fruit bearing time for your strawberry plants, you can just alter the watering frequency.
These essentially mimic a soaker hose, however they work a lot more efficiently and sustainably too!
How Many Times A Week To Water Strawberries
One of the best ways to stay on top of watering your plants is to have a simple amount of times a week you know you will need to water the plant.
So, for strawberries, how many times a week do you need to water them?
The best way to go is to water them about twice a week, but in summer at the peak of heat, you might need to water them about 3 to 4 times a week.
Of course watering your strawberries is important to ensuring that they thrive, however, avoiding overwatering is important to ensure that they grow properly.
Can Strawberries Get Overwatered?
Yes, as we mentioned in the previous section, it is actually very easy to overwater your strawberries, and it is something you want to try and avoid as much as possible.
This is because watering your strawberries can lead to plenty of issues like root rot, more pest pressure, as well as increased possibility of fungal infections.
Strawberry plants are quite susceptible to being overwatered, and if you do it, they are quite likely to succumb to the negative effects and this is something that you should try and avoid.
This is why we strongly recommend a drip irrigation system to keep this from happening!
Signs That Your Strawberries Need Water?
We mentioned earlier in the guide, but strawberries are quite shallow rooted, because of this the roots of strawberries can dry out quite quickly, and this is something you want to avoid!
Because of this, you want to know the best methods for testing if you need to water your strawberries. Knowing a few methods is useful, so here are our favorites!
Wilting Leaves
One of the easiest to spot methods of finding out if you need to water your strawberries is if the leaves have gotten wilted.
You will notice that the leaves are wilted, and the soil will usually be dry to match as well. If the leaves have wilted, this is a sign that the roots of the plant are drying out, and you want to avoid this.
The leaves are one of the first signs that your plant is drying out, because of this, keep an eye on the leaves of the plant!
Soil Test
As we referenced in the previous section, the soil will dry out when the leaves start to wilt as well, so this is another sign that your strawberries need to be watered.
You want to mainly be checking the top inch of your soil as well as the surface of the soil too. If this feels dry and you cannot feel any moisture an inch under the surface either, this is a sign it needs to be watered.
The dryness on top will translate to dry roots, so keep this in mind. Make sure that if your strawberries were dry, do not overwater in an effort to fix the issue.
Moisture Meter
Something you might want to try if you struggle with keeping on top of the moisture of your plants is investing in a moisture meter.
These are one of the best ways to understand if you need to add moisture to your plants.
All you need to do is place this meter into the soil about an inch or two away from the stem, and then it will tell you if your soil is dry, moist, or wet.
You will not always need to use this meter, however, it is a great tool for beginners especially since it can help you calibrate your judgement and become a better gardener.
Will Strawberries Grow Best In Sun Or The Shade
The best spot for your strawberries to grow will be somewhere where they can get between 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight every day.
Of course, they can work in the shade, however, you will get a much better yield if the strawberries are getting a good amount of sun too.
Will Strawberries Need Fertilizer?
If you want to, you can use a concentrated organic fertilizer to improve the plants during the peak fruit bearing season!
Summary
Hopefully this guide has given you all the information you need on how to properly water your strawberries to see the best results.
This process is not too tricky, but knowing the signs to look out for, and how to not overwater will drastically improve your yield!
Hi, my name is Amelia Haslehurt and I am a food blogger. As you can guess, I am passionate about what I eat, but what is most important to me when reviewing is high quality, fresh, organic, delicious ingredients.
I wanted to create an online space where others could sample some of my favorite recipes, and share in my passion for home-grown produce.
Whether you are looking for vegan recipes, easy recipes, healthy recipes or your favorite yummy snacks to brighten your day, I can help you out here at LocallyGrownGardens.com
