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Producing organic strawberries for a living is very rewarding. However, strawberries can be sensitive plants. With the right knowledge and fertilizers, you can increase your strawberry yields and watch them thrive.

Strawberries Like It Shallow

Strawberries root systems are very shallow, growing just beneath the surface. While that means you may not need to till as deeply, it does mean strawberries have a different set of needs than most plants. Due to their shallow root systems, strawberry plants respond very well to organic compost worked just below the surface. This also means any additional fertilizers don't need to be applied at levels deep enough that they sink deep into the ground.

Strawberries And Timing

Strawberries crave nitrogen early in the spring when they're just starting to take root. Nitrogen will help dictate how many buds your strawberries will have when they start to produce blooms. You can give them the nitrogen they're craving by putting down blood fertilizer. You'll need around ½ pound of fertilizer per 100 square feet.

Later on when your berries are starting to flower, you'll want to increase their phosphorus. Phosphorus helps produce larger fruits at higher yields. You can add phosphorus to your strawberries by putting in bone meal fertilizer. You'll also want to apply this at a rate of ½ pound of fertilizer per 100 square feet.

If you don't want to worry about individual applications, there are organic fertilizers on the market that can supply the needed nutrients to your strawberries at the right times. You should apply fertilizer if your plants have light green leaves that are slightly wilted.

Problems Fertilizer Can't Solve

If the site your strawberries are growing on isn't selected carefully, you may never see a crop. Fertilizer can't fix problems that involve rotting fruit or yellowing, burned leaves. These are usually issues caused by the area selected to grow the plants. Strawberries are very sensitive to the ground they're grown on and selecting a site that's too sandy or has too much clay will result in a damaged crop.

Growing certain crops such as eggplant before planting strawberries, can result in a diseased crop. It's best to avoid planting strawberries where you've grown members of the nightshade family.

If you need advice as to what fertilizers and products may most benefit your strawberry plants, talk to an agricultural fertilizer supplier like Nature Safe. If your yields aren't where you want them to be, an agricultural fertilizer supplier may be able to suggest a better method to help your strawberries thrive.