Can I add soil to strawberry planters?

[kent]

I planted strawberries this spring. They are doing fine. They are in several pots and a couple wood planters I built. I have noticed the soil must have packed down over this summer as it looks like the containers are only about half full now.

I'm afraid to fill the containers up with soil because I remember when planting the berries I had to leave a little of the top of the root section above the soil. If I add soil to fill the planters back up, I will be burying those lower sections of the plants. Will that harm them?

 

[Susan BBPM]

I planted strawberries this spring. They are doing fine. They are in several pots and a couple wood planters I built. I have noticed the soil must have packed down over this summer as it looks like the containers are only about half full now.

I'm afraid to fill the containers up with soil because I remember when planting the berries I had to leave a little of the top of the root section above the soil. If I add soil to fill the planters back up, I will be burying those lower sections of the plants. Will that harm them?

I'm interested to hear what others have to say about this.

I've struggled with strawberries. This spring we discovered we'd lost all our potted strawberries to vine weevil. For that reason my plan is to remove all the strawberries from the tubs - shake off the soil around the roots (to make sure they're free of weevil) then pot them up again with some fresh compost mixed in. My understanding is that the strawberries won't mind having their roots disturbed in the winter.

When you buy crowns that is essentially strawberries that have been dug up when dormant. So almost certainly (?) the need to avoid covering the crown will still apply in subsequent years.

 

[YumYum]

You can replant the strawberries in Winter or very early Spring. Your in California so I'm not sure what kind of dormancy period they have there.

Strawberries are the hardest thing I have to tried to grow and get a good supply of them and be able to keep the daughter plants to sustainability. I'm still working on a good method to avoid weeds taking over, pests, fungi. I am going to dig mine up this late Winter and replant them somewhere out of the ground.

 

[Meadowlark]

...I'm afraid to fill the containers up with soil because I remember when planting the berries I had to leave a little of the top of the root section above the soil. ...

I would approach this in stages.

First stage would be to raise the soil level around but not covering the original plant, then plant the runners as they come in the elevated soil. The original plant can be removed when needed and you can add more soil there and repeat if another stage is necessary. Won't take long at all and no loss of plants.

 

[brantelyolivia1320]

I have grown strawberry so many times and the result was positive all the time , this time too I have grown strawberry and so many fruits have come and they look so beautiful.