Strawberries won't fruit

[metricben]

hi all

i have a problem that my strawberries will not give much fruit. i only get about 1/2 lb. of fruit from a 5' by 10' plot of very dense plants. they have been there for 3 years, and are in a semi-shaded position. we live in the south-east, so its quite sunny here

any help/tips appreciated

ben

[ina]

Plants maybe too dense? Or not enough nutrients in soil? How does other stuff do in your garden?

Ina

[matty]

Strawberries often fruit for three years, then tend to come out, i believe, so chances are htis year will be worse than before! mulching is important, but so is, as with anything, a healthy start...if they have been weak from the beginning, they maybe wont give so much fruit...but then different varieties do different things, and some varieties do better in certain areas...R u in East sussex, cos if u are near hailsham, there is a great strawberry farm there where u can maybe get some tips.

[catalyst]

strawberries love acid... so mulch with pine needles?
and yeh, every three years you should aim to replace. ours produce millions of runners, so the patch gets bigger every year!!
andy

[metricben]

thank you - i've just removed them for a fresh start...

[ina]

But don't use the same plot again - there are soil born diseases (the same that affect raspberries), so you should give that patch a break from strawberries for a few years.

Ina