Frequently Asked Questions:
Q- What are dormant plants?
A- This is a plant that has been in a frozen storage for a
period of time and is just waking up, or warming up. When planted it will spring
to life and grow normally.
Q- Can I keep the strawberry basket indoors or outdoors?
A- The plants need the sunshine and the night and daytime temperatures
so it can grow big and produce big sweet berries. Outdoors is better but indoors
is fine as long as the basket gets plenty of light.
Q- When do I plant my strawberry hanging basket?
A- You should plant it as soon as you receive it. The dormant
plants need to be planted as soon as possible to insure their success.
Q- When will I see new growth on the Strawberry plants?
A- After you plant the plants in your Strawberry Hanging Basket,
you should see new leaves beginning to grow in about 1-2 weeks.
Q- When will I see blossoms on my Strawberry Hanging Basket?
A- It usually takes 4-6 weeks for blossoms to start to appear.
When you do see blossoms growing, it is very important to pick the first set
of blossoms off, thus allowing the plants to build energy and grow big.
Q- Will there be more blossoms after I pick the first set
off?
A- Yes. The strawberry plants you have in your Strawberry Hanging
Basket is an everbearing plant, which means, it will produce strawberries from
mid May to the first frost sometime in late October if you are in Zones 3-6.
Zones 7-11 should enjoy strawberries almost year round. Check the USDA zone/climate
chart on the web to see what zone you are in.
Q- How long after I plant my Strawberry Hanging Basket
can I expect to harvest strawberries?
A- It generally takes 6-8 weeks before you can pick your first
strawberries. But, after that, you’ll be able to enjoy berries almost
every day during your growing season.
Q- How many strawberries can I expect off of one Strawberry
Hanging Basket?
A- Each basket contains 8 plants. Each plant should produce
up to 2-3 pounds of berries throughout your growing season (this could be affected
adversely by poor watering and not following the recommendations for fertilizing
your basket).
Q- How long are the strawberry plants good for?
A- Strawberry plants are usually good for about 3-4 years,
after which they begin to lose strength to produce big strawberries. At this
time you will want to pull the old plants out and order some new plants.
Q- When do I need to put my Strawberry Hanging Basket to
bed for the winter?
A- When your weather shows signs of freezing, you can bring
it indoors, or help the plants go dormant again. To do this place your strawberry
hanging basket in one of your flower beds close to your house. Clip back most
of the foliage on your plants. Cover the Strawberry Hanging Basket with either
leaves or straw mulch 6-10 inches above the brim of the basket. Make sure you
water the basket before you do this. It is not necessary to dig a hole to place
it in. Just set it on the ground in your flower bed and then cover it. Check
once a week to make sure its not drying out, especially if you have a mild fall
and/or late start to winter. You may need to water it once or twice a week if
the weather stays above freezing. It’s very important not to let it dry
out, as this will put stress on the plants.
Q- What is a “Runner” on a strawberry plant?
A- A runner is a daughter plant that is produced by the original
plant you planted in the Strawberry Hanging Basket. It will be a long stem coming
from the plant that will have leaves on it as it gets longer. You should clip
these off for the first year, as they will take energy from the plant and strawberries.
When your Basket wakes up from a long winters nap in the spring, you can let
a few of the runners grow and then take and push them about 1-2 inches in the
vacant holes on the side of the basket. You can also stick some in the top of
the basket for more plants. This will give you more berries. Be careful to not
place more than 2 or 3 in the top of the basket as this will crowd the other
plants and they will produce smaller berries.