Are the rotting strawberries in your garden taking a toll on your sanity?
Yeah… We gardeners have all been there…
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the possible reasons why your strawberries may be rotting and what you can do to put an end to the problem.
Fortunately, the solution is NOT abandoning your strawberry plants and planting something else! There’s still hope to save your plant and harvest fresh and healthy fruit.
Why Are My Strawberries Rotting? Causes & Solution
1 – Poor Air Circulation
Lack of air circulation can suffocate your strawberry plant and lead to undesirable spoiled fruiting. Adequate circulation is crucial for healthy growth and keeping humidity around the plant in control. When stems, leaves, and fruits are all bunched up together, that’s where rot can begin to set in.
Solution
The simple solution to poor air circulation in a strawberry plant is… Pruning! Chop off the dead stems and leaves and lighten up the plant to allow for more air to circulate around the developing fruit.
2 – Gray Mold
Gray mold is an issue more specific to strawberry plants. If you live in a region that’s quite humid or grow your strawberries in slightly damp conditions, chances are that your strawberries will begin to develop a fuzzy mold that’s often gray in color.
Solution
Although there aren’t any direct solutions for gray mold, removing the affected fruit and applying fungicides to the plant is your best bet.
3 – Pest Infection
We all know how damaging pests can be in the garden. Slugs, snails, aphids, and whiteflies all pose a threat to your beautiful developing strawberries and can ruin them anytime. Pest infestations place stress on the plant, leading to rotten and inedible fruit.
Solution
Although conventional pesticides are the best way to relieve your strawberry plant from pest pressure, a homemade pesticide spray consisting of neem oil and water will work just as well.
4 – Poor Fertilization
Lack of important nutrients and minerals in the soil can lead to spoiled fruit. However, too much of one nutrient like nitrogen can also lead to rotting because it promotes leaf growth at the expense of fruit development.
If you have the strawberry plants in your garden and they happen to be producing rotten fruit, there’s a possibility that your average garden dirt isn’t enough to promote healthy fruiting.
Solution
Introducing fertilizers in the garden can be a great way to combat the lack of essential nutrients in the soil. Go for a balanced fertilizer that provides adequate doses of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
If the rotting issue in your strawberries is caused by excessive nitrogen in the soil, go for a low-nitrogen fertilizer which would aid specifically with better fruit development.
Final Words
I’ve said this a million times – rotting fruit is a gardener’s worst nightmare. There’s nothing wrong with stressing over rotting strawberries; it’s quite normal. In fact, being stressed signals to you that an issue requires your attention.
You shouldn’t ignore rotting strawberries in your garden for long. It’s time to take action and make necessary changes in order to keep more fruit from being spoiled!
