Why do Strawberries rot on the vine? – How to Fix and Care for Rotting Strawberries?

Nothing is better than having strawberries in your garden, but what’s worse is when strawberries start rotting on the vines. Why does this happen?

I know it’s the worst feeling to see the fruit rot, and actually, it’s hard to care for and maintain the plants so they don’t rot. What if I tell you, I have some tips and solutions for fixing the rotting strawberries?

Sounds amazing, right? Here I have explained all the possible ways to take care of strawberries. In the future, if you have any doubts and want clarification, ask me in the comment section.

Quick takeaways:

• Strawberries are susceptible to a variety of illnesses caused by microorganisms and stressful events.
• Strawberries’ problems must be identified and diagnosed early before they grow too severe.
• Many strawberry illnesses can be avoided by growing disease-resistant types, separating plants properly, and using certain management procedures.
• You will feel disappointed to see your berries go to the bad side. Strawberries tend to grow as a perennial in the US Department of Agriculture.
• It doesn’t ask for much care to develop juicy and delicious fruit. But the plants and the fruits can be destroyed by various factors. There are many other companion plants to grow with strawberries like Asparagus, Nasturtiums, Spinach, Rhubarb, etc.

Let’s know more about the rotting strawberries in detail. 

What are the reasons for rotting Strawberries in the garden?

Gray mold- Botrytis is what it sounds like gray, hairy mold growing on berries. It can start early, before the berries develop, causing the flowers and stems to turn brown and even die. As the berries form, they can mold and rot. Too much moisture can trigger botrytis. 

Leather rots–  If your berries turn brown in warm, humid weather, they may have leather rot. This is a fungal infection causes spots and hardens the fruit. 

Anthracnose fruit rots– Another fungal infection that causes round indentations. It usually occurs in damp and humid environments. 

These infections are most likely to occur when strawberry plants are wet for extended periods. When rain splashes dirt on the berries, infectious pathogens can enter the berries. It also happens when you water your plants.

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.“

– By Rudyard Kipling

How to care for the rotting Strawberries?

As we all know, strawberry plantations are perennial. They tend to grow in mild freezing climates. The best thing is that if you live in mild or cold areas, then it is easy for you all to take care of the strawberries. But it can get worse if the climate changes regularly as strawberries need a cold climate to grow. Let’s have a look at the points that can help in preventing and protecting from rotting strawberries:

• Make sure that you cut down the foliage to 1 inch when the propagation season is over. 
• Compost the plants for around 4 inches deep with any organic material.
• Try to add insulating manure in colder regions too.
• You have to remove the manure in the early spring. 
• Don’t worry about the soil moisture, natural precipitation will do so. 

How to prevent or fix the Strawberries from rotting? 

Are you also worried about rotting strawberries? Are you people also facing this problem? No worries! We are here with the prevention of controlling it, you can only control it if you won’t let it happen. 

The first thing you can do to get rid of this is to grow your strawberries with space within them. This can let the plants grow with a good airflow which will keep the plants from drying out when you water them. Ensure to plant the berries in an area where you see good drainage. 

A layer of straw mulch prevents splashes and acts as a barrier. 

If the weather is particularly wet when the plant is growing, cover the plant when it rains. You can also try anchoring the plant to the ground to keep the leaves and berries on the ground.

If your strawberries have rotted, pick the affected strawberries so the rest can grow without becoming infected. 

As a last resort, or if mold and rot continue to plague your plants, you can use a fungicide. After a year of decay, you may consider cleaning and treating the bed with a fungicide to prepare it for the coming year.

Symptoms:

The following are some reasons behind gray mold on strawberries such as:

• The formation of mold on strawberries depends on the state of the tissue and the part of the plant that is being infected.
• The leaves of the plants will appear like they are covered with gray velvet.
• The flowers of the plant will have brown lesions on the petals, sepals, and the center part of the flowers. 
• The infection formation of the plants tends to spread and kill plants which causes no formation of fruits.
• The plants will start showing a light brown decaying appearance on the flower end.
• The ripe fruits are used to cover in spored grau velvet that will start spreading to other fruits which raises a condition called nesting thus forming clusters of diseased fruit.
• The damaged fruits which are infected by molding conditions are used to get infected after harvesting.
• The fruits that get infected will lead to shriveling and become hard but dont get separated from the plant and will spread infection all over the plant.

Identifying rotting of strawberries:

 Growing gray mold on the strawberries is the most common problem you can find as the fruits rip. The following are some ways to identify rotting of strawberries:

• You will see small brown lesions on the top of strawberries.
• The formation of powdery mildew which leads to dead leaves.
• Molding formation on fruits forms a velvety gray cover.
• The formation of soft and mushy holes on the fruits of the plants.
• The fruits will start to get misshapen.
• The rotten part of the fruits will get soft and mushy.
•  The rotting of fruits will expand all over the fruit.

Types of Strawberry:

The following are some types of strawberry plants based on delicious flavor:

‘Baron Solemacher’:

They are known for their intense taste as they are fragile and are best eaten freshly from the patch.

 ‘Earliglow’:

They are very sweet to eat. They are best grown as winter-hardy plants that resist disease.

‘Giant Robinson’:

They are great mouthwatering berries that are good to be served as fruit bowls. They come under heavy yielding plants which are long lasting each summer.

‘Honeyoye’:

They are very juicy berries known for their naturally sweet taste. They are loved to grow in winter hardy conditions which produce big crops yearly.

‘Pink Panda’:

They come under edible ground cover when provided with full sun or partial shade.

‘Pineapple Crush’

They are famous for their distinct flavor having pale yellow fruits when the seeds are sown indoors.

 

‘Redchief’:

It is strawberries that have large, bright red berries that you can grow in a wide range. They come under highly disease-resistant plants.

‘Sparkle’:

They come under a hardy variety that is used to grow during late spring frosts. As per the name, it means berries have a bright sheen which makes them look fresh. 

‘Tribute’:

They come under the day-neutral variety that is used to grow during spring till fall frost. The fruits are used to grow in larger sizes which are resistant to cold and many other diseases.

Wrapping up the context

In this article, you come to know about rotting strawberries and how to fix the rotting strawberries. You also come to know the reasons behind the rotting strawberries. Read this guide properly for a better understanding. I hope it will be helpful for you all. 

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