Plant guide:🍓 Strawberries
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⚠ Critical🩺
Roots
Root Rot and Crown Rot in Strawberries
Commonly affects: Fragaria × ananassa (Strawberry)
The plant wilts and declines despite adequate watering, with roots and the crown appearing brown, soft, and discoloured rather than firm and white.
Potential Causes
- 1Overwatering or poor drainage keeping the root zone waterlogged
- 2Heavy, compacted soil restricting oxygen to roots
- 3Various Phytophthora and Pythium fungi thriving in saturated conditions
Solution Steps
- 1Improve drainage significantly, planting on raised beds or mounds
- 2Reduce watering frequency, letting the top layer of soil dry between waterings
- 3Remove and destroy plants with extensive, irreversible root or crown damage
- 4Avoid planting in low-lying areas that collect standing water
Prevention Tip
Strawberries are notably intolerant of wet feet — raised bed planting with excellent drainage prevents the majority of root and crown rot cases.
