Welcome to this article that will be talking about the possibility of overwatering a strawberry plant. It is in fact very possible as it is vulnerable to very soggy and wet soil. But thankfully there are ways we can counter this and hopefully save the strawberry plant from any further harm.
If you are growing the plant in a pot then the soil can easily get overwatered if you are a beginner or the pot simply doesn’t have a hole where the excess water can escape. That can unfortunately quickly turn into making the roots start to rot which then escalates into the entire plant starting to rot.
If you would like to read our complete guide to watering a strawberry plant then you can find it right here, How Much Water Do Strawberries Need?
How To Tell If Strawberries Are Overwatered
Like we already laid out in the article here, the strawberry plant can definitely become overwatered if you are a beginner at gardening and especially with growing strawberries. The plant is normally very hardy and can even survive some harsh winters and come back just as strong the next year.
But overwatering will almost certainly damage any plant out there. As there is too much water trapped in the soil, oxygen will have a very hard time getting in there. This then causes the roots to start rotting as they drown from being overwatered.
If you are growing the plant on freeland then fixing this will be slightly harder as the soil will keep the water for longer but you will also not be able to move it. In a pot, we can move the plant to a spot where the sun is shining a lot more. This will cause the soil to hopefully dry out slightly quicker.
You might ask yourself what the best condition in terms of watering is for the strawberry plant. Well, we find that soil that is kept damp and never left to dry out will prove excellent. It will keep the roots from stagnating and instead encourages further growth.
If you would like to learn about watering a strawberry plant during the week then we have written an article just about that, How Many Times A Week Should Strawberries Be Watered?
What Happens If You Over Water Strawberries
The thing that will happen when you overwater a strawberry plant is that the roots will have a very hard time surviving. They can get the necessary amount of oxygen they need to survive and continue to grow.
Because of this they will stop and start to decompose. This then causes the plant above the soil to have the leaves turn black. Which for us will indicate that something is definitely wrong with it.
If you are growing on freeland then the only thing you can do is hope the plant is strong enough to survive. But if you are growing in a pot then we highly recommend you place it in a spot where there is more sun during the day. That will aid a lot in making sure the soil can dry out more quicker.
How Often Do You Water Strawberries In Pots
Watering a strawberry plant growing in a pot will often come down to the previous condition of the soil. If it’s slightly damp like we said before is the ideal, then we will hold off on water any more.
But if we feel that the soil is dry and almost cracking at the surface then adding some water will definitely be good. Adding in small amounts will also make sure that we don’t overdo it and accidentally cause unnecessary stress for the plant.
