Fragaria x ananassa in the ground

Credit: Kolforn

Strawberries fragaria ananassa

Credit: Aaron Liston

Cultivated strawberry flower

Credit: Randal

Strawberries from Fragaria x ananassa

Credit: Alpsdake

Strawberry fruit fragaria x ananassa

Credit: Salicyna

Fragaria × ananassa, the cultivated strawberry plant

Everyone knows the strawberry, but we rarely know where it really comes from. This sweet fruit comes from Fragaria × ananassa, a plant of the Rosaceae family native to the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. Called the cultivated strawberry, it is an artificial hybrid obtained by crossing Fragaria chiloensis and Fragaria virginiana.

How to recognize the cultivated strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa?

Cultivated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are herbaceous perennials with a spreading habit. It forms clumps 30 cm high and 50 cm wide, and produces runners.

The oval to obovate leaves have three leaflets. They are supported by a long, hairy petiole. Bright green, the leaf blades have toothed margins and a hairy underside. Depending on the climate, foliage lasts all year or disappears partially in winter.

Flowering takes place in summer, but in early varieties as early as spring. The white or pale pink flowers are composed of five rounded petals and a multitude of stamens clustered around a yellow heart.

Botanically speaking, strawberries are not the fruit of Fragaria x ananassa. It is a false fruit, obtained from the floral receptacle. Botanical fruits, or achenes, are the yellow or greenish seeds on the surface of the strawberry.

When we think of a strawberry, we often think of a red, rounded fruit,larger than the fruit of the Fragaria vescades bois (Fragaria vesca). In reality, there are several different types of strawberry. Depending on the variety, your Fragaria x ananassa may produce conical, elongated or heart-shaped strawberries. They can be red, white, yellow or even purple. Finally, not all strawberries are harvested at the same time. While non-remontant strawberry produce strawberries only at the beginning of summer, Everbearing strawberry varieties offer several harvests throughout the year.

Fragaria x ananassa is not toxic. On the contrary, strawberries are grown for their edible fruit. Strawberries are eaten raw, as soon as they are ripe. But they can also be made into jams, pies and many other desserts.

Our maintenance tips

Cultivated strawberries are greedy plants. Change their soil or location every three years so they don't exhaust the soil. Take the opportunity to renew your plants so that they continue to be productive.

Watering

Water your plant generously during the growing season.

Cultivated strawberries like to keep their base moist, especially during the flowering and fruiting period.

Water your Cultivated strawberry at the base, taking care not to wet the leaves. Preferably use rainwater at room temperature.

Adapt your watering when the days get shorter.

Water the base of your Cultivated strawberry when the substrate surface is dry. Do not wet the leaves to avoid the development of diseases and fungi. Watering is best done with rainwater at room temperature.

Water moderately to keep the soil fresh. Avoid watering if the ground is frozen to preserve the roots.

Repotting

Soak your Cultivated strawberry to rehydrate its roots.

Get a perforated container (pot, planter, tub, etc.). Line the bottom with clay balls or gravel to improve drainage. Then pour in a layer of soil. Choose a rich substrate, such as potting soil or a mixture of garden soil, sand and leaf compost or compost.

Plant your Cultivated strawberry without burying the crown, leaving a distance of at least 25 centimetres between the individual plants.

Tamp lightly and water to encourage rooting. You can also mulch the base to retain moisture and limit watering.

Fertilization

Cultivated strawberries are greedy. Your harvest will be more abundant if you fertilize them with a special strawberry or fruit tree fertilizer.

Place a little compost at the foot of your Cultivated strawberry to enrich the soil and accelerate growth.

Prune

To encourage the growth of your Cultivated strawberry, prune regularly.

Remove stained, damaged or dry leaves to prevent fungus. Also cut stolons to avoid exhausting the plant.

Use clean, sharp pruning shears to facilitate healing and prevent the spread of disease.

In addition, remove any weeds that may be hindering the growth of your Cultivated strawberry.

Cultivated strawberries deplete the soil after a few years. Pull up your plants and plant them elsewhere. You can use the opportunity to renew them.

Plantation

Soak the root ball of your Cultivated strawberry to rehydrate the roots. Meanwhile, prepare the soil. Spade and remove stones, roots and weeds. Mix the soil with a base fertilizer, manure or compost.

Form mounds about 60 centimetres high, with a 50-centimetre path on either side. The height prevents water from stagnating at root level, and the pathway makes picking easier.

Plant each Fragaria × ananassa at the top of the mound. Make sure the crown is not buried. If you're planting several plants, space them at least 25 centimetres apart. Fill in the hole with garden soil or universal potting compost.

Tamp gently and water generously to encourage rooting.

Cultivated strawberries like cool soil. Mulch to retain moisture and limit the spread of weeds.

Seedling

At , seeds need cold to germinate.

Place the seed packet in an airtight container and refrigerate for two to four weeks. Alternatively, place the seeds on damp paper towels and seal in an airtight food bag before placing in the fridge.

Pour special potting soil for seedlings and cuttings into an unperforated tray or bowl. Tamp the surface to even out the soil.

Spread the seeds over the surface of the potting soil and press lightly with your fingers to ensure contact with the soil.

Spray with water to moisten the substrate without displacing the seeds.

Cover the seedling with plastic film or a cloche to retain moisture. Place in a bright spot at a temperature of around 18-22°C. Mist regularly to keep the substrate moist.

Cutting

Cutting takes place in autumn.

Locate a stolon (an aerial stem with the beginnings of a root). Remove this seedling with a sharp, clean tool.

Plant the roots of your stolon in the ground and hold it in place with an iron rider.

You can plant your stolon in the ground, next to the mother plant, or in a pot filled with garden soil or universal potting compost and placed nearby. Water generously. At this stage, your stolon is still attached to the main plant.

Diseases / Threats

Information

Family	Rosaceae - Rosaceae
Type	Strawberry - Fragaria
Species	Cultivated strawberry - Fragaria × ananassa
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Semi-evergreen
Exposure	Sun
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting methods	Open ground In pots In tubs Planter
Category	Fruit tree
Tags	Edible fruit Beginner Rustic
Origins	Northern Europe Eastern Europe Southern Europe Western Europe
Hardiness (USDA)	5a
Leaf color
Flower colors
Fruit colors