Repotting guide

When & how to repot Mara des Bois Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa 'Mara des Bois')

Also called Mara des Bois strawberry, ever-bearing strawberry.

More about mara des bois strawberry

About Mara des Bois Strawberry

Fragaria × ananassa 'Mara des Bois' · also called Mara des Bois strawberry, ever-bearing strawberry · edible

'Mara des Bois' is a French ever-bearing (day-neutral) strawberry prized for an intense, perfumed wild-strawberry flavour. It fruits from early summer to first frost in repeated flushes, thriving in full sun and rich, free-draining soil. Compact and runner-producing, it suits beds, raised borders, and large containers, rewarding consistent watering and regular potash feeding.

Mature size: About 20-30 cm tall and 30-45 cm spread per plant, spreading further by runners if these are left to root.

How to tell mara des bois strawberry needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For mara des bois strawberry, watch for these signs:

Roots circling the bottom of the module or pot, or poking out of the drainage holes.
The seedling dries out within a day and growth has visibly stalled.
Roots are white and matted in a tight spiral when you tip the plant out.
It has outgrown its current container for the stage of the season — pot mara des bois strawberry on before it becomes hard root-bound.

For the underlying biology of a pot-bound root system and why it stalls a plant, see our guide to spotting and fixing a root-bound plant.

How often to repot mara des bois strawberry

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Mara des Bois Strawberryis grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Low, clump-forming herbaceous perennial that spreads by runners (stolons). As a day-neutral type it crops in flushes across the whole season rather than one main flush, so deadheading and runner removal channel energy into fruit..

What size pot to step mara des bois strawberry up to

Pot mara des bois strawberry on gradually — a seedling jumped straight into a huge pot sits in cold, wet, airless soil and stalls. Step up one or two sizes at a time as the roots fill each container, finishing in a large final pot or the ground. The aim is roots that never circle and never check.

Not sure of the exact diameter? Our pot size calculator takes the current pot and root spread and tells you the right next size — it deliberately recommends a single step up, never a big jump.

The best time of year to repot mara des bois strawberry

Pot mara des bois strawberry on through the active growing season, whenever roots fill the current container — there is no single date, just "before it becomes root-bound". Avoid potting on during a cold snap.

Step-by-step: repotting mara des bois strawberry

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check mara des bois strawberry regularly; move it up as soon as roots reach the edge of the cell or pot, not after they have circled.
Step up one or two sizes. Choose the next container up — not a giant one. Cold, wet, unused soil around a small root system stalls seedlings.
Knock it out gently. Support the stem, tip the pot, and ease the rootball out without breaking it. A little teasing of circled roots at the base is fine.
Pot into rich mix. Set it into fresh rich, fertile, free-draining loam, slightly acidic to neutral (ph 5.5-6.8) at the same depth (tomatoes are the exception — they can go deeper to root along the stem).
Water in and grow on. Water well, keep it in good light, and resume feeding once it is established and growing again.

Aftercare

Water mara des bois strawberry in well and keep it in bright light; a freshly potted-on seedling can wilt for a day while roots settle, so do not overcompensate by drowning it. Do not fertilise for about 1 week — fresh mix already carries nutrients and feeding freshly disturbed roots scorches them.

The right soil mix for mara des bois strawberry

Mara des Bois Strawberry wants rich, fertile, free-draining loam, slightly acidic to neutral (ph 5.5-6.8). Work in plenty of well-rotted compost or manure before planting. Avoid heavy, waterlogged ground that rots crowns. Raised beds or a peat-free, loam-based compost in containers give the best drainage and warmth. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting mara des bois strawberry — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot mara des bois strawberry?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for mara des bois strawberry. Mara des Bois Strawberry is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into rich, fertile, free-draining loam, slightly acidic to neutral (ph 5.5-6.8) so the roots never circle the cell, ending in a large final container. A root-bound transplant stalls and never fully recovers.

What size pot does mara des bois strawberry need?

When is the best time of year to repot mara des bois strawberry?

Can you put mara des bois strawberry straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing mara des bois strawberry should only go up one pot size at a time. A vastly oversized pot holds a reservoir of wet soil the roots cannot reach, which stays cold and soggy and rots the roots — the opposite of what you wanted.

Should you fertilise mara des bois strawberry after repotting?

Not immediately. Wait about 1 week after repotting mara des bois strawberry. Fresh mix already contains nutrients, and feeding freshly cut or disturbed roots burns them. Resume your normal feeding routine once you see new growth.