Hi Tui, I have planted my early strawberries in large plastic containers only to find that Tui Strawberry food is not suitable for plants in pots and containers. Why is this as they have ample root space?

Hi Diane,

The recommendation not to use blended fertilisers on plants in pots and containers is "best practise". Essentially fertilisers are salts and potentially can burn plant roots when over-applied. Tui Strawberry Food (and all of the Tui Food range) is a blend of straight fertilisers with no control mechanism. When they are applied the nutrients start releasing immediately so there is more chance of over-application which will burn plant roots.

When a fertiliser is applied to the soil, the soil acts as a buffer and the fertiliser is dispersed into the soil. When too much fertiliser is applied to plants in pots, the concentration of fertiliser (salts) hits the pot wall and potentially burns the roots. Tui recommends either Tui Novatec or Tui Enrich Fruit, Citrus, Tree & Shrub fertiliser for plants in pots and containers and Tui Strawberry Food for plants in the garden and raised garden beds. Tui Team.