Renewing Plantings

Strawberries may be fruited more than 1 year. Yield and size of berries are progressively smaller the second and third years. As a rule, it is unwise to attempt more than 3 crops from a single planting.

Only good plantings should be maintained and renewed. Destroy weak, weedy or diseased plantings right after harvest.

Renewal of a planting should be done shortly after harvest. Start by mowing off the tops as close to the ground as possible without damage to the crowns. Then with a spade or a rotary type tiller, narrow the row width to a strip of plants 8 to 10 inches wide. This can be done by destroying plants on both sides of the row or one side only. The latter is preferred.

As you narrow the row, work the mulch and other organic material into the soil. Fertilize the row as indicated for summer fertilization of a newly set planting. Handle the renewed planting the same way as a first-year planting. Generally a planting should not be renewed for more than 2 seasons.

Irrigation

Strawberries can be grown on a limited basis without irrigation. However, in many seasons full production can't be realized unless the plantings are irrigated. During these seasons, supplemental water assures formation of a good row and helps assure good berry size.

Apply enough water during the growing season to supplement rainfall and to provide an average of 1 inch of water per week. Irrigate when a water shortage is apparent, even before the plants show drought symptoms.

Strawberries are relatively free from disease and insect problems. Normally they produce satisfactory crops in home gardens without spraying. Full production of high-quality berries, however, requires that you follow a careful pest control program.

You can avoid many headaches by selecting sites free of disease and insect problems, getting suitable stock, and following good cultural practices. As with other fruit crops, good pest control practices are based on preventing problems rather than overcoming them. Specific problems and control practices will vary from region to region. Contact your county Extension office for details. Birds may be a problem during the fruiting season, damaging the ripe fruit. Bird control netting, available commercially, is the best solution. Stretch it over the beds.

Stretch netting over strawberry plants, so as to protect them against the birds.

Everbearing Berries

Everbearing strawberries are grown primarily for the fall crop. They will produce satisfactorily if grown under the spaced-plant system of culture. Successful production of this type strawberry requires much labor, so planting should be of limited size. They will not do well when grown in matted rows.

The site for Everbearing varieties should be prepared and the plants set with the same considerations as June bearing varieties.

These plantings should be maintained under either a sawdust mulch or a black plastic mulch. With a saw dust mulch, care for the planting as if it were a regular planting until early June when the runners appear, then stop cultivation. Fertilize each plant with 2 tablespoons of a 16 percent nitrogen fertilizer or equivalent, spreading the fertilizer uniformly over the soil around each plant.

Then cover the entire area of the planting with 1 inch of either hardwood or softwood sawdust. It may be fresh or weathered. Don't apply excessive amounts. Further weed control must be done by hand, since hoeing and cultivation will mix the sawdust with the soil, thus destroying the mulch benefits.

After applying the mulch, start training the runner plants, locating each in the desired position. Force the plants gently but firmly through the sawdust so their roots contact the soil. The distance between runner plants varies from season to season but will be about 8 to 10 inches.

After the desired number of runner plants has been established, remove all others as they develop through the remainder of the season.

Removal of flowers should continue until the first to the middle of July. The exact date for discontinuing blossom removal depends on the planting. The more vigorous it is, the earlier blossom removal can be stopped.

Harvesting will begin about 30 days after first blossoms appear. The first berries will ripen in August and harvesting should continue twice a week until frost.

Black plastic offers advantages over sawdust as a mulch for ever-bearing strawberries. Its use minimizes problems of weed control and helps keep the berries cleaner. With black plastic, only a slight variation in cultural practice is needed. The mulch may be spread over the row area and the plants set through it at desired locations. Cover edges of the mulch with soil.

Establish runner plants where needed by cutting a slit in the plastic and placing the plant firmly into the soil. Blossom and runner removal are the same under both mulch systems.

Trickle type irrigation lines installed under the plastic mulch can prove helpful during drought periods. Take care not to over water.

June bearing strawberries may be grown according to the spaced plant systems, too, but benefits do not justify the added efforts.

Ripening cluster of strawberries.