GROWING A STRAWBERRY PATCH

A strawberry is a sweet, edible fruit produced by a strawberry plant (Fragaria × ananassa). Strawberry plants are grown worldwide and have been cultivated by humans for hundreds of years. There are several varieties of strawberry plants, so it is important to choose one that is right for your area.

TYPE

Strawberry plants can be divided into three common types: garden, musk, and alpine.

Garden strawberries are the largest and most commonly grown variety of strawberry. Garden strawberries are self-fertile with larger leaves and fruit than musk or alpine strawberries.

Musk strawberries are the most flavorful and were once as widely cultivated as garden strawberries. Musk strawberries require pollination and produce smaller, but more densely flavored, fruits.

Alpine strawberries are the smallest of the strawberry types. As close as we get to the wild field strawberries, alpine strawberries have a unique flavor, but have to be eaten soon after harvest as they go bad quickly. Some varieties ripen in full and partial shade.

SIZE

Strawberry plants are considered groundcover and get no more than 6 inches tall.

POLLINATION

Strawberries are self-fertile and require no pollinator. While strawberries are self-fertile, generally a pollination partner will increase the size and quality of the harvest.

Pollination is important during your orchard planning as well, since you need pollinators to fly between your strawberries plants. The pollinizers should be planted no further than 50 feet apart, to ensure proper cross-pollination.

USDA HARDINESS ZONE

Strawberry plants are hardy to USDA zones 4-9, unless otherwise noted This rating tells you the minimum winter temperature the plants typically survive when properly hardened off. On our web site you will find a USDA Hardiness Maps which provides information on the average minimum winter temperature in your location, by zip code.

CHILL HOURS

Many plants native to locations that have cold winters have a Chill Hour requirement to ensure uniform waking up of flower and leaf buds in the spring. The chill hour requirement of plants varies by species, by cultivar, and sometimes by the level of dormancy achieved.

WHERE TO PLANT

Strawberry plants need to be planted where they receive at least 8 hours of direct sunlight measured in early summer (late June to early August). Sufficient sun exposure triggers the initiation of new flower buds for the next growing season, without which there will be no fruit. Fruit ripening and flavor development are also benefited by the carbohydrate production stimulated by the sun, as well as it’s heat.

Strawberries tolerate a wide variety of soils so long as they are well drained and moderately rich with a pH around 6.3-6.8. Improve your soil where you intend to plant by mixing an inch or two of plant based organic matter (manures are best for vegetable gardens), peat, or coconut coir into an area 1 1/2 to 2 times the diameter of the needed planting hole and up to a foot deep. A 2-4” deep layer of mulch (straw, leaves, or wood chips) applied after planting will continue to improve the soil.

Allow sufficient space for both the top of the tree and it’s roots when selecting the planting location. Refer to size descriptions for each variety, keeping in mind these are generally managed or pruned sizes, not maximum potential sizes. If you are planting an orchard be sure to include enough space between rows for transporting supplies in and fruit out.

GROWING IN CONTAINERS

Strawberry plants are good candidates for growing in containers.

To grow strawberry plants in a pot you need a container of at least 25 gallons. Larger is better, but make sure you have the ability and tools to move the pots heavy weight.

Do not use soil from your garden in the pot, instead use a potting soil mix with some added compost.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

WATERING YOUR TREE

This is the most important and often the most difficult part of successfully growing plants. There are many factors, including the humidity, temperature, soil type, wind, and amount of direct sun that affect how much and how often water should be applied.

A general rule of thumb for plants in the ground is to ensure they receive an inch of water per week over the root zone. An inch of water is equivalent to about ¾ to one gallon per square foot of soil surface area. The typical three foot diameter planting hole would need 7 ½ to 10 gallons of water per week provided by rainfall or by the gardener.

Apply this water once a week, two times per week if soil is fast draining. This will of course depend on your own conditions and the plants you are growing! DO NOT water lightly each day because this results in a wet surface and dry root zone area. The soil should be moist but not soggy to a depth of about a foot for most growing plants. The top inch or two can feel dry, and the plant still be well watered. The trick is to have the water available where the roots are. In hotter and sunnier areas, a mulch of straw, bark, etc. can greatly ease the burden of summer watering. For plants in containers, water until the soil is saturated and water comes out of the drainage holes. Let the container dry until the soil is dry to the touch 1-2 inches down and the container is lighter in weight. A plant that has wilted can be receiving either too much or too little water.

In rainy areas like the Pacific Northwest most of the plants that we offer will need relatively little supplemental irrigation ONCE THEY ARE WELL ESTABLISHED in the ground and have had a chance to develop a good root system. However even here it is important to make sure plants have regular, deep watering during the first couple of growing seasons, and the first summer is especially critical. In drier areas, permanent irrigation is essential. Remember that you don’t want your trees to just survive, but rather to thrive. Make sure they get the water they need.

One method is through drip irrigation. We use half- inch flexible plastic pipe with punch-in emitters for trees in the ground. For each young tree, we use two emitters, spaced one foot from the trunk. The pipe can be put on the ground, under the ground with risers, or tied loosely from the trees. We use emitters that drip one gallon per hour. See drawing above. There are many different styles of drip systems, some controlled by timers and others by hand. Or, each tree can be watered with a hose deeply about once a week. Sandy soils will need more frequent watering than clay soils. For smaller plants, like strawberries or raspberries, soaker hoses work very well.

FERTILIZATION

For good steady growth and high productivity, your trees need to have adequate amounts of various mineral nutrients. Some people are fortunate and have naturally rich fertile soil. Many soils, however, are deficient in some nutrient or another and use of fertilizers, organic or chemical, can be highly beneficial if you want your trees to grow well. If you have a large gardener orchardist can be well worth it to have your soil analyzed by a qualified laboratory so you know for sure just what your soil needs. Typically this might cost $30-$60, depending on how detailed an analysis you want. Unless you know what is available in your soil, you will not be able to supplement it properly.

Use an all-purpose or balanced fertilizer like the organic fruit tree and shrub fertilizer. A couple of inches of well-rotted compost on the root zone can also be an effective fertilizer. A generous leaf or straw mulch around your trees will not only conserve moisture and help in weed control, but also keeps your soil healthy by building up humus, attracting earthworms, and supporting beneficial fungal organisms. This encourages young trees to be strong, healthy and productive. Use of concentrated products like chemical fertilizers or strong organics (for instance blood meal) is usually done from late winter through early summer. Applying fertilizer after early summer can encourage lots of soft new growth that is much more likely to be damaged by winter cold. Excessive use of fertilizer can in-crease disease problems on your plants and can even kill them. Use of too much fertilizer, whether chemical or organic, canals contribute to stream and groundwater pollution, so please try not to use more than your trees really need. As a general guide, if your tree is producing about one foot of new growth or more a year and has healthy looking foliage, it may not need much or any fertilizer.

PESTS AND DISEASES

SNAIL AND SLUG

SYMPTOMS - Holes present in ripening fruits, usually with dried slime residue around affected areas.

CONTROL METHODS - Seek and destroy by hand. Copper foil snail barrier; beer traps. Sluggo or Escar-Go slug and snail bait, non-toxic to mammals and birds.

COMMENTS - Minimize hiding places by cleaning up loose debris and boards, etc, that they like to hide under.

SOWBUG

SYMPTOMS - Usually found in holes in fruit previously made by other pests, may also feed on new roots and lower leaves.

CONTROL METHODS - Minimize loose moist mulch and other hiding places.

COMMENTS - Control snails, slugs, and earwigs.

EARWIG

SYMPTOMS - Similar to snail and slug damage, but no slime.

CONTROL METHODS - Minimize hiding places (loose leaves, mulch, etc). Use traps such as cat food cans with 1/2” of veggie oil, placed around the garden. Clean regularly.

COMMENTS - Rolled up newspapers work well as traps. Discard and replace each morning when necessary.

STRAWBERRY ROOT WEEVIL

SYMPTOMS - Rapid wilting and collapse of the plant in March or April Roots appear eaten and leaves may have scallop like holes in margins.

CONTROL METHODS - Predatory nematodes. Rotate to new beds annually.

COMMENTS - If using nematodes pay strict attention to label for soil temperature, moisture and sunlight.

RED STELE

SYMPTOMS - Leaves may turn red to yellow, then wilt. Root core goes from reddish pink to cinnamon brown to black when dead.

CONTROL METHODS - Plant in raised beds to improve drainage. Avoid over watering.

COMMENTS - Buy certified plants and plant in uninfected soil. Replace every three years to minimize disease build-up.

POWDERY MILDEW

SYMPTOMS - Soft gray mold on leaves and shoots. Fruit cracked or scarred.

CONTROL METHODS - Apply sulfur, lime sulfur or bordeaux mix regularly as necessary. Grow resistant varieties. Apply milk spray or potassium bicarbonate. Alternate fungicides to avoid resistance.

COMMENTS - Train and summer prune to keep vines open for maximum air circulation and sun exposure.

DEER

SYMPTOMS - Browsed shortened branches. Leaves are obviously munched on or plants are pulled up.

CONTROL METHODS - Fences or cages at least 8’ tall. Plastic mesh, electric, or woven wire fences.

COMMENTS - At Raintree, an 8’ woven wire deer fence has worked best. Repellents don’t work consistently. and only trained large dogs patrolling the perimeter are effective. Some have had success with the product “Deerchaser.”

BIRD

SYMPTOMS - Fruits disappear or have gaping holes in them. Strawberries, blueberries, cherries and filberts are most susceptible but most fruits suffer occasionally.

CONTROL METHODS - Reflective Bird Scare Tape can work well. Bird netting. Cages.

COMMENTS - Blue Jays start harvesting filberts when ready to pick, and so should you. Nuts dropped by jays are usually empty.

VOLE/MOUSE/RABBIT

SYMPTOMS - Bark eaten in a band from soil level up to 8” and roots eaten too, usually in snowy areas with lots of mulch or tall grass at base of trees.

CONTROL METHODS - Keep mulch 4”-6” away from trunk. Keep grass short and 1’-2’ from trunk. Use vinyl tree guard wrapped around trunk until tree well-established.

COMMENTS - Voles and mice will chew a couple inches above ground and also into the root system. Rabbits will chew up to 8” high, particularly apple trees.

APHID

SYMPTOMS - 1/32 to 1/8” long pear shaped insects that multiply rapidly, espe- cially on the underside of leaves and on stems. Can be pink, green, black or white. Leaves show red blisters or are curled-down and stems turn black with sooty mold.

CONTROL METHODS - Natural predators like lady bugs and parasitic wasps often provide control. Knock aphids off with water spray. Spray with Pyrethrin, Rotenone, Insecticidal Soap, or delayed dormant oil. Control ants if they are also present.

COMMENTS - Trees can tolerate some infestation. Monitor in late spring and summer. Control is more important on new trees. Grow plants that attract predators, i.e. dill or yarrow.

ANT

SYMPTOMS - Numerous ants scurrying up and down the tree trunk; aphids, scale or mealybug present in large numbers, lots of sticky honeydew, perhaps sooty mold.

CONTROL METHODS - Find hill and apply pesticide. Apply Tangle Trap over 2-3” wide band of paper wrapped around trunk. Eliminate other pathways into tree.

COMMENTS - Ants nurture and protect these insects in exchange for their sugary secretions. Insects may be difficult to control until the ants are controlled.

BROWN MARMORATED STINK BUG

SYMPTOMS - Poking-type feeding damage followed by decay on fruits, nuts, berries and leaves. Deformity in the healthy tissue surrounding the dead tissue. Brown spots can show up in stored fruit.

CONTROL METHODS - Monitor with traps, some broad spectrum pesticides may work. Researchers are working on finding effective controls, but no info has been released yet.

COMMENTS - BMSB over winters in groups in dry protected areas, such as houses. If you find them on or in your home use the vacuum, squishing releases their defensive stink. See stopbmsb.org for more info. Feeding begins in spring when the weather warms up and continues until new adults go dormant for winter.

RUST

SYMPTOMS - Lesions on the upper surface of the leaf, or on the fruit or stems, followed by orangish structures on the bottom side of the leaf, or on the fruit or stems, which produce spores.

CONTROL METHODS - Copper fungicide after harvest before fall rains and again in early spring for prevention of some\ rusts. Remove and destroy infected parts of the plant. If possible select resistant varieties. Many varieties have not been studied. Cedar-apple rust is a problem east of the Rockies.

COMMENTS - Rust diseases require an alternate host, removing the host (within 900’ radius), applying fungicides, or removing infected parts may help. Check with your extension office to see what rust diseases in fruiting plants may be common in your area, and their alternate host.

SUNSCALD

SYMPTOMS - Vertical splits in bark appear spring or early summer, usually on the south or east side of the tree. Disease or insect infestations may then occur.

CONTROL METHODS - Whitewash trunk and lower limbs with interior latex paint cut 50/50 with water each fall until bark has thickened. Avoid planting in frost pockets or where water collects in winter.

COMMENTS - Injury occurs during pattern of warm days followed by freezing nights. Sap gets stuck in trunk, freezes, then rapidly thaws in the warm sun the next day, rupturing cells.