Gardening Tips on Growing Strawberries

The process called strawberry renovation consists of thinning, fertilizing and weed control. When renewing a strawberry bed, remember that the young plants produce the largest berries. Plants should not be allowed to become too crowded. Maintain rows in strips of plants 10 to 18 inches wide. Reduction to a narrow strip now will produce abundant runner plants for vigorous growth and abundant production next season.

About 30 inches should be allowed between these narrow strips to allow space for development of the young plants. If the strawberry bed is fairly new, it may not be necessary to tear out many plants. Go through the bed in mid-June, and again in early August, and reduce the density of plants to from five to seven per square foot of row. Mow off foliage and remove it from the bed if badly diseased. Strawberries may be grown in many ways, but cultural needs in mid summer are essentially the same for all of them.

Some gardeners with limited space prefer the strawberry pyramid, terraced-three level, raised circular beds. Others use raised beds on one level but keep most runners off the parent plants, developing larger parent plants which are well spaced and mulched between. Fertilization is important in renewing any bed. This may be done during July or early August in many locations. If soils are fairly fertile, nitrogen is primarily needed at this time. About one pound of ammonium nitrate may be used per 100 feet of row. Scatter it over plants lightly, but be sure to brush off any that remains on leaves since it can burn them if left there.

If soil is less fertile an application of a garden fertilizer such as 5-10-5 may be used at five pounds per 100 feet of row in the same way, or a 10-10-10 at 2.5 pounds per 100 feet of row. Apply fertilizer before rows are thinned and weeded. During thinning and hoeing the fertilizer is worked lightly into the soil. Any that may have remained on the foliage can also be brushed off. If growth has been poor, a fertilization after picking and again in early August can be beneficial.

Always water well after a fertilizer application. Weeds can become a serious problem in strawberries. When beds are reworked, existing weeds should be removed. Perennial weeds should be dug out at that time. After the bed has been cleaned and before new seedlings appear the herbicide dacthal can be applied to the entire bed. It is available as a 5% granular material that may be spread over the bed or as a wettable powder that may be sprayed over the area. An application should remain effective for eight to 10 weeks.

A mulch between plants can also reduce seed germination, but should not cover the crowns of the plants. If strawberry beds are several years old and perennial grasses have become established or, they are badly infected with disease, it may be wise to destroy the bed. Establish a new one with new, disease free plants in another location. If space is available, it is often best to start a new planting in a new location and not return strawberries to the same site for five years.

When moving existing plants which may have been infected with leaf spot to a new location, it may be reduced by cutting off old foliage and dipping the plants in benomyl. Allow the plants to remain in the solution for five minutes. If the strawberry disease known as red stele has been present anytime in the past, strawberries should never be moved or planted back into that area again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry