ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 18, 1996 TAG: 9604180028
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Hoein' & Growin
SOURCE: JIM MINICK
Eager to plant a small patch of strawberries, I sought out the best available source of information, my next door neighbor, John Sutherland, a retired farmer who grew strawberries for pick-your-own customers for over 40 years.
When I explained that I wanted to try growing berries organically, Sutherland rolled his eyes at the organic part (we have an ongoing debate over this issue), but graciously condensed his 40 plus years of experience into a conversation that lasted two short hours.
The best ground is in full sun, high in organic matter, and newly cleared. Sod land will have white grubs: Treat with milky spore disease, an organic bacteria, to kill grubs. Avoid frost pockets and ground that has recently grown tomatoes or potatoes which harbor verticillium wilt as deadly to strawberries as is red stele, another soil-born disease. Avoid land with large deer populations. They love to eat the plants.
Plow your lot to a depth of 6 to 8 inches in the fall or early spring but don't work the soil when it's too wet. A soil test will tell you what nutrients to add. Use a 10-10-10 fertilizer at 500 pounds per acre or equivalent amounts of organic fertilizers, such as blood meal and rock phosphate. Broadcast the fertilizers in the spring and work them in with a rake or spring-tooth harrow.
Strawberries can be afflicted with several devastating leaf diseases, including leaf spot, leaf scorch, and powdery mildew. The best plants are certified virus-free and free of other diseases and insects. Sutherland has had good success with plants from Maryland nurseries.
Red Chief is one of Sutherland's favorite varieties. Earliglow, Lateglow, Sparkle, Allstar, Surecrop, and Guardian also produce good tasting berries.
Measure your patch and plan to set the strawberry plants two to three feet apart in rows of four feet apart. If you will irrigate the patch, increase the spacing. Strawberries spread with adequate moisture (one inch of water per week).
Put plants in the ground as soon as you get them. (If the soil is too wet or frozen, keep them in your refrigerator until conditions improve.) Plant each at the right depth to ensure that the runners will extend outward and the plant will thrive. The crown must be flush with the soil level - not too shallow or too deep.
Pick off the blooms: it creates a vigorous heavy-bearer. Sutherland likes to pinch the blooms or snip them off with scissors. "Don't pull," he admonishes, "because this will hurt the mother plant."
Cultivate the weeds but don't cut into the root system. Be ready to spray regularly, but first consult your extension agent for recommended sprays.
To combat botrytis fruit rot, a disease that turns the berries into a gray, moldy mush, Sutherland sprays Captan (mixed according to the manufacturer's directions) every 21 days, as soon as the first blooms appear. He emphasized that spraying green berries will not control botrytis; control must begin while the plant blooms.
Use straw mulch to cover the plants during the winter. The mulch can then be pulled back in the spring and left around the plants where it will help prevent the spread of diseases which splash up from the ground.
When the strawberry plants stop bearing, mow them before July 4 to renovate the patch. The plants will grow vigorously and bear well next season. Sutherland warned, "Each week after July 4 that you don't mow, you lessen the next year's crop by one-fourth." Since you just want to mow the leaves and not the crowns, set your mower blade one inch about the ground. Apply a source of nitrogen to give these plants a needed boost.
Using cultivation, mulching and various other controls, you can grow strawberries organically and enjoy high quality, chemical-free fruit. For organic growing methods, call or write Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas at ATTRA, P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702 or 1-800-346-9140.
Jim Minick is a Master Gardener Intern and will complete his internship when he earns 50 hours of volunteer time.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB