North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran or Donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>]

Title: New Strawberry planting

Brian, commercial growers let their plants crop the first year, and so do I.  I find runners so prolific, that I am glad that fruiting means a few less.  I tend to mulch earlier than this, but it would probably be fine to mulch lightly now over the runners, the strong ones would come up through it, and ANYTHING to deal with heat and drought this time of year will help.  Better not mow, you'd just be taking away the plants energy supplies.  There's a certain time of year, I forget when, but you'll learn it, when the old leaves are red with disease, it's spring or fall, and I always wish I had a mower then.  If you're going to fertilize, better do it pretty quick, and then quit.

    On winter mulching, I have read in books to do that, but when I did it in Tennessee, the plants nearly died out.  Better consult your county agent on that one.  Donna

----- Original Message -----

From: Raby, Brian {20-4~Indianapolis}

To: 'nafex@egroups.com'

Sent: Friday, June 23, 2000 4:14 PM

Subject: [nafex] New Strawberry planting

I have been searching for information about working with a new strawberry planting. 

I have planted two rows of strawberries this year and am wondering what to do at this stage.  I have picked off the flowers when they came on, and now have a good deal of runner development.  In all the publications I've been coming across, they talk about what to do after harvest (mowing, mulching, fertilizing, etc...)  But what do I do in the first year of development.  Do I still need to mow off the top in order to direct more energy to runner development or do I leave it alone?  Do I mulch now... do I fertilize now?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Brian Raby
Sheridan, IN 

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