North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["barefootboy47" <heathheath@webtv.net>]

--- In nafex@y..., Tom Olenio <tolenio@s...> wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> A good friend gave me two terra-cotta strawberry urns, and I
> wonder if there are any pitfalls I should avoid?
> 
> I understand that strawberries do not like wet feet

>From what I understand, the biggest problem with the strawberry urns, 
>mini-barrels etc--such as are planted in openings around the sides--is 
>keeping them wet enough.   Seems not only do these tend, like most 
>containers, to dry out fast--but it also may be quite hard to get them to 
>take enough water, when you're trying to water them.  This might apply more 
>to types without some kind of special wateriing provision, like a watering 
>"tube", perforated or something , in the center, that accepts the water from 
>the iner middle of the container. 

As to wet feet, I'ved found my regular-grown (field grown) strawberries 
handled quite wet conditions fairly well, provided the soil (clayey, wet) 
wasn't the worst other than as to its wetness.  Some thatended up in very 
tight soggy subsoil, even survived fruited a little in late summer after 
summer heat had dried conditions some.  The ones that did best were, like 
your "Fern," vigorous sturdy day neutrals--Tribute and Tristar.  It might be 
worth checking if you can, the root disease resistance of "Fern;" Tribute and 
Tristar probably handle wetness extra well because of conssiderable 
resistance to strains of Red Stele and other root problems.

In general, in your containers I think you might be best off conspiring to 
end up with conditions somehow (Soil Moist crystals in the mix?) a little 
toward the wet side,if anything.
A smattering of Osmocote or another slow release fertilizer in the mix might 
be an easy way to fertilize in case watering efforts get a little crazuy and 
make liquid feeding tricky.    
  
The variety of
> strawberries I have is "Fern".

 I've heard "Fern" is coming on strong asa day-neutral and becoming widely 
planted, which suggests wide tolerance to soil conditions, so including 
probably some soil; dampness,  in case you want to lean that way.  
> Good luck, 
b.b.




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