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nafex - [NAFEX] Tom wrote:

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  • From: fuwa fuwa usagi <fuwafuwausagi@muchomail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Tom wrote:
  • Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 20:39:13 -0700 (PDT)

Tom wrote:

I have a question for the fluffy bunny, regarding
strawberries.

I read your Pomona article regarding lifting the crowns and
re-establishing them at the right height. Have you ever
done this in the fall, or just in the spring?

My reply:

I have done both, in various manners over the years. Which is a way of
saying my methodology has evolved over time, and the initial way I attempted
this has evolved over a period of trail and error.

Tom wrote:

Is it too late to move some strawberries to a new location
in this season, in preparation for next, using your
technique?

My reply:

No sir, however I would chose a slightly different approach based on various
factors.

Factors to consider:

1) The remaining length of your growing season, consider strawberries are
frost tolerant.
2) The amount of moisture in your soil, the chance of precipitation, or your
ability to irrigate.
3) Are you planning on mulching to protect your strawberries
4) The intensity of your fall sun

Basically what you want to determine is if you should trim off the leaves or
not when you lift the plants (trim the roots though in any event). Here are
the issues:

1) the sun is usually far more intense in the fall then in the spring and the
crowns on strawberries seem to react negatively to a lot of strong sunlight
on them. It seems the leaves shade the crown or somehow dissipate the heat
with the end result that the crown seems to keep “moister” in the presence of
leaves. Which is to say you can alleviate the suspect problem by frequent
sprinkling or watering.

2) the leaves protect the crown in the winter. Ergo if you trim off the
leaves and they are not able to harden off properly you will lose the
insulation value of the leaves and the desiccation resistance that the leaves
provide to the all important crown.

3) mulching will mitigate the concern of the leaves hardening off properly or
desiccation of the crown.

4) falls can be brutal, at least where I am at. I had no need to irrigate
anything until now. We have not had rain in weeks and I found the need to
run the soaker hose on my fall bearing raspberries today. It is not
uncommon, where I am at, to go a good 4 weeks without significant
precipitation in the fall. So transplanting needs to be supplemented with
the ability to provide moisture in my area.

In general you can reset your strawberries in the fall. Just take in
consideration the above factors when determining how much trimming you are
going to do. I would also suggest giving the roots a good soaking in
willow water or a ½ dilution of fish emulsion for an hour or two before
planting.

All the best,

the fluffy bunny

P.S.

Sorry for the delay in responding but the fluffy one has been engaging
squirrels in the battle for the peaches...LOL!!!




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