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["Doreen Howard" <gardendiva@charter.net>]

This is from GMPro, a weekly ezine from Branch-Smith Publications in Ft. Worth, TX.

 

Growers find strawberry root rot prevention
USDA ARS researchers found that field strawberries grown with compost-filled mesh socks are less susceptible to black root rot and produce more marketable fruit than those planted in unfumigated, unamended soils. The socks provide an alternative to soil fumigation. The socks can be made of cotton, burlap, textile fibers or plastic. The compost can consist of a combination of leaves, yard trimmings, grass and poultry manure.