North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[David Doud <doudone@netusa1.net>]

couple of strawberry observations I will share -

the most important purpose of mulch is to keep the crown with the  
already differentiated flower buds above critical temperatures - if  
you can count on snow cover all winter, that's a fine mulch to serve  
this purpose - there are mud control and weed control aspects of  
mulch - 'Wheeler' rye straw has weed suppression properties, and  
regular straw certainly provides a degree of weed suppression if it's  
thick enough -

strawberry plants grow out of the ground as they age - each year the  
plant wants/needs to put out new roots at the base of the crown -  
after a couple of years, that critical area of the plant is out of  
contact with soil, resulting in weak growth and poor cropping - a  
simple way to keep young plants is to crop, direct runners into the  
'road', then till the 'row' after the runners have rooted - fresh  
plants each year by moving the row back and forth -

strawberries are also the weakest plants I know of - I do not know of  
a plant they will out compete - they are heavy feeders tho, and  
shallow rooted - - the first species to run out of water -

good crops only come from good management, nutrition, and religious  
attention to watering -

D Doud - n/central indiana - first thaw of 2008 right now w/ rain - -