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nafex - [NAFEX] Mowing strawberries

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  • From: "Jim Fruth" <jimfruth@charter.net>
  • To: "NAFEX" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Mowing strawberries
  • Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:33:49 -0500

Rivka asked, "Why would you mow strawberries? It sounds like something a nursery
would tell you to do to prevent your strawberries from runnering."


I mow my strawberries too. I learned about the practice from the newsletter put out by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. I (we?) mow after the last berries are harvested AND after the runners are all produced but BEFORE the end of August. The theory behind the practice is to remove all diseased leaves and to give the daughter plants a better chance to get started. Immediately after mowing, I spread a generous amount of ammonium nitrate. The daughter plants make their flower-bearing shoots in late Summer and the extra nitrogen gives them a much needed boost. An advantage of mowing and adding more nitrogen is that the plants perform like a recent planting producing copious numbers of huge king berries. I fertilize with a complete fertilizer in Late Fall.
Incidentally, I grow Cavandish Strawberries because of their superior disease resistance. I've tried other varieties but they haven't lasted for longer that two or three years whereas Cavandish has been in the same spot for a dozen years now.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies, syrups and more:
www.jellygal.com
1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
1-218-831-7018 (My Cell)




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