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["Jim Fruth" <jimfruth@charter.net>]

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:
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1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
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