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strawberries

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2005
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by Carla on March 15, 2005 07:25 AM
I planted strawberry plants for the first time this past weekend. I put the June-bearning ones in one draining pot and the ever-bearing ones in another pot.

I've read that strawberries are prone to viruses and root rot but that they also need to be watered regularly.

I've got 2 questions:

How often should strawberries )especially those in containers) be watered?

Is there any product out there to put on the plants to prevent bugs or viruses? (I've already sprayed insecticidal soap on them but I'm not sure if that's good enough.

Thanks.
by Longy on March 16, 2005 09:00 PM
Hey Carla, i'm no strawberry expert but i reckon as long as the growing medium you're using drains well you should be right for root rot. Don't leave the pots in saucers that hold water for extended periods. Water the plants when the surface dries out to a depth of 1/2 an inch. Water in the mornings as fungal problems tend to spread at night when the plants are wet. To keep fungal probs off the plants, trim any dead leaves and put a bit of clean straw or similar around the plants to keep them off the soil. Esp the fruit. It also keeps the fruit clean which makes for better picking and eating. Liquid fertilise at half strength fortnightly.

Don't be too worried about bugs just yet. A healthy well cared for plant will naturally repel most predatory insects. If you keep an eye on the plants and look under a few leaves etc each time you water you'll soon nip any bug problems in the bud. Application of pesticide just for the sake of it sort of takes away from the whole point of growing food yourself don't you think? If you think you are developing a problem, let people here know as early as possible and we'll see if we can steer you in the rigjht direction. Home grown strawberries. Yummo. Bring 'em on [Smile]
Good luck.
by sidheblooms on March 17, 2005 05:51 AM
i would have to agree with loooongy on those points. i dont think strawberry have more to fear than any other healthy plant.

in the garden i use a heavy layer of straw as mulch. good for insulation, water retention...and all the rest. in containers..are you growing in one of those funky multiopening planters? beacuse of how they are set up, somtimes they are very hard to saturate thouroughly. a trick is to have perforated plastic hose and water through there...directs water to the whole pot.

have fun...yummmmmmm.ers

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