Part 22

We are not recommending any formula of commercial fertilizer because the soil requirements in different localities differ so widely. Practically every section of the country is represented by fertilizer dealers or agencies who will be glad to consult with you in regard to your requirements. Your State Agricultural College and Experiment Station also will advise you reliably on this subject.

Any of the above fertilizers, if applied according to our instructions, will give satisfactory results and we suggest using the one best adapted to your particular conditions.

Time to Set Plants

The proper time to set strawberry plants is in the early spring, from the latter part of March until the middle of May, at which time they are in excellent condition for shipping and planting.

Later in the season they will not stand shipping as well nor respond as readily after setting. Therefore it is to the grower’s interest to set plants just as early in the spring as soil conditions will permit. If this cannot be done, plants should be shipped early and heeled-in until they are to be set.

Only in the extreme southern states can plants be set in the fall with any degree of success.

Heeling-In or Keeping Plants Until They Are Set

If conditions make it impossible for you to set your plants when they arrive, they should be heeled-in or trenched to keep them in good condition until you can set them.

Select a location that is protected from the wind and sun and dig a “V” shaped trench about 8 inches deep. After separating the different varieties, open the bunches and spread the plants along the side of the trench, roots downward. Then draw loose soil over against the roots and press it down firmly, being careful not to cover the crowns. Place another layer of plants and continue alternating plants and soil, putting about one inch of soil between layers of plants. The varieties should be kept separate in order that each variety may be readily located when setting the plants.

After the plants are heeled-in, water the ground until it is thoroughly soaked around the roots and keep moist until they are set.

It is advisable to have plants shipped early and heel-in until you are ready to set them as this method will keep them in excellent condition for several weeks.

Planting Systems

There are many systems for planting and growing strawberries but the most profitable are the hill, single-hedge and double-hedge row.

For the hill system, rows should be made 30 inches apart, plants set 15 inches apart in the row and all runners removed.

By setting in check rows the wide spaces can be cultivated with single-horse cultivator and the narrow spaces with hand cultivator. This leaves only a very small area around each plant to be hoed and reduces considerably the cost of cultivation.

In small gardens the rows may be made two feet apart and plants set one foot apart in the row and if crowded for room they may be set 15 inches apart each way.

Fourteen thousand plants may be set on a single acre when they are set 30 x 15 inches.

(NOTE: By Hill System, we do not refer to hilling or ridging the ground. The plants should be set with the crowns level with the surface the same as in either of the other systems. Never ridge the ground unless there is slow and improper drainage.)

The single-hedge row is formed by setting plants two feet apart in rows which are spaced three feet apart. Each original plant is allowed to make two runner plants which are layered on opposite sides of the mother plant directly in line with the row. All other runners should be removed. Seven thousand plants are required for one acre.

For the double-hedge row, plants are set two feet apart in rows which are spaced three and one-half feet apart. Each original plant is allowed to make six runner plants, two of which are layered on opposite sides of the mother plant directly in line with the row. The other four are layered, two on each side of the mother plant, in the spaces between the rows. This forms three distinct rows, the original row and a row of runner plants on each side. After the rows are thus formed all other runners should be removed. Six thousand plants are required for one acre.

Mating Varieties

Strawberry varieties are divided into sexes, male, (staminate or bi-sexual), usually indicated by the letter “B”; and female, (pistillate), by “P.”

The blossoms of the male varieties contain both male and female organs and are self-fertilizing while the blossoms of the female varieties contain only female organs and are dependent upon the pollen produced by the male varieties for fertilization. For this reason it is necessary to set plants of pistillate varieties in rows between rows of bisexuals of the same fruiting season. The pollen is carried by the wind and bees and in this manner, the blossoms of the pistillates become fertilized. Three or four rows of pistillates may be set with only one row of bisexuals on each side of the group.

Even with male varieties the crop may be increased and the quality of the berries improved if several bisexuals are set in the same patch as this provides an interchange of pollen which Nature intended.

Strawberry varieties do not mix or become crossed through the runners. Everbearers may be set beside standard varieties, or any number of different varieties may be grown side by side in a garden or field without mixing unless the runners of one variety are allowed to spread and take root in a row of another variety. Prevent this by restricting runners of each variety to their respective rows.

Setting Plants

Plants should be pruned before they are set. This is done by cutting off the tip ends of the roots, causing a callous to form where each root is cut off. From these callouses, myriads of fine feeding roots start soon after plants are set.

PREMIER