Page 10-Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 20, 2000
(Continued from Pag* 9)
When selecting a site for
planting strawberries,
growers should choose one
with good drainage and one
that is not low, where it
would tend to get frost
damage.
Also, applying a fungicide
to label rates at the critical
bloom time, from April
through May, will help con
trol gray mold. “The mold
starts in the blossom,” said
Ressler. “The critical time for
application is during the
bloom period.”
For the spores to activate,
the bloom has to be wet for 6-
8 hours in order for the mold
to start. If irrigating with
overhead equipment, limit
the times during the day,
from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., so the
plants can dry off. Irrigating
at night can spell real prob
lems in trying to control the
fungus.
The new strawberry plasti
culture is in use by a fifth of
the growers in the county.
Use is growing because,
under the system, drip lines
supply adequate moisture;
the fruit remains dirt-free;
and time between planting
and harvesting is narrowed,
thus creating faster and more
efficient returns on invest
ment.
The shortfalls to the use of
a plastic mulch-based system:
it works well for one season
and has to be replaced. How
ever, with proper manage
ment, the plastic mulch
system can be maintained,
At Strawberry Renovation
with pruning and renovation,
like a conventional site and
provide fruit for several sea
sons.
Varieties that are suitable
to the use of plastic must be
used. Special management is
necessary to adopt the North
east varieties of strawberries
to plasticulture.
(Ressler noted that the
Northeast varieties common
to growers, including Jewel
and Early Glow, work well in
a conventional matted row
with straw bed. California
varieties are more adapted to
the use of drip irrigation un
derneath plastic mulch.)
Conventional rows should
be 12 inches on 36- 44-inch
centers. Plastic, two-row sys
tems can measure 36 inches
wide, set on a single raised
bed with the beds on 5-6 foot
centers.
In an ideal conventional
system, after harvest, herbi
cide must be applied to con
trol weeds. Then, using a
rototiller, the rows must be
renovated so that runners
will stay within the row. A
preemergence herbicide
should be applied after roto
tilling to provide residual
weed control.
Fertilizer must be added
according to soil test recom
mendations.
Ressler recommends about
50-60 pounds of nitrogen per
acre at renovation and an
other 20 pounds per acre in
late August or early Septem
ber.
Ideal soil pH for strawber-
ries is 6-6.5. The plant uses
more potash than phospho
rous, so it is critical, Ressler
noted, to watch for regular
soil test recommendations.
As for the “ideal” year, a
grower can look for good
moisture at blossom set, 1-2
inches of rain one night per
week, plenty of sunshine and
cool temperatures, and
proper soil fertility.
With those conditions on a
conventional system, growers
can probably harvest 4,000-
5,000 quarts per acre. Occa
sionally, with ideal
conditions, 8,000 quarts per
acre can be possible, as long
as there is a “good stand, no
frost damage, a good high
yielding strawberry variety,
adequate moisture, and con
trol of plant pests,” Ressler
said.
Of particular concern is the
tarnished plant bug, which
can feed during bloom time.
Proper pesticides are needed
to control potential plant
damage.
The issue of labor require
ments to harvest the fruit can
prove critical to the grower.
For new growers, starting a
pick-your-own (PYO) opera
tion can take time to market
the business and build up
clientele. Per acre, PYO can
generate good revenue, since
there are few labor considera
tions.
For those starting who
want to harvest and sell the
strawberries at farm stand or
auction, conventional rows
can prove less expensive. For
plastic rows, costs can rise to
about $2,000 per acre.
“Fumigation with methyl
bromide alone can cost up to
$1,700 per acre,” Ressler
said. Fungicide applications
can run up to $l5O per acre.
And having ,bee colonies
can help in plant pollination
and fruit set. Though the
strawberry plant is self
pollinating, growers have
shown that bee pollination
will help get a better crop.
Site considerations should
be made. Growers should not
plant in a valley, which can
be subject to frost damage.
Use a good, well-drained site
with good tilth, and plant the
bareroot stock in April. The
blossoms are snapped off the
first year to ensure the plant’s
energy goes to the runners to
develop good plant size and
fruit-bearing ability the next
season. Cultivate and train
the runners to stay in the row.
For those wanting a plasti
culture system, plant in late
August or early September.
With this system, plugs are
inserted through the black
plastic rows with a
waterwheel planter. When
the blooms appear in the
spring, after fungus and
other pests are managed, the
fruit can be ready to harvest.
A great benefit to plasticul
ture strawberries is the
“quick return on invest-
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ment,” said Ressler.
Whatever system is used,
growers should start small,
perhaps with a quarter acre
or so. Also, when using plas
tic, disposal issues are key
the plastic must be sent to the
solid waste management au
thorities in the area.
“It should not be buried or
burned on the farm,” Ressler
noted. “Open burning of
plastic waste is a major
source of pollution which can
easily be eliminated.”
For those switching from
tobacco to alternative crops,
strawberries can provide
some of the best income. But
they are perishable, noted
Ressler, which means they
have to be marketed
promptly.
Ressler said there are sev
eral production guides avail
able. They include:
• The NRAES Strawberry
Production Guide, covering
the Northeast, Midwest, and
East, available for $45.
• The “Commercial Berry
Production and Pest Man
agement Guide 2000-2001,”
available from Penn State,
for $lO.
• The Small Fruit Crop
Management Book, ed. by
Gene J. Galletta and David
G. Himelrick, Prentice Hall,
1990.
For information on these
guides or strawberry produc
tion, contact Ressler at (717)
394-6851.
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