42 Strawberry-Growing 



CARE AFTER PLANTING 



If the soil is light, the field should be rolled immediately 

 after setting ; if heavy, do not roll. A heavy roller may 

 injure the crowns. Whatever tillage is given should be 

 shallow and not close to the plants. Shade frequently is 

 provided for several days after setting, especially in 

 Florida and the Gulf states, unless the weather is cloudy. 

 Palmetto leaves placed almost horizontally over the 

 plants furnish suflScient protection. A more common 

 method is to throw a handful of short straw, pine needles 

 or similar material over each plant and remove it in four 

 or five days. In the North, plants set in the summer or 

 early fall may need shade; lawn clippings, straw and 

 brush are used. 



In regions not served by irrigation, occasionally it may 

 be necessary to water plants recently set. This is best 

 done in late afternoon and evening. A shallow basin 

 is made about the plant to hold the water. After 

 the water has soaked away the soil should be drawn 

 back. 



A few plants should be heeled in at the end of the rows 

 when setting a field; these are used to fill the misses. 

 When plants are scarce or expensive the first runners can 

 be layered into pots and these potted plants used to fill 

 the misses. Blossoms that appear soon after the plants 

 are set should be removed, preferably before they open. 

 The whole fruit stalk, not merely individual blossoms, is 

 cut or pinched off close to the crown. If the blossoms 

 are allowed to mature fruit, they exhaust the plant and 

 delay the formation of runners. Except when the plants 

 are grown in hills, it is desirable to have the runners start 

 early. In the North, if the spring crop of blossoms is 



