108 Strawberry 'Growing 



ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE WINTER MULCH 



Most of the mulching in North America is to secure 

 both winter protection and clean fruit. The acreage of 

 strawberries in the South that is nuilched merely to keep 

 the berries clean is small compared with that which is 

 mulched for both purposes. Wherever the temperature 

 drops to zero or below and the ground freezes to a depth 

 of two inches or more, a winter mulch is likely to be profit- 

 able, especially on heavy soils. It is commonly used in 

 all of Canada, except the Coast region of British Columbia ; 

 and in the I'nited States as far south as Virginia, Tennes- 

 see and Missouri, also throughout the Rocky Mountain 

 states. There is very little mulching in the Pacific coast 

 states. In Maryland, which is near the southern limit 

 of profitable winter mulching, the gain in yield from 

 mulching was 475 quarts an acre, as an average of four 

 seasons.* South of the latitude of Washington, D.C., 

 it is doubtful whether a winter mulch is desirable, except 

 in the mountains, as it harbors crickets and other fruit- 

 eating insects, and the plants are likely to be bleached 

 in warm weather. 



A winter mulch may be beneficial in four ways. It 

 may prevent the plants from heaving, protect them from 

 extreme low temperature or drying out, conserve soil 

 moisture and smother w^eeds. It may be used also to 

 protect them from frost during tlie blossoming season; 

 this is discussed on page 281 ; 



Prevents heaving. 



In most cases, winter injury of unmulched plants is 

 caused by alternate freezing and thawing, rather than 



1 Bui. 160, Md. Exp. Sta. (1911), pp. 198-9. 



