SOIL MANAGEMENT OF STR/iHBLRRIES 



Soils on which strawberries are grown continuously without benefit of rotations 

 will become gradually less productive. In such soils, air and water rather than 

 nutrients may be the limiting factor. Stravjberries have shallow root systems and 

 therefore need an adequate supply of moisture within 6-12 Inches of the soil 

 surface. On the other hand, a compact, impervious soil is detrimental to root 

 growth. The soil originally selected by the grower/ may have met the specification '^'^'^^ 

 for being a desirable soil for strawberries, | but continual cropping with/ straw- ./t**^ 

 berries/without rotation soon breaks down the soil structure. 



Soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles which are not only indi- 

 vidual mechanical elements, such as sand, silt and clay, but also aggregates of 

 smaller mechanical fractions. In order to have a soil that is loose and friable, 

 stable aggregates are necessary. "Aggregation and its accompanying arrangment 

 of structure is the anatomy of the soil. It is only by the virtue of aggregation 

 that air and water can enter and leave the soil." In soils that are continually 

 cultivated, the aggregates are broken down by the various cultural operations and 

 by weathering. 



Decomposing organic matter is the source of organic acids that stabilize the 

 soil aggregates. In addition, organic matter (a) serves as a storehouse or supply 

 of plant nutrient elements, (b) is the site of microbiological processes occurring 

 in the soil, (c) is the source of various organic and inorganic acids which dissolve 

 soil minerals and (d) forms humus which possesses many physical and physicochemical 

 properties which make it a valuable soil constituent. 



Since the maintenance of a high organic matter level is difficult and expensive, 

 the strawberry grower should try only to tiaintain organic matter at a level that 

 will result in good yields. Farm manures, sod crops and green manure crops are 

 the materials that most strawberry growers use to increase the supply of soil 

 organic matter. It is the fortunate grower who can get /ade^juate amounts of farm 

 manure I for not only is it a source of plant nutrients but^ the ideal source of humus. 

 If manure can be supplied at the rate of 20 to 40 tons j^pproximatelyj 10 to 20 cords) 

 per acre probablv, no green manure or sod crops are necessary. Most growers, how- 

 ever, are not that fortunate and must rely i^on green-manure and sod crops in 

 rotations. Which of these the grower will use to supply organic matter to the 

 soil depends Apftftn the amount of land available, the adaptability and utilization 

 of the crops in a rotation and the presence of certain insects and diseases. Gen- 

 erally a long rotation in which strawberries occupy the land only lapproximateiy y(:^Arf<w7'^ 

 16 months out of 5 or 6 years is most satisfactory. , ,- 



Following are some suggested soil management programs that the strawberry 

 grower may follow. 



USE OF GREEN MANURE CROPS ONLY 



When no extra land is available the grower must rely on green manure crops 

 to supply humus from the time the old bed is plowed after harvest until straw- 

 berry plants are again set the next spring. After the old bed has been thoroughly 

 disked in late June or July, millet, Sudan grass or a mixture of the two can be 



