IRRIGATION OF STRAWBERRIES 



A Massachusetts strawberry grower states "experience has taught us that any 

 Massachusetts grower engaged In the production of any crop where the return In 

 dollars per acre Is high must have some method of providing extra water In time 

 of need. It Is true that in many years a grower might "get by" without it, but 

 under today's conditions "getting by" is not enough. To stay in business a 

 grower must get the utmost in both quantity and quality from his planted acreage. 

 During the decade of growing strawberries, there has not been a year that I have 

 not been able to use supplemental water to good advantage whether it be to Insure 

 a sufficient number of vigorous plants, for frost protection or to irrigate the 

 fruiting bed." This summarizes very nicely the need of irrigation facilities 

 when growing strawberries. 



Strawberry plants have the bulk of their roots in the top foot of soil, 

 therefore, they are easily affected by drought. In general, strawberry plants 

 require about one inch of water every seven to 10 days during their growing and 

 fruiting seasons. The actual amount, however, depends upon climatic conditions and 

 plant population and vigor. The writer has seen plants In a fruiting bed almost 

 completely wilted after two days of a hot, dry wind. Soil type also has an 

 important bearing on how often the land needs irrigation. Soils vary from loamy 

 sands with low water holding capacity to silt loams with high holding capacity. 

 To Irrigate successfully the grower must know the soil and plant condition and 

 how to operate the Irrigation equipment effectively. 



When planning an irrigation system consult the personnel of the Soil Conser- 

 vation Service and the Agricultural Extension Service, it may save dollars now 

 and headaches later. Massachusetts Extension Service Leaflet No. 246 titled 

 "Irrigation for Massachusetts Fainns - why, how, when" contains much valuable 

 infoxmation and may be obtained through your County Extension Service or the 

 Extension Service, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass. 



Depth to Irrigate depends upon crop grown and in the case of strawberries 

 moisture penetration of 12 Inches should be satisfactory. 



When to irrigate can be determined by making actual rainfall measurements 

 plus the examination of the soil in the field. Empty coffee cans make practical 

 and economical rain gauges « The height of rain in the can, as measured by a 

 ruler, will give inches of rainfall. These same cans are useful for the deter- 

 mination of distribution and amount of water applied with sprinkler irrigation 

 systems. Soil moisture meters can be purchased which aid growers to determine the 

 need and time for irrigation. 



Growers have found it advantageous to irrigate the new strawberry beds as 

 soon as possible after setting in order to firm the soil around the roots. This 

 was particularly valuable during 1957. During the drought of chat year, 

 growers irrigated new strawberry beds as often as every 10 to 15 days. 



A high moisture level is necessary at fruiting time. However, an over supply 

 of moisture may lead to large, soft, poor-keeping berries. One Massachusetts 

 strawberry grower states that "If the spring is dry, the fruiting beds are watered 

 heavily just before ripening of the first fruit. If the weather continues dry, 

 water is applied once more in the middle of the harvest season. I like to apply 

 apply water in the morning to give the plants and fruit time to dry before evening." 



