WHEN SHOULD PLANTS BE SET? 



EARLY! 



The most important single thing in grow- 

 ing strawberries successfully is to set the 

 plants EARLY. With no other crop that you 

 grow is early spring setting so ALL 

 IMPORTANT. 



In the Southern States this means Febru- 

 ary, March and early April. In the Middle 

 States, March and April. In the Northern 

 States, April and May in late seasons and 

 in states far North. In all states it means just 

 as early as the weather permits you to get 

 the ground ready and the plants set. 



A good stand and growth are easy if 

 plants are set early so they can become 

 established while the soil is still cool and 

 moist. With late setting good results are 

 very unlikely unless soil and moisture con- 

 ditions are entirely favorable. 



SHOULD CHEMICAL FERTI- 

 LIZERS BE USED? On very fertile gar- 

 den soils none is needed. On most good 

 soils fertilizers will not prove beneficial if 

 plenty of stable manure of any kind has 

 been applied. On some soils chemical fer- 

 tilizers will be very helpful. 600 pounds 

 per acre of any fertilizer containing 3 to 

 6% of organic nitrogen and 5 to 10% of 

 phosphorus may be used. This may be 

 stirred into the soil down the row before 

 the plants are set or applied as a side dress- 

 ing in one or more applications after 

 growth starts. Inorganic nitrogen like ni- 

 trate of soda or sulphate or ammonia 

 should be used in these applications only 

 with great care, as they will injure either 

 roots or leaves if they come in direct con- 

 tact. Organic nitrogen materials like tank- 

 age, fish, dissolved bone, cotton seed meal, 

 dried blood, etc., are safe to use. Any form 

 of phosphorous is O. K. 



Whatever the soil preparation and 

 ealier treatment it is well to examine the 

 plant beds in late August or early Septem- 



PLANTS FOR VARIOUS PLANTING 

 DISTANCE 



In the row Total per acre 

 18 iriches 9,680 plants 



Rows 

 ft. apart 

 ft. 

 ft. 

 ft. 

 ft. 

 ft. 



3 

 3 

 3. 

 3. 

 4 

 4 

 3 ft. 8 in. 



24 

 18 

 24 

 18 

 24 

 18 



7,260 

 8,297 

 6,223 

 7,260 

 5,445 

 7,128 



25 



ber. If the growth is satisfactory and the 

 leaves have a rich dark green appearance, 

 no further fertilizer treatment is necessary. 

 If growth is not satisfactory at that time 

 apply as a top dressing directly on the 

 plant beds about 600 pounds per acre of 

 6-8-2 or any fertilizer mixture your dealer 

 has containing 4 to 6% of nitrogen, 6 to 

 10% of phosphorus and 2 to 5% of potash. 

 Apply only when foliage is thoroughly dry 

 and brush loose material off the leaves at 

 once. This is important to prevent injury. 

 An application of 600 pounds per acre 

 means about 1 pound for each 20 feet of 

 row. 



WHAT ABOUT LIME? If other crops, 

 weeds or grass have made a good growth 

 on the land you have selected for straw- 

 berries it does not need lime. However, if 

 you want to have your soil tested for acidity 

 a pH range of 5.7 to 6 is best, 5 to 7 is 

 satisfactory. 



WHAT CARE DO PLANTS NEED? 



They should be set promptly on arrival if 

 possible. Dip the roots in water and keep 

 them protected when taken to the garden 

 or field for setting. A hot day is bad for 

 setting strawberry plants. A hot windy day 

 is terrible. A cool cloudy day is fine. Some- 

 times plants must be kept a while because 

 the ground is not ready or for some other 

 reason. Small lots of plants can be kept in 

 excellent condition for many days in the 

 family refrigerator if there is room. Burying 

 the crate or package for a while in a snow- 

 bank is O. K. 



The very best way to hold plants is in 

 cold storage at 32 Degrees F. If such stor- 

 age is not available, open the bundles and 

 spread the plants in thin layers along a 

 V-shaped trench about four or five inches 

 deep. Cover the roots with two or three 

 inches of soil, leaving the buds exposed. 

 Wet the soil and plants thoroughly. A light 

 covering may be necessary. 



Incidentally, there is one way to play 

 safe. If you have cold storage available 

 order your plants shipped in March while 

 they are still thoroughly dormant. Even 

 moderate delays in transit won't hurt them 

 at that time and they will keep perfectly in 

 cold storage at 32 Degrees F. until planting 

 conditions are just right. If plants are dug 

 after they have made lots of foliage and 

 possibly blossoms, they should not be held 

 more than a few days even in storage. 



U. S. Government and New York State 

 experiments have shown that anyone who 



