THE SAWDUST MULCH SPACED PLANT SYSTEM 



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The Growing Plants The Plan 



FOR BEST RESULTS WITH EVERBEARERS 



USE THE SAWDUST MULCH SPACED PLANT SYSTEM 



The Ohio Experiment Station reported 

 7,000 quarts per acre the first year with 

 Superfection grown under this system. 

 Iowa Station reported yields even larger 

 than Ohio. In Kentucky the Experiment 

 Station reported, with irrigation, 14,000 

 quarts per acre the first year with Super- 

 fection and Gem. 



During the last fev/ years many grow- 

 ers in many states have verified the out- 

 standing results obtainable by the saw- 

 dust mulch spaced plant system in 

 growing everbearers, first reported a 

 few years ago by the Ohio Station. 



A brief summary of the Ohio Station 

 report is given below. 



The Ohio Station report states that the 

 latest development in everbearing 

 strawberry production demonstrates that 

 the largest yields, greatest ease and 

 economy of operation and highest profits 

 are to be secured by following a 4-row 

 bed type planting system. (See diagram 

 and picture.) 



In this system the plants are set one 

 foot apart in rows which are one foot 

 apart. A two foot alley or middle is left 

 between each 4-row bed. The 4-row 

 system produces high yields in August, 

 which are maintained during the re- 

 mainder of the season. 



The plants should be set just as early 

 in the spring as the land can be pre- 

 pared — late March or early April. The 

 first crop of weeds will usually appear 

 within two or three weeks after planting. 

 These should be controlled by hoeing. 

 After this first hoeing the entire area 

 should be covered with a layer of saw- 

 dust one inch thick. This mulch is very 



30 



important for conserving soil moisture 

 and suppressing weed growth. Later 

 weeds, if any, must be removed by pull- 

 ing because hoeing would mix the saw- 

 dust with the soil and eliminate its 

 mulch effect. 



All blossoms which develop on the 

 new set plants should be removed until 

 early June or a week or two later if plant 

 grov^h has not been quite vigorous. Af- 

 ter fruit production starts berries may be 

 harvested about twice each week until 

 frost stops growth in October. The saw- 

 dust mulch helps to conserve soil mois- 

 ture during late summer. If an extended 

 drought occurs the crop can be greatly 

 increased in size and quality by the use 

 of irrigation. All runners should be re- 

 moved from the plants as fast as they 

 develop. This is essential if highest 

 yields are to be secured. 



"The sawdust mulch appears to give 

 adequate protection over the winter pe- 

 riod. A thin renewal layer may be 

 needed in the fall if the spring applica- 

 tion was too light. A full inch of mulch 

 should be maintained." 



The spaced-plant sawdust mulch sys- 

 tem comes high per acre, with more 

 plants and much hand labor required, 

 but numerous Ohio growers have dem- 

 onstrated in small and medium sized 

 plantings that a carefully managed patch 

 will give high profits. 



This Ohio system and variations of it 

 have been used in recent years in many 

 other states to enable growers to get far 

 more satisfaction from Everbearers than 

 they did before. (See page 23.) 



