Stn&uj&ewuf, Planting MetUadi 



Strawberries are easily grown, and the factors governing the growth of the plants and pro- 

 duction of fruit, that can be controlled, will usually more than offset the effects of varied 

 weather conditions. Good care and poor weather w T ill usually produce more and better fruit 

 and larger profits than poor care and good weather. Following are suggestions on every phase 

 of Strawberry Culture which we hope will aid you in getting the maximum of both pleasure 

 and profit from your berry plantings. Should you have any questions which are not answer- 

 ed here we shall be glad to have you write us. 



Adaptability: The strawberry is the most ver- 

 satile fruit grown and is successful from Florida to 

 California, and can be grown on almost any soil 

 that will retain sufficient moisture to mature the 

 fruit. The adaptability of each variety for certain 

 latitudes makes this wide range possible. 



Soil Selection: To produce the maximum yield 

 the selection of suitable soil is of major import- 

 ance. As strawberries draw very heavily on mois- 

 ture at fruiting time and if there is not sufficient 

 present, the crops will be cut down materially, the 

 soil selected should be retentive of moisture, should 

 contain an abundance of humus and at the same 

 time have good drainage. In sections where the 

 white grub is prevalent, the soil selected for ber- 

 ries should have been planted to truck crops that 

 had thorough cultivation for two years, previous 

 to setting the berry plants. Newly plowed sod 

 land should be avoided as it may be badly infested 

 with white grub and at best it is rough and hard 

 to get in any sort of condition. If no other land 

 is available, plow in the fall and disc or harrow 

 several times during the winter and spring. This 

 will aid in getting the soil in better condition and 

 most of the grubs will be killed out. 



Preparing the Land: When conditions permit, it 

 is well to plow down a cover crop of rye or vetch 

 or other cover crops suitable for your section. This 

 is not necessary, but it will add much humus to 

 the soil which will increase the fertility and aid in 

 retaining moisture. If the land should be covered 

 with grass or weeds, these should be plowed down 

 while green when it will add much humus and 

 the seed will not likely germinate. The land select- 

 ed should be plowed as early as possible in the 

 spring and disced or harrowed thoroughly until a 

 firm, even plant bed is obtained. 



Time To Plant: Early Spring is the very 

 best time to set strawberry plants. When the 

 plants are dormant they withstand digging, 

 shipping and transplanting better, start grow- 

 ing quicker and are much more vigorous than 

 when planted after the growth has started. 

 Early runner plants are more productive than 

 those made in the late summer or fall, thus by 

 early planting your patch will be more produc- 

 tive. Light frosts, that do not heave the 

 ground will not damage the plants. April is 

 the proper time to set plants in the Northern 

 States, in the Central States March and early 

 April and in the Southern States from No- 

 vember 1 until April 1. Be sure to have your 

 plants at hand when your ground is ready. 



This is one of the great advantages we can offer 

 you. Our climate is such that we can furnish you 

 hardy, fresh dug plants promptly any time from 

 Oct. 15th to May 1st., whereas Northern plant 

 growers are often unable to dig until your plants 

 should have been in the ground. 



Care of Plants: Plants should be set as soon as 

 received. If for any reason you are unable to set 

 them for three or four days the plants should be 

 removed from the crate and the roots and moss 

 dampened, replaced in the crate and stored where 

 it is cool, preferably in a cellar. Should you ex- 

 i ect to hold the plants for a longer period it is bet- 

 ter to heel them in the ground. The roots should 

 be dampened, the bundles opened and the plants 

 heeled in a V-shaped trench with the crowns even 

 with the surface, and the soil packed firmly around 



the roots. If desirable they may be heeled in sev- 

 eral layers with a few inches of soil between each 

 row. By heeling the plants in a shady place and 

 keeping the soil moist they will keep in perfect 

 condition for two or three weeks. Be sure to have 

 the plants well spread out so that the soil will 

 come in contact with all the roots. 



Planting:.. .There are many methods of setting 

 plants and of course you should use the one best 

 suited to your needs. The object is to have the 

 roots straight down and spread out fan shape with 

 the crown even with the surface and the soil pack- 

 ed firmly about the roots. There are no beneficial 

 effects from clipping the roots but it is better to 

 clip off an inch or two than to have the roots 

 doubled up. It is very important to set the plants 

 at the proper depth, as any that are set too deep 

 will seldom amount to anything even though they 

 may live all summer and those set too shallow will 

 have the top of the roots exposed to air, this 

 will dry the roots out and often the plant will die. 



The most popular tools for setting plants are the 

 trowel, dibble or spade. Under favorable condi- 

 tions the horse drawn transplanter will give good 

 results provided the operators use care that the 

 plants are set properly. 



Before setting, the plants should be soaked in 

 water for several hours or overnight, so that the 

 roots may absorb all the moisture possible. This 

 will aid in carrying the plants until feeder roots 

 can be sent out. The plants should be protected 

 from the sun and wind and should be kept moist 

 until set. 



Distance to Plant: The plants should be set from 

 15 to 36 inches apart in rows from 3% to 4M> feet 

 apart. The distance plants are set in the row 

 should vary according to the variety. Heavy bed- 

 ding varieties such as Blakemore and Dunlap 

 should be set farther apart than varieties that 

 make large plants but do not bed so freely, such 

 as Chesapeake or Northstar. We have found 3 feet 

 8 inches a good distance for the rows but on very 

 fertile soil it is well to space them 4 or even 4% 

 feet. With plants set 18 to 20 inches and rows 3 

 feet 8 inches, about 8,000 plants are required per 

 acre. 



Cultivation: After the growth starts the plants 

 should be kept thoroughly cultivated. It is well to 

 cultivate at weekly intervals until the plant bed is 

 made. This will aid in preserving moisture and 

 will also cut down on the hoeing necessary to keep 

 down weeds. Cultivation next to the plants should 

 be shallow, stirring the soil to a depth of not more 

 than 2 inches. The plants should be hoed soon af- 

 ter they are set and care taken to uncover any 

 plants that have been set too deep. Hoeing should 

 also be shallow, from 1 to 1% inches. In the cul- 

 tivation always avoid going to depth that will dis- 

 turb the roots. Generally, the well spaced matted 

 row is the best system for growing strawberries. 

 The first runners should be encouraged as the early 

 plants are much more productive than the late run- 

 ners. When hoeing see the plants do not be- 

 come too thickly set in the bed. This should be 

 given special attention with free bedding varieties 

 such as Blakemore and Dorsett. 



With 3V 2 foot rows a bed 18 to 24 inches wide, 

 with the plants well spaced, will be ideal for heavy 

 production of large fruit. Where the rows are fur- 

 ther apart the bed may be wider in proportion. 

 Be sure that the plants are not crowded in the bed. 

 For the hill system the plants are set much closer 

 and all the runners kept cut off. As this method 

 requires much hand labor we feel it should be used 

 only when space is very limited or with the Ever- 

 bearers. 



