Setting the Plants 
Where commercial fertilizer is to be used 
under the plants, rows should be run out 3 or 4 
inches deep with a one-horse plow, the fertilizer 
drilled into these rows and thoroughly worked 
in. Then the soil should be thrown back into 
these furrows and again leveled off. Where con- 
siderable acreages are planted, a horse-drawn 
transplanter such as is used for sweet potatoes, 
tomatoes, tobacco, etc., is often used. To do a 
good job this way, however, requires skill and 
experience, if the crowns of the plants are to be 
left at the proper level with the roots extending 
straight into the ground and not set on a slant, 
oftentimes near the surface of the ground. This 
method requires a driver, two operators and an- 
other man to walk behind to fill in missing 
plants, reset those too high or too low and to firm 
the soil around the plants. A spade, trowel or 
dibble are the tools most often used in setting 
plants. Where one of these is used, they are set 
down the prepared row with the roots of the 
plants spread out as much as possible and the 
bud of the plant just at the surface of the 
ground. It is also important to press the ground 
firmly against the roots and to see that dirt is 
filled in near the crown of the plant so that the 
top of the roots will not be left exposed. (See 
sketch for proper depth of planting.) Where the 
fertilizer is not put under the plants, the rows 
can merely be laid off with a marker and the 
plants set by any of the methods suggested down 
the marked row instead of down the fertilized 
row. 
Late Setting 
To be avoided if possible. Plants dug for late 
setting are likely to have roots brown and 
withered in producing a heavy foliage growth 
with long leaf stems. In setting such plants, 
when roots are set the proper depth, the long 
stems and leaves make the plant seem top heavy; 
however, the bud must not be covered or the 
plant will die, and the roots must have the soil 
pressed firjnly about them if they are to survive. 
If soil conditions are good, such plants set late 
may prove satisfactory. If soil conditions are 
bad they will not do well. There is some evi- 
dence that plants dug early in ideal condition 
and held in cold storage at about 32 degrees F. 
will do much better than plants both dug and 
set late, partly because plants held in that way 
can be taken out just when soil and moisture 
conditions are favorable. 
Manure and Fertilizer 
It should be noted that many fertile, well 
drained soils on dairy farms, truck farms and on 
naturally rich soil do not need the addition of 
any chemical fertilizers. A rank healthy growth 
of plants, with vigorous dark green foliage is 
evidence that more fertilizer is not needed. How- 
ever, most soils where strawberries are grown 
will give some response to the proper use of ad- 
ditional fertilizer. Barnyard manure, supplying 
both nitrogen and humus is the best fertilizer for 
strawberries. It should be applied broadcast and 
disced into the soil before plants are set. Equally 
satisfactory results are had if this has been ap- 
plied to the previous crop. 
Nitrogen has more effect in influencing straw- 
berry production than any other element. Good 
results are also had from phosphorus under some 
conditions. Potash gives little or no response. 
It is claimed without convincing evidence that 
potash increases the firmness of the berries. 
As a plant starter and grower we use about 
700 pounds of a mixture composed of 1500 pounds 
Dissolved (Acidulated) Bone and 500 pounds of 
Super Phosphate. We have had fine results from 
this mixture put in the drill before plants are set 
and thoroughly mixed into the soil. This mix- 
ture can be applied with good results as a side 
dressing soon after the plants are set and growth 
started in the spring. Where Dissolved (Acidu- 
lated) Bone is not available, we recommend the 
use of tankage, cottonseed meal, or some other 
organic nitrogen along with bone meal or Super 
Phosphate to give a formula fairly high in both 
nitrogen and phosphorus. Salts of both Nitrate 
and potash should never be put where they will 
come in contact with the roots of strawberry 
plants. By using a complete fertilizer which 
included some of these in the drill under plants 
many fields of plants in the past have been killed 
out very badly, the dying out occurring all 
through the summer as the plants become gradu- 
ally weakened. We do not recommend broad- 
casting fertilizer for the young strawberry patch. 
Better and more economical results will be had 
with smaller amounts applied more directly to 
the plants as outlined above. 
Fertilizers for fruiting Beds. The use of chem- 
ical fertilizers on fruiting beds of strawberries 
should be governed by the following considera- 
tions: 
1. On very rich soil that has been well 
manured, probably no additional fertilizer is 
needed. It may even be harmful in making so 
rank a growth that conditions for pollination 
will be poor and the berries more likely to rot. 
2e Fertilizers should be applied to strawberry 
beds only when the leaves are thoroughly dry. 
Put the material directly on the beds and then 
brush it off the leaves onto the soil beneath them 
with a cedar or pine branch swung up and down 
the row to keep the fertilizer on the bed. 
3. Fruit buds on strawberries are formed in 
late summer and early fall. 
4. The total yield of strawberries in the spring 
is governed largely by the number of leaves per 
plant the preceding fall. 
5. Late summer applications. To help develop 
strong crowns with lots of fruit buds and vigor- 
ous healthy plants with lots of leaf area, we pre- 
fer late summer to spring applications. On all 
of our fruiting beds in late August or early Sep- 
tember we plan to use from four to seven hun- 
dred pounds per acre of a mixture made up as 
follows: 700 pounds Nitrate of Soda, 300 pounds 
tankage, 100 pounds dried fish, and 900 pounds 
dissolved (acidulated) bone. This gives an analy- 
sis of about 9-5-0. 
6. Spring applications may be favored with 
varieties that ordinarily make too little foliage. 
On second year beds where the foliage growth 
may not be as vigorous as desired or on rather 
poor land which normally would make only weak 
foliage, we would use the same mixture de- 
scribed above. 
7. As a substitute for either the fall or spring 
application we recommend Nitrate of Soda, from 
100 to 300 pounds per acre. If this is used, how- 
ever, extra care must be taken to have the foli- 
age dry and then brush the loose material off the 
leaves because Nitrate of Soda will burn them 
severely. Tankage or cottonseed meal, if not too 
expensive, are good substitutes for Nitrate of 
Soda and safer, but not so quick acting. 
8. Effect of Nitrogen. Large berries of any 
variety are not as firm as small ones. The proper 
amount of nitrogen fertilizers does not make 
berries softer except as it makes them larger. 
An excess of nitrogen will make them softer and 
more subject to rot. Applications of nitrogen 
and phosphorus together have resulted in better 
quality fruit in a number of tests. One of the 
reasons for favoring August-September appli- 
cations is that nitrogen applied then is effective 
in aiding fruit bud formation and building up 
larger, stronger crowns without apparently caus- 
ing as much softening of the berries as when 
applied in spring. Where excessive growth and 
softening of the berries from nitrogen is not 
feared it is possible to delay ripening of any 
variety for several days by its use. Growers in 
the north sometimes do this to delay their crop 
until after shipments from sections further south 
have slackened. 
9. Potash. Most soils have sufficient potash 
for strawberries naturally present in them or 
left over from fertilizers applied to other crops. 
If, however, it is felt that some Potash should be 
added for insurance, we recommend not more 
than two or three per cent. 
10. Several applications either of Nitrate of 
Soda or a mixed fertilizer high in nitrogen are 
sometimes profitable in growing Everbearers 
either in the hill system or in well spaced matted 
rows. This is applied at intervals of three or 
four weeks and it is the usual practice with the 
most successful growers of Everbearing berries. 
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