Soil Acidity and Lime 
Strawberries grow best in a soil that is slightly acid. 
They grow satisfactorily in soils running from slightly 
sweet to moderately acid. They will hardly grow at 
all in soils that are moderately sweet or very acid. For 
those familiar with pH tests for soil acidity we can say 
that the optimum is from 5.7 to 6. The range of 
satisfactory growth is from 5 to 7 and they will sur- 
vive within a range of 4 to 8. Experiments in Virginia 
and elsewhere demonstrate that strawberries will 
thrive under more acid conditions if there is a large 
content of organic matter. Where strawberries have 
been planted on soils that are quite sweet Ammonium 
Sulphate should be substituted for Nitrate of Soda 
in fertilizer applications. If lime is to be used to correct 
a very acid condition we would prefer to have it applied 
to the previous crop or at least during the fall preceding 
spring setting. 
Even though strawberries are known as an acid soil 
crop, yet some soils are so acid that an application of 
lime will be of great help. On the other hand, unless 
excessive amounts of lime have been added, very few 
soils need be avoided on account of its lime content. 
Cultivation 
Uncover the buds. The plants should be culti- 
vated and hoed soon after they have started growth 
after being set out. It is very important at the first 
hoeing to uncover the buds of any plants which may 
have been planted too deep or have become covered 
after planting. If this is not done very early many of 
these plants will die. Most of them will not recover 
in time to amount to anything even though they might 
live all summer. On heavy soils this is even more im- 
portant and in some cases is the biggest single factor in 
failing to get a good stand of vigorous growing plants. 
Cultivate often enough to keep the surface of the 
ground from becoming crusted and to keep down the 
grass and weeds. It is not necessary to practice deep 
cultivation. A depth of one to one and one-half inches 
is deep enough for the hoe, or perhaps slightly deeper 
with the horse cultivator. Frequent cultivation should 
be given even though weed and grass growth is not a 
serious problem. A survey of strawberry fields in Indi- 
ana reported in 1933, showed that fields which were 
given five hand hoeings and about eight horse cultiva- 
tions produced an average of 125 24-quart crates per 
acre, while fields that were given 7-7/10 hand hoeings 
and 14-4/10 horse cultivations produced 299 24-quart 
crates per acre. This was for the first year. It is 
likely, however, that part of this increase was due to 
better care in other ways as well as more faithful hoeing 
and cultivating. In the South, where mulching is not 
needed for winter protection, cultivation in the spring 
before the mulch is applied has been recommended by 
some. It is important to remember that two cultiva- 
tions made in time are much more helpful and much 
less work than one made after grass and weeds get bad. 
Training 
We believe the well spaced matted row is the 
most desirable system for getting the biggest crops of 
the best berries. From four to six plants per square 
foot are ample for fine results and we believe where 
they can be made early and strong plants developed 
that three or four plants per square foot would be even 
Starting the Spaced Row. When Spaces are 
Filled Later Runners Are Cut. 
better. We want to point out here that we do not 
believe the average grower can afford to be too fussy 
about spacing the plants any particular distance. We 
do believe, however, that the grower (or his help that 
does most of the actual hoeing) should realize that 
from four to six early set runner plants per 
square foot of row is the optimum number and 
that any excess plants made are no better than 
weeds and just as harmful. If this is kept in mind 
and the excess ruthlessly taken out, as weeds would 
be, a great deal can be accomplished with very little 
extra time and expense. The width of the spaced row 
can be at the grower's option, whether 12, 18, 24 or 
30 inches wide. 
Mr. Paul Gunby of Somerset County, Maryland, is 
a large and successful grower of strawberries, growing 
mostly Blakemore. Mr. Gunby spaces the new runner 
plants rather carefully about 8 inches apart until his 
rows are about two feet wide. On the later runners 
which are produced on the Blakemore variety quite 
freely, he uses a hayrake with prongs about four inches 
apart and rakes the runners to one side of the row, then 
cutting them off with a disc attached to the cultivator. 
He then reverses the direction of the hayrake, pulling 
runners from the other half of the rows and cuts them 
off with the disc as before. 
Thickly set matted rows, although producing 
heavy crops with some varieties, have the following dis- 
advantages as compared with well spaced matted rows. 
1. Smaller total yield. 2. Smaller average size. 3. Ber- 
ries rot worse in wet seasons. 4. Run down faster in 
dry seasons. 5. Allow less effective use of mulching 
materials. 6. Conditions for pollenation more unfav- 
orable. 7. Berries poor in quality. With thickly set 
matted rows, most growers notice that the largest and 
best berries are produced along the edges. For this 
reason the practice of cutting out a strip down the 
center of old beds when renewing is often practiced be- 
cause it gives more edges. Spacing, of course, provides 
the effect of having edges all through the row. 
Hill System, or Hill rows. Under the hill system 
of training plants are set closer together, all runners 
are kept cut off, and the original plant depended on to 
bear the crop. A variation of this is the hill row. In 
this system the original plants are set quite far apart 
(about three feet) and sufficient runners for two parallel 
rows are allowed to set to fill in the spaces, the new 
plants being rooted from eight- to twelve-inch intervals 
and the two rows being about 12 inches apart. This 
system gives the benefit of growing in hills but re- 
quires far less plants than under the hill system proper. 
Grown this way berries will average as large or larger 
than the spaced row, and if rows are kept closer together 
the production per acre may be almost as great. Prob- 
ably the work of keeping the surplus runners removed 
will be less. The hill row system adapts itself admirably 
to the use of mulching materials. The hill system 
proper is not recommended except for Everbearers. 
The chief advantages of these systems are the same as 
for the spaced row with probably larger average size 
and better grade of berries but very considerably re- 
Section of Spaced Row as it Looks in October. 
Note the Large, Robust Plants. These Crowns 
are Chock Full of Strong Fruit Buds. 
11 
