Pointers on Planting 



"We would not be content to merely ship you an order of 

 plants and display no further interest in the success of your 

 plantings. "We want these plants to grow well and produce 

 abundant crops that will make you always glad you relied on 

 Rayners for the best in plants. We are outlining on these 

 pages the important phases of plant culture. You will also 

 receive full planting information with your order and you are 

 *»" always welcome to write for additional information or advice. 



Growing Strawberries 



Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow. Good plants set at the proper season 

 in good soil will respond with ordinary care and cultivation. There is nothing complicated 

 about growing strawberries, and by following these easy instructions the beginner can assure 

 good results. 



Soil Requirements— Strawberries can be produced 

 in abundance on any good garden soil or land that 

 has produced satisfactory crops of garden or reg- 

 ular field crops. Land that has had thorough 

 cultivation is best but if vacant lot, garden space 

 or field that has been unattended has a rank 

 growth of weeds and grass this an indication that 

 the soil is fertile enough to grow excellent crops 

 of strawberries. 



Preparing The Land— The land should be plowed 

 or dug as earlv in the spring as possible and work- 

 ed until a level plant bed is formed. An appli- 

 cation of horse, cow, hog or sheep manure at the 

 rate of 1 bushel for every 50 square feet is good if 

 applied before plowing or worked well into the 

 soil. However, if previous crops have been well 

 fertilized, good results may be expected without 

 further fertilizing. (See paragraph on Fertilizer 

 and Manure). When planning to set additional 

 ground in strawberries it is well to consider plow- 

 ing under a late summer crop of such green manure 

 as peas, beans and other grasses or cover crops, 

 or even natural weed growth. Plowing under 

 while green will cause cover crops to rot much 

 faster and also help destroy weed seeds. Early 

 fall sowing of cover crops for discing under as 

 early as possible in spring is also a good practice. 



Planting Methods — If plants are to be set in rows, 

 mark off rows 3% to 4 feet apart from center to 

 center so that rows will be about 2 feet wide when 

 bedded and ample alleys will be left for cultivation. 

 For the small garden and hand cultivation spacing 

 may be narrower if desired. Plants should be set 

 about 18 inches apart. In setting plants the most 

 important points are to have the roots straight 

 down with the soil packed firmly along entire root 

 length and crown even with the surface. Proper 

 depth is very important, but is easily established 

 by following the illustration in these directions. 

 If roots are too long (some varieties are much 

 longer rooted than others) the roots may be 

 clipped to a length of 4 or 5 inches without damage 

 to the plants. 



Readying The Plants For Setting— Plants from 

 RAYNERS will come to you thoroughly cleaned 

 With roots straightened and ready to set into the 

 ground. Before setting, the roots' should be cover- 

 ed with water so that they may soak up all mois- 

 ture possible to hold them in good condition until 

 the feeder roots begin their job. Before and dur- 

 ing planting, keep plants protected from sun and 

 wind and keep them thoroughly moist. IF 

 PLANTS CANNOT BE SET SOON AFTER AR- 

 RIVAL they should be removed from the crate, 

 the package material moistened, and then be re- 

 packed loosely. Stored in a cool, damp place they 

 will keep in good condition three or four davs. 

 II PLANTS MUST BE KEPT LONGER, they 

 should be placed in cold storage around 32 degrees 

 or if this is not convenient they should be heeled 

 in. This is done b\ digging a V-shaped trench 

 tour or five inches deep. Spread plants thinly so 

 soil contacts all roots and pack soil firmly up even 

 with crowns of plants (note illustration). Water 

 thoroughly and keep shaded if weather turns warm. 



RAWER BROTHERS ARE RELIABLE 



If weather turns colder a light covering of straw 

 or other mulch will protect plants until ready for 

 setting. 



Cultivation — Frequent cultivation will keep the 

 ground from becoming crusted and will greatly re- 

 tard weed growth. Plants should be hoed soon 

 after set and any plants too deep or too shallow 

 should be attended to. Be sure crowns are not 

 covered as this will smother the plant and cause it 

 to die. If roots are exposed there is danger of 

 drying out. (See illustration). Hoe and cultivate 

 shallow to avoid disturbing the roots. After plant 

 bed is formed plants should not be allowed to be- 

 come too dense. About 7 plants per square foot 

 is considered ample and extra plants may be cut 

 out with the hoe. A well spaced row provides 

 more and better fruit. 



Removing Blossoms — Flower stems usually appear 

 on strawberry plants soon after they are set in 

 the field and as the production of fruit on newly 

 set plants is a severe drain on their vitality, the 

 flower stems should be removed as blossoms 

 appear. This will materially help the number of 

 new runner plants and give them a much better 

 fruiting bed. WITH EVERBEARING PLANTS 

 the blossoms should be removed until the plants 

 are well established. This will usually require 

 about sixty to ninety days. 



Time To Plant — Early spring, just as early as the 

 ground can be worked, is the best time to set straw- 

 berry plants. Light frosts that do not heave the 

 ground will not injure the newly set plants. 

 PLANT EARLY while plants are fully dormant 

 and the weather is most favorable to good growth. 

 Early planting is the most important single factor 

 in successful strawberry culture. April in the 

 North; to May 15 in the far North; March and 

 April in the Middle States; November to April in 

 the South. 



