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 prefer a slight- 
ly acid, fertile, soil that is naturally moist but still 
is well drained. 
Preparing The Land: The soil can be plowed or 
spaded in the fall and allowed to lie fallow over 
winter. This aids in controlling insects and ne- 
matodes. In the spring the land should be 
thoroughly worked until it is in good condition. 
Fertilizer Requirements: Strawberries grow es- 
pecially well in land that contains a high amount 
ot organic matter. Any type of manure is helpful 
if applied in the early spring and thoroughly mix- 
ed with the soil before planting. Strawberries al- 
so give excellent results when commercial fertilizer 
such as 10-6-4+ or 8-8-8 is used. If the land is ex- 
ceptionally fertile little or no fertilizer may be 
needed but on most soils from 1.000 to 2,000 pounds 
per acre is used. About half of this amount should 
be worked into the soil about 10 days before plant- 
ing and the rest applied during the growing sea- 
son. These later applications can be made with 
side-dressing attachments or applied directly on 
the plants when the plants are dry. Fertilizer 
should be brushed or washed off the leaves since it 
can kill the plants if left directly on them. In gen- 
eral it is best not to fertilize strawberries early in 
the spring. 
Controi Gf Soil Insects: A good precaution in 
preventing damage to strawberries by grubs and 
other soil insects is to apply Miller’s 5% Chlordane 
(page 23) to the soil. Use about 1 pound to each 
200 sq. ft. of plant bed. This can be applied when 
the ground is being prepared for planting or it 
can be mixed directly with fertilizer or applied 
separately. We use Chlordane on all our straw- 
berry land and find that it gives excellent results 
in preventing loss of plants from grubs, root 
aphids, ants. and other pests. 
When Fo Plant: The best time to plant straw- 
berries is early in the spring — just as soon as 
the land. can be properly worked. Light frost or 
even snow will not harm plants that have just been 
set. Recently there has been much interest in late 
summer and early fall planting. In the past it was 
difficult to obtain dormant strawberry plants at 
this time and such plants give far better results 
than actively growing plants. Now it is possible 
to keep spring-dug plants in cold storage for late 
planting and we will have a supply of such plants 
available. 
How To Plant: An important factor in success- 
ful planting is to set the plant at the depth shown 
in the illustration on this page. Make a hole and 
set the plant so that the roots are straight. As an 
aid for better stands, quicker starting, and better 
plant beds we recommend Miller’s V.H.P.F. soluble 
fertilizer as a starter solution. Mix the powder 
with water at the rate of 6 Ibs. per 100 gal. or 
234 tablespoonfuls per gallon and pour about % 
pint around each plant. We have used this ma- 
terial for years and can assure you that it will 
give excellent results without danger of plant in- 
jury. After the plant is properly set be sure to 
pack the soil around it so that it is firmly held in 
the ground. The proper planting distance for 
strawberries is to have the rows from 42 to 48 
inches apart and the plants from 16 to 24 inches 
apart in the rows. 
Plants Required Per Acre 
Plants required per acre at various planting 
distances: 
Rows Distance in Row Plants per Acre 
314 feet apart 18 inches 8,325 
3% feet apart 24+ inches 6,225 
3145 feet apart 30 inches 5,000 
+ feet apart 15 inches 8.750 
+ feet apart 18 inches 7,300 
oa feet apart 24+ inches 5,425 
4 feet apart 30 inches 4,375 
Too Deep 
Too Shallow 
Weed Control: Proper and frequent use of hoes 
and cultivating equipment is the best way to con- 
trol weeds in strawberries. However, there are 
some other aids that are of much benefit. For years 
we have fenced our fields and used geese at the 
rate of 2 or 3 per acre for control of grass. They 
really do a good job. A weed killer known as Crag 
Herbicide 1 is especially gocd for strawberries and 
is the only product we would recommend for this 
purpose. If you cannot obtain it we can provide 
you with it at a cost of $4.30 plus postage for a 
2 lb. package. This sounds expensive but it must 
be remembered that 2 lbs. will control weeds in one 
acre of land. It should be used only according to 
the manufacturer’s directions. 
Control Of Diseases And insects: In general 
strawberries can be successfully grown without 
use of sprays or dusts. However, there is often 
some loss from fruit rot and insects that can be 
prevented. We recommend Miller’s Fruit Spray 
for this purpose. If applied several times from the 
pre-blossom period until 2 weeks before fruit is 
ripe it will save a lot of fruit that is normally lost 
to rot and insects. See page 23 for further infor- 
mation on this product as well as Chlordane and 
VHPF soluble fertilizer. If the red stele disease is 
a problem it can be readily solved by use of some 
of the fine red stele-resistant varieties described in 
this catalog. 
“Plants referred to as ‘virus-free’ 
foundation stock furnished by the U. 
and Agricultural Engineering. 
distances from any other strawberry plants. 
é 5 Beltsville. Maryland. 
thion to control aphids which transmit the virus diseases. : 
Since viruses do not produce clear-cut symptons in most 
in this catalog have been field grown by us from virus free 
S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils 
Our field-grown stock has been dusted with para- 
It has also been grown at considerable 
strawberry varieties, but simply weaken and devitalize the plants, no guarantee can be made that these 
plants are 100 percent free of viruses. 
Because of the measures that we have used to protect these 
plants from virus infection, we believe them to be substantially virus-free.”’ 
i) 
2 BUY RAYNER’S PLANTS AND YOU BUY THE BEST 
