Growing Strawberries 



Strawberries are one of the easiest crops 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 be sure 

 of good results. Rayner's registered virus-free stock is further assurance of success. 



Where strawberries can be grown: In ev- 

 ery state of the union strawberries are grown 

 at least to some extent. They are quite hardy 

 and will give good results in any reasonably 

 fertile soil that is fairly well drained. Like 

 other fruit, strawberries will not produce a 

 good crop in a shady location. 



Soil and fertilizer: A good soil for straw- 

 berries is one that is slightly acid, in good 

 condition, and reasonably free of weed seed. 

 Newly plowed pasture land or sod often gives 

 poor results but recently cleared woodland is 

 excellent. If good soil is properly prepared it 

 can be successfully replanted to strawberries 

 a year after an old planting was plowed up. 

 Important requirements for strawberries are 

 high organic matter and high fertility. Well 

 rotted barnyard manure is one of the best ma- 

 terials for good strawberry growth but other 

 organic matter is very helpful. Well rotted 

 poultry manure can be used but may cause 

 plant injury and also increases the weed prob- 

 lem. Many growers plow under about 500 lbs. 

 of complete fertilizer 2 or 3 weeks before 

 planting but if the soil contains a good sup- 

 ply of manure this is not necessary. 



Use of a good soluble fertilizer at time of 

 planting is recommended. Soluble fertilizer 

 will not burn the plants and can be safely 

 used at any time during the growing season. 



Strawberries have a high requirement for 

 nitrogen but it must be applied at the proper 

 time or else very adverse affects may result. 

 Fruit buds, which determine the spring crop, 

 are developed in the plant during August and 

 September. Therefore, this is the most im- 

 portant time to apply fertilizer. Most success- 

 ful growers apply about 500 lbs. per acre of a 

 10-6-4. 8-8-8, or similar fertilizer at this time. 

 This is equal to about 1 lb. per 80 sq. ft. of 

 strawberry bed. The fertilizer should be 

 spread directly on the plants when dry and 

 then brushed off the leaves. If applied when 

 the leaves are wet considerable damage can 

 occur. 



An excellent organic plant food for straw- 

 berries and nearly all other plants is cotton- 

 seed meal. It is obtained entirely from ground 

 cotton-seed and is thus entirely organic in na- 

 ture. Usually it contains about 6% nitrogen. 

 3% phosphoric acid, and 2% potash plus other 

 important elements. Thus, cottonseed meal is 

 a perfect plant food for those who follow the 

 highly commendable practices of organic gar- 

 dening. It is usually used at the rate of 4 lbs. 

 per 25 ft. of strawberry row and will cause no 

 injury or damage to the plants. It should be 

 applied once in early spring and again in mid- 

 summer. 



In general, it is best not to apply fertilizer 

 during the spring on fruiting beds. This can 

 cause excess plant growth, reduced fruit pro- 

 duction and poorer quality. We believe this 



is one of the most common causes of poor 

 strawberry yields and recommend that fruit- 

 ing beds should not be fertilized in the spring. 



When to plant: Early spring is usually the 

 best time to plant strawberries but in northern 

 states it is best to wait until May or even June 

 when the soil is in good condition. With Ray- 

 ner's dormant plants, there is a definite trend 

 to summer planting with growers who have 

 irrigation. This gives a less crowded plant 

 bed which yields unusually heavy crops of very 

 large berries. In cold climates we do not 

 recommend planting after mid July. Fall 

 plantings are sometimes successful but are 

 often damaged or completely destroyed by 

 winter injury. 



How to plant: It is important not to set 

 the plant too deep or too shallow — see photo 

 below. Do not clip the roots but spread them 

 out full length and press dirt around the plant 

 so that the roots are firmly anchored in the 

 soil. For best results we recommend use of a 

 soluble fertilizer as a transplanting solution. 

 About a pint of solution should be poured 

 around each plant when it is put in the hole. 

 A good planting distance is 2 ft. apart in the 

 row with 4 ft. between rows. Slightly narrow 

 fruiting beds will usually have better yields 

 and higher quality than beds that are unus- 

 ually thick. 



Plants Required Per Acre 



Plants required per acre at various planting 

 distances : 



Rows 



Distance in Row Plants per Acre 



3% feet apart 



18 inches 



8,325 



SV> feet apart 



24 inches 



6,225 



3 1 /-) feet apart 



30 inches 



5,000 



4 feet apart 



15 inches 



8,750 



-1 feet apart 



18 inches 



7,300 



4 feet apart 



24 inches 



5.425 



4 feet apart 



30 inches 



4,375 



.'"«[. 



18 



BUY RAYNER'S PLANTS AND YOU BUY THE BEST 



