Mowing The Strawberry Patch?

[dave1949]

I have read a couple gardening articles that recommend mowing off the strawberries when they are done fruiting. I think I might try that. We have a berry patch that has spread out and gotten pretty thick. Some of my berries lacked sunshine and air movement this year due to the heavy (probably over-fertilized) foliage.

My plan is to set the rotary mower high enough it won't scalp the crowns. Then rake off all the thatch. Then make some rows through the patch with the tiller and mulch the tilled pathways.

Good idea? Bad idea? Tried it?
Dave.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't know. I just got back into strawberries last year after a dozen years off. We planted 24 plants last year in two 10' rows spaced 3' apart.
Over the winter they spread out to a solid 10' x 10' patch that we picked about a 4-5 huge steel bowls full in June. Looking at them now, all of the plants are standing up, green healthy leaves and tons of runners with 3-4 new plants on each runner. I think mowing them would kill the runners and new plants. I like to take the runner plants and poke them into the soil so they root. In the fall I will transplant the runner plants into another patch. That way I will have one mature patch and one coming up. As the mature patch starts producing less, I will renovate it with runners from the young patch. I've done that in the past with great success. :thumbsup:

 

[Ford850]

I used to think mine were too healthy to mow, but learned they die out in 2 - 3 years that way. At least the varieties I had did. Now I mow after fruiting, leaving the mowed material lay. Scatter a generous supply of balanced fertilizer on the mowed area. Spread a light covering (1" or less) of soil if I have it handy. Till a strip between the rows, but leave the rows 2 - 3' wide each. Then lay out soaker hoses and soak it really good, to 6 - 8" deep, and occasionally until Sept when the fruit buds are set. I let the beds dry out between irrigations. After several freezes ( late Nov) I cover the plants with 3" of straw. In the spring after frosts are done I gradually rake most of the straw to the center of the rows but leave enough on the plants to keep the berries clean. The plants grow right through the thin straw covering. If I get a late frost I rake a little straw back over the tender plants temporarily.
I've done this now for many years and the beds continue to flourish. If I get areas the are thin, I pull some of the runners and plug them in the bare spots after mowing. The beds are thick healthy each year in the fall when they set buds.

 

[schmism]

per the farmer down the road with like an acer of strawberries....

he mows his every year and every 5 he picks them up and moves them to the next acer over.

he also uses straw as mentioned in the previous post.

 

[300UGUY]

I used to think mine were too healthy to mow, but learned they die out in 2 - 3 years that way. At least the varieties I had did. Now I mow after fruiting, leaving the mowed material lay. Scatter a generous supply of balanced fertilizer on the mowed area. Spread a light covering (1" or less) of soil if I have it handy. Till a strip between the rows, but leave the rows 2 - 3' wide each. Then lay out soaker hoses and soak it really good, to 6 - 8" deep, and occasionally until Sept when the fruit buds are set. I let the beds dry out between irrigations. After several freezes ( late Nov) I cover the plants with 3" of straw. In the spring after frosts are done I gradually rake most of the straw to the center of the rows but leave enough on the plants to keep the berries clean. The plants grow right through the thin straw covering. If I get a late frost I rake a little straw back over the tender plants temporarily.
I've done this now for many years and the beds continue to flourish. If I get areas the are thin, I pull some of the runners and plug them in the bare spots after mowing. The beds are thick healthy each year in the fall when they set buds.

That's pretty much what my dad and grandad did. They had 3 acres of berries for many years. They made about 1k per acre, back in the mid 50's. LOTS of work, tho.

 

[dave1949]

Thanks for the replies. This bed is three years old. Had a pretty good crop this year, just ended with this heat.

I was thinking the strips I cut through with the tiller would be a good place to put runners next year to keep rejuvenating the bed.

We have a lot of wild strawberries here, so they aren't too hard to grow in the garden. The wild berries get to about the size of a pea is all, nothing to harvest. Good wildlife food.

Sounds like mowing is a good way to go.
Dave.

 

[20 20]

Dave1949, I also say go with mowing, I mow mine and yrs back a neighbor accross from me also mowed his. I'm having issues with the birds stealing all my strawberries, grrrrr.

 

[polo1665]

Thanks for the replies. This bed is three years old. Had a pretty good crop this year, just ended with this heat.

I was thinking the strips I cut through with the tiller would be a good place to put runners next year to keep rejuvenating the bed.

We have a lot of wild strawberries here, so they aren't too hard to grow in the garden. The wild berries get to about the size of a pea is all, nothing to harvest. Good wildlife food.

Sounds like mowing is a good way to go.
Dave.

Dave, can this be done the first year after transplanting or should I wait a year?

 

[dave1949]

Dave, can this be done the first year after transplanting or should I wait a year?

They always say to pick off the blossoms the first year, then pick berries after that. I would say if you have really lush, thick leaves, you need to do something to let sunlight and air get to to the berries. Otherwise, they mold while green. Mowing and making cleared strips late this Fall wouldn't hurt IMO if your bed grew in thick. The plants have done all the growing they are going to do by then, and they naturally shed all their leaves over the winter anyways. I would be careful to not damage the crown at the center of the plant as that is where next year's growth will sprout from. Light raking with a leaf rake won't hurt them. Mulch over the winter is good too.
Dave.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My dad used to grow acres of strawberries. He would mow them, but not immediately after they stopped producing, and then cultivate the rows.
I have not mowed mine yet, but usually do when the plants die down.