Mowing The Strawberry Patch?

[polo1665]

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.

Thanks Dave:thumbsup:

Mark

 

[sweettractors]

Back in the early eighties, we had commercial strawberries. After the 3 rd or 4 th year, I would use a cultivator type implement to cross till the patch. This destroyed about 1/2 of the crowns and let the new runners take hold in loose soil, When fall Came, we bedded with straw. By using this method, you can keep a patch alive indefinetly. $3K net per acre back then. Ken Sweet