Tips on Raising Organic Day-neutral Strawberries in the Northwest Tom Walters Walters Ag Research
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Tips on Raising Organic Day-neutral Strawberries in the Northwest
Tom Walters Walters Ag Research
How this production system works:
• Plants set in fall, on hills with about ½ fertilizer incorporated
• Water and the rest of the fertilizer supplied through the drip line
• Mostly UC varieties
• Harvest June through September
• Planting will last 1-3 years, depending on pest pressuresfall
2010 2011 2012
Bare Root
San Andreas X X
Seascape X
Albion X X
Plugs
Albion X X
San Andreas X
Seascape X
Chandler X X
Strawberry Festival X X
Radiance X
LCN X
Varieties and Plant Types
Tip 1: Plug plants are the most
productive in this system
(high elevation plants are second best)
Effect of plant type on ‘Albion’ production. Mount Vernon, 2011
Plant type Marketable
fruit/plant (g) Outdoor production
plug 476
bare root 340
Inside Tunnels
plug 489
bare root 325
Variety 2012 Marketable yield
(g fruit per plant) Albion 370 a
San Andreas 404 a Seascape 389 a Chandler 84 b
Festival 28 c Radiance 61 b
Significance <0.0001
Tip 2: University of California Day-neutral varieties produce a lot of nice berries this way
Tip 3: High tunnels really reduce Gray
mold (Botrytis) losses, but sometimes make
other problems
Diseased berries per plant, 2010, Mount Vernon, WA Location Gray mold High tunnel 0.2 a Open field 2.2 b P Value <0.0001
Dayneutrals produce strawberries July through August
• Irrigation as needed, typically ½” 2-3 times per week.
• Fertigation • 3.5 lb N/A, once a week from
early growth through harvest • Be sure to include a
comparable amount of K (the crop removes a lot of K)
• Ca is very important; supplement every couple of weeks or so.
Tip 4: Fertilize through the drip line
• All that organic fertilizer is likely to leave residue in the drip lines • Continue to irrigate for at
least ½ hour after fertigation is finished.
• Flush lines at least monthly, preferably weekly.
Tip 5: Flush
Tip 6: Watch out for Verticillium wilt
2010 2011 2012 Location
High Tunnel 15.8 b 28.8 49.7 Open Field 7.5 a 13.5 32.9
P-value 0.0206 0.0664 NSD
• Older leaves wilt, younger ones stay green
• Verticillium has a broad host range, and strawberries are highly susceptible
• Don’t plant strawberries after solenaceous crops
Tip 7: Watch out for Slugs and (Lygus) Bugs
• Slugs are a common problem. • Clean cultivate around
beds • Sluggo
• Lygus bugs can cause misshapen fruit in many locations. • Keep a distance from
Brassica crops • Consider a trap crop Photo: Wendy Hoashi-Erhardt
Biodegradable Mulches for Specialty Crops Produced Under Protective Covers
Debra Inglis and Carol Miles (Project Directors)1; Andrew Corbin, Jessica Goldberger, Karen Leonas, Tom Marsh and Tom Walters1;
Doug Hayes, Jaehoon Lee, Larry Wadsworth and Annette Wszelaki2; Jennifer Moore-Kucera3; Russ Wallace4; Marion Brodhagen5 ; and Eric Belasco6
1 2 5
SCRI Grant Award
No. 2009-51181-05897
4 3 6
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