A lawnmower is actually another permeable tool, when you consider it, pruning thousands of blades of grass at once to an additional height. The machine can serve the exact same purpose when you have a massive strawberry bed. Mowers are frequently utilized to cut back June-bearing, also known as short-day, strawberry varieties in order that they stay productive over a longer period. Timing is important when mowing, or renovating, a strawberry bed.
Short-Day Strawberries
Short-day strawberries grow and create best when temperatures are below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They are commonly planted in the autumn and allowed to create roots over the winter prior to creating a heavy crop in spring. In places with relatively cool summers, the plants can create a later crop as well. Strawberries are generally their most productive for the 3 years after planting if they are correctly maintained after their initial season. The procedure for keeping strawberry plants is known as renovating. Some recommended short-day varieties comprise “Pajaro,” “Sequoia,” “Chandler” and “Douglas.”
When to Mow
Mowing, or pruning back, strawberry plants is actually the first portion of the renovation process which begins after their first actual harvest. Mow strawberry crops in the week right after the plants complete producing berries. When you’re no more harvesting or locating just a berry and there, then it is time to get the mower out. Should you delay cutting back the plants, new foliage begins to push out from the crown of the plant — its slightly elevated center — and you risk damaging the newest increase.
Mowing Considerations
Verify the mower blade is sharp and put to its greatest setting — about 4 inches away from the ground — to avoid damaging the crown of the plant when you mow. Wash up after mowing is important also. Should you leave the clippings where they fall, then you depart the plants accessible to fungal infection and pest infestation, therefore rake away plant clippings and any fallen fruit immediately after you mow. Little plantings can be trimmed by hand together with pruning shears or a scythe to the same height.
Renovation
When the older shirt growth is gone, you’re better able to determine where you want to lean the strawberry bed to keep it creating these hot berries. Overcrowding contributes to infection and poor fruit production. In a correctly renovated bed, every single mother strawberry plant has just two daughter plants — one on each side, that you replant 9 inches away. You can get rid of any weak-looking plants or even older mother plants which did not produce well that season also, replacing them with excess healthy runners removed from plants which had more than just two. Follow up mowing and replanting with a 5-10-10 fertilizer at a rate of 1/2 lbs per 25 feet of row to help the plants recover.