To what, I’m not sure. Could be fungus, nematodes, who knows. The end result is the same. They’re dead, or dying, a slow and painful death. Who it’s more painful for, I’m not sure.
Our strawberries were a hit in the garden. Kids loved showing them to their friends, plucking berries from the vine, popping them into their mouths. Who can resist a plump, ripe strawberry on a spring day?
No one in this family, I assure you. So now what? Well, since I don’t know what killed them, I had to remove the entire bed. But before I did, my daughter clipped runners from some of the healthier looking plants in a last ditch effort to salvage what we could. These particular plants are the Quinault variety, an everbearing variety that I hope will survive to produce for another season. Or two. I am an optimist, first and foremost.
Of course, this could be the problem, too. (Not the optimism part!) It may be a simple matter of life cycle. Perhaps, beneath the scorch of summer sun, my sweet berries sucked in their last breath of carbon dioxide, releasing it with a sigh of oxygen. Plants are so giving that way.
After we removed the plants, I decided it would a good idea to solarize the bed, killing any bugs or fungus that may be present.
This process uses a clear plastic covering to heat the soil. Try to attach it to the ground, retaining as much heat within the covering as possible. For best results, leave the plastic covering on for about 6 weeks. This is an organic (except for the plastic) way to kill harmful organisms that kill your plants.
Placing the plants and runners into soil, we hope to get them in the ground come fall, perfect timing for them to get reestablished and producing come spring.
We love our strawberries. They’re such a great crop for Florida and kids. So with our fingers crossed and our toes counted, we look forward to a successful rooting and healthy propagation of these baby berries of ours.
As well as strawberry smoothies, strawberry shortcake, strawberry topped sundaes, fresh from the garden goodness… The list goes on!
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