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WHERE TO PLANT:
Because of the high capital investment required, it is important to obtain the site most suited to successful strawberry production. Strawberries will grow on most soils, but deep, well-drained, sandy loam soils are best because:
They respond better to soil fumigation.
Land preparation is easier.
Less salt is accumulated over the life of the planting.
They are better adapted to frequent harvest and irrigation schedules.
There are fewer minor element deficiencies, such as iron.
They drain better during prolonged rainy periods .
Avoid soils and waters high is salts as strawberries are one of California's most salt-sensitive field crops. Avoid choosing land that slopes so much that extensive leveling is required, unless other advantages outweigh the expense of land preparation. Rapid drainage of excessive rain-waters will minimize root rot diseases. Top
WATER SUPPLY AND QUALITY:
An adequate supply of good-quality water is essential. Before strawberries are planted, water should be analyzed by a commercial laboratory. Samples to be tested should be taken after the pump has been operating from 30 minutes to an hour. Water for strawberries should contain low concentrations of sodium, chloride, and boron. Irrigation waters with more than 900 to 1,000 parts per million total salts may require special care in application to prevent salt accumulations from reaching toxic levels.
The quality of water needed will vary according to the irrigation method and soil type. As little as 10 or as many as 20 gallons per minute per acre may be required. A 10-gallon (38-L) rate is suitable under special conditions and requires continual pumping as well as a large reservoir of about 100,000-gallon (378,500-L) per acre capacity to store water between irrigation's. At a 20-gallon (76-L) rate, water can be pumped as needed, with or without a reservoir. Top
DRIP IRRIGATION:
Nearly all growers in California use drip irrigation. Drip irrigation is particularly advantageous in areas with marginal water quality or supply, expensive water, soils with a high salt content, low or excessive infiltration rates, poor drainage, and areas of high rainfall. Under drip irrigation, various cultural practices, such as spraying and harvesting, can be carried out, regardless of irrigation schedules. With a drip system, grade beds to a 1 percent slope to drain off excessive rainwater from the furrows during winter. A single drip line will accommodate two rows of plants on 52-inch (1.3-m) beds or less, and two drip lines are needed on beds with more than two rows of plants or on beds wider than 52 inches. Also, drip irrigation results in less fruit loss due to rot than does furrow irrigation.
Costs of installing and maintaining an effective drip system are substantial. Installation requires careful engineering. Proper water filtration and pressure control are essential to a properly functioning drip system. Top
LAND PREPARATION:
To assure good production, the soil should be well worked, free of clods, and reasonable dry when fumigated. The subsoil should be cross-ripped before fumigation to insure adequate internal drainage. To minimize soil compaction, new work soils wet. Adequate soil aeration is essential to healthy root growth, plant vigor, and satisfactory yields. Crowns from the previous strawberry crop should be completely decomposed or removed as they interfere with proper soil fumigation. Old plant materials harbor organisms that cause poor root growth and low yields.
Level strawberry fields according to the type of irrigation to be used. Good winter drainage will prevent the excessively wet soils that aid development of various root rots. Use of sprinkler irrigation is recommended for establishing the new crop and, in some cases, for leaching salts from the soil during harvest.
Applying manure or compost within a year of planting is not recommended because of the salt load added to the soil along with the weed seeds. A cover crop adds beneficial organic matter to the soil, but is must be incorporated into the soil far enough ahead of soil fumigation to have completely decomposed. Cover crops are common in the central coast where production practices allow partial crop rotation. Most growers use a mixture of barley plus bell beans planted in October. Preplant soil amendments should be thoroughly disked into the soil after leveling to prevent pockets of salt concentrations. Top
FUMIGATION:
After the soil is leveled, fumigants are applied by specially equipped and trained applicators. Growers should arrange for the application well in advance of the desired fumigation date. For best results, the soil should contain a small amount of moisture but still be fairly dry and in excellent tilth. Fumigants can disperse more efficiently in light soils. A mixture of methyl bromide and chloropicrin applied under a sealed plastic tarp is the standard fumigation practice in California.
The continuous tarp method and bed treatment are currently used. The tarp should remain in place at least 48 hours after fumigation. After it is removed, the land is ready for listing. If bed fumigation is used, plantings are made through the plastic cover after the fumigant has dissipated.
So that no phytotoxic residues remain, strawberries should not be planted within 10 days after flat and within 3 weeks after bed fumigation. High soil moisture, low soil temperature, high clay content, soil compaction, and/or lace of soil aeration through delayed listing may extent the waiting period. Top
FERTILIZATION AND SOIL AMENDMENTS:
Nitrogen is the principal nutrient needed by strawberries in California. Experimental results indicate that fertilizer placement is of paramount importance. For winter plantings, fertilizers placed under the plants in the planting slot and covered with about 1 1/2 inches of soil, as part of the planting operation, work best. For summer planting, all nutrients, including part of the nitrogen, can be broadcast, then thoroughly incorporated into the soil or side-dressed in bands in the beds, below and to side of the planting slot. For most nutrients, other than nitrogen and boron, a pre-plant application should carry the crop if a sufficient amount is applied and the roots remain healthy. Direct or close root contact with the fertilizer will severely stunt or kill strawberry plants. To provide adequate calcium, lime or gypsum is broadcast and then triple disked into the soil several months before planting. A soil pH test should be taken before making a decision between lime and gypsum. Lime will help raise the soil pH if needed. Strawberries will grow over a range of pH; however, soil pH of 6.8 to 7.2 provides the best environment for root health. Top
TRANSPLANTING METHODS:
Plants are usually set by hand. The plants should not be allowed to dry out and should be sheltered during the entire transplanting procedure. Plants are hand-transplanted into deep, narrow grooves on shaped, pre-moistened beds. Such grooves are opened by specially constructed discs and closed firmly by a press wheel after the plants are loosely set.
Plants must be set so that only the top of the crown bud is exposed. Plants die when the crowns are completely covered with soil. Poor plant growth results from setting plants too high, exposing the crown area where new roots initiate.
Plants should be sprinkler-irrigated within a few hours after planting. Emerging roots are very sensitive to drought and salinity. Any condition that inhabits or slows growth will reduce yields. Regular irrigation is needed after planting and is necessary during dry periods in winter. It is particularly important to irrigate summer plantings frequently during the first 3 months after planting. Sprinkler-application rates should be low enough to prevent accumulation of free water in the furrows. Top
PLANT SPACING:
Plant spacing will vary according to the cultivar, planting system, soil type, and the grower's preference. Double-row beds are recommended for summer plantings and some winter planting. Four-row-wide beds for winter planting are predominantly used in southern California. The double-row beds vary from 40 to 52 inches, center to center; 48 inches seems to be the most efficient width for maximum yield. The four-row beds used mainly in winter planting range from 60 to 68 inches with a row spacing of 12 to 14 inches. Plant density caries from fewer than 18,000 plants per acre on some two-row beds to more than 52,000 on some wide beds. Top
Summer planting is recommended for several current standard cultivars in central California. Optimum planting times for each variety are similar each year for a given location, but variation can be expected as the result of annual differences in climate.
Variety and location determine the optimum planting time. Varieties such as Camarosa and Chandler are the main varieties planted in late summer in California. Chandler (for it's sweet taste and soft pulp for processing) is the main variety used in roadside stands. Camarosa is grown for it's shipping ability, volume and for processing. Top
Winter plantings are satisfactory only in coastal areas where mild winter temperatures are 50 degrees F. High enough to promote active growth during short-day length. In southern California, the winter planting system produces the early fruit, with the harvest beginning at least 1 month before fruit form the earliest-producing summer plantings. Top
Plants used for summer planting are grown in nurseries located at low-elevation areas such as Red Bluff, Redding, Orland, and Waterford. They are dug when dormant from December to early February. After the plants are harvested, they are cooled immediately to a temperature of 28 degrees F to prevent growth of plants and decay organisms; both can occur at 30 degrees F and above. Temperatures below 26 degrees F may injure or kill plants. Plants are packed in standard cardboard cartons lined with thin film (o.75-mil polyethylene). Individual cartons usually contain from 1,000 to 1,500 plants, depending on plant size. Sufficient ventilation space between the boxes is essential in cold storage to maintain a temperature of 28 degrees F throughout the containers. If boxes are stacked too closely, the heat of plant respiration will raise the temperature in the boxes and promote plant and fungal growth, thereby reducing storage life, vigor, and plant survival in the fields Top
MANAGEMENT:
Careful management of summer plantings during the first 3 months and, particularly, during the first 4 weeks after planting is critical. Soil should be thoroughly settled around the plant at planting time. High moisture levels should be maintained by sprinkling every 1 or 2 days the first few weeks and during hot or prolonged dry weather. Maintain optimum nitrogen fertility levels during the first 3 months. Properly grown plants always produce runners early during the establishment year and continue to do so throughout the fall after the "crown" fruit crop (fruit resulting from flower buds initiated in the nursery the previous year) and continue to do so throughout fall. Runners must be removed shortly after they appear to help promote large, multiple-crown growth and prevent mat formation of plants. Insects and disease control is important in fall and winter. Top
CULTIVATION:
In an established planting, cultivation for any reason other than for bed maintenance or weed control is unnecessary. Top
FERTILIZATION:
Supplemental nitrogen can be applied to summer plantings soon after plants start growing. Total amount of actual nitrogen applied should not exceed 30 to 40 pounds per acre to prevent salt burn or stunting. The amount of nitrogen needed depends on the plant variety and native soil fertility. Slow-release fertilizer can be applied in the planting slot about 1 ½ inches below roots or in the center of the bed under the drip hose. This practice will carry the crop through part of the harvest season, if enough has been applied. Top
PRUNING:
Plants should be carefully pruned after February by removing only the nonfunctional leaves. By then, healthy, vigorous, well-grown plants will have four or more crowns. Early or severe pruning reduces yield and lowers fruit quality. Top
WEED CONTROL :
Most weeding is done by hand because it is difficult to operate conventional cultivating equipment in established strawberry beds. Soil fumigation with a combination of methyl bromide and chloropicrin before planting will kill most weed seeds. Such fumigation is especially important in plantings where plastic mulch is to be used on established beds. Several selective herbicides have been registered for use on strawberries. Because local conditions, residue problems, and regulations vary considerably, no specific recommendations are made here. Top
WHEN TO PLANT:
Plants grown for winter planting are produced in areas of 3,000 to 4,500 feet elevation in northern California and harvested from October to early November. Then after being stored for a period of time at 33 degrees F. they are shipped to the fruit-growing areas for planting. Planting treatments for short-day plantings depend on the variety, planting location, nursery location, and production objective. Plants dug too early with insufficient chilling may be immature and lack vigor; this may result in poor stands.
Experiments indicate that early-dug, short-day nursery plants will benefit from cold storage up to about November 1 to induce increased plant vigor and performance without causing the plants to runner. Additional chilling may occur in the field after planting, depending on location and the winter climate for that year, which may or may not help production. Excessive cold storage (more than 2 or 3 weeks) or planting too late causes early runnering and reduces yield in short-day varieties. Day-neutral varieties, such as Selva and Seascape will usually benefit from 3 to 4 weeks of storage, as their chilling requirements are much higher. When storage of plants is necessary, they should be held just above freezing at about 33 degree F. Total yield per plant on a winter planting may be only about one half that of a comparable summer planting, but differences are reduced by the increased number of plants on a wide bed planting. Fruit size is larger on a winter planting and cultural cost are lower.
Most commercial areas in California plant from the first of October in the southern part of the state(Oxnard) to the middle of November in the northernmost part (Watsonville). The main variety grown now is Camarosa in the south. It's size, shipping capability and volume are the varieties strengths. In the north Selva is still the variety of choice. Top
