Winterizing Strawberries

 

Photo courtesy of StrawberryPlants.org

From a news article by Karly Regan, Penn State Extension, Franklin County

As winter sets in for our area, the fresh berries of summer may be far from our minds! However, to have delicious strawberries to eat, we need to make sure to tuck our plants in for winter properly. If you haven’t already, now is the time to put mulch or row covers over strawberry beds to protect them from winter temperatures.

In matted row production, straw mulch is an essential tool for protecting the crop from winter extremes. Apply four inches of clean mulch (about two tons of straw per acre) after temperatures have dropped into the mid-20s F for 3-4 consecutive days. At this point, plants will have developed some cold tolerance and gone dormant for the season. In our area, this typically occurs between late November and late December. In addition to protecting above-ground tissue from cold temperatures, the mulch protects root and crowns from exposure due to frost heaving. In areas exposed to wind, straw mulch can be held in place by laying wire or plastic fencing over the mulch with bricks or other heavy objects weighting the fencing down. Avoid using leaves as mulch since these can trap too much moisture and lead to ice formation.

For plasticulture production systems, floating row covers are applied when daytime temperatures reach into the low 70s to enable continued growth and crown and bud formation. The row covers will also provide winter protection by reducing desiccation and exposure to low temperatures.

In the spring, you can remove straw mulch when approximately 25% of your plants are producing new growth and temperatures remain above the critical temperatures for strawberry blooms, around 20° F. Another good metric for if it’s time to remove the mulch is when soil temperatures reach 40° F at a 4-inch depth. If early-fruiting is a goal in plasticulture beds, row covers should be removed early in spring.

If temperatures are fluctuating, it is best to partially remove mulch so that photosynthesis can begin but some mulch is still insulating the roots. Once removing, move mulch into the aisles between rows or other area nearby in case it needs to be reapplied for a springtime cold snap. If using row covers over plasticulture, follow the same practice of removing to between the rows in case it needs to be put back over plants for colder temperatures.

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