PH's Day Neutral Strawberry Trial - Page 3

clkeiper · July 14, 2017

This albion variety is actually the best tasting variety I have ever eaten. we have customers who are shocked we grew "those" here. one stopped yesterday and even asked because her husband said they were the best berries he has ever eaten.

PH.. have you noticed all you have to do is bend the berry at the cap and the stem snaps right off? we picked for several pickings before I discovered that.

PureHarvest · July 15, 2017

Yes CL, that is a great feature.
Makes it easy for my kids to help pick.
I like Albion better but I am glad we have San Andreas to mix in because they are bigger.
Bigger berries fill the clamshell boxes faster. That and they aren't that bad either.
The slug bait worked instantly. The day after applying, we picked 12 lbs and tossed none.
I picked 20 lbs yesterday morning. Even with heat indexes over 100 from wed thru Friday, we still had about 80 percent marketable yield.
I supplied a new stand yesterday and a third was interested in 16 boxes on fridays.
I'm now rethinking dropping them for next year. We haven't even hit the peak season of fall yet from what I've read. If I can supply 3 stands again next year and the kids are willing to manage the plantings, I might do it again.
Curious to see how the rest of the season will yield. Right now we are picking about 50 lbs a week.
I think fertigating once a week is key to keeping them productive and tasting good.
I'm applying the equivalent of 2 lbs per acre of N and about 8 lbs of potassium.
I only have caterpillar tunnels on half the beds. Would consider covering them all next year. Interestingly enough, we are not getting any rot on the uncovered beds and we've been getting rain every week. 3" last week in 2 storms and 1" this week in 2 storms. Not spraying anything either. Maybe the spacing we are using helps or maybe the fabric is magical vs straw or plastic. Or maybe we're just lucky.

Nematode · July 15, 2017

PH keep an eye out for spotted wing drosophilia.
They can move in and take out the remainder of a season without control. They reproduce every 3 days so growth is explosive. Around here they usually hit end of July, no thin skinned fruit is spared.
I don't know of the specifics, but they are getting better at controlling that bug with cultural methods.
If you got your plugs from Nourse, call Steve, he is on the SWD control council, and can give details.

PureHarvest · July 16, 2017

Good reminder.
I've seen the pics and wondered if we'd start seeing them. Not sure what I'd do because I hate spraying because it is so time consuming.
I got half my plants from Nourse and half from Indiana berry.
Besides slugs, stink bugs have ruined a little but not enough to warrant control attempts.
Japanese beetles defoliated a handful of plants but seem to have moved on already.
Thanks for the reminder. I'm gonna look up some info to be ready.

Nematode · July 16, 2017

The basic controls as I remember were, pick every 2 days, pick just before full ripe, leave no rotting fruit. Remove native fruiting plants nearby. These include things you wouldn't expect like honeysuckle.
This breaks the breeding cycle. June berries are not usually bothered up here.

clkeiper · July 16, 2017

and just in case of SWD there is only spinosad, malathion and Brigade for tunnel or greenhouse berries, using only one will not give decent control of the pest, either. "Remove native fruiting plants nearby" yes yes yes. do not let it go to the ground as the cycle will pupate still. it needs to be literally flushed down the drain/toilet. do not compost any berries that you suspect are infested.

PureHarvest · July 18, 2017

We are picking every two days, so check there. We toss bad fruit by hand into the area that will be garlic this fall next to the berry beds, but maybe we need to be collecting it and putting into the dumpster.
Honeysuckle is everywhere here. That will be tough.
We are still picking 20 pounds every two days now. The two stands I'm supplying are taking two flats (8 one-lb boxes per flat) every other day and selling out between deliveries. It has worked out that I pick and deliver to them on alternating picking days, so I am keeping them both stocked.
I didn't even expect fruit in July because everything I read said they wont produce above 86 degrees, which we've been experiencing for a month or so. Still getting new flowers and fruit.
Really curious to see what mid-August to October will bring with cooler days and nights.

clkeiper · July 18, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

We toss bad fruit by hand into the area that will be garlic this fall next to the berry beds, but maybe we need to be collecting it and putting into the dumpster.

yep... collect it and put it in a sealed container and toss it into the trash or dump it down a drain but don't toss on the ground if at all possible.

July 14, 2017	#31
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	This albion variety is actually the best tasting variety I have ever eaten. we have customers who are shocked we grew "those" here. one stopped yesterday and even asked because her husband said they were the best berries he has ever eaten. PH.. have you noticed all you have to do is bend the berry at the cap and the stem snaps right off? we picked for several pickings before I discovered that. __________________ carolyn k Last edited by clkeiper; July 14, 2017 at 09:27 AM.

July 15, 2017	#32
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Yes CL, that is a great feature. Makes it easy for my kids to help pick. I like Albion better but I am glad we have San Andreas to mix in because they are bigger. Bigger berries fill the clamshell boxes faster. That and they aren't that bad either. The slug bait worked instantly. The day after applying, we picked 12 lbs and tossed none. I picked 20 lbs yesterday morning. Even with heat indexes over 100 from wed thru Friday, we still had about 80 percent marketable yield. I supplied a new stand yesterday and a third was interested in 16 boxes on fridays. I'm now rethinking dropping them for next year. We haven't even hit the peak season of fall yet from what I've read. If I can supply 3 stands again next year and the kids are willing to manage the plantings, I might do it again. Curious to see how the rest of the season will yield. Right now we are picking about 50 lbs a week. I think fertigating once a week is key to keeping them productive and tasting good. I'm applying the equivalent of 2 lbs per acre of N and about 8 lbs of potassium. I only have caterpillar tunnels on half the beds. Would consider covering them all next year. Interestingly enough, we are not getting any rot on the uncovered beds and we've been getting rain every week. 3" last week in 2 storms and 1" this week in 2 storms. Not spraying anything either. Maybe the spacing we are using helps or maybe the fabric is magical vs straw or plastic. Or maybe we're just lucky. Last edited by PureHarvest; July 15, 2017 at 06:10 PM.

July 16, 2017	#36
clkeiper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: ohio Posts: 4,350	and just in case of SWD there is only spinosad, malathion and Brigade for tunnel or greenhouse berries, using only one will not give decent control of the pest, either. "Remove native fruiting plants nearby" yes yes yes. do not let it go to the ground as the cycle will pupate still. it needs to be literally flushed down the drain/toilet. do not compost any berries that you suspect are infested. __________________ carolyn k

July 15, 2017	#33
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	PH keep an eye out for spotted wing drosophilia. They can move in and take out the remainder of a season without control. They reproduce every 3 days so growth is explosive. Around here they usually hit end of July, no thin skinned fruit is spared. I don't know of the specifics, but they are getting better at controlling that bug with cultural methods. If you got your plugs from Nourse, call Steve, he is on the SWD control council, and can give details.

July 18, 2017	#37
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	We are picking every two days, so check there. We toss bad fruit by hand into the area that will be garlic this fall next to the berry beds, but maybe we need to be collecting it and putting into the dumpster. Honeysuckle is everywhere here. That will be tough. We are still picking 20 pounds every two days now. The two stands I'm supplying are taking two flats (8 one-lb boxes per flat) every other day and selling out between deliveries. It has worked out that I pick and deliver to them on alternating picking days, so I am keeping them both stocked. I didn't even expect fruit in July because everything I read said they wont produce above 86 degrees, which we've been experiencing for a month or so. Still getting new flowers and fruit. Really curious to see what mid-August to October will bring with cooler days and nights.