Techniques for Strawberry Cultivation

Different varieties of strawberries differ in taste, color and size and are now available in the market. Most of the strawberries that we consume are the ones produced through cross methods of horticulture. Each of these plant varieties also differ in their degree of fertility, season of ripening, liability to get infected by diseases and in the constitution of the plant.

To produce strawberries on a large scale commercial basis, the plants are normally collected from runners. These baby plants will normally be distributed among the cultivators as bare root plants or as plugs. The two methods of cultivations adopted for commercial production of strawberry include annual plasticulture or a perennial system of matted rows. During off season a small amount of strawberries are produces following the green house system of cultivation.

Still the bulk cultivation of strawberries for commercial uses follows the plasticulture system of cultivation. In this method, strawberries will be planted on a raised mount of soil known as beds. The beds prepared to plant strawberries will be covered by using a black plastic known as weed blockers, to prevent weeds and erosion from the farm. Irrigation tubing system will run under these weed blockers.

The strawberry plants will then be planted through the hole marked on the weed blocker placed on the strawberry bed. Runners that form near to the plants will be removed to encourage the plants to use more energy into fruit development and to get the maximum from the cultivation.

At the end of the season, the weed blocker will be removed and the plants will be plowed into the ground. A plant more than one or two years old will not be able to produce as much fruits as a new plant in the beginning. Replacing of plants every year will allow the cultivator to obtain maximum fruits from the cultivation. Though desirable, considering the high cost involved in preparing the soil for planting the plants, many do not attempt to follow this method of replanting strawberry plants every other year to enjoy more fruits out of the cultivation.

To get the best out of the plantation it is best to renew the plantation every second or third year. Plantations that are kept free from runners need not always replace the plants like the cultivations that allow runners to grow with the main plants. The time for re plantation can be extended by cutting off the leaves of the plants after the fruits have been collected from them. After cutting of the leaves a good top-dressing of rotten dung or leaf mould should be applied on the plant to keep them in the plantation for a longer period.

A mulching of straw manure placed between the plants during spring is desirable to keep the fruit clean and the ground moist. The plants should be watered regularly during the dry weather after the fruit is set on the plant. Once the fruit season is over the runners will be removed from the ground to keep the ground loosened and raked.