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By BIRGITT THORNHILL
Extension Agent
Renovation of the strawberry patch is greeted with less enthusiasm than many other tasks in the garden. One has the feeling that to delay the renovation will somehow lengthen the year’s harvest another day or another week. The best time to get your berries ready for good yield next year, however, is to start as soon as this year’s harvest is complete.
If your strawberry planting has made vigorous growth and is free of weeds, it is a relatively simple task to rejuvenate it. Remove the mulch and clip the tops of the plants to about one inch above the crowns with a scythe or mower. Be careful not to cut into the crown (the heavy growth point) at ground level. If the crown is damaged, the plant may not recover.
If insects and foliage diseases are prevalent, dispose of the leaves and mulch material. Apply a quickly soluble nitrogen fertilizer such as nitrate of soda at the rate of 1/2 to 3/4 pounds per 100 feet of row to encourage vigorous top growth. If nitrate of soda is not readily available, you can substitute three pounds of 5-10-5 or 1.5 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet broadcast over the entire planting. Rototill or dig between the rows to incorporate the fertilizer and mulch into the top few inches of soil.
If the matted row is quite thick, the plants may require thinning. After new foliage appears, thin the plants to six to eight inches apart, leaving the strongest, most vigorous plants. Keep the planting cultivated
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