How To Mulch Strawberries For Winter

Types of mulch for strawberries – The most common mulch for strawberries is straw. Straw can be purchased from local garden centers in rectangular square bales. It typically costs about $5-7 per bale, and a bale is enough to cover about a 10-foot-long row of strawberries, 2 to 3 inches thick.

What is the best thing to mulch strawberries with?

Mulch for strawberries: Types of mulching material – Mulch on top of the soil is wonderful in any garden, but strawberries are especially well-suited to mulching during the growing season, Strawberries grown in soil with steady moisture levels are more likely to be flavourful and evenly shaped.

1. Straw
2. Pine Needles
3. Black Plastic Sheeting
4. Red Plastic Sheeting
5. Landscape Fabric
6. Grass Clippings
7. Strawberry Mats
8. Shredded Leaves
9. Wood Chips
10. Rye Grass

While these mulches can all be used for strawberries, there are certainly some differences between them. Let’s look at each type of mulch for strawberries. “Mulch around each plant, either with straw, pine needles (which will promote acidity in soil), or similar organic material.

This helps prevent weed growth and cuts down on the rain splash that can promote the spread of some diseases. Make sure the mulch is pulled back from around the base of the berries during the growing season, as wet mulch on top of the crowns can promote rot.” Growing Berries and Fruit Trees in the Pacific Northwest: How to Grow Abundant, Organic Fruit in Your Backyard, by Tara Austen Weaver “A straw mulch will prevent the fruits from becoming muddy, as well as keeping down weeds and protecting the fruits from slugs.

You could also use special strawberry mats or plastic and fabric sheet mulches.” Kitchen Garden: A Month-by-Month Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Vegetables, by Alan Buckingham

Can strawberries be mulched?

“> Richard Jauron Program Specialist, Horticulture Iowa State University Extension & Outreach While it may seem a little odd to be dreaming of fresh strawberries on a cloudy, cool November day in Iowa, those delicious thoughts are an excellent incentive. To insure a bountiful crop next year, home gardeners need to mulch their strawberry plantings in the fall.

Cold winter temperatures and repeated freezing and thawing of the soil through the winter months are the main threats to the strawberry plants. Temperatures below 20 degrees F may kill flower buds and damage the roots and crowns of unmulched plants. Plants also can be destroyed by repeated freezing and thawing which can heave unmulched plants out of the soil.

Strawberries should be mulched in the fall before temperatures drop below 20 degrees F. However, allow the strawberry plants to harden or acclimate to cool fall temperatures before mulching the planting. Plants mulched before they have properly hardened are actually more subject to winter injury.

In northern Iowa, strawberries are normally mulched in early November. Gardeners in central and southern Iowa should mulch their strawberry plantings in mid-November and late November, respectively. Excellent mulching materials include clean, weed-free oat, wheat, or soybean straw. Chopped cornstalks are another possibility.

The depth of the mulch should be three to five inches at application. The material should eventually settle to two to four inches. In windy, exposed areas, straw mulches can be kept in place by placing boards or wire fencing over the area. The fencing can be held in place with bricks or other heavy objects.

Leaves are not a good winter mulch for strawberries. Leaves can mat together in layers, trapping air and creating space for ice to form. The leaf, air, and ice layers do not provide adequate protection. A leaf mulch may damage plants due to excess moisture trapped under the material. The winter mulch on strawberries should remain in place until plants show signs of growth in the spring.

Do not remove the mulch in March. Early removal of the mulch may encourage plants to bloom before the danger of frost or freezing temperatures is past. A late frost or freeze could damage or destroy open flowers and substantially reduce yields. The first flowers are especially important as they produce the largest berries.

• To determine when to remove the mulch, periodically examine the plants under the mulch during periods of warm weather in spring.
• Remove the mulch from the strawberry planting when about 25 percent of the plants are producing new growth.
• New growth will be white or yellow in color.
• If possible, the winter mulch on strawberries should remain until mid-April in central Iowa.

When removing the mulch, rake the straw to the aisles between rows. If there is a threat of a frost late in the season during bloom, the mulch can be lightly raked back over the strawberry plants. Although mulching strawberries isn’t much fun, consider the tasty rewards.

Do you compost strawberries?

Can I Compost Strawberries? Yes, you can compost strawberries. They rot down quickly in a compost heap – they’re a “” (even when they’re red ;)), so if you’ve got a lot to get rid of, add them alongside “browns” (like newspaper, egg boxes or straw) to help soak up/take advantage of the excess moisture.

Why plastic mulch?

by Vern Grubinger Vegetable and Berry Specialist University of Vermont Extension – The use of plastics – to cover greenhouses and high tunnels, as row covers, and for soil mulches – has resulted in a horticultural revolution of sorts. Largely unheard of just two generations ago, it’s almost impossible now to find a farm that grows horticultural products without plastic.

• Taken together, the use of agricultural plastics for modifying crop microclimates to enhance quality and yield is known as ‘plasticulture.’ Your markets, your climate and your pocketbook all play a role in determining how much and what type of plasticulture to use.
• If you want to push harvests up by a week or two in order to meet market demand and fetch good prices, then plastic mulch by itself may be sufficient.

To gain additional earliness, plastic mulch as well as row cover may be required. Obviously there has to be an economic benefit to using both methods in combination because the cost is higher. More extensive, and expensive, measures to extend the growing season, such as high tunnels and greenhouses, are justified only with crops that have very high economic values per unit of land.

The first use of polyethylene as a greenhouse cover in the United States was in 1948, when Professor Emery Myers Emmert at the University of Kentucky employed this material in place of glass, the traditional but more costly greenhouse covering. Dr. Emmert is known as the father of agricultural plastics in the U.S.

and he developed the use of agricultural plastic through his research on greenhouses, row covers and mulches. More recently, in the Northeast, Dr. Otho Wells of the University of New Hampshire played a key role in developing plasticulture techniques suitable to our climate and markets and then he helped educate growers and colleagues about their use.

1. Let’s consider just one component of plasticulture: mulch.
2. Plastic mulch has been used in commercial vegetable production since the 1960’s.
3. The potential benefits of using plastic mulch include: soil warming, reduced evaporation, increased yield and earliness, reduced nutrient leaching and improved nutrient uptake.

Of course, there are downsides, too. These include: cost of the material and greater labor and equipment expense to apply and remove the mulch, as well as disposal fees that can be significant. There is a wide variety of plastic mulch on the market today that can reflect, absorb or transmit sunlight.

The color of mulch has a big influence on how it affects the microclimate around a crop plant. Black plastic mulch is typically used for spring-seeded crops because it increases soil temperatures about 5ºF at a depth of 2 inches compared to bare ground. Black mulches absorb heat from sunlight then pass it on to the soil below.

That’s why black plastic must be laid flat and tight to the ground if it is to provide the maximum warming effect. A big advantage of black mulch is that it blocks visible light, so it is effective at reducing weed growth (except in the planting holes!).

Clear mulch is the most transparent to infrared radiation and warms the soil to the greatest extent of all plastic mulches, increasing daytime soil temperatures from about 7º to 13ºF at a depth of 2 inches. For warm season crops, such as vine crops, earlier yields and higher yields can be achieved with clear mulch.

However, clear mulch is also transparent to visible light, which contributes to weed growth under the mulch. Unless herbicides are applied under the mulch, or the crop canopy covers the plastic quickly, those weeds can become a big problem. Infra-Red Transmitting (IRT) mulches warm the soil intermediate to clear and black mulch.

They are pigmented to reduce the amount of visible light transmitted in order to reduce weed growth under the mulch. IRT mulches are usually green or brown, and they contain specific pigments that let them transmit a maximum of near infra-red radiation and a minimum of visible light. Not all green or brown mulches are IRT.

The benefit of IRT mulch is highest early in the season. Late-planted crops don’t usually show a yield improvement with IRT compared to black plastic. Cloudy cool weather can also lead to very little difference in yield between IRT and black mulch. Since IRT costs more than black plastic, it is best suited to early plantings of tomatoes, peppers, and vine crops.

1. If you are using plastic row covers, or tunnels, with tomatoes and peppers, the air temperature over the IRT will not be as warm as over black mulch, reducing the risk of blossom drop caused by high air temperatures in the tunnels.
2. White or co-extruded white-on-black mulch can reduce surface soil temperatures slightly, by about a half a degree at a 2-inch depth, relative to bare soil because it reflects most incoming radiation.

This mulch is useful when lower soil temperatures are desired for summer production. A wide variety of other colored plastic mulches, including red, yellow and silver have been developed. Each of these colors has distinct effects on how light is reflected as well as the radiation balance in and below a crop canopy.

• That can influence crop performance.
• Studies of red mulch have not shown consistent results.
• Red mulch sometimes increases yield of tomatoes, but not always.
• Different tomato varieties also appear to respond differently to the red mulch.
• The effect of red mulch, like that of IRT, depends on sunlight levels, so the variation results in studies may be due to different light conditions, as well as different temperature conditions.

Red mulch does tend to increase soil temperatures much like an IRT, so in early plantings it is likely to promote earlier yields. When used with main season plantings, the effects of red mulch may be more variable. Yellow is generally very attractive to insects—that’s why it is the color of sticky cards used to monitor pests in the greenhouse.

• I’m not sure why a grower would want to use yellow plastic mulch except maybe to create a ‘trap crop’ that lures pests out of other parts of the field.
• Highly reflective or shiny aluminum plastic mulches have been shown to repel certain aphids.
• They are therefore useful to reduce or delay the onset of mosaic viruses in squash, melons, and other crops, that are spread by aphids.

These are the mulches of choice when insect-spread virus management is your principal goal. Recently, a mulch has been introduced that consists of a strip of black plastic down the center that is flanked on either side by metalized reflective plastic.

• This plastic combines the advantages of black plastic over the seed row, to help heat the soil, with the reflective characteristics of metalized plastic for insect and disease management.
• For more information on plasticulture and plastic mulches, see: Penn State Center for Plasticulture: plasticulture.cas.psu.edu,

American Society for Plasticulture: www.plasticulture.org,

Do I need to put fabric under wood chips?

Fabric (or plastic) has no place under your mulch! Thursday, March 15, 2018 Published on Thursday, March 15, 2018 This article was tagged under:, When using mulch in your landscape, there is no need for the use of artificial weed barrier such as plastic or landscape fabric. These materials do not work and are not weed barriers. They are only necessary under stone. That is to prevent the soil from mixing with the stone. In many cases when artificial material is used under mulch you can clearly see a night and day difference between what is above the plastic and what is below. The material above the plastic is soft, rich, dark, and full of nutrients. The soil below is hard and grey with virtually no nutrients.

It looks as if it is suffocated. It also provides no protection against weeds proven by the fact that we see weeds everyday growing through thick layers of concrete and blacktop on commercial property. In the event that weeds do occur in your mulch they are much easier to pick out and maintain when there is not a layer of thick plastic holding them in the ground.

If you have any further questions please contact Beautiful Blooms Landscape and weo2 starved soil would be happy to explain further. : Fabric (or plastic) has no place under your mulch! Thursday, March 15, 2018

Can you put pine shavings around strawberries?

Pine – Another way to mulch is with pine needles and pine wood chips. This is an environmentally sound way to bed strawberry plants. Strawberries thrive in slightly acidic soil. What better way to preserve the plants over the winter and feed the soil at the same time! We mixed pine needles with the soil when we initially prepared the strawberry beds.

Now that we need to mulch for winter, we will spread a layer of pine shavings over the plants. Like straw, pine shavings are light so they allow some air flow and will not smother the plants. Once the pine needles or shavings disintegrate, they will add acid back into the soil. A word of caution. Freshly shipped or shredded pine, or any other wood, may still have moisture and toxic residue.

The toxins are removed from the shavings by heavy watering or weathering. It’s best to use old, well weathered mulch products on your plants. Once the strawberries have been bedded, they are protected from the winter cold and we can wait until next summer for another delicious harvest.

What kind of wood chips are best for fruit trees?

wood mulch – and why it’s not always good for fruit trees – Cedar mulch is one of the most popular wood mulches that you can buy and many people use it on landscape trees. But there are other wood mulch options including hardwood mulch, pine mulch and bark mulch.

1. Wood mulches have lots of benefits.
2. But used on their own, many wood mulches can actually be bad for fruit trees – especially young trees.
3. The problem begins when you first lay the fresh mulch down around the roots of your fruit tree.
4. Soil bacteria move into the mulched area and they will work to decompose the wood.

But these bacteria need nitrogen in order to survive and wood chips are low in nitrogen. So, the bacteria pull nitrogen out of the soil and away from the roots of your fruit tree. For fruit trees, this is not a good thing. Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for fruit trees and it gives them the nutrients they need for healthy leaf and branch growth. Fruit Tree Care Newsletter Sign up for our monthly newsletter and we will send you our eBook “Growing Fruit Trees That Thrive.” You can unsubscribe at any time. But there are also benefits to using wood mulches around fruit trees – especially if you are layering the wood mulch on top of a more nutrient rich mulch like compost or well-rotted manure.

Natural cedar mulch looks nice, prevents weeds and retains moisture around tree roots. Cedar mulch also has insect repellant qualities as it contains natural cedar oil which can deter termites and certain types of ants. Hardwood mulches are made from hardwood trees like hickory and oak trees. It breaks down faster than cedar mulch. Pine mulch is made from pine trees. It is usually not used around fruit trees because it can make your soil more acidic and fruit trees do not thrive in overly acidic soil. Colored mulches are wood mulches that are died red, orange or black. These dyes can leach into the soil and aren’t recommended for fruit trees. Bark mulch is made up of larger chunks of wood. This type of mulch takes years to break down so your trees will have to wait a long time for any nutritional benefit. Wood chips are chips made from the waste of any tree. Arborists often give them away for free. The problem is that if the tree was diseased, the pathogen will remain in the chips and can spread to your fruit tree. Only use wood chips if you know they came from a healthy tree.

So, wood mulches can play a role in fruit tree care. But they will need to be layered on top of a more nutrient rich type of mulch. And there are lots of options here too. Compost or well rotted manure can be a nutritious tree mulch. Photo Credit: OrchardPeople.com.

What is the best mulch for berries?

Mulching – Does it matter what kind of mulch I use at the base of the plant? Yes. Mulch should be loose enough for water percolation. Pine needles, wood chips or bark mulch work well as mulches for blueberries. Avoid using dyed mulches (black or red). Avoid using synthetic mulches like black plastic or landscape fabric.

How thick should I spread the mulch? Spread the mulch 4-6 inches thick around the plant and out to the drip line. Don’t pile mulch up against the stem of the plant. May I just let grass grow around the base of the plant as mulch? No, grass will compete for nutrients and moisture. Blueberries perform best with a mulch to prevent weeds and competition.

How often do I need to mulch around my blueberry bushes? The mulch should be freshened each year. Spring is a good time to do loosen the mulch with a hand tool and add a new layer of fresh mulch.

What do you put on strawberry plants?

Strawberry plant care – How to grow strawberries – straw around the fruits Water your strawberry plants regularly, especially when new plants are establishing or in hot weather. Avoid wetting the centre of the plant or wetting any ripening fruits, to prevent grey mould. In early spring, scatter a general-purpose fertiliser around your plants in the ground, following the instructions on the pack.

From early spring onwards, encourage flowering and fruit set by feeding your strawberry plants with a high-potash feed (such as tomato feed) every week or two (follow the pack instructions). Tuck some straw around the plants just before the fruits start to develop, or put a strawberry mat around each plant.

This helps to keep the berries clean and deters slugs and snails. It also helps to keep weeds down. Netting can be used to deter birds and small mammals from eating the fruits. This needs to be fixed carefully as birds, hedgehogs, slow worms and other animals can become trapped in the netting, and die.

• Ideally, you should use a fixed net cage with holes large enough for pollinators to access the strawberry flowers, which cannot stretch and become entangled.
• However, by paying careful attention to loose netting you can ensure no animals can become trapped.
• Watch Monty Don’s video guide to protecting strawberry crops with straw and netting: To encourage strong growth for next year’s crop, after fruiting finishes, cut off foliage to about 5cm above ground level and give plants a good feed with a general-purpose fertiliser (again, follow the instructions on the pack).

Take away all of the old straw around the plants to avoid a build-up of pests and diseases. Remove any netting so that birds can eat any pests in the ground. After three to four years, fruit size and quality declines so you will need to replace your plants with new stock.