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| I have a strawberry patch that was doing very well. Then I planted a mimosa right next to it. The mimosa is growing tall--maybe 10 feet by now, and the strawberries are dwindling. Is there a connection?
I'd rather have the strawberries than the mimosa. Should I cut the mimosa down? Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Is the mimosa casting too much shade? |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 27, 11 at 19:17
| straws need full sun.. is the tree shading them .. fruit producers are heavy water users.. is the tree sucking up all the water??? dig hole.. find out if there are roots near the straws ... what is your watering protocol for the straws??? and what lind of straws??/ ... most are replaced every 2nd or 3rd year.. as the plants simply peter out.. relying on runners really doesnt help ... how have you maintained them over the years .. whats your planting protocol??? .. plant them and hope for the best.. lol .. mine too ... straws are also heavy feeders.. what is your fertilizer protocol.. or how have you been feeding them.. to maintain the high energy they need to produce .... all this.. is why i gave up on them.. and find it much simpler to visit a pick you own place once a year.. lol ... IMHO.. get rid of the straws.. and enjoy the tree ... and go visit a straw farm when the mood strikes ... seriously .. all kidding aside.. they simply arent worth the effort.. good luck .. oh .. there is a fruit forum.. and some of those experts never come over here ... but post wherever you want.. ken |
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- Posted by bumblebeez z7b Seneca SC (My Page) on Mon, Jun 27, 11 at 20:58
| I'd get rid of the mimosa- they're weed trees. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 27, 11 at 21:08
| I'd get rid of the mimosa- they're weed trees. Not uniformly......depends on where you are :-) I'd agree with Ken that strawberries demand a lot of attention to keep them robust and productive. If you haven't gone through his list of replacing periodically and fertilizing regularly and providing adequate water, that could explain their decline. Doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the mimosa...... |
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| Strawberries don't peter out in two or three years if they're properly managed. I have a patch that's going on 10 years and still going strong. |
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- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 28, 11 at 10:59
| From the Purdue extension bulletin on growing strawberries: "To maintain the quality and productivity of the berry patch, the planting must be renovated each year. This allows new runner plants to replace old plants. Most of the fruit next season will be produced from the new runner plants that get established this season. Start the renovation program immediately after the last picking of berries." and from the Univeristy of Illinois extension bulletin: The bed must be renovated routinely to keep the planting productive. The 'mother' plants do decline in vigor and productivity, how rapidly depends on berry type (June bearing versus everbearing), and they need to be replaced, generally with new plants grown from runners. |
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- Posted by aftermidnight Z8 V. Island B.C. (My Page) on Tue, Jun 28, 11 at 11:57
| The way I was told to grow strawberries by a grower was to do it on a rotation method. 1st year plants, remove flowers, don't let them bear fruit, plant 2nd row from runners from first row. 2nd year let first row flower and bear fruit but remove all runners as they form. Remove flowers from 2nd row, don't let them bear fruit. Take runners from 2nd row plant a 3rd row. 3rd year, 1st row flowers and bears fruit, remove all runners, 2nd row let flower and bear fruit, remove all runners, 3rd row, remove flowers, don't let bear fruit, start a 4th row from runners from the third row. After harvest remove 1st row, the rotation continues. |
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| My son's mimosa tree took him three attempts to get rid of it after the root was found to be cracking his slab constructed house. While yours is still young it would be a lot easier to get rid of it. Al |
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| I have a similar problem but not with another plant hogging the sun. I have raccoons eating my strawberries. How do I keep them out? |
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