DIY Network

Enemies and Harvesting Enemies and Harvesting From "Fresh From the Orchard" episode DFFO-101

Diseases and pests are an issue with every crop, and strawberries are no exception. Here's how to recognize and deal with some of the most common strawberry problems; wealso have some tips on how ladybugs can benefit a garden. You'll also learn the best way to harvest strawberries and gather some fun facts to know and tell.

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Strawberry Diseases and Pests

Figure A

Anthracnose (figure A) is a fungal disease that's especially common in hot, humid climates. The fungus causes brown, sunken spots on the fruit and often causes the plants to die. The frequent occurrence of this disease in hot climates is why so many people prefer to treat strawberries as annuals and to start each year with new, certified disease-free plants.

Other diseases include crown rot, light blight, fruit rot and leaf spot. The best line of attack is prevention: keeping the plants stress-free by proper watering; not working in the field when the plants are wet (because diseases spread more easily among wet plants); keeping weed competition down; and choosing the right plants for your climate.

Figure B

If you decided to use pesticides, be sure to start with the least toxic pesticide possible, and follow all label directions.

Strawberries are also sometimes bothered by pests such as aphids. Again, choose the least toxic approach to controlling pests. One option is to introduce beneficial insects, such as ladybugs (figure B), to your garden to control pests.

Weeding

Keeping weeds out of the strawberry patch is important: if weeds are allowed to take over your berry patch, you'll have constant disease problems and will have few, if any, berries. Mulching is one way to suppress weeds: weed seeds can't germinate unless they have sunlight, and mulch blocks the light. If you do get weeds, hoe or hand-weed as necessary, but don't dig too deeply and don't disturb the plants' roots.

Bird Control

Birds love ripe berries! To keep birds from eating all your berries, it's a good idea to cover the plants with bird netting as soon as the berries begin to ripen. The netting is easy to lift off for picking the berries, and it's easy to replace. Be sure to weight down the netting with stones, boards or rocks so it doesn't fly away. And don't leave any gaps where the birds can hop in underneath the netting.

Bird damage

A realistic-looking owl on a post will help scare pesky birds away from your berries.

Harvesting

Strawberries are usually ready to harvest about 30 days after blossoming. Commercial growers often pick berries before they are fully mature so the berries don't become overripe or mushy by the time they get to the market. But home gardeners can wait to pick their berries once they're fully ripe. This is a big advantage since strawberries picked early will never be as flavorful or as sweet as those that are allowed to ripen on the vine.

Figure C

You can't always tell the ripeness of a strawberry by looking at its color (figure C): some varieties ripen while still pink, and others don't ripen until they are fully red. The best test for ripeness is the test taste. If they're sweet and juicy, you know they're ready to pick!

For the best keeping quality, pick strawberries in the cool of the day. To pick, pinch the stem with your thumb and forefinger, keeping a short piece of stem attached to the berry.