5/19 (update for today at bottom)
Before I left the house this morning my strawberries all looked great: tall, leafy, healthy and happy looking plants. I just returned home and looked over my plants and was shocked to see my strawberries in a very poor state. This happened in the matter of 3 hours- no more. They are wilting, leaning over the edges of their container, some of the leaves are beginning to get crisp. I am afraid I'm going to lose some of them; it seems almost inevitable based on the condition of their leaves. I haven't noticed any pests on them- I check my plants once to twice a day for pests (I container garden, so this is easy for me to do). A couple of the leaves had some lighter green coloring around the edges, but I only noticed this on a few. When I just went back outside to check on them, I did see a tiny (1.5 mm) fly on one of the leaves that I have never seen before- had some striping on the back end- was not a hoverfly (smaller, less bee-like, and with reddish eyes- didn't stick around long enough to take a picture). Not sure if he is the culprit, as I've never seen him.
I inter-planted spinach along with the strawberries and they appear affected as well. Could it be the heat (they've been fine, though, with the same temperatures up til now, if so)? We are in the high 80's, but I am on a south facing 3rd story balcony, so it could feel hotter, although I thought strawberries liked sun and heat.
Being both college students, we don't have a lot of money to sink into things, but we have invested a lot into our little garden and have been proud of the work so far. It would be heartbreaking to lose any of our plants, especially the strawberries, as they were one of the first plants we purchased.
Before:
Strawberries far (back) left 
Strawberries- near left
This afternoon:
A little discoloration on a few leaves:
Spinach in same container:
Update: 5/20- Strawberries in worse shape today. they seemed to perk up quite a bit (not perfectly) last night, but it's not even hot out this morning, so I'm ruling that out. More leaves are dry and turning brown.
I called the county extension (Master Gardener's) and he couldn't think of anything off the bat for some reason. Of course, he can't see them, so that would make it harder.
Pictures from today:
5.19.2008
Strawberry Emergency
Posted by ilikewinter at 3:44 PM
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2 comments:
discussion from gardenweb:
Have they been planted in the containers for awhile? Have they been used to this location? Have your temps changed much in the past week?
I don't have any answers but these questions come to mind. I just planted strawberries myself. I'm going to keep watching your post for advice from others too.
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This actually happened to one pot of my strawberries today over the course of an hour. Maybe Phytophthora Crown Rot (see guide below)?
Mine were pots of Ozark Beauties from Gurney's that I planted last year and they lots their leaves suddenly before fruiting. The pots came back to life this spring and started bearing fruit (maybe a leaf disease, and not a crown disease, then?). I guess I probably need to throw them away. I'm glad the pots aren't near my strawberry beds (and that all my plants came from Nourse this year).
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gardeningwithlcgrace: I only just planted them this season when they came into the nursery (so they've been in since late March, about. They've been in the same location the entire time. The temps have been about the same all week, although about a week and a half ago they were much cooler (about a 20 degree difference). But they have been fine up until today, when this happened. Hmm....
djofnelson: Thanks for the link... I will check it out. Mine are just starting to set fruit, so I hope I don't have something similar to what got your berries... yikes! Mine are Quinalt Everbearing strawberries- don't know if that variety has any different qualities to it.
Since I am new to gardening, I have been doing a lot of research to make sure I am doing things right... trying to use reputable sources, reading a lot, etc. etc. I knew strawberries were susceptible to some kinds of rot and wilt, but it just hit so suddenly that I was really surprised.
I hope someone can help. They were doing so well... =(
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They are doing a lot worse this morning. Last night they seemed to perk up a bit, but I came outside- it's overcast a bit and about 68 this morning and they are almost all entirely drooping.
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Based on the pics, something similar happened to me last fall.
I had planted these strawberry plants, I got from Jellyman, last summer. They did fine all through the heat of last year and threw out lots of runners. Then Fall came.
Everything was still fine then one day, I noticed the plants start to wilt. By then end of the week, it looked as if I was going to lose the patch and only a few of the plants were left. The ones that were left were in sorry condition. Then a week or so later, I started getting new growth from most all the roots.
I'd say about 80% of them came back, and came back strong. As of now, it looks like I'm going to get a bumper crop from those plants.
Back to your issue... I really don't know what to tell you, but to keep your head up and fingers crossed.
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ilikewinter:
I'm not an expert on strawberries but since I empathize with you because of the care you've given your container plants, I'm going to hazard a GUESS.
Strawberries do not like sun and heat. Both strawberries and spinach like coolish weather rather than blazing sun. These are the very same two plants of yours that suffered in the heat which tends to corroborate that sun and/or heat may be the problem.
Spinach is known to bolt to seed when the weather heats up. It is considered to be a cool weather crop.
The fact that the damage happened during high 80s temperatures also tends to corroborate heat as the problem. If your weather cools down and the strawberry plants come back, this would also tend to corroborate heat as the culprit.
Also, your south facing balcony gets the hottest sun of all - the blazing afternoon shake and bake without the shake.
I'm in the L.A. area in Southern California. About 50 miles north of here the coastal communities of Oxnard and Camarillo are prime strawberry growing areas. Miles of strawberry fields. The reason is that the weather never gets too much above 85 F because the Pacific Ocean moderates the climate. Most of the spring time temperatures, which is the time of year when strawberries are grown there, are in the 60s and 70s. Fog and overcasty type weather fosters the strawberries. Other coastal areas that get hotter don't have the large strawberry operations. Oxnard and Camarillo are unique in this respect.
So some kind of simple shading device might help. 30% shade cloth simply fastened to and draped over your balcony railing would be simple and economic. You don't need much material. Old window screening (double layer) or muslin scraps might also work. You just want to tone down the direct sunlight.
On overcast or rainy days, you could just flip the half of the, say, shade cloth that covers the pot over to the other side (the outside) of the railing.
Also, from the wide shot picture, the direct sunlight hits the pots. This heats the pots and, in turn, the soil inside them which can burn the roots. There's a big difference between roots in the ground and roots in a container. Some of my black nursery pots got so hot in the summer that I could not touch them. Terra cotta color will heat up whether it is terra cotta clay or plastic.
After I discovered this the hard way, I spray painted my pots white. I used a spray can paint formulated for plastic from Home Depot. Haven't lost a plant since.
In lieu of painting the pots, you could just put skirts around the sides which receive direct sun rays in order to totally shade the pot itself.
I mention again that the foregoing is a guess.
Tony
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=) Thanks Tony-- I was thinking it was the heat, but I had read so much that strawberries love sun, etc. etc. and they had done so well for a week in those high temps, that I was just really surprised when all of a sudden, in 3 hours, they were limp and dying. I think though, intuitively, that you are correct about the heat issue.
Anyway, I posted up in the Pests & Diseases forum just in case, and someone there (jean001) wrote up a list of things to check for. It turns out I have root rot which is something I am a little ticked off about. I bought potting soil that was supposed to be well-draining (which I guess can be one of the culprits), but it could have been present in the soil already (the root rot- disease?) or within the plants.
I have trimmed the roots and plants back and
re-planted in an organic soil amended with sand to help it drain better. A few of them seem to be coming back.
If it was only the heat, though (which I know now it wasn't just that, but it probably contributed a lot!), will the shade cloths help keep them cool, or just help them stay out of direct sunlight?
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I don't think it's the heat. I have a strawberry patch that gets ZERO shade and they do just fine all year long.
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Hmmm... now I'm confused! ha ha...
So crabjoe, sun all day, but how hot is it? Mine were doing great in full sun all day, esp. when temps were cooler, even good for a week in 80's (which felt more like 90's on my balcony), then they keeled over on a particularly hot day. I suppose it's just the root rot was exacerbated from the high temps and perhaps not that the plant itself was affected, if it had been healthy?
Also, what do you guys use for your soil mix for strawberries (or, if you plant them in the ground, do you amend your soils)?
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Temps and full sun? Well, last summer temps were in the upper 80's and 90's for weeks on end. I didn't have a single problem with my strawberry plants. In fact, I planted them in the heat of the summer.
Soil mix... One patch is in clay, another is sandy loam and another is clay mixed with tons of compost.
I hate to say it, but my strawberry plants grow like weeds! I don't even fertilize them.
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not a strawberry expert, but the heat aborted by a something planted in a hot on a flat surface might be much more than something planted in the field.
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crabjoe- Don't rub it in! Ha ha- but true- when I was doing research, they said they loved heat and sun. I am from FL originally, and we grow tons of them down there (and goodness knows we have lots of heat and sun there). Do you know anything about root rot? Perhaps you could share some wisdom if you do.
phase0001 might have a point- since a lot of soil (like groundsoil) isn't there to insulate the roots, perhaps the container itself got too hot (terracotta plastic)? Hmmm. Anyhow- the one I planted back in some sandier soil a few days ago seemed to perk up. I cut back its roots and leaves (I may have mentioned this already). It looked better, so I decided to go ahead and do the same with the rest of the plants, except two, which have perked up on their own yesterday (overcast and rainy, 25-40 degrees cooler).
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I have since repotted them in their own individual (but smaller) pots. I got new soil (MiracleGro organic) and amended with sand to help drainage. I trimmed the roots back to where they looked healthiest and also trimmed the leaves to compensate, so there are only a few leaves left on the plant (the healthiest and strongest). So far they seem to like this situation, although--- the weather is cool again, so who knows what is really going on here. It seems to be a mix between root rot and hot weather that did them in the first time. I did leave two in the original pot and did not trim at all, and they have perked right back up.
Your picture "master Gardener couldn't figure out" Is environmental stress. Likely heat, possibly added hot sun.
The heat plus sun (on the plants and the pots) on your south exposure could also explain the collapse of some plants. Or not.
As for the collapsed strawberries, here's some homework:
1. Sacrifice one of the failing plants to a "lab test"
2. Dig it up
3. then look at the roots -- healthy roots should be creamy.
4. if dark and/or black on the surface, it's a root rot.
5. then lightly grasp a root between two fingers and try to slide the covering off. The core is likely to remain. If so, yep, it's root rot. Could be excess water or other things.
6. Then cut vertically down through the center of the plant. Any discoloration? If yes, what? If any redness, it's red steele -- a crown and root rot.
If it's red steele, the plants were contaminated by infested soil somewhere along the line.
And if so, discard the potting mix, wash the container with soapy water and rinse well before re-using.
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Hi Jean,
Thanks...
Ok, results: I pulled up one of the plants and saw creamy roots on top, darker as they progressed downwards. The root covering was able to be pulled off from the very bottom (about the last 3/4 inch), so I assume they are going through root rot- interesting- I always let it dry out before watering and water always drains through as I'm watering, so I don't think the drain holes are clogged or anything. Hmm... Anyhow, if there is just damage to the bottom parts of the plant's roots, can it still be saved by trimming the roots back to the healthy area and repotting in a different soil? (I'm assuming the soil needs to be ammended/changed to make it more well-drained if the culprit indeed is root rot).
Also, since I used brand-new store bought potting mix for this container of strawberries, would there still be a chance that the soil could be infested (since they are in containers and nowhere near the ground- 3 stories up)?
Thanks for the help.
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Sorry about your little plant. But it's easier to proceed once you have an accurate diagnosis. Without an analysis of the victim, everyone is guessing what's happening.
The really bad news is that if the tips are rotted, there's no way of stopping it from extending further.
You can try to remove just the affected plants, then wait to see if the others are okay. Only time will tell if you will lose all of them.
I know that's probably disheartening to hear but that's the way of gardening -- learn by doing.
Potting soil is clean when originally packaged. But it can become infested if stored on contaminated ground anywhere along the way to your place, and even at your place.
Another method is when the gardener mixes garden soil into the potting mix "to make it better."
Then too, one must consider the plants. Typically they also start out clean. Even so, they may become contaminated along the way.
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Thanks, Jean.
They are all going now. =(. I don't have any soil to speak of here (live in a tiny apt. on the third floor) so I am guessing any contamination had to have come from the potting mix that I used and/or the vendors along the way. It's just so strange how they declined SO rapidly- had a great rebound, and then the next morning, almost entirely wiped out.
Is there any way to avoid this next time? Is there a better soil mix, for example? Obviously, I will discard all the soil in that pot (unless you think I could use it for another plant which is not affected by this?). I would still like to try to grow strawberries in the future, but I want to learn how to correct this. The resources online don't really cater to container gardeners who have problems with their strawberries.
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Well, as I said, either the potting mix or the plants were contaminated somewhere along the way.
As far contaminated soil goes, it may have been as simple as the bagged potting mix on wet soil, or the same with plants (whether bare root or potted).
Further, this may be your one and only nasty experience with such problems. Put simply: it happens.
You still have time to start over this season with something else.
Then next year, try strawberries again.
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Lift up your pots. If they feel light, the soil is dry!! Take the pot and set in the kitchen sink and fill with water. The pot will float until the soil become saturated. Drain the pot and proceed to the next one. Do this once a week to make sure the soil is saturated and your plants will respond with strawberry galore. Remember me when you eat the first one.
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When you plant strawberries again stir a handful of grocery store cornmeal in each planting hole and also spread it on soil surface beneath plants. Every second week toss more cornmeal under the plants. Keep the soil evenly moist. This should prevent strawberry crown rot.
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Unfortunately, the root rot probably came from the grower, not from anything you did or didn't do. It's not uncommon for strawberry fields to experience high loss if they become infected and the starter plants can be sold off before the infection is obvious.
If you still have the plants, take one to your extension agent and ask that it be sent for diagnosis by your state university. It's possible that the grower might make good your cost of these plants if they had a crop loss and you can prove where you bought them.
Sterilize the pots before growing anything else in them by soaking in 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. The pathogen is fairly tough and could possibly contaminate whatever you plant in them in the future.
Sorry the Master Gardener didn't get a diagnosis for you. In VA we're trained to do whatever is necessary to find the problem, including sending plants off for lab tests at VA Tech if we can't figure it out. If you were not offered this service, you might mention it to the agent if you talk to him or her.
Check the link below to an article on the subject by Utah State University.
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As I said earlier, contamintion at the grower is just one place the plants can acquire problems.
Beyond that, it would be very difficult to determine the source of the contamination at this time.
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Not "contamination"....it appears very clear to me that they are not getting enough water, either because they are and have been allowed to dry out ro because they were over watered and the roots rotted from soggy soil. Is there water standing in the saucers of those pots?
If it were black root rot they would not have appeared as healthy plants in the morning and limp wilted sick things that same afternoon.
Linda C
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Forget the conspiracy ideas. The problem is the lower part of soil in the pot IS NOT moist, thus the dead roots and surface roots are healthy. Water you pots as I outlined above in this string.
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The pots I have are sort of connected to their saucers- it's a large pot (14 gal, I think). The guy in the garden area told me to get it that large, but I am thinking it might be too deep? The soil never feels dry. I only allow it to get dry to about the top inch or so, still moist underneath as per instructions I've read online. I always then water til the water runs through the pot. The only way I can tell it is running through is because the saucer starts to overflow- I can't physically see the saucer starting to fill (if that makes sense- because the saucer and the pot look like one unit- flushed walls). The strawberry roots do not reach all the way to the bottom of the pot.
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