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« on: June 29, 2009, 12:54:56 am » |
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Chilled to perfectionPlant strawberries nowThe Marlborough Express | Friday, 26 June 2009BERRY NICE: Get your strawberry plants in the ground now and you'll be rewarded with a healthy crop when summer comes.Now is the perfect time to plant strawberries if you want ripe, succulent fruit in time for Christmas, according to Rachael Vogan of Garden NZ.
Garden centres are stocked up with healthy new plants ready to be planted.
Strawberries do not require a lot of space to thrive and are the quickest and easiest berry to grow, making them ideal for the new gardener, she says.
Whether they spill out of strawberry towers, tumble from hanging baskets, troughs and containers or share a spot in the flower or vegetable garden, they will reward you with fresh berries for months on end if you treat them well.
Research has shown that strawberry plants that get enough hours in the ground at chilling temperatures well before flowering have increased vigour and produce a higher number of berries over the season.
Rachael's tips for strawberry success include:
Remove the runners in the first season so the plants' energies go into producing fruit rather than foliage. In the second season, the plants can be left to form runners that are removed and replanted for the next season's fruiting.
Plant five strawberry plants for each member of the family, to ensure you have enough berries for all to enjoy all season.
If space is limited, grow them in containers, hanging baskets or towers.
Choose a sunny, well-drained position.
Cultivate the soil to a depth of 30 centimetres and blend in strawberry fertiliser, pelletised pea straw, SaturAid and strawberry mix.
Make mounds for the strawberries to be planted on. Mounding improves drainage and increases the air circulation around plants, preventing the spread of disease, and gives shallow soils more depth.
Black polythene can be used to cover the mounds before planting.
Plant 15cm apart on the top of the mounds.
Add a layer of pea straw to suppress weeds and conserve water as well as keeping the fruit healthy and clean. Add strawberry food every few weeks to ensure stronger, healthier plants.
Cover with netting once berries are formed.http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/lifestyle/home-and-garden/2537955/Chilled-to-perfection
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