strawberries get eaten if touch ground

**kauairosina** 1/20/2014, 1:43 am

I have a four by eight raised bed (to my waist) that is now covered in strawberry plants. Other than lifting each strawberry onto leaves so it does not touch the ground and get nibbled at by whatever is down there, does anyone have another idea? I'm wondering about straw but think it might give the eaters a hideaway.

**camprn** 1/20/2014, 6:24 am

Yes, a fluffed straw mulch would work well to lift the berries away from the ground.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/extn_pub/fruitpubs/Strawberries%20for%20the%20Home%20Garden%20-Oahu%20County%20Leaflet%20No.%2019.pdf

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/higard/msg120427497841.html

yolos 1/20/2014, 8:18 pm

camprn wrote:Yes, a fluffed straw mulch would work well to lift the berries away from the ground.

http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/sustainag/extn_pub/fruitpubs/Strawberries%20for%20the%20Home%20Garden%20-Oahu%20County%20Leaflet%20No.%2019.pdf

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/higard/msg120427497841.html

I was told by an old time gardener that you should put STRAW under the berries, that is why they are called STRAWberries. Don't know if that is true or not.

**kauairosina** 1/20/2014, 8:32 pm

Thanks Yolo, that's one I never heard. Gonna get that straw under them tomorrow morning.

**walshevak** 1/20/2014, 11:51 pm

Commercial growers use a black plastic mulch to keep the berries off the soil.

Kay

plantoid 1/22/2014, 5:18 pm

kauairosina wrote:Thanks Yolo, that's one I never heard. Gonna get that straw under them tomorrow morning.

The straw not only makes it uncomfortable for slugs and snail when it's dry it also helps reflect the light & heat back under the plants to ripen shaded fruits .

If the slugs aren't slugs but turn out to be small mice eating your strawbs use break neck mouse traps set inside tubes made from clear Soda pop bottles with the ends cut off laid & pegged onto the ground so you don't get any birds or pets. You will soon see if the trap has been sprung . Always reset the trap if you make a catch for they're will likely be zillions more in the extended mouse family .

**kauairosina** 1/22/2014, 5:37 pm

My straw was getting funky and difficult to put under strawberries so I used the pine shavings that we use for the chickens. The berries sure look pretty on their nests. We'll see how this works.

plantoid 1/22/2014, 5:45 pm

Sounds a reasonable substitute , can you post any pictures of them on the site please?

**kauairosina** 1/22/2014, 5:47 pm

Would love to but I do not know yet how to post to this site.

plantoid 1/22/2014, 5:52 pm

Putting pictures on site ,
Click on the word " Home " at the left hand side of the green headings line which is towards the top of this page .

Look into the fourth subject down the list .... " How to "

it is in there .
If you have a printer print it off.

There may be another days wait to fulfil the mandatory 5 day waiting period for newcomers before you can post a picture . I say this because I've just noticed your recent joining date

**sanderson** 1/22/2014, 9:34 pm

Plain wood chips. ??

malefacter 1/22/2014, 10:23 pm

carefull pine will slowly acidify your soil
you may want to scratch around for cut worms they hang out just under the soil and will eat berries

**donnainzone5** 1/23/2014, 12:53 pm

I wouldn't worry about pine straw acidifying the soil.

First, it takes a very long time to decompose. Secondly, I understand that fully decomposed pine needles have little remaining acidity. And third, strawberries like slightly acidic soil.

**camprn** 1/23/2014, 7:29 pm

donnainzone10 wrote:I wouldn't worry about pine straw acidifying the soil.

First, it takes a very long time to decompose. Secondly, I understand that fully decomposed pine needles have little remaining acidity. And third, strawberries like slightly acidic soil.

+1

I used pine straw on my strawberry beds. All is well.

grownsunshine 4/7/2014, 3:22 pm

I had a few strawberries I was letting get nice and ripe. Went back a couple of days later and they were eaten. No evidence left, no small morsel hanging off the plan. I know I have squirrels, mice, lizards and probably other possible culprits. I have to make a cover for that box. It's nice to do a search and see what it could be that's eating them and what I need to so. Thanks for the info everyone.

Question - I was going to put up a chicken wire fence, but mice can easily get through the holes. Do you think the culprit is mice and should I use the type of wire with smaller holes like the type used for sifting worm compost?

audrey.jeanne.roberts 4/7/2014, 3:30 pm

I use a mulch of mixed wood chips 2-3 inches thick. These aren't bark chips, but the kind of wood that's been chipped from small branches w leaves and needles on them.

I had great success with my strawberries not being eaten last year except occasionally by pill bugs so I use Sluggo Plus each month and am getting them under control.

southern gardener 4/7/2014, 3:34 pm

grownsunshine wrote:I had a few strawberries I was letting get nice and ripe. Went back a couple of days later and they were eaten. No evidence left, no small morsel hanging off the plan. I know I have squirrels, mice, lizards and probably other possible culprits. I have to make a cover for that box. It's nice to do a search and see what it could be that's eating them and what I need to so. Thanks for the info everyone.

Question - I was going to put up a chicken wire fence, but mice can easily get through the holes. Do you think the culprit is mice and should I use the type of wire with smaller holes like the type used for sifting worm compost?

A couple of months ago I posted a thread about making some covers out of hardware cloth. If you do a search I'm sure you can find it. I gave step-by-step instructions along with some pretty decent pictures. Let me know if you can't find it, I would be glad to help you up. I am on my phone so have limited access right now

**sanderson** 4/7/2014, 3:39 pm

SG, It would be great if you could locate and post the name of the thread with your photos. Or bump it so Newbies can see them. The thing is, topics don't always stay on the original subject and only the photo poster can possibly remember in which topic the photos might have been posted. Thanks Very Happy

southern gardener 4/7/2014, 4:53 pm

I found it!! boy was it buried!! It's in "Moved our Beds" page #3. Here is the link.

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16843p30-moved-our-beds

If someone wants to make a thread of it, it's ok with me. or I can if it's OK. I've had a lot of people ask me about these. They're so easy to make, long lasting, you can water through them, see what's going on, the bees can get through also.

Good luck!!

**sanderson** 4/7/2014, 4:57 pm

A separate topic would be nice, something like "durable critter cages for SFG boxes." I made one for Gwennifer's table tops because I think they are so attractive but smallish. Great for patios.

GWN 4/7/2014, 5:32 pm

I used the wood chips like Audrey around my strawberries and it not only kept the critters away, it kept them very clean. So that when it rained (or watering) there was not dirt all over the strawbs
I did use straw for a few years, but I really preferred the chips. MORE DURABLE
OH and one thing about the straw.... it came from a farm up in the hills near here and oddly enough, we got Morel mushrooms in there the following year that I think were a transfer with the straw... BONUS

**kauairosina** 4/7/2014, 6:05 pm

I have the same thing happening to my strawberries. The evidence points to little slug like varmints that hover under the leaves and probably in the ground. I am going to put more pine shavings down but if the strawberry is isolated from the ground they are just fine.

GWN 4/7/2014, 6:29 pm

You know the odd thing that gets mine in the summer, that is WASPS.... so weird.
But I also have those tiny slugs that seem to do more damage than the larger ones.

TxGramma 4/7/2014, 7:26 pm

Birds love them too. The ends of my strawberries were being eaten as they ripened and then I caught the culprit one morning. As I was enjoying just relaxing and looking at the garden I saw the prettiest red bird walking around in my strawberry box just waltz over and help itself to nibbles of my sweet, juicy strawberries. As long as they don't eat too many I share but if they do like they are my figs and eat them all then it's time to cover them up.

Marc Iverson 4/7/2014, 8:01 pm

I wouldn't mind sharing crops so much if the critters could just eat one or two, not take little bites from a different dozen each day.

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