We always pinched the buds off of ours the first year so that the energy would go to plant production. The next year they were packed! We used straw betweent he rows. I never heard of anyone putting down mulch. We never sprayed our with any pesticides either. The birds always ate more than the bugs but we still had tons of berries.

You may have a slug problem. I know most of mine get eaten by slugs before I get to them! Consider slug poison -- you can find the iron phosphate variety (non-toxic), if you look around.

Yep, sounds like slugs. The iron phosphate product Ione's referring to is called Sluggo, which kills slugs when they nibble on the pellets but doesn't hurt anything else, including your plants, and doesn't leave a toxin in the soil.

Marty

Marty -- speaking of Sluggo -- I had heard that iron phosphate is sometimes used for soil enrichment and could be bought cheaper that way -- but when I asked about it at the Co-op, they didn't know what I was talking about. Do you have any info about that, or did somebody just steer me wrong?

I thought that Sluggo was just made out of clay! He's so mean to Mr. Bill! Ohhhhhhh no!!!

:-O

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Methinks BOV has been sitting to close to his moonflower/daturas and is intoxicated by their fragrance !!!
:-)
By the way --- you just made me remember some of my favorite SNL bits when you wrote that ,lol.
Marianne

Marianne I'm so sorry I forgot to call you back! I've been so busy lately and now I have the crud. Holler at me.

My daughter and I bought this house in Dec.(I am new to this area, and strawberries.) while mowing the other day I noticed a lot of strawberries running all threw the grass,I am pulling them up and trying to save them as best as I can. I do not know how long they have been there, nor do I know exactly what to do with them. Any help would be appreciated. thank you in advance. Gailee

Gailee most likely those are of the wild variety and have no taste. If they are smaller than a dime, that's what you've got. Usually they grow in semi-shaded areas and are just a pain in the rear.

Big O is right about your strawberries. They are a very common weed around here. I just wanted to mention -- I've got 'Alexandria' woodland strawberries, and they are nearly the same size as wild strawberries but very very sweet. Even in this case, however, they are easy to tell apart: the wild strawberries have yellow flowers, while the woodland strawberries have white flowers. :-)

You are both right. I am sitting here feeling, red faced, and a little stupid. I have got to start from scratch, and learn everything all over again.Thank you again. Big o and amazindirt, Gailee

I too have strawberries being eaten just as they are ripening...This morning it was whole, later in the afternoon it was chomped in half...Neighbor said mockingbird. but it looks more like little bites than pecks..Put beer out at night, nothing in it..what would attack during the day? voles? How to catch them?

Glad for the advice on the straw...my strawberries were getting soggy bottoms....I find the flesh to be a lil soft for my liking. What type do you plant that you are happy with. Looking for sweet, firm flesh...a good size would be nice too. Have been thinking about Ozark Beauty? Any comments on those?

Best variety in my experience, taste and texture-wise, is Honeoye. Absolutely scrumptious, the way you fantasize a strawberry ought to be. In general, I like spring-bearers better than everbearers for taste (Ozark Beauty is an everbearer, but I don't know that I've had that particular variety). YMMV, of course.

About wild strawberries... Those dry tasteless faux strawberries on aggressive running ground-hugging vines are not strawberries. That's an invasive exotic called Indian or Mock-Strawberry, not named after American Indians but named after the country in Asia where it came from. Botanical name is Duchesnea indica. It is a big PITA.

True wild strawberries taste fabulous, at least as good as garden varieties.

Marty

Thanks soeur...I'll be looking for those.

Any ideas about where to purchase Sluggo?

Ants also eat the strawberries . . . I have seen some slugs in my strawberries, but mostly it's the ants that devour the berries. To control the ants, I use Terro (brand name) liquid ant bait. The bait is borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate), like the borax soap. Although it says on the box to keep out of reach of children and away from food stuffs, it is basically borax soap and is much less "toxic" than the chemical pesticides.

It is best to put the bait in the strawberry beds before the strawberries start to ripen. The ants smell the sweet, ripening berries and then they feast on them. Get the bait out early.

The borax lures the ants and kills them. Any residual borax that may have come from the ants carrying it onto the berries is easily rinsed off. But, I think the quantity is negligible. I've eaten them without rinsing . . . straight from the plant.

I have bought the Terro ant bait at Lowe's and WalMart. And, it is fairly cheap too.

I was stone robbed of my first round of strawberries this year. The birds had a major feast. I will eventually be putting up a frame and draping net over. The little bit of chicken wire I had was too close and they got through. They are everbearing and have more blooms now. Hopefully I can get to it before they do again. I like to mulch my strawberries with pine needles. I also use egg shells for slugs.

I grew ozark beauty & they tasted great the 2nd year then we had a lot of rain next spring & they molded, then got hot & dry so did not produce well. planted in wrong place on top of septic tank so did not have much soil otherwise may have done well. i think there are quite a few that will do well here. i put in june bearers & everbearers last year. the june are done now but really produced, the everbearers not so hot now, hopefully when dries out and heats up they will do better