Plants are being put in the ground, so we are quickly off to another strawberry season in Georgia. What do growers need to be doing this time of year? First and foremost, we need to start with clean fields. If you have transplants that look questionable, don’t put them in the ground. If we have learned anything from Neopestalotiopsis (Neo), it is that we don’t need to start the season with a problem. Inspect tops and roots for obvious signs of disease. If you are unsure, contact your County Agent and have them help with a diagnosis.
Follow your planting crew to inspect planting. Almost every year I visit a farm in spring and discover that plants were shoved in the ground too deep. Be sure that the crown is at the soil surface with no roots exposed (j-rooted). If you are planting plugs or bare root transplants, make sure that there is good soil contact with the plug or the roots. Following planting overhead irrigation will always be beneficial if you are set up to do it. There is the option to wet plants with a boom sprayer as long as you are setup to deliver a high gallon per acre rate.
If you suspect phytophthora or you have had a history of it in your fields, you may want to consider a fungicide application a few weeks after planting. It is important that you wait until transplants have rooted so you get better uptake of the products you apply. Additionally, you should begin scouting for spider mites weekly, or at least every other week. Early detection and control is crucial for optimum production next spring.
Several growers in recent years have decided to forego granular fertilizer applied prior to laying plastic. If no pre-plant fertilizer was applied, growers should plan on fertigating to apply around 60 pounds of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) by the end of the year. These numbers can be modified if you were able to get a soil sample ahead of planting.
We don’t normally recommend foliar fungicides this early in the season, however since Neo we have started with applications of broad-spectrum fungicides as needed. Contact your County Agent for specific recommendations and assistance with diagnosing problems in the field.
Check back later in the year for updates from the field and next steps for a successful 2027 strawberry season. Thanks to Garrett Hibbs, Hall County ANR Extension Agent, for checking over this before publishing.
