Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Rumandolin on April 27, 2020, 18:06

Title: Dying strawberries
Post by: Rumandolin on April 27, 2020, 18:06
Hi - I've bought a lot of bare-root strawberries from 3 different suppliers, covering around 6 different varieties. I planted and prepared them as per recommendations, kept them watered but not over-watered, and fed them with the recommended fertilisers.

Almost all the first batch I got died - they just never got going and withered and died. The second batch, by the 2nd supplier, which arrived a bit later, by contrast grew like triffids, and have just begun to flower. The third batch, half of which I planted in the spots vacated by the dead ones, are about half dead. The first supplier sent me a replacement batch, most of which have died too.

I don't know what's going on. They were sewn in towers in a mix of compost and soil with a healthy dose of slow-release fertiliser. My worry is that the first batch came infected with something, which might now be in the soil - although the 2nd batch seems so far unaffected. The dying plants typically hang on for a while with little new leaves appearing as the (trimmed/damaged) leaves that were there when they arrived die back, until the new leaves stop growing, turn grey and wither too. When I did them up, the roots are black and dead.

Any advice much appreciated! Thanks.  :)
Title: Re: Dying strawberries
Post by: Rumandolin on April 28, 2020, 14:03
I've also noticed that around the planter-holes of the strawberries that are dead/dying, there's a weird whitish-beige crust. Also signs of this on the soil and the strawberries themselves. I'd assumed this was some of the potash I'd used leaching out and crystallising as it dried, but I'm wondering if this could be some kind of fungus?
Title: Re: Dying strawberries
Post by: jaydig3 on April 28, 2020, 14:05
Apparently there is a fungal disease of strawberries called black root rot.  I'd never heard of it, but just looked it up on Google. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a cure for it, but as you suspect if it's fungal, then the soil is probably contaminated and you would need to get rid of everything and start again.  I only had a quick look, so maybe someone else can give you better advice.
Title: Re: Dying strawberries
Post by: Rumandolin on May 02, 2020, 18:44
Thanks for the reply Jaydig3. It doesn't seem to share the symptoms though. The leaves going brown at the fringes and then dying seems to match descriptions of Verticillium - but I haven't found anything matching this weird off-white crust that's formed over everything (it's even crept over up to 1cm of the surface of the plastic planter). See pics ...