'BERRY' GOOD NEWS The information that follows is condensed from an article in the March, 1990 Organic Gardening. It concerns a new var- iety of strawberry called day-neutral. As their name implies, day-neutrals are not as sensitive to the summer daylight that cuts off production of June- bearers and curbs everbearers. While it is true that June- bearers produce bigger berries during their short growing season, day-neutrals can eclipse their cousins with a steady output of smaller but equally succulent berries over 3 sea- sons (with yields equal to & usually surpassing other var- ieties). Interest in this new type of strawberry was slow to develop at first, since many growers didn't know how to handle them. "They demand more attention because they can produce fruit throughout the summer" says Jan Stokesbary of Nourse Farms in South Deerfield, Mass. "They also need more water & fertilizer." "Because they flower all summer long" she states, "they are also more susceptible to insects (particularly the tarnished plant bug)." Although they are often listed as everbearers in many catalogs, they are a different type entirely. Ever-bearers basically produce 2 crops a year: a traditional one in spring and another smaller crop in the fall. Phillip Ahrens, owner of Ahrens Strawberry Nursery in Huntingburg, Indiana says TRIBUTE & TRISTAR are the dominant day-neutrals favored for home gardeners virtually everywhere. Introduced in 1981, these sister plants - bred from the same wild parents - are prefixed with a 'Tri' because they yield fruit in 3 of the 4 seasons. Their hardy mountain ancestry predisposes them for all but the coldest areas of the East. They also predominate in Northern & Midwestern climates as well. "It's a function of ground level temperature" Ahrens explains. "Lowering the temperature of the plant's crown in- creases summer & fall productivity." In any climate, he says a 1/2 inch layer of straw mulch in summer will help cool the soil. "As long as you don't get into 95 + degrees temperature you'll get yields from TRISTAR & TRIBUTE equal to or greater than June-bearers." Gene Galleta (a member of the USDA team that furthered the original research done in this area) notes that the main tradeoff between day-neutrals & June-bearers is size. "Reg- ular June-bearers are 10 - 14 grams per berry or about the size of a half-dollar in diameter. Day-neutrals are 6 - 8 grams ... in a summer crop, which is about 30% smaller. But you could still make a good shortcake ... and there's no compromise in flavor." A distinct advantage he adds, is that TRIBUTE & TRISTAR are more disease- & stress-tolerant. The plants and their root systems are larger, which makes them more resistant to heat & moisture loss. Thus, they are a little more tolerant to leaf and stem pests. These varieties also show high tolerance to stele & red stele, root rot, verticillium wilt, and leaf & stem rot. TRISTAR is more adaptable to warmer weather, produces better-tasting fruit and higher yields, while TRIBUTE has slightly larger, healthy-looking berries (but these are not hard and fast rules Galleta notes). Generally, day-neutral ripening in the spring lasts approximately 30 days from open flower to mature fruit. As temperatures rise, this drops to 21 - 23 days. Conversely, as things cool off in the fall, it goes back up to as long as 45 - 50 days. In the spring, TRIBUTE usually weighs 10 - 12 grams per berry, with TRISTAR at 8 - 10 grams each. In the fall, TRISTAR averages 12 and TRIBUTE 15. Ahrens estimates that a spring planting of about 50 plants will be enough to guarantee about 1 quart of berries every day or two during the most productive part of the summer. "There's about a 30 - 50% gain in size during cooler temperatures," Galleta says. "If you keep them watered and keep the bugs off, you'll get even better than that for size. It takes a little know-how." The main reason the care & feeding of day-neutrals differ from June-bearers is that day-neutrals don't produce as many runners. They start to flower within a couple of days after planting and don't stop until they pack it in for the winter. Set them out as early as possible in the spring. Research shows that the later you plant, the poorer they perform. If you can't plant them by mid-May in the north, it may not be worth it. Set them as close as 4 - 5 inches apart. They do best if staggered in rows instead of next to each other, since they apparently compete with each other. To prevent stunted growth, it's a good idea to pinch off flowers for 6 weeks after initial planting to allow them to reach sufficient size before bearing fruit. Thirty days after that, you should be picking berries! Pinch off runners all during the season as well, so plants will concentrate their energy on berry production, not daughter plants. Since day- neutrals don't produce as many runners as other varieties, this isn't as difficult as it may sound at first. Soil temperature is a key to successful cultivation. Since day-neutrals have a shallow root system, immediate mulching (with straw, for example) helps. In warmer climates, the recommendation is a white plastic mulch over a dark plastic. The white plastic doesn't allow light penetration and keeps soil temperatures below 85 degrees, while the black plastic helps retain moisture. To protect berries from the hot days of August, take a tip from commercial growers and try evaporative cooling. Rig up a mist-type sprinkler and place it in the middle of your beds. It will release a small amount of moisture into the air, not flood them with water. The secret is not to use it after 4 P.M. (noon to 3 P.M. is best). This will keep them cool during the heat of the day, but not get them so wet that diseases caused by too much dampness might occur. Proper feeding is also important. Traditional straw- berries are fertilized once a year, usually in June. Day- neutrals prefer a slow, steady feeding of nitrogen. Add compost, well-rotted cow manure or fish emulsion every 2 weeks or so throughout the growing season. Work a moderate amount in the top layer of soil. Although many prefer to treat them as annuals, they can be overwintered. Begin mulching in late fall (after 1 or 2 good frosts), with 1 1/2 - 2 inches of loosely applied straw which should be removed when spring growth starts. If plants become too dense in their 2nd & succeeding years, the size of fruit will diminish accordingly. Thin runners enough to be able to spot your closed fist in the growth before it touches the crown of the plants. If you do overwinter, you should have fruit in June. In their 2nd year, expect a flush of berries in June, then rest in early July, coming back with more in early August. They don't do much more for the rest of the 2nd season. As mentioned earlier, the tarnished plant bug is the most prevalent pest. It feeds on the flowers and causes the fruit to become nubby. They tend to increase during the summer, getting progressively worse. One defense is spunbonded- polyester row covers on the plants when the bugs are at their peak (at night & early morning). Another is to remove the covers after blooms open, about midday, to encourage polli- nation. An organic spray of sabadilla dust once or twice weekly is also helpful. If you do, be sure to rinse them well before eating. Ahrens says he has been able to harvest right up until Thanksgiving by using the row covers in spring & fall. "They are more efficient in fall than spring ... you have a residue of warm temperature in the ground and ... get 8 - 12 degrees of protection during the cool fall evenings." Agrinet has a new, lighter weight product than the frost protection ones that provides an insect barrier as well. It offers almost total light transmission and is 100% effective at keeping the tarnished plant bug out come springtime. Ahrens says "It's like a real fine hair net. Water trickles right through it." SOURCES: Ahrens Strawberry Nursery Brittingham's Plant Farms RR 1 P.O. Box 2538 Huntingburg, IND. 47542 Salisbury, MD. 21801 (812) 683-3055 (301) 749-5153 Nourse Farms, Inc. Stark Bros. Nurseries Box 485 RFD Louisiana, MO. 63353 South Deerfield, MA. 01373 (800) 325-4180 or (314) 754-4525 (in MO.) Rayner Bros., Inc. Allen Company P.O. Box 1617 P.O. Box 310 Salisbury, MD.21802 Fruitland, MD. 21826 (301) 742-1594 (301) 742-7122