Gardening: Do not disturb pre-emergent barrier; how to grow strawberries

Q: I used a pre-emergent about two weeks ago. How long before raking and reseeding the thin spots?

A: You applied the pre-emergent herbicide at the correct time as the forsythia or golden bells were in flower. When forsythia blooms, it is a good indicator that the soil has warmed up enough to apply a pre-emergent herbicide and be effective at around 50 degrees.

Now the question is what pre-emergent did you apply? There are granular types and liquid types of these pre-emergent herbicides. Hopefully you saved the container of the pre-emergent as it will tell you exactly how long you will have to wait. If you disturb the soil too soon, you will break the barrier that prevents the weed seeds from absorbing water to begin germinating.

Q: We would like to grow our own strawberries. What factors should we consider in planting them?

A: Choose a high site where the soil is loamy and well-drained. The high site is necessary so the plants and fruit will not freeze, which can happen in spring if the plants are in low areas. Also avoid planting in sites where strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and potatoes have been growing within the last three years. Strawberries are susceptible to the fungal diseases that go with these plants.

The soil should be prepared similar to sites being prepared for other vegetables, by working in 2 or 3 pounds of a 12-12-12 fertilizer.

The varieties of Earliglow and Sunrise usually are good performers for an early harvest. Midseason cultivars are Redchief, Guardian and Surecrop. For late season varieties, use Sparkle, Marlate or Delite. Ozark Beauty is the best everbearing variety.

Plant the strawberry plants so the fleshy crown is right at the surface of the soil. Plants should be 1 to 2 feet apart. And rows should be 3 to 4 feet apart.

Pinch off all the white flowers that form the first spring to allow the plants to spend their food reserves on establishing healthy roots and shoots. Runners (horizontal stems) will form new crowns as they fill in between the rows. Allow about five plants per square foot to remain and remove the others crowns to another location.

Strawberry plants will benefit from a side-dressing of 1 cup of 12-12-12 fertilizer per 25 feet of row. Flower buds for next year’s crop will begin forming in mid-August. If the summer is dry, make sure that the plants get at least 1 inch of water, soaked into the soil each week.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 4:04 AM with the headline "Gardening: Do not disturb pre-emergent barrier; how to grow strawberries."