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Strawberry

Strawberry is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family.

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Recognize strawberry plant
Photo Rasbak - CC BY-SA 3.0

Strawberry ( Fragaria ) is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family (Rosaceae).
A strawberry is an aggregate fruit. It resembles fruit, but from a botanical point of view the strawberry is not. Normally fruits develop from the ovary and seed. If other plant parts are part of the fruit, it is called an aggregate fruit.
With strawberries, the flower bed participates in the fruit development. The seeds grow on the flower bottom, which is why they are on the outside of strawberries.
Cuttings taken from the runners in late summer can be planted in a new bed. Do this before mid-October, so that the cuttings still have a chance to root well. If the strawberry bed is in a very wet spot, it is better to plant the cuttings in pots and let them overwinter in the greenhouse or conservatory. They can be planted out in the spring. It is customary to leave the runners until the new spring.
A bed of strawberries can be covered in winter with a mulch layer of compost or straw. This way, the plants do not dry out in a bleak northerly wind. In March, the semi-digested material can be worked into the soil between the plants.

Bugs

Strawberry-blossom weevil, Photo: Robert Henschel – Public Domain

Flower buds and incipient fruits wilt: Strawberry-blossom weevil (Anthonomus rubi).

Dot-shaped spots on the leaf; mites on the underside: Red spider mite (Tetranychus urticae).

Soft spots develop in ripening strawberries, then rotten spots: Spotted wing drosophila – SWD (Drosophila suzukii).

Whiteflies colonize the underside of the leaf. They feed on leaf sap and secrete honeydew: Cabbage whitefly (Aleyrodes proletella) . Sooty mold then forms on the honeydew.

Strawberry plant does not grow, root system shows many small root knots (galls): Northern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla).

recognize Carnation tortrix larva
Carnation tortrix larva, photo: Dr. Janos Bodor – CC Public Domain

Leaf curl and damage to leaf, flower bud and stems: Carnation tortrix larvae (Cacoecimorpha pronubana) .

Fungi & diseases

recognize diseases strawberry
Grey mold affected strawberry, photo: Rasbak – CC BY-SA 3.0

Grey mold veil over the fruits: Gray mold (Botrytis ssp.).

Black mold on honeydew secreted by cabbage whiteflies: sooty mold.

Red stele on the roots of the strawberry, photo Liberato – CC BY 3.0

Leaves turn yellow or bronze and wilt, roots turn red and strawberries become bitter: Red stele (Phytophthora fragariae) .

Strawberries with Verticillium wilt, Photo: FarceRéjeane – CC BY-SA 3.0

The leaves of the strawberry plant become dull, after which the whole plant turns yellow and wilts: Verticillium wilt (Verticillium spp).

Other

Strawberry plants produce a lot of leaves, but do not flower: they are in a shady spot or they are over-fertilized. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth but inhibits flowering.

Recognize food damage to strawberries
Gnaw damage to strawberries, photo: Ward Stragier

Holes in ripening strawberries: snails and slugs.

recognize drought damage strawberry
Leaf burn during drought and lots of sun, photo: Facebook.

Leaf dries up, turns brown during a period of drought and a lot of sun: leaf burn.