2025 STRAWBERRY PEST MANAGEMENT SEASON BEGINS Vegetable and Berry Growers Twilight Meeting at Belanger’s Farm, Lewiston, June 5, 5:30 p.m. Situation: March was slightly warmer than average this spring, but April has been very cool and damp, keeping strawberry plants dormant in matted row plantings under straw mulch. It is now time to uncover the […]
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While strawberries have long been a staple of spring crops in Maine, the plants are not especially hardy. As an herbaceous, or non-woody plant, strawberries don’t achieve what is considered a true state of dormancy during the winter. Rather, they go into a quiescent state, or pseudo-dormancy which offers some protection against extreme temperatures, but […]
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RENOVATION AND WEED MANAGEMENT ISSUE Get Your Strawberry Beds Ready for Next Year and Manage Pests in Day-Neutral Strawberries The strawberry harvest has come to an early close in most parts of the state due to the very warm weather in recent weeks. The season started early for most farms, and was shortened by the […]
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HARVEST SEASON UNDERWAY IN SOUTHERN MAINE Anthracnose Fruit Rot Infecting Early Fruit Situation: Southern strawberry fields will be opening this week or early next week. The crop size and quality looks very good in most fields. The predicted warm weather next week will hasten ripening, so if you haven’t started advertising yet, don’t wait. Most […]
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EARLY BERRIES NEAR HARVEST IN SOUTHERN MAINE Insect Pest Counts Lower This Week; Gray Mold Threat Remains with Recent Rains Situation: Strawberry fruit development has progressed rapidly with warm weather over the past week. A few ripe berries were being harvested in a field in Wells that were grown under rowcovers. Insect and mite activity […]
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TARNISHED PLANT BUG THREATENS STRAWBERRY BLOSSOMS Botrytis Fruit Rot Risk Elevated Due to Recent Rains Situation: Warmer temperatures have advanced both plant and insect development this week. Green fruit are showing on early strawberry varieties in southern Maine, while late varieties are just coming into bloom. Tarnished plant bug nymphs and spider mite populations are […]
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STRAWBERRY BLOOM IN SOUTHERN MAINE Insect Pest Counts Very Low; Bloom Sprays Should Target Gray Situation: Early strawberry varieties are coming into full bloom in the southern part of the state. Overall, fields look very good, except where significant flooding occurred, or deer have been feeding. Insect pest numbers continue to be very low, and […]
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2024 STRAWBERRY PEST MANAGEMENT SEASON BEGINS Vegetable and Berry Growers Twilight Meeting at Snell’s Family Farm, Buxton, June 13, 5:30 p.m. Situation: Warm temperatures got strawberry plants off to an early start in fields that had straw mulch removed before the rain started. Cooler cloudy weather that has prevailed since, has slowed development to back […]
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Although strawberries have long been grown successfully in Maine, they are not particularly hardy plants. However, because of the low growth habit of the plants, and their tendency to grow in protected areas near wood lines in the wild, they are often covered with leaves and snow during the coldest parts of the winter, which […]
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RENOVATION AND WEED MANAGEMENT ISSUE Get Your Strawberry Beds Ready for Next Year and Manage Pests in Day-Neutral Strawberries The harvest season is coming to a close with very hot, humid weather ripening up the few late berries remaining. Overall, the crop was fair to good, in spite of some very cold winter temperatures and […]
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