A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Fruit Forum 3-year old Ozark Beauty strawberry's don't produce

I have two big patches with supposedly the same type of strawberries. The one patch is 3 years old and only produced 14# last year and 3# this year.

This is the second year for the others and I got 77#.

They have both been managed the same way. They are both in tilled rows. Neither were fertilized this spring.

The PH on the first patch is 7.3. Could this be the reason they are doing so badly? Here are the rest of the numbers if they mean anything.

Pounds per acre...
Water PH 6.8
Buffer PH 7.3
Phosphorus 426
Potassium 1113
Calcium 6970
Magnesium 829
Organic matter 3.6

Percent saturation:

Ca 75.3
Mg 14.9
K 6.2
H 3.4

I am wondering if it is hopeless, and why. Thanks.

Did you get blossoms?

Yes, there were lots of blossoms, but only tiny berries.

Your ph level is a little high..Ozarks are Everbearing. I plant Tri-star(day neutrals) here they seem to do better.

What region do you live in?

I think it is zone 5 in Illinois.

Hmmm, I am wondering if they were planted correctly. With the crown just slightly above the soil...

You can read up on them by clicking on this link:

strawberries

Well, I'm thinking that the new runners should have gotten a normal start yet they aren't any better. I remember building up the soil like small mounds so the dirt probably washed away later. The second patch came out good but I just planted them level with the surface that time.

The remedy for alkaline soil is to add sulfer and work the soil. Of course that isn't possible in established plants. Should I apply it now directly onto the plants?