The June-bearing strawberry harvest has ended, and now it's time to renovate. The main purpose of renovating is to re-establish a healthy, vigorous stand of plants so that there is a high yield potential for the next crop. Fruit bud initiation begins in mid-August so it crucial to renovate as soon as possible after harvest to optimize this process. Renovating also gives an opportunity to control weed problems in the field
Post-emergent herbicide applications can be used before and after mowing depending on the product being used and the target weed. For information on products available please refer to Perennia's Guide to Weed Management in Strawberry or New Brunswick's Strawberry IPM Weed Management Guide.
Mowing strawberry leaves is the next step in renovating, which stimulates early initiation of fruit buds, controls plant density resulting in larger fruit size, and can reduce inoculum levels for certain leaf diseases and botrytis fruit rot. Following mowing, fertilizer should be applied and adequate soil moisture levels maintained (through either irrigation or rainfall) to support new growth. For more information on renovating strawberries please refer to Perennia's Five Renovation Steps for Strawberries.
