Strawberry Fresca Seedling Tray

For best results with Strawberry Fresca, grow one seedling plug per 1801 cell or 4-inch container or three to four per 8-inch container. Use well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5-7.5, an EC of 0.7-1.2 mS/cm, light feed (100-175 ppm N), and temperatures between 60-65 daytime and 60-62 nighttime. Provide full sun and moderate water. Watch for root rot, botrytis, powdery mildew, verticillium, aphids, slugs, and strawberry crown borers. This plant is sensitive to high salts. Use DIF in the first two hours after sunrise to control plant height. 

Small white flowers bloom in late spring and give way to fruit in early summer to fall.

This plant doesn't require pinching.

Space containers for adequate airflow and sunlight penetration around the base and foliage of each plant.

Use DIF in the first two hours after sunrise to control height whenever possible. We don't recommend using PGRs on edible plants.

Scout for aphids, slugs, and strawberry crown borers as part of your commercial greenhouse's Integrated Pest Management program. 

Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that cause damage by sucking sap from plant tissue. They reproduce quickly and are particularly attracted to young growth. Curling and yellowed leaves, stunted growth, and stickiness on leaves are signs of an infestation. These insects also spread diseases and reproduce rapidly. Use biological controls or horticultural oils to discourage and kill aphids.

Slugs eat foliage in the garden or greenhouse. In the greenhouse, prevent damage by keeping slugs away from plants with copper tape, bait, or natural predators. Although it's laborious, picking these pests off plants is effective. They most enjoy moist, dark areas, so keep the area around plants clean and free of debris and implement proper watering practices that allow the soil to dry between waterings and don't allow standing water.

Strawberry crown borers (Tyloderma fragariae) are small brown weevils whose white grub-like larvae bore into the crowns of strawberry plants to feed, leading to wilting, stunted growth, and plant death. The best treatment is prevention, particularly rotating crops. Address this pest by removing and destroying any infested plants and crowns, introducing beneficial nematodes to attack and diminish the population, or applying an insecticide labeled for crown borers. 

Watch for signs of botrytis, root rot, powdery mildew, and verticillium. Always use preventative measures against disease in your commercial greenhouse, including watering at the base of each plant, allowing the soil to dry between waterings, providing adequate spacing and good ventilation, and sanitizing tools, equipment, and surfaces before and after each use. 

Botrytis is a common fungal disease that causes brown spots on stems, leaves, and flowers. Remove and destroy affected plants, maintain appropriate humidity levels, and apply fungicides with boscalid, fenhexamid, or iprodione to control the spread. Water plants in the morning and allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings.

Root Rot occurs in poorly drained or overly wet soil, which becomes the host for several types of fungi. It causes stunted growth, wilting, and root system decay. Prevention is the best treatment, and you will avoid most root rot problems by using clean, well-draining media, appropriate containers, and good watering practices for finishing seedling plugs. Inspect plants for signs of disease regularly. Repot infected plants in well-draining soil, adjust your watering schedule, provide better airflow, and use a fungicide if needed.

Powdery Mildew is a fungal disease that thrives in humid conditions, appearing as a white or gray coating on foliage and flowers. Provide good airflow in your greenhouse. We recommend horizontal airflow fans to help control humidity levels alongside a dehumidifier or manual venting. Remove and destroy infected plants and apply fungicides as needed or preventatively. Look for the active ingredients myclobutanil, trifloxystrobin, or potassium bicarbonate to combat Powdery Mildew threatening your seedling plugs.

Verticillium is a fungal disease that causes stunted growth and wilted, browning foliage. Proper sanitation is the best defense, as this fungus spreads through contaminated soil and debris or equipment, tools, and water. Remove infected plants and sanitize tools that may be contaminated. Proper sanitization, watering, fertilization, and spacing can reduce the risk of initial infection. Choose fungicides carefully, rotating among azoxystrobin, propamocarb hydrochloride, and thiophanate-methyl and following the manufacturer's instructions for application rate, timing, and safety precautions.

We recommend planting one seedling plug per 1801 cell or 4-inch container or three to four per 8-inch container. Use well-drained soil and bury the plant with the crown above the soil. Cellpacks finish in six to eight weeks.