Ask John Negus
John has been answering reader queries for 50 years
What can be ruining my strawberries?
Q I have started growing a few strawberry plants and until a couple of weeks ago I had unblemished fruit. However, now more than a third of the strawberries have damage at the top. They are in an area that is covered by a net, so it’s not birds. Can you give me any suggestions on how I could prevent this?
Peter Holmes (via email)
A I am sorry that a third of your strawberry fruits are damaged. As your crop is covered with netting we can discount birds, unless they are perching on it, weighing it down and seizing fruits that come within reach.
I am wondering what sort of damage your crop has incurred? Are fruits being chewed or are they rotting?
If chewed, mice or voles could be responsible; if you set a trap or two you would soon know.
If, however, ripe fruits are decaying, it could be because you are watering them. It’s important to cease watering when fruits are pink or red, as excess moisture can trigger an outbreak of grey mould (botrytis).
If your strawberry fruits have started to split, heavy rain could be the culprit – or, again, it might be heavy watering.
As mentioned above, it is best not to irrigate strawberries when
