Ooops, think I've just made a big mistake with my strawberries, Help!!!!!

[carosanto]

Hi Y'All

My strawberry plot was planted out last Autumn in soil which had been enriched with wrm.  Each plant had a little wrm added to the planting hole.  Just a day or so back I sprinkled chicken manure pellets and mulched each plant with wrm (after the most thorough watering you could imagine).

The local farmer donated a huge pile of unrotted wood chippings. and I was told they would make a good mulch for my strawbs, so I set about it today, just 2 hours ago. Not a thick mulch, just enough to keep weeds down, and inbetween the strawbs rather than right up to them

Our friendly local organic expert told me that this would leech nitrogen from the soil as it rotted (the mulch that is) and I might have problems with my  strawbs later.

Have I done a wrong thing here?

I know the answer is out there, and thanks for an help you can give.

Regards, Caro

[carosanto]

[Tee Gee]

Our friendly local organic expert told me that this would leech nitrogen from the soil as it rotted (the mulch that is) and I might have problems with my  strawbs later.

Although I agree that the the wood chippings will need an amount of 'nitrogen' to rot I don't think it will affect your strawberries much given that you have laid the chippings as a mulch.

Had you dug the chipping in, then that would be another matter as then the strawberries & chipping would have competed for the available nitrogen

I would guess your plants are in full leaf now so they won't need a great deal of nitrogen now.

You have added chicken pellets and this is basically a high nitrogen feed (NPK 4.3-3.2-3.2) so all should be OK (in my opinion)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've mulched things with wood chippings, and I regularly do it with dead leaves, which also eat nitrogen. I've never seen any difference. If you're worried, water occasionally with diluted pee to add nitrogen.

[carosanto]

Robert and TeeGee, you've put my mind at rest, thankyou.  I worked hard on that strawberry plot to give it the best conditions I could, and I was kicking myself for possibly undoing all my good work.

This is why I love A4All.

Regards, and thanks.

Caro

[cornykev]

Others on our plot do the same, so they should be fine.
;D ;D ;D

[davyw1]

I would give them a week tomato feed which is high in potassium, a nitrogen feed will encourage leaf growth possibly at the expense of the fruit. When the nodes start to grow cut them off this also takes growth away from the fruit.