I'm a bit worried about my strawberry plants. I have 6 Elsanta plants growing in a container in my garden. This will be their 4th year and I'm planning to take them out after they've fruited. Last summer I didn't tidy up the plants, which produced numerous runners. I potted up 40 runners in the autumn and left those outside over winter standing on a garden table.
I noticed in the autumn that the plants (both new and old) had some red leaves (mainly the outer ones) and as winter progressed they started to look shabbier and shabbier. Some of the smaller leaves looked brown and crumpled and 10 of the 40 young plants died. I tidied up the potted runners, removing any unhealthy foliage and sprayed them with Systhane . They are looking a lot better now:
(http://www.vrombaut.co.uk/GARDEN-PICS/runners.jpg)
But here is a picture of one of the older plants, which I haven't tidied up:
(http://www.vrombaut.co.uk/GARDEN-PICS/strawberry.jpg)
My worry is that the plants may be affected by verticillium wilt. I plan to plant out the 30 surviving runners in a newly prepared bed on my allotment, but of course I don't want to introduce disease into the soil. Is there a chance that the plants are suffering from disease? Or is it more likely that they simply died because of the frost? It has been very cold and the plants were fairly exposed on the garden table. The ones that have died tend to be the ones that had a less developed root system.
Looks to me like the red leaves are just old and stressed, the leaves do show red tinges in cold weather. And yes, your young plants will have suffered from the cold, maybe you could try just pegging down runners next time so the the root system is in the soil rather than in pots. Don't think there is anything to worry about. Mine often look like your picture!
I think the plants would look a lot worse if they had verticillium wilt, and I believe you would see symptoms more in spring and autumn.
I read you can help to reduce the severity of possible attack by digging in brassica leaves to the bed before planting, and avoiding planting a bed where you've been growing potatoes, tomatoes and related crops.
Thanks Jenny, that sounds reassuring :). The runners will be planted out in a new raised bed on my allotment which has been fallow for at least 5 years, so no risk from potatoes.
They look in rude health to me, agree with nothing to worry about.
Have you got a good supply of clotted cream lined up?
;D
Jerry