Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: gardentg44 on December 05, 2008, 09:25:55

Title: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: gardentg44 on December 05, 2008, 09:25:55
In august this year i passed a strawberry field on the A635 barnsley, doncaster rd

The farmer there was spraying the field with a weed killer,
two weeks later we passed again and saw all the weeds had gone,
but the strawberrys where still thriving.
any farmers out there know what this selective weedkiller is called?
otherwise i looklike digging all mine up and transplanting.
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: Deb P on December 05, 2008, 09:45:25
I don't know what it was, but I'm guessing it won't help the taste of the strawberries......You can use cardboard with mulch or manure on top for weed suppression around strawberries, cheaper and it will give them a feed at the same time.
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: Duke Ellington on December 05, 2008, 14:58:25
I know Monsanto do a selective weed killer but dont know the name!!
Are you sure it was weed killer being sprayed ?

Duke
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: KathrynH on December 05, 2008, 22:43:03
Surelt iys better to do the hard work and weed by hand rather than eat strawberries that have been sprayed with goodness knows what (but you can bet it won't be anything very pleasant.)
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: ceres on December 05, 2008, 23:33:13
I searched the Pesticides Register for herbicides licensed for professional use on strawberry crops.  There are 110.  Some of them are based on clopyralid, one of the substances implicated in contaminated compost and manure that has damaged crops on allotments.  Even if you wanted to, you couldn't get any of these products because they are only licensed for professional use.  There are no products listed for amateur use.

Strawberry beds need to be renewed every few years so move them and treat this as a renewal year.
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: Ninnyscrops. on December 05, 2008, 23:45:34
Make a mistake like me and sow lambs lettuce on the edges of a strawberry bed! Self-seeded and growing like billyo but at least I can pick my "weeds" out and eat them!  ;)
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: PurpleHeather on December 26, 2008, 08:57:18
Quote from: ceres on December 05, 2008, 23:33:13
I searched the Pesticides Register for herbicides licensed for professional use on strawberry crops.  There are 110.  Some of them are based on clopyralid, one of the substances implicated in contaminated compost and manure that has damaged crops on allotments.  Even if you wanted to, you couldn't get any of these products because they are only licensed for professional use.  There are no products listed for amateur use.

In that case, we could put dodgy manure on them and do two jobs in one!
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: kingston boy on December 26, 2008, 09:30:53

My strawbery patch is only about 10 sq mts and what i do when the plants are mostly dormant is to dig em up with a big root ball and dig/weed the whole patch over.Then replant with some Blood Fish and Bone. When the plants start to grow i cover the ground between the plants with thickish black plastic.This year i have some proper weed suppressing stuff so should have fairly clean fruit.Must put slug killer under material tho'
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: N8R on December 29, 2008, 09:35:51
maybe its just my opinion but the whole point of growing ya own was to get away from chemicals especially when you can achieve the same results with a little elbow grease  ??? :-\
Title: Re: weeds in strawberries?
Post by: tomatoada on December 29, 2008, 09:58:57
gardentg44   I think they are saying don't go there.