Gerard Thebeau (P.Ag) of the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries presents at the 2014 ACORN Conference.

1. Strawberry Season Extension
Techniques
“Lessons gained in Quebec”
Gérard Thébeau P.Ag.
NBDAAF, Bouctouche
ACORN – November 13, 2014

2. Table of content
• Traditional system (matted row)
• Why consider season extension options?
• Season extension options using the following tools:
- Cultivars; Day length
- Plant “seedling” types
- Growing systems
• Most commonly used season extension systems
• Marketing
• Acknowledgements

3. Matted row system

4. Traditional Matted Row System
• Use dormant bare roots.
• Single rows planted on bare ground with
60 inch row spacing / runners will fill row
(5000 plants/ acre)
• Establishment year without harvest
• 2 – 3 harvest years with renovations.
• Lower cost, well adapted to U-Pick
• Expensive harvest for retail, lower prices

5. Traditional Matted Row System
• Early to late short day cultivars
• Can increase earliness of harvest with
floating cover in the spring.
• Can harvest 8 - 10 T/Ha in first harvest yr.
Yields usually go down afterwards
• Pests cause major headaches.
• Long period before return on investment.
• Often used where land is plentiful.

6. Why consider
season extension options?
• New markets
• Better labour use
• Quicker return on investments
• Fewer pests (weeds, insects & diseases)
• Better land utilization
• $$$$$$ (off-season markets)

7. Luc Urbain - MAPAQ

8. How to modify harvest season?
1- Cultivars
2- Plant « seedling » types
3- Day length - Short-day vs Day-neutral
4- Growing systems
SELECT, COMBINE & MANAGE THESE
SEASON EXTENSION TOOLS TO FIT YOUR
BUSINESS NEEDS

9. 1- Cultivars
1) Early, mid, late seasons
2) Adapted to various climates and soils
3) Different characteristics (taste, firmness,
disease resistance, appearance, yield,
climate & soil adaptability…)

10. Cultivars
http://gwallennursery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ComptableStraw.pdf

11. 2- Plant « seedling » types

12. Dormant bare root plant
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php

13. Fresh plug plants
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php

14. Dormant plug plants
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php

15. Large fresh or dormant plants
(trayplants)
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php

16. Some plant plug sources
• Ferme Onésime Pouliot:
http://savoirfaire.iledorleans.com/fra/product
eurs/ferme-onesime-pouliot.asp
• Nova Fruits http://www.novafruit.ca/
• Pépinière Larreault: http://www.lareault.com/
• Johnny’s Seed:
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-247-
strawberries.aspx
* Plugs should be ordered in advance

17. Some other bare root suppliers
in Nova Scotia
• G.W. Allen (http://gwallennursery.com/wp-
content/uploads/2014/09/ComptableStraw.
pdf )
• Kelly Nursery Inc.
(http://nasga.org/members/nurseries/cana
da/keddy.htm)
• Balamore Farm Ltd. (http://balamore.com )

18. 3 - Growing systems:
Other season extension tools:
• Bare ground (traditional)
• Raised beds plasticulture (High density)
• Floating covers (low & high plant density)
• Unheated caterpillar and high tunnels
• Heated greenhouses

19. 4- Day Length
a) Short day strawberries
b) Day neutral strawberries « everbearing »

20. Short Day Strawberry
• Plants that produce fruit buds when days are
short or when photo-periods are 13 hours or
less.
• Thus, fruit buds are produced in less light and
colder temperatures
• Produce daughter plants (runners) when days
are long.

21. Systems based on the following
tools:
• Cultivars
• Plant (seedling) types
• ‘‘Other techniques’’ (bare ground,
plasticulture..)
• Short day & day neutral plants

22. Bare Ground Matted row system/ short
day bare root plants/ floating cover

23. Luc Urbain - MAPAQ

24. Plasticulture technique –
General Info
• Modifications to traditionnal techniques
are necessary to be successful.

25. Fresh plug plants / short day
http://novafruit.ca/en/fraises/plants.php

26. Early Spring Harvest using
Short day/Plasticulture/ Fresh plugs/ Row cover
Care required to make 8
inch hills
45,000 plants / ha or
18,000 plants /acre

27. Early Spring Harvest using
Short day/Plasticulture/
Fresh plugs/ Row cover
• Planting date: late Aug – early Sept
• Early planting: More vegetation/ More yield/
Later crop
• Later planting: Less vegetation / Less yield /
Earlier crop
• Later planting: Frees up land longer - Can use
land for short season crops & offers more time
for site preparation.

28. Field preparation – Short day
Plasticulture/ F. plugs/ Row cover
• Fertily before making beds
- Conventional: 1/3 of normal recommendation
- Organic: compost + N rich material (all upfront)
• Make beds: mid-Aug / Early Sept
• Trickle irrigation under plastic
• Fertigate weekly @ 3 lbs / N (Conv.) Start fertilize
for 4 – 5 X until about 20 total N.
• Some will monitor fertility needs with salt test.
• Use greenhouse liquid / soluble fertilizers (Ca
NO3 , KSO4)

29. • 1st frost forecast (-2 ºC): White fabric floating
cover ( 1 X P-40 or 2 P-17)
• Extend fruit initation period.
• Many will lift cover to add straw + re-apply
floating cover for winter protection
• Following spring: Move straw in between rows
and re-apply floating cover until 10% bloom
• Frost control….
• Bees, fertility program.
Short day -Plasticulture / Fresh
plugs/ Row cover

30. Fertigation

31. Fertigation

32. Short day / Plasticulture / Fresh
plugs / Row Cover
• Harvest – Early June for 4-5 week period.
• 10 – 15 tonnes / ha of fruit of excellent
quality
• Organic production….. (annual production)

33. Renovation for Short day / Plasticulture
/ Fresh plugs / with few weeds
• Stop fertilizing close to end of harvest. (Let
runners run down mother plant)
• Mow once harvest is done just above crown
hearts.
• Remove runners just before fruits bud initiation
at the end of August
• Start fertilize with 3-4 kg / ha N per week for 4-5
X until about 20 total N once days get 13 hrs.
and less of photoperiod.
• Straw / No floating cover

34. Renovation for Short day / Plasticulture
/ Fresh plugs / with lots of weeds
• Stop fertilizing close to end of harvest. (Let
runners run down mother plant)
• Address weed problems before August 10.
• While weeding, trim old foliage with pruning
shears to leave about 5 trifoliate leaves. This
technique requires about 1000 hrs / ha (Extra 5
tonnes / ha compared to just mowing..)???
• Remove runners at the end of August
• Start fertilize at 3 – 4 kg / ha per week from mid-
August on for 4 – 5 X until about 20 total N
• Straw / No floating cover

35. Short day cultivars /
Plasticulture / Fresh plugs
• Next Spring: Remove straw
• Frost protection
• 2nd year harvest: Not as early & not as late
harvest as 1st harvest.
• 10 – 12 tonnes / ha (acceptable fruit size –
somewhat smaller fruit)

36. • Clery – Favourite ; good calibre, good
taste, orangy dark (protected cultivar)
• Tried Veestar: Size goes down quick?
• Chambly – interior color?
Short day cultivars /
Plasticulture / Fresh plugs

37. Short day cultivar possibilities
Matted row Plasticulture

38. Day Length
a) Short day strawberries
b) Day neutral strawberries
« everbearing »

39. Day Neutral Strawberries
• Capacity to produce flowers continously
(indifferent to day length)
• Form fruit buds at any day length as long
as temperatures are favourable.
• Don’t produce as many runners
• More suitable for high density plantings

40. http://www.novafruit.ca/fraises/plants.php

41. Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Plant as early as possible using bare root
plants (usually early May) ( a few use dormant
plants)
• Few (if any) organic growers in Québec use this
system mainly because of pest issues in the fall
(tarnished plant bug, Spotted wing drosophila,
gray mold, powdery mildew…)
• Weekly fertilization program for conventional
system…

42. Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day neutral /Dormant
bare roots / Spring planted
• Plantation done mainly by hand . (3000 plants/
day/ person) a few use machine with plug
plants
• Remove blossoms until plants reach 5 to 6
trifoliate leaves + cut runners a few times.
• Prefered cultivar: Albion; Seascape (Powdery
Mildew susceptible)
• Spacing: 11 X 12 inch + 52 inches between
rows (center to center).
• Plant density : 45,000 plants / ha
• Plastic 1.25 mil thickness

43. Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /Dormant
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Will produce harvest during fall of spring planting
year; Usually from about mid-July to mid-October.
• In Québec, very seldom keep plants a second year.
• Irrigation needs - tensiometers.
• Overhead irrigation used for frost control.

44. Plasticulture / Day Neutral/ Dormant
Bare root spring planting /
Fall harvest
• 60% of harvest is done between August 10th and
September 10th. Peak : August 20th.
• Harvest: 20 to 30 tonnes/ ha is possible.
– (1 lb/ plant!?)
• Never leave contaminated berries in field.
• Not meant for U¨Pick
• Average yield in other provinces might be lower…

45. Fall Harvest using
Plasticulture / Day Neutral /Dormant
Bare roots / Spring planted
• Conventional system: fertigation 1X per week.
• Windbreaks are useful.
• Supplemental bees are recommended
• Straw between rows for better fruit quality…

46. Plasticulture - Day Neutral
Strawberries
• Annual cost is more $$$$$
• Some pest pressure (less weeds & insect
pressure)
• Tarnished plant bugs, Spotted wing
drosophila, Powdery Mildew and grey mold
can affect yields.
• Winter protection is not necessary.

47. Plasticulture - Day Neutral
Strawberries
• A lot of attention to details is necessary;
therefore limiting who can produce.

48. Plasticulture
• Last season extension system example:
Plasticulture - Day Neutral –
Fall planted / Fresh plugs -
Fall crop

49. Plasticulture - Day Neutral –
Fall planted / Fresh plugs -
Fall crop• Fresh plugs planted in August / September
• Weekly fertigation feedings
• Floating cover for frost protection & extend
fruit bud initiation. + straw??
• Very early harvest in June (up to 15
tonnes / ha) excellent quality!!
• Dormant period / 2nd harvest – Late July till
mid-October (up to 15 tonnes/ ha of
medium quality fruit!!)

50. Matted row - Traditional
• Better adapted to U-Pick.
• Smaller investment.
• Longer time before ROI.
• More pest pressure.
• Land tied longer.
• Less technical
Plasticulture
• Easier picking reducing
labour by as much as
50% (retail market)
• Better price off-season
• Higher yields/ fruit size
• Lower pest incidence
• Quicker ROI
• Higher investments
required
• Better land use.
• More technical.
Comparisons

51. Plasticulture Comparisons
Early Harvest/ Short Day plugs/
Fall planting
• Less pest pressure -
Possibility to do an
organic production and
one early harvest.
• Conventional: Possibility
to harvest 2 seasons for a
total yield of 20 – 30
tonnes/ ha
Fall Harvest/ Day neutral/ bare
roots/ Spring planting
• More pest pressure –
Organic production
difficult
• Big harvest in one longer
harvest with 20 – 30
tonne / ha (organic
fertility)

52. Plasticulture
Short day vs Day neutral Comparisons
Early Harvest/ Short Day plugs/
Fall planting
• Less pest pressure -
Possibility to do an
organic production and
one very early harvest.
• Conventional: Possibility
to harvest 2 seasons for a
total yield of 20 – 30
tonnes/ ha
Fall Harvest/ Day neutral bare
roots/ Spring planting
• More pest pressure –
Organic production
difficult
• Big harvest in one longer
harvest with 20-30 t / ha
(organic fertility)

53. Take Home Messages
Many tools are available to growers …
So, many production systems exist

54. Take home message for organic growers:
• Plasticulture helps deter weeds.
However, organic fertilization must be front loaded
• Row covers for season extension help deter insect pest such as
Tarnished Plant Bug and Clipper Weevils.
However, they must be removed at bloom time
• Early harvest systems (short day cultivars) /
Annual production systems offer more opportunities,
less pressure from diseases such as powdery mildew
and gray mold.
• Day neutral varieties not very compatible with organic
production. No (few) effective tools to control insects and
diseases which build up over time.

55. Plasticulture – Labor distribution
Short Day Fall planting Fall Harvest of Day
Neutral

56. Unheated Greenhouse – Short
Day Berries

57. Unheated Greenhouses

58. Heated structures

60. http://www.novafruit.ca/fraises/systemes/view.php?id=9

61. Season Extension
Technologies Strawberries
• New marketing is necessary / Not for U-
Pick!!!
• Increase fruit size & quality /Small fruits can
be sold for processing markets.
• Marketing of different « product »: 2x better
retail price than conventionnal.??
• Typical markets : roadside stands,
restaurants, Farmers’ markets and
wholesalers. Sell in pint containers, quarts
and 8 lbs clam shells.

62. “Off-season” Strawberries –
Marketing Summary
• Most successful growers are the ones that
market their produce near big centers; who
specializes.

63. Marketing

64. Marketing

65. "20 years ago, we had 20 different varieties in
only one production system, today we have 20
ways to grow the same variety“
(Peter Vinson, England)

66. Acknowledgements
• Jacques Painchaud; Luc Urbain – MAPAQ
• John Lewis – Perennia
• Ferme Talfort; Ferme J-Y Gamelin; Ferme des
Ormes; Ferme de la Berceuse; Potager André
Samson; Ferme René Fontaine; * Paul & Sandy
Arnols (NY State)
• Nova-Fruits ;
• ACORN – Theresa Richards & Tara Scott
• NBDAAF – Claude Berthélémé, Roger
Tremblay

67. Thank you / Merci!!
• Questions??????