Question:
Some of my strawberry leaves are a reddish maroon color, while others are still green. Do I need to do anything? Also, the soil pH is too high at 7.0. How much gypsum should I add to lower the pH of a planter box that is 4'x 6'x 1' deep?Answer:
- It's not unusual for strawberries to turn a maroon color during winter. It's caused by cool temperatures that stop the plants from actively growing.
- With overcast and cloudy days, the green pigment in some plant leaves is curtailed, so another color is visible. This is referred to as plant genetics.
- Green is the dominant gene color, while red/maroon and yellow/gold are resistive genes. Ivy is another example of this. The leaves will turn green again as the days get longer and warmer.
- I suspect a nitrogen deficiency if the foliage remains reddish or turns a brilliant orange-red by April.
- Strawberries are not heavy feeders, but they do like applying a complete fertilizer before flowering or after fruiting. EB Stone Organics, Fruit, Berry, and Vine Food or similar fertilizer is ideal for fruit trees, berries, and fruiting vines.
- With Everbearing varieties, I'd make an application three times a year after each harvest. I make my first application now if the plants were not fed last year. With June-bearing varieties, an annual application is necessary after fruiting.
- Gypsum does not affect the soil pH, but it does help improve drainage.
- You change the pH with a soil acidifier such as Soil Sulphur, Aluminum Sulfate, or pH Adjustor to lower the soil pH. The amount will vary with each product. In addition, the nursery professional at your favorite garden center can recommend one. Strawberries have a pH below 6.5.
Question:
I planted primroses last fall; they have done wonderfully through winter. The flower cluster used to be just above the foliage, but they're much taller and flopping over now. Why does this happen?Answer:
- This is a common complaint with Pacific Hybrid English Primroses. The stretching is a genetic characteristic that occurs as the days get longer, so it can't be prevented.
- You avoid the problem by planting the dwarf or 'Acaulis' varieties. With dwarf primroses, the flowers are not borne in a cluster on a single stem.
- Instead, each flowering floret is supported by a stem that isn't affected by the day length, so they'll always stay just above the foliage.
- Dwarf primroses are subject to a gray mold called Botrytis during wet, damp periods. The disease discolors and wilts the new shoots and leaves, usually covering them with fuzzy mats of gray or brown spores as they decay and drop.
- You can't prevent the disease, but dry conditions, good air circulation, and plant grooming after each wet period halt the spread.