As much as I love nature there are somethings I refuse to share like strawberries
This morning I spread straw under the fruit tresses. Never allow the fruit to touch the soil. In my garden when this happens the berries are infested with sow bug larvae. The next challenge are robins. These don’t go after the fruit until it is ripe. I will be spreading old fish net on recycled election sign supports to foil the robins.
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So many straweberry plants!
I spread straw under my strawberries last year and also noticed a lot less nibbling by grubs.
Interested to see another photo once your net is up!
Sounds like a good idea; I lost most of mine to the sowbugs last year. Where do you get your straw?
I use “stallion shavings” (bedding material for hamsters and such) available from pet stores. I use the same stuff in my compost as per Connie Kuramato that spoke to us several years ago.
I last time I bought a bale it was from South Country Feeds on the Connector.
Good to know that there is a straw out there that doesn’t sprout. I bought a huge bale from a local feed company last year and before I knew it I had straw growing everywhere, what a mess! I also have huge issues with sow bugs. Already this spring 2 beans, 1 cuke, and a squash have been snipped off. I started everything early so the seedlings would have their second set of leaves but those bugs are relentless. Does anyone know of some form of control, except chemicals.
Same thing happened to me. I was assured it was seed free and made the mistake of allowing piles to sit on my lawn while I spread it on my beds. My garden beds and a a big section of my lawn were riddled with sprouts. I was pulling them out all summer!
@Greenthumbgranny just caught the last bit of Donna Balzar (sp?) on CBC Cheryl McKay’s program this weekend and think she said that sprinkling cornmeal will help with sowbug control. They eat it and then can’t digest it. I’ve just noticed that they’ve decimated our first strawberry crop so it’s getting sprinkled liberally as soon as I finish typing this!
Thanks so much for letting me know as I will try just about anything. I read about a product called Sluggo Plus but not sure if it’s available in Canada but am going to do some research and will post if I can find it.
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Interesting idea about the cornmeal, I will have to try that when the weather dries out. We have garden boxes, and being made of wood, that attracts the sowbug. I heard of someone replacing their wooden garden boxes with sheet metal sides - got ride of most of the sowbugs. They are attracted to rotting wood, so even wood chips in the garden will likely attract them.
I guess they are a part of nature, so we just have to try as best we can to live with them!
Gordon
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