Effect of time of planting on fruit yield and runner production of cold stored and freshly lifted strawberry plants

Abstract

Cold stored and freshly lifted runner plants of the strawberry cultivar Torrey were planted on several dates in two successive years. Records of crop yield and runner production were maintained for (up to approximately) two years after planting. None of the plantings produced an economically satisfactory autumn crop. With cold stored plants, optimum yield in the spring after planting was obtained from January or February plantings. Plants established in December yielded reasonably well, but March plantings gave variable results. Freshly-lifted runners planted in April produced approximately 40 per cent less crop than those planted in March. Considerable numbers of runners were produced in the autumn after planting by the cold-stored plants, but not by the freshly-lifted runners.