No matter what crop farmers are growing, the department’s Agronomic Services Division can help them improve the crop and yields through soil, water and tissue testing services offered.
Brad Thompson is a regional agronomist serving Anson, Chatham, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Richmond and Stanley counties and specializes in fruit and vegetable production. He works one-on-one with growers in his areas, using the results from soil, tissue and solution testing to provide science-based guidance on optimizing yields and troubleshooting crop problems for solutions.
That information can be invaluable for strawberry producers, who have invested a lot in their crops.
Strawberries are grown on plastic with drip irrigation and plants set 12 to 16 inches apart, for about 14,000 to 17,500 plants per acre. “Strawberry crops are a high input crop to grow, with growers investing several thousands of dollars just on plants,” Thompson said.
That investment has the potential for good returns, but only if plants produce as they should.
“With most of the growers, when the strawberry plants start growing out, we tissue sample on a weekly basis and continue it throughout the whole season,” Thompson said. “Tissue sampling is key to not overfertilizing and optimizing the fertilizer needs of the crop .”
The test results mean the advice Thompson offers is tailored to every grower’s individual situation, which takes into account the many different soil types found in North Carolina.
“The soils are sandier in the Sandhills and there are heavier soils in Chatham County and Randolph County. Generally, for heavier ground, not as much fertilizer is applied through the season because the soils can hold onto the nutrients longer which make them available to the plants longer. In sandier soils, timely and consistent fertilizer application is needed to keep nutrient values where they need to be,” he said.
Strawberries are the first fruit of the season, coming in around mid-April. Most farms pick strawberries for five to eight weeks, with the first flowers producing the biggest fruit.
Plants go in the ground in the fall, around mid-late September through mid-October. “The plants are pretty cold hardy, but growers don’t want too much growth in the fall because it could get killed back during the winter,” he said.
While the plants are cold hardy, the blooms are not, making them susceptible to late frosts after plants have started to bloom. Farmers deploy row covers to help shield delicate blooms from frost when needed or they can irrigate to help put a protective coating of ice on the blooms to ensure they survive and produce berries.
During the season, farmers have to watch for disease, insects and wildlife that can be threats to the crop. Deer and crows are two common animal pests to strawberries, Thompson said.
Chandler, Camerosa, Camino Royale, Ruby June, Froteras, Albion and Sweet Sensations are some of the more popular strawberry varieties grown in the state.
With strong demand for local strawberries and a short growing season, some growers have also tried growing in the fall to get a premium for their berries.
Thompson works with a few growers who produce them, including two who use low tunnels that are around 3 feet off the ground and covers the rows within the field. They act as miniature greenhouses and keep rain off of the plants and berries.
The department has 12 regional agronomists like Thompson who work with growers for free. To find the regional agronomist for your area, go to https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/agronomic-services/field-services.
Soil testing is free to North Carolina residents from April through November. The lab charges a peak-season fee from the end of November through March.
Tissue testing ranges in price for North Carolina residents from $5 to $7 depending on the crop. For example, issue testing for strawberries and cotton is $7 per sample.
To learn more about Agronomic Services, go to https://www.ncagr.gov/Divisions/Agronomic-Services.