Stolon Development and Cultural Production Practices of Winter-Grown Strawberries

ABSTRACTThe four experiments described here are part of a 5-year program focused on determining whether day-neutral and short-day strawberries would be suitable for commercial off-season/winter (temperate climate) production in greenhouses. All research was performed using container-grown plants fertigated through a capillary mat production system with heat supplied under the benches. The first experiment focused on stolon development. The second experiment investigated the influence of stolon removal on berry production and included the removal of flowers for the first three weeks. The third and fourth experiments were conducted as a comparison of university research (experiment 3) versus a commercial operation (experiment 4). In experiment one, of 13 cultivars, ‘AC Wendy’ plants produced significantly more stolons than the other cultivars. In experiment two, stolon production peaked at weeks 12 and 13, with ‘Chandler’ plants producing significantly more stolons (starting at week 9) than the other cultiv...