Ask a Master Gardener: Proper watering can help prevent mold on strawberries

Q: Every year a few of my strawberries get a velvety grey mold on them. What can I do to prevent this?

A: Grey mold is a disease that is common in strawberries that stay wet from rain or overhead watering. It usually starts where the berry touches soil or infected fruit and spreads over the berry. Keep the fruit as dry as possible by correct watering (water early in the day if you use a method that wets the fruit) and providing good air circulation. Keep the berries off the soil with mulch and remove old or diseased vegetation promptly. If you have only a moderate problem, the best thing to do is just to remove the diseased berry as soon as you see the mold start. If it becomes a serious problem that you cannot control using hygiene, you may choose to use a fungicide. Make sure it is listed for strawberries and use it from bloom to harvest. Additional information on this problem and growing strawberries in general can be found on our web site.

This question has been answered by St. Louis County Master Gardeners, who have been trained by the University of Minnesota as volunteer horticultural educators. Questions can be submitted and additional information found at www.extension.umn.edu/garden.

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