Strawberries and Caneberries

Me and the grower are of one mind that the brown spots recently showing up on fruit (this is Monterey variety), are from the strong winds we've had for the last four or so days. Makes sense, especially since there is no signs of disease or insects, and above all these spots are fairly firm.

A growing body of research out of Cornell University is showing that low doses of UV light can be quite effective against powdery mildews in agriculture, including Podosphaera aphanis, which challenges strawberry growers every year.

Great article here from Growing Produce about how researcher Hannah McIntosh out in Wisconsin obtained serious reductions in SWD in raspberries by underlaying the crop with plastic mulch (three colors tested: metallic, black and white).

Good article here from the Wall Street Journal. I provided a good amount of info to Jesse over the past couple of weeks, in particular walking her through some of the financials and cultural practices of the business.

Introduction: As of three years, Lewis mite (Eotetranychus lewisi) has become an issue in Central Coast strawberries, and to some extent on caneberries.