The Strawberry Trial: Plastic vs. Clover
Farmacea’s mission is a strawberry trial evaluating conventional plastic mulch to a dwelling mulch of white Dutch clover. Their analysis query is straightforward however will assist Farmacea decide which strawberry planting system will work greatest for them within the coming years: “Does a dwelling clover mulch produce increased strawberry yields than a plastic mulch?”.
To reply this, they’ve arrange six beds. Three beds use the standard plastic mulch, whereas the opposite three are planted with New Zealand White Clover (Trifolium repens) to function a dwelling mulch. Each units of beds embody a mixture of strawberry cultivars: Earliglow, Chandler, Allstar, and San Andreas, guaranteeing consistency in strawberry varieties throughout the trial.
Cautious preliminary planning was important, specializing in a constant quantity and mixture of strawberry crops in every mattress. Mike and Rollin standardized the beds and timed clover planting, which confronted weather-related delays and farm facility harm. Moreover, deer intrusions necessitated the development of upper fences to guard the crops.
What They’re Measuring
Farmacea will probably be monitoring a number of key metrics to find out the success of every mulching methodology:
- Yield: Weight of harvested berries, % marketable yield, and pint counts.
- Brix: A measure of sugar content material within the berries.
- Weed Stress: Observations and frequency of weeding interventions.
- Picture Documentation: Conserving a visible file of the trial’s progress.
- Soil Testing: Accumulating samples to research soil well being.
Knowledge is being collected persistently over the season, with harvests twice weekly. They plan to doc the whole lot from the variety of pints of berries to the burden of each marketable and unmarketable yields. Brix ranges are being measured to gauge the sweetness of the berries and can ideally be taken at three intervals through the strawberry season.
Why This Issues
Farmacea’s trial is about extra than simply rising strawberries. It’s about discovering sustainable choices for weed suppression and bettering soil well being by way of practices like cowl cropping. They’re additionally excited about lowering their reliance on nonrenewable sources and stopping microplastic contamination of their soil. Implementing a dwelling mulch technique is meant to reduce the necessity for handbook weeding, improve soil construction, and foster an setting that naturally inhibits weeds.
