I'm having trouble with something chewing the roots of strawberry plants. I can't see anything in the soil that might be doing this. It doesn't kill the plants but they don't thrive and don't produce fruit. I've planted new plants in a different garden bed but am having the same problem as in the previous bed. Does anyone know why this is happening and what the solution might be?
In the new bed did you use newly purchased plants or runners transplanted from the old bed? I've had problems with root diseases in my strawberry plantings for a long time, but they generally last a year before the roots start turning black and then breaking off. I haven't encountered these, but I've read that Strawberry Root Weevils, mice, and voles will eat the roots. A photo of the damaged roots could be useful.
Thank you for your reply, vitog. Interesting to hear about your experience with roots turning black and breaking. Have you found a solution? The problem started for me a few years ago. I first had the issue with runners transplanted from an old bed (though the original/parent plants were ok). Last year I planted new plants in new beds and half of the new plants didn't grow well so I don't think I'm rid of the problem yet. I'll try to get a photo. I'll do some research into Strawberry Root Weevils. There's no sign of mouse/vole damage, though that doesn't necessarily mean they're not doing it. Thank you
My strawberry problem is probably due to the Black Root Rot fungus, which normally gets worse every year of growth. I've extended my crop rotation interval to 6 years, which reduced the problem but didn't eliminate it. Using disease-resistant varieties also helped a lot; but, unfortunately, the resistant varieties don't taste as good as the susceptible ones. So, I've kept some of the susceptible plants; but they don't produce much of a crop during the second year. I don't keep any plants after the second year.
It sounds like a difficult problem. Maybe they'll come up with better-tasting resistant varieties in time. As you say, maybe just replacing the plants frequently is a solution.
