By Clint Thompson
Parts of Northeast Alabama are receiving increasing amounts of rainfall in recent weeks. But dry conditions are needed with planting season on the horizon.
“You can drive 45 minutes northwest, and they’ve got four inches of rain where we got like one inch of rain. Then you get on around Huntsville and they got about 7.5 inches of rain the other day,” says Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama. “We’re getting some rain, but then it gets to the opposite side of it where we’re going, ‘Okay, we need to get some beds made to get planting in April.’”
The weather challenges are not just isolated to increased precipitation. Frost events are a concern this time of year for strawberry producers. Northeast Alabama has experienced a frost event as late as May 26 before, Schavey said. Growers need to apply protective coverings regularly to preserve heat units.
“It’s vital that we keep the heat units up because the plants will shut down on you. It’s not as crucial right now as far as bloom potential. We had a lot of growers that had to plant bare root plants this year. They didn’t get their plugs like they were supposed to because of (neopestalotiopsis),” Schavey said.
“Plants are a little smaller right now, but they’re coming on. We’ve had really good weather. Frosts are not going to hurt them as much as if they were in full bloom. The main thing is we just want that heat to stay up, so they don’t try to slow down. We need plants going and growing right now.”
