By Clint Thompson
Next week’s potential stretch of prolonged cold temperatures means Alabama strawberry growers need to protect this year’s crop.
That means the use of row covers to protect against temperatures that are expected to drop well below freezing for multiple days, says Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University.
“If they have the labor, I would suggest they do that just because of the potential for really cold weather,” Vinson said. “As I’m going around to different grower locations, some do have theirs covered, and they’ve had them covered for several weeks.
“For most people, there’s really no threat to any fruit damage because there’s no developing fruit. It could damage the crowns, the actively growing portions of the plant and ultimately that’s where the yields come from.”
How Low Will Temperatures Drop?
According to weather.com, low temperatures in Chilton, Alabama, are forecast to drop in the 20s starting on Sunday and continuing through Wednesday.
While row covers are effective in protecting plants from extreme temperatures, they are conducive for disease buildup. That’s an unfortunate by-product that Alabama producers should be mindful of.
“That’s one thing to have cycles of cold weather coming in, it makes sense to leave the covers on, but there’s also opportunities for diseases to break out beneath the row cover. Row covers set up an ideal environment for certain insect pests as well as diseases,” Vinson said.