Does anyone know what these spots are and how to treat them? We had a very moist start and most of the berries rotted before I could harvest them, then this showed up. mysterious spots. ( photo / image / picture from Brad's Garden ) [/img]
I don't know what they are, but have had similar ones on our strawberries. The plants did fine, though so I didn't worry about it. I'm so sorry for your berries, what a shame.
I have the same thing spreading between my herbs. It was caused by a lot of rain and barely any sun. It is a type of fungus that is just called "Black Spots." I am keeping it under control by spraying it with an organic fungicide that contains sulfur. I would spray the top and bottom of the strawberry leaves with this mixture: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, half a teaspoon of dishwasher soap, and 1 gallon of water. You could always scale the recipe up or down if you want. I hope you solve your problem!
Brad, It is a fungus, but don't stress too much over it. I would say, do spray with a fungicide, but be careful if you use sulfur pwdr. Read the label carefully and follow the instructions. We have also sprayed copper on the plants (before the berries set and after they are picked) to keep it under control. There are many choices, do your homework and do what you feel works best for you. Baking soda is a good one for cheap and natural, actinovate is a great one also, but is quite a bit pricier. daconil works well, but is a synthetic one. If it is bad in only a few spots pull off the leaves and put them in the trash. Do not pick the berries if the plants are wet or you will spread it farther through the patch, but I think it will spread no matter how careful you are. After the berries are done bearing mow them off, collect the leaves (or go through the patch and cut them off with scissors if you don't have a large patch) and put ALL the leaves in the trash. Do not compost them or leave them in the patch to break down. That leaves the fungus there. THEN>>>> start a spray schedule as soon as you see new leaves coming out from the crowns. This will help next years berries to be a better yield.
