John McCrohan asked 16 years ago
Is it OK to use grass cuttings around strawberries, or am I providing a happy haven for slugs to eat up my fruit. In the absence of straw which is not readily available, what would you suggest to keep the fruit off the ground? I tried shredded paper last year, but it melted away too quickly.
1 Answers
Gerry Daly Staff answered 6 years ago
Grass mowings would not be good for this purpose because they would encourage slugs but also because the bits of grass would stick to the fruit surface.
It is not necessary to keep strawberries off the soil. Most of the flowers and fruit are held clear of the soil, usually resting on other stems. The trick is to free the soil of weeds in early spring and allow the soil to settle and become firm … then there is little or no rain-splash
