Warm weather prompts early undercover strawberries, but winter’s cold looms
The precocious berries are part of research Davis is doing on new strawberry varieties and gauging how they react to winter weather.
By Mary Hightower
U of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
Jan 5, 2024
Fast facts
- Ripened strawberries found growing under row covers
- Berries part of research on effects of cold
(610 words)
(Newsrooms: with art)
NEWPORT, Ark. — Strawberries, which are typically ready closer to Mother’s Day, have been found growing and ripening before Christmas in Jackson County.
In Arkansas, strawberries are typically planted in September to early October. Depending on planting date row covers are applied to help with growth prior to dormancy. Row covers help to trap heat from the soil and are made of white, lightweight, non-woven fabrics.
“Christmas strawberries?” asked Matthew Davis, Jackson County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, in a Facebook post on Dec. 21. “Warm weather has prompted a few strawberries to form under the row covers.”
The National Weather Service at Little Rock said temperatures were 2 degrees above average in November, and December saw an estimated 4 degrees above average.
“Every year, you’re going to have some strawberries show when you see warm weather like we’ve had this fall and early winter. The row covers have something of a greenhouse effect,” he said. “They’re usually eaten by insects or damaged by cold though.”
Delaying dormancy
The precocious berries are part of research Davis is doing on new strawberry varieties and gauging how they react to winter weather.
Once acclimated to cold temperatures, strawberry plants are cold hardy to around 10 degrees Fahrenheit and leaves are hardy to around 22 degrees. Shorter days and colder temperatures signal the plant to prepare for dormancy.
“It’s inevitable. You always have row covers blow off,” Davis said. “We typically use row covers to help with fall growth due to delayed planting. Due to labor restrictions, row covers are often applied and may not be removed until early March. The issue is that row covers are keeping the plants potentially from reaching dormancy.”
In his trial, Davis is leaving half of the plants in his strawberry rows uncovered. He will be making weekly visits, noting damage and growth in the “crown or branch crowns,” which are the growing parts above the soil line in the center of the plant.
“We are really wanting to see if the use of row covers may be delaying plant dormancy,” he said. “Strawberries need a transitional time that allows the plant to go dormant. During that dormant time, we get concerned when we see temperatures at or below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures reach that low during dormancy we would look to cover or recover any plants that might be exposed.
“The cold may affect each variety differently,” Davis said. “Plants will form two to five branch crowns leading up to spring. We would like to see one to two branch crowns forming in the fall along with the main crown. Cold weather can damage the crowns and cause delays in maturity or plant death. These plots will give us the opportunity to see any variety differences in crown formation, damage, and dormancy.”
Among the varieties in Davis’ trials are Camino Real, Fronteras, Ruby June, Chandler, and a few numbered varieties.
In northeast Arkansas, the covers generally come off the strawberries at varying times and when labor is available, Davis said, adding he hopes to see if the covers are having a positive or negative impact on yield for his growers.
For areas not closely observed, it’s difficult in March to tell whether damage to strawberries was due to cold or other factors, such as the plant not rooting properly.
Of use to growers is the fact sheet Small Fruit Cultivar Recommendations for Arkansas, FSA6130.
The Cooperative Extension Service has a chart showing the type of damage that may occur to various fruit crops at specific temperature thresholds.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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