I need help with my strawberries. Every one I plant is attacked and killed by some fungal disease. I've been totally organic at my present site for 9 years. I have hauled tons of compost and mulch everything heavily....no bare ground. My strawberries do well the first year but, starting the second year they turn black and die. They look like they are dry but I water them like all the other vegetables and fruit. I've tried everything: I buy disease resistant berries, I've used Plant Wash, I've used peroxide, I've used corn meal in the soil and around the plants.

Does anyone know a good treatment for the soil that I can use this year before I plant strawberries in the spring?

Thanks in advance.

David in Denton

when do they normally turn black and die? How often are you watering and how do you water?

They turn black at the beginning of the second year with virtually no production after the first year. I water the berries the same as my other vegetables. I never water in the evening and only water when the soil is getting dry. I stick my finger in the soil to see if it needs water. The plants look as if they are completely dried out but the soil is usually moist.

If the soil is usually moist it sounds like you don't get good drainage. This link is to ID diseases in strawberries. It's from N.C. but I'm sure some of the diseases are similar to what we can get here.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/cons ... ag-386.pdf