What causes red leaves on Strawberries?

vfem

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What could this be?!
 

TillinWithMyPeeps

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Well, I just spent a while researching this, and the only thing that I could find about it is that it is caused by cooler weather.

Has the weather been noticeably colder lately?
 

chills

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vfem - i have no answers, but i have red leaves too, i havent had a chance to google it, i have been snipping them off and throwing them out .. i'll be curious to see if anyone knows .. where i live its been high 80s in the day and nights are mid 50's .. i was wondering if i was loving them with too much water? i just put them in about 2 months ago .. ??
 

patandchickens

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Plants commonly get a reddish cast to the leaves with too much sun (not your problem here), or too mcuh or too little water. (whcih sometimes can happen in very clayey soil even if soil moisture *seems* ok). I believe there is at least one nutrient deficiency/excess that can cause reddening of leaves too, but can't recall which one offhand so it is probably not the most common, but you could try looking it up.

Personally I'd leave the reddened leaves on the strawberry plants unless they are virtually dead (in which case, it is possible they are reddening *because* the particular leaves are dying, rather than being a symptom of anything at all).

GOod luck,

Pat
 

vfem

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Oops... this strawberry plant is not mine. Its someone elses and they live in Indiana?! They just emailed me about it, and I didn't have the faintest... I just assumed it was stress, and it looked like the crown was buried too far to me. As for diseases and northern weather issues... I don't know anything about it.


I will send her all your comments about it... and maybe she will notice something out of whack along those lines.

She did say its been ENDLESS rain and storms there for over a week.

Thanks every1!
 

patandchickens

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Oh, ok, now actually *looking* at the picture (slow dialup, I tend not to wait for things to load :p) I agree completely vfem, it looks like they may have planted the crowns somewhat deep, which in combination with lotta wet weather could certainly cause that.

Other than not watering them any more, and seeing if any trenching could be done to decrease the sogginess of the bed, she may be just stuck with it, for this year anyhow. (I would not try replanting the plants during the growing season). Looks like she may still get some strawberries out of it anyhow. Though they're not as tasty in rainy years as in dry ones.

Have fun,

Pat
 
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