strawberry pollination - Ask Extension
My wife and I want to place a cover over out strawberries to keep critters (especially chipmunks) away. I want to keep them uncovered, at least for n...
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strawberry pollination #642691
Asked May 28, 2020, 7:07 PM EDT
My wife and I want to place a cover over out strawberries to keep critters (especially chipmunks) away. I want to keep them uncovered, at least for now, because they are blooming. Do strawberries need to be pollinated to produce fruit?
Thank you.
Don J. Dinndorf
St. Augusta, MN
Stearns County Minnesota
Expert Response
This is a surprisingly complex question. Strawberries are self-pollinating, but the extent to which they are varies from variety to variety. Furthermore, pollinators, and, in fact, a variety of pollinators, improve flavor and size. So it is best not to use a barrier that prevents pollinators from reaching the flowers. Fortunately, larger mesh critter barriers (hardware cloth, chicken wire, fencing) won't bother the pollinators. Read here:
https://extension.psu.edu/strawberry-pollination-a-complex-and-tricky-business
https://extension.psu.edu/strawberry-pollination-a-complex-and-tricky-business
