4R Farming

Florida Strawberries

Strawberry management is intensive and this strawberry farm in Florida combines fertigation and fungicide applications multiple times a week to meet the nutrient needs of the crop. Fertilizer formulas are also adjusted for temperature and soil moisture to limit loss and increase crop uptake. The farm is also testing sap analysis as a method of in-season nutrient analysis to adjust applications.

Outcome

While there was not a decrease in the cost from intermediate to advanced, that is partially a reflection of the one-time cost of the soil probes at $2,500 in 2018. The farm continues to test new products and adjust fertilizer formulas to reduce nutrient applications.

Cost of 4R Practice Implementation for Florida Strawberries

Yield Range: 10 to 12 tons/ac

Practices Changed from Intermediate to Advanced

  • Soil and tissue testing
  • Multiple split applications
  • Soil moisture monitors
  • Alternative nutrient sources to the fungicide applications

Environmental Metrics