Frost Injury on Strawberry
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Frost injury results when cold temperatures damage flower pistils and/or kill ovaries. Injury may occur anytime during blossom development. Spring frosts often cause entire flowers or fruit to abort. Developing fruit occasionally survive and may become disfigured; these symptoms are easily confused with poor pollination.
Freeze injury prior to bloom (flower with the darkened dead area).
(Photo: John Strang, University of Kentucky)
Flower with freeze injury (left) compared to uninjured flower (right).
(Photo: John Strang, University of Kentucky)
Frost damage to fruit.
(Photo: John Strang, University of Kentucky)
Frost damage to fruit.
(Photo: John Strang, University of Kentucky)
Management:
- Monitor air temperatures at crop level in spring.
- Protect plants from frost with floating row covers or use overhead sprinkling beginning at 34°F; turn off sprinklers once ice has mostly melted.
- Straw can be raked up over matted row strawberries.
