The Totem strawberry cultivar is a favored choice for home gardeners due to its reliability and abundant yields. This robust June-bearing variety offers a straightforward growing experience and consistent harvest. Its adaptability and fruit quality make it a common choice for various gardening setups.
Understanding Totem Strawberry Characteristics
Totem strawberries produce firm, conic-shaped fruit with a uniform, intense medium to dark red color, both externally and internally. This makes them excellent for processing, including freezing. They have a good flavor profile.
These plants yield high amounts of fruit, often ripening in the early to mid-season. Totem strawberries are vigorous and cold-hardy, thriving in cooler climates. They also resist diseases like red stele, verticillium wilt, leaf spot, and powdery mildew.
Planting Totem Strawberries
Plant Totem strawberries in a site with full sun (six to eight hours daily) and good drainage. They thrive in slightly acidic soil, with an optimal pH range of 5.5 to 6.5. If your soil pH is above 7.0, amendments like sulfur or mature compost can help lower it.
Prepare the soil by incorporating compost or well-rotted manure to improve health and provide initial nutrients. When planting bare-root strawberries, soak their roots for about an hour before planting. Dig holes deep enough for fanned-out roots, ensuring the crown is flush with the soil line, then backfill. Space plants 8 to 12 inches apart for proper development.
Ongoing Care for Totem Strawberries
Consistent moisture is important for Totem strawberries due to their shallow root systems. During the active growing season, from spring through fall, plants need at least one inch of water per week, including rainfall. Water when the top inch or two of soil feels dry, preferably in the morning to allow foliage to dry and reduce fungal disease risk. Potted strawberries require more frequent watering, sometimes daily or twice daily, depending on weather.
Fertilize after harvest, typically in mid-summer, with a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. Avoid spring nitrogen, which can lead to soft berries and increased disease susceptibility. Mulching with straw or wood chips retains moisture, suppresses weeds, and keeps berries clean.
Managing runners, the horizontal shoots that produce new plants, maintains plant vigor and maximizes fruit yield. While runners can propagate new plants, excessive growth drains energy from the mother plant, reducing berry production. Remove runners as they appear to redirect energy towards fruit development.
Manage common pests like slugs, aphids, and strawberry bud weevils with organic solutions such as removing debris, ensuring proper plant spacing for air circulation, and using insecticidal soaps or neem oil. Mitigate diseases like powdery mildew and gray mold by ensuring good air circulation, avoiding overhead watering, and removing affected plant material.
Harvesting Totem Strawberries
Harvest Totem strawberries when they are vibrant red, firm, and have a sweet fragrance. Pick them in the morning when cool. To harvest, gently grasp the stem about one inch above the berry and pinch or twist to detach it, ensuring a small part of the stem and green cap remain attached. This keeps berries fresh longer and prevents damage.
Avoid pulling berries directly from the plant, which can damage both fruit and plant. Look under leaves, as berries often hide there. Harvest frequently, ideally every couple of days, to encourage continued production and prevent rot. Place harvested berries into shallow containers to prevent crushing.
Winterizing Totem Strawberry Plants
Prepare Totem strawberry plants for winter to ensure their long-term health and productivity. In late fall, when leaves turn brown and temperatures consistently drop below 40°F, apply winter protection. First, clean the patch by removing old foliage, weeds, and debris that can harbor pests and diseases.
Once the ground freezes and plants are dormant, apply a 3 to 5-inch layer of clean, weed-free straw mulch over the plants. This insulates crowns from extreme cold and prevents frost heaving, where plants are pushed out of the soil by freezing and thawing cycles. The mulch also retains soil moisture and traps snow for additional insulation. For container-grown plants, move them to a sheltered, unheated location or bury pots in the ground with mulch for similar protection.