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Oomycete disease
Red stele
Phytophthora fragariae
A root disease that shows as a vague lack of vigour above ground. The name comes from what you find when you slice a root.
What you see
- 01General lack of vigour, poor runner growth, small berries
- 02New leaves appearing bluish-green
- 03Older leaves turning red, orange or yellow
- 04Slice a root and the core is blood red, surrounded by white cortex tissue
What brings it on
Cool, wet, poorly drained soils.
Why it costs money
Suppresses yield across the whole planting rather than killing plants outright, so it is easy to misread as poor nutrition or bad planting material.
What to do
- Lift a few weak plants and cut the roots lengthways before blaming the fertiliser programme
- Drainage and raised beds
- Clean planting material, and avoid ground with a history of the disease
Spray strategy. Site and drainage are the control. Where it is established, the practical answer is usually to move the planting rather than treat it.
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