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Pest & Disease Library · Solutions

Botrytis and Gray Mold Control in Strawberry

Botrytis (gray mold) rots soft fruit, flowers, and vegetables in cool, damp conditions — a leading cause of field and post-harvest loss. This page covers botrytis / gray mold in strawberry.

Common crops affected

Why it matters

It spreads from dying or wounded tissue and releases huge spore loads, so one infected fruit can rot a whole batch; sanitation and early protection are key.

When it appears

Cool, damp, humid, crowded conditions and in storage.

How to identify it

  • Fuzzy grey-brown mould on fruit, flowers, and stems
  • Soft, watery rot spreading on ripe fruit
  • Clouds of spores when disturbed

How to manage it

  1. Remove dead and infected tissue; improve airflow and lower humidity.
  2. Handle fruit gently; cool quickly after harvest.
  3. Apply Spore Control (1:1,000) through cool, damp periods.

Recommended Vegalab program

RoleProductUse
Primary controlSpore ControlThymol; reduces inoculum on flowers & fruit
Firmness supportRigid BoostFirmer tissue resists invasion
Plant resilienceArmour BoostResilient tissue

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