One of the many reasons I use the heavy layer of cypress mulch is to prevent new roots from forming on the stem that is laying on the ground. Many of my plants now have four or five feet of stem on the ground and 6 to 8 ft hanging. I don't think many if any of my plants will make it to the 20 ft length with the rain and resulting disease that we have been having. I have been going out in the rain removing dead and dying diseased leaves and stems for the past few days and now have bare stems for the first 5 to 8 feet on all of my older plants. If the sun does come out then I will suffer some bad sun scald on some of the fruit hanging on those bare stems.
Bill
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