Mulching strawberries query.

[bobbin]

This year I used straw again to protect under strawberry plant in raised beds. I felt in the unusually hot and often humid weather the straw encouraged strawberry wilt as some plants just collapsed. This could also be down to a second bag of straw I bought from the wrong small holding. He kept pigs but I realised too late he didn't usually sell straw by his somewhat confused expression. Could it have been contaminated?? Anyway my crop in that bed was terrible. Most plants collapsed. It was only the plants second year.
Any thoughts people?
Ps. I took remaining bag of straw to council compost. Just in case.

[4Shoes]

I don't think it was the straw. The problem was that the soil was too dry. Ideally you need a soil with a high fibre content to capture the moisture and enable drainage when too wet. Anything that prevented water loss from the soil would have been good this year. I tend not to mulch because this area in Westcoast gets so much rain, it encourages mould. Big mistake this year. The "Older" strawberry bed wilted early each day. The latest bed with muck in it survived much better.

[It never rains..it pours]

Did you water them ? if not think that maybe the answer as had to water mine here and suspect sussex was even drier this summer