My strawberries keep dying.

Over a year ago I planted a healthy strawberry plant from a local market, into my vegetable garden where it grew for many months, only to suddenly die around early spring. This was my first attempt at growing strawberries in the tropics. When I pulled it up I found what I thought at the time to be fungus attached to its roots, so I assumed the wet climate to be the problem. I later had a lot of pot plants (various herbs) on the verandah suddenly wilt and die. Close examination identified root mealy bug to be the problem here. So I thought that may have been what happened to the strawberries.

A friend later gave me a heap of strawberries that she had divided. I planted these in various places around the garden, judiciously avoiding the vege patch to prevent a repeat performance whether it be fungus or root mealy bug. These too, struggled then died. I put this down to the hot climate as I was given the plants in the hotter months.

Around March this year my friend gave me another heap of her divided strawberries. I chose a protected aspect, prepared the soil, mulched them heavily, made sure they had good drainage and kept them sufficiently watered to assist them re-establish in their new environment. They all died in a matter of weeks.

I had just about given up on strawberries, then last Saturday I saw one small punnet in a local nursery and decided to give them one more try. The nursery attendant assured me that people do manage to grow strawberries here. I brought the punnet home and sat it on the kitchen window sill so I could carefully watch it until I had time to plant it. The plants were very healthy, a bright green with lots of new growth forming. The following day I gave them a little water as I noticed the soil was drying out. I was being careful not to overwater and cause fungal diseases or rot, nor to underwater and stress the plants. The punnet has been kept on the kitchen window sill since Saturday, away from all other plants. On Monday I noticed the outer edges of the leaves of one plant turning a dark brown. Yesterday (Wednesday) I noticed this plant withering at the growth centre. This morning it is just about dead. The leaves of another plant in the punnet are beginning to turn brown at the edges and I can see the warning signs of withering starting again. The only thing that ALL the strawberry plants have had in common is our water supply.

We are on bore water and on acid-sulphate soils. I know that our water supply is acidic and high in copper - it leaves a blue-green stain on just about everything. (Garlic turns blue in cooking if it comes in contact with our tap water! It can really put you off eating.) So I am wondering if this is the cause. Any advice would be appreciated.