Hi all,
Can anyone tell me why our strawberries are growing deformed? Sometimes I will have two strawberries growing and then one will die and one will keep growing?
Our patch is in a foam box with about 7 main plants, about 5 inches deep.
Can they get root bound at all?
Maybe I need to change the soil? And how do I know when to pick them?
I have eaten one but it was not very sweet, is there a way of making them grow sweeter?????
Debi
I heard the deformation is due to pollenation but I don't know how accurate that info was.. And as for the sweetness, I think it has to do with cultivar. I've notice that when my strawberries are over watered (caught in a torrential downpour for over a week) the flavor and sweetness was a bit washed out and diluted.. But when I cut back the water, the berries were smaller but much much better. Hope that helps.
Sweetness in strawberries also requires enough sunlight.
Hi L,
Can they get sunburnt, or dappled sun?
A Friend,
Debi
I really can't speak to the possibilities in Zone 10. Extreme heat will shut them down, though, in the summer, if they are a day-neutral variety.
I have different varieties here. They all stop flowering when it's hot like in the 90-100's. But I noticed that they flower like crazy when it's in the 70-80's. So strawberries like some heat just not too much. And I haven't noticed about the sunlight thing but then again, I've got them placed for maximum sunlight..
Hi Debi, really sorry that your Strawberry plants/fruit have not done what you expected from them,
however, there are as your have been told, a few reasons for this, but I am not too sure what you mean by growing in a foam box, so do you mean a polystyrene container that you have added earth and then your plants, if so, then perhaps the trouble you have is that these boxes will in fact
make the inner box very warm as they conduct heat OR cold, whichever the outside temp is at the time of year (here in UK for instance we use these containers etc, to keep plant roots from freezing) but in your situation, you have the opposite problem, so I think maybe your soil and plant roots are too hot and dry which in turn will stress the plants, especially at flowering and fruiting time. when you are watering, I think your soil may be too dry and hot, that the water evaporates very fast before the roots get any real amount. Strawberry plants do need a good lot of animal manure (well rotted) withing the soil at planting time, and again each spring at the start of the new growth, if you mulch a good few inches on top of the soil around the plants, this helps to feed, retain moisture AND helps to keep the real hot sun off the root area, fruit of any kind use up a real lot of energy in a season, first to flower, then another load to form the fruit, so they also need a constant and even amount of water, too much and the fruit will rot before it gets to mature, too little and the fruit cant form properly, which may be one reason for your fruit being deformed, all fruit need sunshine to ripen but then if they are baking in the sun, then they become deformed as they struggle to grow properly by the need of water, then too hot, so it may be in your climate or just the position you have placed the box, they are suffering from too hot sun and too little nutrients and water. The best, easiest way to tell if your plants need water, is to poke your finger into the soil to about 2/ 3 inches down, if the soil is warm and dry, then you need to soak the plants, but if really dry, the water sheds off the soil and misses the roots, hence the reason for mulching, do this when the soil is already wet so the mulch helps to hold the water and not evaporate so fast. you dont say what type of Strawberry you are growing, so remember, some are very acid as they are off the cooking cultivars, ie, jams pies etc, whereas, others are for the table, like desert, ice cream sundaes etc, so they all have a different kind of sweetness and shape, not all fruit that is deformed are acidic, so try find out what type you have, then you can fix the problems for next years fruiting season, some of this years plants will send out runners from the parent plant, these can either be pegged into the soil till they root and then cut from the older plant, OR, you can nip them off the older plant and set them into pots till they are large enough to be set out into the growing place, maybe you just should try giving your box a little shade for part of the day as they are in such shallow, little soil and do a new ground area bed for next year, it would be a shame to give up now since you have tried so hard, also go along to the book store/library for books on growing fruit and you can learn about lots of different types you can grow in your very hot climate. it is fun once you understand what each type needs. hope this helps you a little and some encouragement to continue, Good luck. WeeNel.
Hi All,
Thanks for the help here.
Lily is so disappointed. :-(
This is a pic for you and I put a 3 or 4 inch pot in front for size comparison.
It is a box you put ice in, it breaks up easy. Not plastic at all.
Tks,
Debi
Your box is plastic in a form, it is made from polystyrene which is an insulating material, if the temp outside freezes, then this material will prevent what is inside the box from freezing, however it works the opposite when it is warm, it keeps the inner warm, or in your case, hot, therefore the heat this material can generate will cause your plants to be growing under stress, dried out the roots, and when heat and water amounts fluctuate in these conditions, fruiting will be sparse, deformed, or sour, and as I indicated previously, the flavour all depends on the type of strawberry you are growing as flavours different with type, watering, root area and feeding,
It is disheartening when you get a failure from your work and attention, but dont give up just yet,
it could be possible to remove all the fruit off the plants and transplant them into another area, OK, you may not get any good fruit for this season, but your plants will be able to get their roots down into good manured soil and this will give them the energy and root area they really need and also you will find better control with your watering, I hope you can give it another go as it is so much fun to go out into your own garden and pick fruit that has been grown all by yourself and you know what went into the soil, good luck, WeeNel.
Hi WeeNel,
OK, so it IS a type of plastic..............................
Well the strawberries are not doing well so by cutting them off and re-potting, as you suggested, sounds like the way to go.
I did have them in the ground at first but something was eating them, thats why I put them into that box.
So, what type of box would be good as I don't really want to put them in the ground again to be eaten?
Any and all suggestions greatfully received.
A Friend,
Debi
Hi Debi, so sorry your plants are still not doing too well, maybe if you could get hold of a wooden box, OR make one from old wood etc, and deeper than the one you had, then that will help if you dont want to place them in the garden again, deeper and larger means you can add more soil and that helps the roots to grow stronger and when you water, there is more soil to hold it, I would also try choose or give more shelter from the hottest part of the day where the sun is at it's most severe, If I were you though, I would get a bag of compost, either buy some or try get some well rotted animal manure and add this into the soil so that the strawberries get a source of food and also helps to retain moisture for the roots to soak it up, it is always difficult to really wet soil that has gone too dry as the water just runs off because it becomes hard crusted on the top, to check for water, stick your finger into the soil about 2 or 3 inches and you can feel if there is enough water at the roots, if damp/wet, they dont need water. The things that eat the plants are, slugs/snails etc, and the actual strawberries get eaten by birds who just love the berries and the colour just attracts them, you can get the same trouble when you have them in a box, so every morning or evening, just lift the leaves to check there is nothing hiding under the foliage and also the underside of the box as this will be a nice dark place for the snails/slugs to hide and come out when it cools in the evening, if seen, just pick them off and get rid by whatever way you like to commit murder He, He, He, or as I do, throw them into a bucket of boiling water, there are bought slug/snail killers you get from garden centers, but be very careful when you use them as they are poisonous to pets, kids and birds, birds are gardeners friend as they eat all these things, but if birds eat the strawberries, then you can either wind thread around some canes in a criss cross fashion to stop then landing or, a net over the plants will help to keep them off. hope this helps you get back on track again as I feel sure you are determined to carry on and then you will enjoy your hard work, maybe not too good this year, but things should get better next year, OH I forgot to mention, IF your plants are just this years or were very young off sets, then they really wont fruit too well the first year as they need time to build up a good root system to support the plant and give it energy to flower and fruit, so be patient, try your best, that's all we as gardeners can do. Good Luck. WeeNel.
Will do, WeeNel,
I can make a box, as soon as I read it, I thought about the wood I have under my house.
It's from an old water bed, the sides and base.
Plastic under the dirt or no do you think?
I will keep trying as Lily asks about them each time she comes over.
So we are in it for the long haul. lol lol.
I could never let her down, ever!
Debi
Hi again Debi, good for you, that little girl will love being able to go out and help you pick those lovely home grown Strawberries, AND you know what they have grown in and what chemicals (if any) you are eating too, As for plastic at the bottom of the box, I dont see that as a problem at all so long as you get your garden fork or whatever, and poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage.
maybe if you can, use a staple gun to firm the plastic to the sides of the box so that the soil dont wash away when you water the plants. or if you can, use some of the black woven fabric from garden centers to use instead of he plastic and because it is woven, you dont need to make holes but nail or staple it so IF you need to move the box, then all the soil wont fall out the bottom, I am so pleased you have not given up on this, you might not get good crop of berries this year, but you will be well established for next year if you can make a start either now, or spring time. happy Gardening, WeeNel.
Thanks Heaps, WeeNel,
Yes we will stick it through. I ask Lily sometimes, what do think is happenning darling?
She will say, maybe we need to mix up the dirt? lol
G/Children and what they say are priceless!!
Why I mentioned the plastic, was to protect the wood?????????
Thks,
Debi
Debi the plastic will do the job just the same, in your climate, I dont think watering your plants will cause the wood to remain wet/damp for long, where I am, plastic and water soon makes the wood go rotten as the plastic wont let the wood dry out like it will in your area, I live in a much colder, wetter area of UK, just remember that soon as you see the strawberries start to form flowers, then give them a feed, probably a liquid feed would do, maybe some tomato fertiliser would be best as this helps the fruit to bulk up and also helps with the flavour a bit, but dont go over the amount the instruction tell you, your better to add less than too much till you get the hang of things, I just know your little grand-daughter will think your the smartest granny on earth when she bites into her first juicy strawberry, so dont give up, your doing all you can. Good Luck. WeeNel.
