So I bought these strawberries I guess they are called Quinault. There were three stems with leaves sticking up out of a 4" pot. Is this one plant or 3? Also I have done some research on how to grow/care for them and have turned up 3 very different results. One way is in pots on the ground do very well, the other is they do best in hanging pots, and the one I was told today is they need to be in the ground for they branch out. I have know idea what is best and wandering your input or if they are three different plant I'll try one each way. What do you think. Thanks
There used to be a U-pickit strawberry farm around West Palm Beach when I lived there 30 years ago, they grew all of theirs in the ground. We have several members who do grow strawberries in the ground but there may be some who use the pots too. I know Sjoerd and Biita should have some good information for you before long and EJ grows them too I think.
Also my strawberries have little white flowers and I was told to pinch them off to start more growth. Does this sound right. I thought the flowers are what become the berries.
Hello Newgrow, nice to see you. I grow strawbs every year and it's an ongoing thing with me that requires alot of attention as I just can't do without them. I only grow my strawbs in the ground and that is what I have the most knowledge about. The type of strawberry that you have is what we call a perpetual strawberry here. They typically produce big harvests in the summer and fall, with less big harvests throughout the interim. I don't know how serious you are about growing strawberries, but I will mention that it is advised that you pinch-off all blooms the first year while the plant is developing a good root system and getting itself established. *Don't nip off the flower/bud only, take the whole stem (raceme). You can see that these flowers are growing on a stem that grows out of the plant. It takes a strong person to be able to do this, but it is indeed better for the plant/harvest ratio in the end. Ok then... Bud/blossom removal--Since the Quinault strawberry is a perpetual type the pinching-off of the first bloom stems is something that is indeed a generally accepted technique to get the plant to produce more fruits at the time of their next blooming. How to grow them PLANTING-- In the ground: You can grow them in the flat ground or on mounds or long, raised hills. I grow mine on the flat ground. Raised-The benefit of growing the plants on some sort of elevation is that the water can drain well, and they will have less contact with the ground, and thus less rot. There is good air circulation as well. Flat-(1)You should make the ground nice and loose to at least a spade's depth, and sprinkled some bone meal. You should also make the soil acid, by mixing some special soil such as that for azalias in with the existing soil. Some folks don't realize that strawb plants actually prefer acid soil. (2)Perhaps the very most important aspect is planting the new plantlets properly, that is to say, not too deep and not too shallow. The growing point should be just above the surrounding soil level. Generally speaking, at the same level as when the plantlet was in it's pot. This is important because if it is too low, the growing point may rot and if it is too high, the roots may dry out(strawbs do not have deep roots. CARE-- Water: Strawberry plants need lots of water until they are well established (without waterlogging them), they also need lots of water once the flower petals have dropped and the fruits begin to swell. Don't forget, strawberries are "water-fruits", in the sense that the fruit is filled with water. Regular watering is something that needs to be done even after harvesting. Dressing: Use a well-rotted compost or pine needles around the plants to hold moisture. Feeding: You don't really need to feed strawbs, but I do anyway. If you feed the plants feed them in early spring with a potassium-rich food, like tomato food. * Avoid giving the plants nitrogen, as it will cause alot of leafy development and not much flowering. I feed them when I see the fruits beginning to develop after flowering in the late spring. Strawbery plants eat alot and they eat it fast--this is evident in the speed at which the fruits form and ripen. Extra care: Keep your plants meticulously weeded so that every bit of nutrition goes to the plants(fruits) only. Keep your eyes open for runners and remove them religiously until after the last fruit has been picked". *If you look closely at your plants (down at bug level) you will see little nodes beginning to form on your plant. These are the "runners in waiting". PROTECTION-- You will need to protect your fruits from a variety of things. Insects, rot and birds to name a few. Insects: are not a big problem here, but if they are there in Florida, then you can better remove them by hand as opposed to spraying. Rot: can be combatted by removing dead leaves from the plants in a timely manner and by not dressing too closely with your compost or pine needles. Birds: must be prevented getting at your shiny, red fruits. The best way to do this is with a net, just be sure that the weave is large enough to let bees through to pollinate. Improperly pollinated flowers can result in deformed fruits. I tie strips of bright plastic here and there on my nets to discourage birds from flying into the nets. The wind blows them and the fluttering seems to help. PROPAGATION--If you decide that you want to grow strawbs on a larger scale, we can talk about this aspect of the process later on. What to do with the pot that you presently have. Without a piccy, I can't really tell if you have three plants in there or it's three branches from the same plant, but I suspect that it is three little plants. If they are presently blooming, then the time for transplanting or digging-up to investigate is not optimal. I can't tell you what is better to do with these because it depends upoon how you prefer to grow them. You must decide that for yourself--in a patch in the ground or as a hanging patio plant. If you choose to grow them as a hanging patio plant, you could just leave them sit, remove the flower stems, water and feed. If you want to make a strawberry bed, then you will need to nip off the bud stem and investigate and separate, planting them apart and following the outline above. Whichever method you choose, I would suggest that you get more plants so that you can have a truly rich harvest to enjoy in jams or with shortcake...or however you like them.
That is so much help thank you so much. I have done a lot of research since I sit at home all day and have not found info like you gave me. I do have one question about what you said though, you said... *Don't nip off the flower/bud only, take the whole stem (raceme). You can see that these flowers are growing on a stem that grows out of the plant. It takes a strong person to be able to do this, but it is indeed better for the plant/harvest ratio in the end. So there is a big stem coming out of the ground with the rest of the plant.The big stem branches off half way up into 3-6 little stems with little white flowers. Do I pinch the one big stem or each individual one from the big one?
Here you see a strawberry plant with a bloom stem. "A" simply indicates the blossom stem."B" is where you cut it. The strawberry plant always has a center where the so-called "growing point" is. This is in the middle of the plant when seen from above. The bloom stems grow out of the sides of the grow point. You can't really see the growing point on the foto above but you can see the blossom stem. To be sure that you don't cut the wrong thing off, grasp the bunch of flowers with the fingers of one hand and cut off their stem with the other. If you don't completely understand what I mean, you can always simply remove the flowers one by one, leaving the naked stem in place. The reason that I remove the whole stem is because it will take extra nutrition that I want to go into the formation of a good root ball.
Once again thank you, awesome illustration! Mine are not quit that big but soon to get there. That helps out so much. I'm one of those have to see it kinda guys that is just now trying to learn the planting lingo.. bloom stem,blossom And so forth Thanks again so much help.. If I figure out how to post pics I will a.s.a.p.
Ok newgrow...it would be nice to see your plants. I know what you mean by "have to see it kinda guys". It is always best if there are some sort of illustrations. I didn't place any fotos with the first explanation because I thought that you might have seen some of my postings on the subject of strawberries last year. Anyway, the main thing is that you get the info that you need. If there are further questions just ask and I or someone will be able to assist you, I am sure.
So I already have a strawberry that is almost fully red with about 6 other flower buds. Should I pick this berry soon or leave it until the others come out to play. Not sure why this one is so far along and the others are not.
Hello newgrow, I would suggest that you leave the strawberry on until it ripens properly. It is normal for strawberries to ripen at different times rather than all at once, in unison. If you have few plants the harvests can seem sparse, if you have lots of plants, then each harvest can mean desert. Generally speaking, the way I know that a strawberry is ready to eat is when I grasp the strawberry and pull very,very slightly--if it lets go and comes off, then it's ready. I have been fooled when I pick based upon appearance only. Picking can be done at different times depending upon what the reason is that you want to harvest. I have lots of plants, so when I pick, I pick mostly for jamming. This means I want strawbs in varying degrees of ripeness--in this instance, I snip the stem off, rather pull the berry off it's stem.
