Strawberry Expert Needed

[sugarapsa]

I planted two varieties of strawberry’s; “Honeye” (June bearing) and “Albion” (ever bearing). Both are first year crowns. I have read several “experts” say to remove the first year blooms and others say do not. Has anyone here actually conducted a trial to see if there are any benefits one way or the other?

Thanks in advance,

Marty

 

[redback]

I grew strawberries commercially for ten years in South Australia. Our varieties were Tioga and Red Gauntlet. Both had three crops a year (in Spring, mid-summer and late summer) and both cropped well in the first year, best in the second year and well in the third year. They were a waste of water in the fourth year.
If your varieties have a three-year production period I wouldn't waste the first year.

 

[sugarapsa]

I was hoping someone would say harvest the first year. Seems like such a waste not to given their life span is limited.

Thank you redback.

 

[redback]

When they flower it's very beneficial to have a seaweed (kelp) liquid foliar spray ready to dowse their leaves and flowers. It helps with fruit set. Hint; buy kelp in the powder form even if you have to travel to a specialist organic shop. It goes much further and is cheaper than the premixed seaweed.

 

[sugarapsa]

Superb...never heard that one. Found the powdered form on Amazon. I will certainly give it a try.

Do you just sprinkle it on the plants, work it into the soil, or make a foliar spray?

 

[redback]

Do you just sprinkle it on the plants or work it into the soil?

Dissolve it at the recommended rate in water. My lot (which I've been using for a decade or more) takes about half a cup in a liter of water and that gets diluted again. Normally a quarter cup of the diluted liter mix is put into a watering can with a fine rose nozzle head cap and washed over the leaves.

 

[sugarapsa]

This Kelp extract is a teaspoon per gallon of water. What I love about it is it's organic and will add to the microbes, worms, and other beneficial critters in the soil. Looking forward to the results.

Thanks again!

 

[redback]

The organic strawberry is very tasty compared to the store bought one.
Soil science has given all these microbe stories new legitimacy.
I think seaweed has to be algae and strawberries are not closely associated with the sea. Strawberries are more closely aligned to the forest where fungi rule. There is a fungal fertilizer (inoculant) made from yeast and sugar which I have made and tested successfully. But not on strawberries.

 

[MiniOrchardDude]

If you have a humid environment like mine, I find it necessary to spray Serenade or Graden Friendly fungicide when flowering. This prevents anthracnose and both are for organic use. It is a strand of beneficial bacterial called Bacillus.

MOD

 

[sugarapsa]

Thank you MOD. Although humidity isn't an issue here in New Mexico.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I think seaweed has to be algae and strawberries are not closely associated with the sea. Strawberries are more closely aligned to the forest where fungi rule.

Strawberries are hybrids, there are a lot of wild ones, and I think a few of the newer varieties may have various ones bred in, but the older varieties are based on a hybrid between a strawberry from open woodland in Pennsylvania and one from coastal salt scrub in South America, so a bit of each.

 

[redback]

There are so many new varieties I don't know most of them. The best I ever tasted was 'Cambridge Vigor". The skin was so soft you rubbed it off when picking but the taste was very musky and morish.
Alpine strawberries made me think they were of mountainous origins.

 

[gary350]

All strawberry plants are NOT the same. Plants come from runners that can be transplanted first week of July.

Assume you plant 12 new plants July 1st each plant will grow about 10 runners and produce about 120 new plants by first frost that is Nov 1st for us. 7 months later about May 15 the 120 plants start producing ripe strawberries for about 5 weeks. Those 120 plants will produce about 7 gallons of ripe strawberries. This strawberry plants will now grow 1200 runners to transplant for next years crop. 120 plants will grow 1200 new plant for next year. The old plants should be tilled under so they are gone, if you let them grow they will produce a few strawberries next year but not 7 gallons again you might get 1/2 gallon from those 120 old plants. This variety of strawberry it is best to harvest 1 crop then replace the plants with new ones you grow FREE from the old plant.

There is another variety of strawberries that takes 2 years to get the first crop. If you plant 12 plants in July they live all winter and do not produce runner until next June. Your 12 plants produce 120 plants next summer then you wait another year to get a good crop of strawberries.

I like the 1 year plants much better than the 2 year plants.

Strawberry plants are very hardy plants freezing weather is no problem here it was -7°f this winter for a week plants did good.

Some strawberries are known for good flavor others are known for sweetness and some are known to grow very large berries.

 

[redback]

I like the 1 year plants much better than the 2 year plants.

I'm very out-of-date. Can you tell us what type 'Honeye' and 'Albion' are.

Assume you plant 12 new plants July 1st each plant will grow about 10 runners and produce about 120 new plants by first frost that is Nov 1st for us.

Do those first plants produce any berries?

 

[gary350]

I'm very out-of-date. Can you tell us what type 'Honeye' and 'Albion' are.

Do those first plants produce any berries?

I'm not sure if the first 12 plants produce berries in May they become lost among all the other 120 plants. There were 7 gallons of strawberries there was no need to care if the first 12 plants grew berries.

This year I let the 1200 plants become about 12,000. plants. I might get 70 gallons of strawberries this year but if I only get 40 or 50 wow what will I do. Might need to sell some of give some away. Maybe 6 gallons of strawberry wine.

I think my 2 year plants are Allstar. The 1 year plants I have had for 45 years I don't remember what they are. I will have to till under about 12,000. plants, if you live near me come get free plants. Murfreesboro TN about last week of June.

I don't know honeye or albion.