Forcing strawberries

sclarke624 · « **on:** April 14, 2010, 18:47 »

I brought some strawberries indoors after reading about it in my mag. It worked we had our first strawberry last week, BUT they are not very sweet. So won't bother next year. I guess they need the sun to sweeten them.

Last years strawbs in the garden weren't as sweet as previous years. Maybe that was lack of sun.

Trillium · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2010, 20:03 »

Manure gives strawberries their sweetness, not fertilizer, so perhaps your berry plants are hungry. Feed the plants after you've finished cropping, otherwise, you'll get big soft berries that will quickly go moldy.

sclarke624 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 15, 2010, 01:52 »

I only brought 4 plants in so not that worried plenty more in the garden. They were chicken pelleted about 5 weeks ago so look forward to them. Chicken pellets are manure aren't they?? Hope so.

Trillium · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2010, 19:17 »

They are, ready to use.

sclarke624 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2010, 23:24 »

Jolly good

blackbob · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2010, 23:37 »

Quote from: Trillium on April 14, 2010, 20:03

Manure gives strawberries their sweetness, not fertilizer, so perhaps your berry plants are hungry. Feed the plants after you've finished cropping, otherwise, you'll get big soft berries that will quickly go moldy.

forgive my ignorance but how exactly does this theory work?
i was always led to believe LUX levels were critical in the eventual sweetness of strawberries.

Trillium · « **Reply #6 on:** April 16, 2010, 03:20 »

I can't give you specifics in LUX levels, but strawberries definitely need lots of light to ripen and some flavour will develop, but having given my strawbs all the light they want but no manure one year, the taste of all the berries was definitely inferior to previous years when I did manure them. Strawberries work differently from other plants, in that after they crop, they're already putting out runners and these are what you need to feed rather than the mother plant. The amount of water and manure they get through the rest of the summer will determine what you get cropwise and in flavour the following year.

blackbob · « **Reply #7 on:** April 16, 2010, 18:04 »

Quote from: Trillium on April 16, 2010, 03:20

I can't give you specifics in LUX levels, but strawberries definitely need lots of light to ripen and some flavour will develop, but having given my strawbs all the light they want but no manure one year, the taste of all the berries was definitely inferior to previous years when I did manure them. Strawberries work differently from other plants, in that after they crop, they're already putting out runners and these are what you need to feed rather than the mother plant. The amount of water and manure they get through the rest of the summer will determine what you get cropwise and in flavour the following year.

not having a dig here,so to speak lol.but manure will have no effect on the eventual outcome of strawberry taste.
i thought you may have some research info,
the final sweetness will always come down to variety and growing conditions.
i agree with the manure stance though,get it in and reap the benefits.bob

Trillium · « **Reply #8 on:** April 17, 2010, 14:35 »

Quote from: blackbob on April 16, 2010, 18:04

.but manure will have no effect on the eventual outcome of strawberry taste.

Actually, it does. If you do a blind taste test of manured, fertilized and not-fertilized strawberries, the taste differences are significant. I can always tell the difference between fertilized and manured berries - only the latter has true flavour.
It's not scientific, true, but we're only gardeners looking for the best taste.

solway cropper · « **Reply #9 on:** April 17, 2010, 21:43 »

We'll end up back in the debate about whether or not organically grown food tastes better than non-organic if we follow this. All the evidence says there is no difference in taste and as plants can only absorb nutrients as simple ions in solution that should be the case. However if the plant is stressed that may well make a difference. So if your strawbs are happy in muck they might taste different to unhappy plants grown hydroponically.

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Forcing strawberries

sclarke624

Forcing strawberries

Trillium

Re: Forcing strawberries

sclarke624

Re: Forcing strawberries

Trillium

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sclarke624

Re: Forcing strawberries

blackbob

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Trillium

Re: Forcing strawberries

blackbob

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Trillium

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solway cropper

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