Strawberries

So i've just planted everbearing strawberries (ozarks) and i have a question...some say you should trim the flowers off until june for better berry production. Have any of you done this? Or do you just let the plants be?

Sheslostit, I'd like to know about trimming off runners as well. We just received our new strawberry plants and have planted them out: 25 plants each in two four-foot square beds. One bed has Seascape, the other Tristar--both claim to be everbearing. After 2 days in their new beds, they look good....my fingers are crossed. Our old and delicious rhubarb plant is putting out new leaves and my mouth is set for strawberry-rhubarb pie!

How old are your plants?

If they are less than a year old you should cut off all the flowers so the plants can focus on producing a healthy well-established root system. After the first year you can let them bear fruit.

If you don't cut the flowers off you will still get strawberries, but not a whole heck of a lot and you'll have a poorly developed plant.

If the plant is over a year old then you don't need to remove the blossoms. If you are planting the strawberries in your SFG you'll want to clip off the runners to prevent the plant from taking over your box (unless that is want you want them to do).

Nonna.PapaVino wrote:Sheslostit, I'd like to know about trimming off runners as well. We just received our new strawberry plants and have planted them out: 25 plants each in two four-foot square beds. One bed has Seascape, the other Tristar--both claim to be everbearing. After 2 days in their new beds, they look good....my fingers are crossed. Our old and delicious rhubarb plant is putting out new leaves and my mouth is set for strawberry-rhubarb pie!

Howdy Nonna:

Like any new baby it "depends". If you want max production from your plants the first year clip off the runners as they form. If you wish to expand your planting of strawberries allow the runners to grow. The runners will soon start baby plants that you can place in buried cups (with drain holes) while they are still attached to the mother plant. After the baby has set it's own roots you can then cut the runner from the mother plant and move the new strawberry plant to a new home. You can also just allow the runners to set root in your SFG, clip and move by digging up the new plant being careful with the roots of the mother plant. If you allow the runners to set new plants in the beds they will overfill the beds. As I recall if you want to allow the plants to expand and stay in your SFG plant one per square. If you will be cutting the runners off as they form plant 4 per square.

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

WardinWake, thank you for the info. Now I know why I was delighted when my son fell in love with, and married, a lady from Virginia.
And to dizzygardener, I shall follow your advice, but it doesn't look like we'll get many strawberries for the pie that way. Luckily, we still have around 20 plants in an old bed nearer to the house--not as desirable a variety as those newly planted, but perhaps we'll have enough s'berries to satisfy us until next year.

I picked strawberries for $ on large commercial farms from age 7-16.

I doubt that these berry farmers had the time or technology to trim off the flowers on first-year plants!. Usually, second- and third-year plants produced the most fruit.

You'd be surprised how many growers do. They need that best productivity they can get. You really do get much MUCH better yields that way. The same is true of blueberries except they don't let them set fruit until year three. Growers who grow indeterminate tomatoes also clip off the suckers. They have the man hours to do it.

But hey, people are free to do as they please. At the end of the day, when these plants grow wild there is no one to clip off flowers, etc. I'm just mentioning best practices here for an improved harvest.

A further question...

Last year I had strawberries planted that I didn't cut the flowers off of (amateur mistake). I also let the runners plant themselves and root. So this spring when I was moving my SFG, I dug out all the plants, split all of them into separate plants, and replanted them. So my question is, Do I trim the flowers off of them this year? Are these runners considered "new plants" or not? They've started to flower already and I just planted them this weekend. Thanks!! I'm trying to have an entire 4x4 of just strawberries and want to do it right this year.

Jill

The pinching off flowers is a heavily debated topic. I plan to let mine fruit this year since it's debatable. My aunt has tried both ways without noticing a difference, but I'm not basing my decision on that anecdotal evidence alone. If you do some reading, you'll find there's no solid proof either way. Since they can't prove it to me, I'd rather have the berries.

About every two years, my mom (premier gardner in the family) takes up her strawberries, amends the bed with compost, and replants the young plants, discarding the oldest mother plants. She does not remove the flowers, and harvests strawberries all summer and fall, lots of strawberries! My take on this is: Granny is 89 years old, she's worked with s'berries nearly all her life, she gets lots, she must know what she's doing, I'll do what she does. end of story

Nonna.PapaVino wrote:snip..... She does not remove the flowers, and harvests strawberries all summer and fall, lots of strawberries! My take on this is: Granny is 89 years old, she's worked with s'berries nearly all her life, she gets lots, she must know what she's doing, I'll do what she does. end of story

+1 (same with both my gram'mas)

I know people who are committed to one way or the other. With runners and flowers. They both end up with good jam.

I let mine fruit and eat the berries. They are still stronger in the 2nd year than the first but I already know what I'm getting. I feel like what I do for them in fall has more to do with what kind of fruit I'll get next summer.

Deborah....trusting that the Creator knew what he was doing.

Nonna.PapaVino wrote:About every two years, my mom (premier gardner in the family) takes up her strawberries, amends the bed with compost, and replants the young plants, discarding the oldest mother plants. She does not remove the flowers, and harvests strawberries all summer and fall, lots of strawberries! My take on this is: Granny is 89 years old, she's worked with s'berries nearly all her life, she gets lots, she must know what she's doing, I'll do what she does. end of story

That's good to hear. I have my ever-bearing strawberries in those half-barrel cedar planters (in Mel's Mix) and I've been wondering about how to renew/add new the compost. I've was thinking of doing it like your grandma this Fall when they're done fruiting.

pattipan

http://gradinar.sunphoto.ro/Square_foot_gardening/34743987

Those strawberries are looking good.

I don't mean to intervene here, just that something is puzzling me.

And to dizzygardener, I shall follow your advice....

But then....

My take on this is: Granny is 89 years old, she's worked with s'berries nearly all her life, she gets lots, she must know what she's doing, I'll do what she does. end of story

Perhaps I'm wrong but forum etiquette appears to have been forgotten somewhat. Dizzy was only offering advice and trying to help.