Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,

--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth wrote:
Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,


Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do
better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?

Steve

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Kenneth wrote:
Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,


Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do
better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?


When did the first few flowers appear? The plants don't all flower at once.

Did you fertilize them last fall? If so, how much nitrogen did they get?
Too much N can inhibit flowering.

Or what Steve said. Maybe it's time to rejuve the bed with new plants.

On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 20:54:37 -0400, "TQ" ToweringQs AT
adelphia.net wrote:


"Steve" wrote in message
...
Kenneth wrote:
Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,


Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do
better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?


When did the first few flowers appear? The plants don't all flower at once.

Did you fertilize them last fall? If so, how much nitrogen did they get?
Too much N can inhibit flowering.

Or what Steve said. Maybe it's time to rejuve the bed with new plants.


Hello again,

Do you know the relationship between nitrogen content and
the tendency of the plants to throw off runners? In the
three years, I have (essentially) the number of plants that
I started with.

Thanks again,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth wrote:

On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 20:54:37 -0400, "TQ" ToweringQs AT
adelphia.net wrote:


"Steve" wrote in message
...

Kenneth wrote:

Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,


Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do
better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?


When did the first few flowers appear? The plants don't all flower at once.

Did you fertilize them last fall? If so, how much nitrogen did they get?
Too much N can inhibit flowering.

Or what Steve said. Maybe it's time to rejuve the bed with new plants.



Hello again,

Do you know the relationship between nitrogen content and
the tendency of the plants to throw off runners? In the
three years, I have (essentially) the number of plants that
I started with.

Thanks again,

Nitrogen would encourage more runners. If you are getting few flowers
AND few runners, something must be wrong. You didn't answer my question
about whether they produced better before this year. Is the soil really
bad where they are growing or something? What was growing there before?

Steve

On Sun, 05 Jun 2005 10:22:57 -0400, Steve
wrote:

Kenneth wrote:

On Sat, 4 Jun 2005 20:54:37 -0400, "TQ" ToweringQs AT
adelphia.net wrote:


"Steve" wrote in message
...

Kenneth wrote:

Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,


Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do
better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?


When did the first few flowers appear? The plants don't all flower at once.

Did you fertilize them last fall? If so, how much nitrogen did they get?
Too much N can inhibit flowering.

Or what Steve said. Maybe it's time to rejuve the bed with new plants.



Hello again,

Do you know the relationship between nitrogen content and
the tendency of the plants to throw off runners? In the
three years, I have (essentially) the number of plants that
I started with.

Thanks again,

Nitrogen would encourage more runners. If you are getting few flowers
AND few runners, something must be wrong. You didn't answer my question
about whether they produced better before this year. Is the soil really
bad where they are growing or something? What was growing there before?

Steve

Hi Steve,

Few runners, and few flowers on otherwise healthy looking
plants. No, they did not do any better in years 1 or 2. And
finally, this was just untended meadow before I turned it
into the strawberry patch.

Does my situation sound like nitrogen depletion?

Thanks for any further thoughts,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth writes:
I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy
strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

My Mum has been growing strawberries for over 20 years. I asked her.
She said that if you have used excessive fertiliser you'll have all
leaf and not many fruit. Assuming excessive fertiliser is not the
problem, then go with Sulphate of Potash (use as directed) to encourage
flowering. You disolve it and water over the plants. She uses it to
encourage blooms in her flower garden, too.
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)