sjohnson9206
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Question for a friend - Strawberry flowers, but no fruit

I've got a friend who's had this strawberry plant for 3 years. Every year it flowers, but no fruit develops. It's outside in an area where it could be pollinated, she fertilizes lightly, and in the past trimmed runners accordingly. Last fall she gave up a bit and just let it go wild and if there's no produce this year it's going in the compost pile.

What is she doing wrong?

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Kisal
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Is it in full sun? Is it growing in the ground, or in a container?

I have never had a problem with strawberries not producing well, except one year when one of my trees had grown enough to shade my formerly sunny strawberry bed.

Online, I read that being root bound in a container can cause strawberries to produce flowers, but not have the energy to produce fruit.

Sorry I can't offer more specific information. :(

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farmerlon
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sjohnson9206 wrote:I've got a friend who's had this strawberry plant for 3 years.
Maybe that Strawberry plant needs some friends? :lol:

Even if it did eventually set fruit, a single Strawberry plant is likely to only provide a handful of berries. Also, as Strawberry plants age, they become less productive. That plant may just be too old.

Does she have the space to make a "planting" (grouping) of Strawberry plants?
If she could locate that plant where it can send out the runners and establish some new plants, all may not be lost.

JONA878
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There is always the possability that she has an everbearer strawberry plant variety.
Everbearers are handy in that produce fruit for a long period instead of the usual ' flush' cropping of the main types. snag is they require a pollination companion to be doing their job.

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applestar
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:o Didn't know that! :o
So a single plant may not produce fruits? Does it have to be a different variety or do you just need multiple plants of the same variety? (I would assume the latter. It's not a gene issue is it, since most strawberry plants are asexually propagated from runners?)

I've grown June bearing and Day-neutral, but not Everbearers, and come to think of it, I've always had side-by-side beds of more than one varieties.

JONA878
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Hi Star.
The main problem is that because of the lateness that they continue to flower at, there are no other companions around to assist.

Certainly commercial growers plant at least two vars together to make sure that there is a good pollination possability.
They can carry a huge crop over the course of a season....in fact they can exaust themselves so much that they give up producing runners.

Most growers de-flower them in the early part of the year so that they have a chance to build up a good crown before they start work and don't spend their strength fruiting at a time when the other main crop vars are at their peak.

https://www.nal.usda.gov/pgdic/Strawberry/book/bokelev.htm

sjohnson9206
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OK, here's an update from my friend with the answers.

Everbearing
Full sun
Planted in ground
Purchased as 3 plants, but 2 have crossed the rainbow bridge, and this is the only one left.
Last fall she didn't cut runners, so there should be multiple plants this year.
Flowered this year already once.

I'm planning on giving her some additional plants as I totally over bought.

One thing I don't get though. Looking at various sites, including Gurney's where I purchased my plants, they say that they're self-pollinating. I've also seen one plant containers that are all on their own produce fruit... not real sure that I fully believe they [b]need [/b]buddies, but I do believe that buddies would help. At least there would be more pollen available.

With all that said, any other thoughts

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Kisal
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Apparently, strawberries can have male, female, or perfect (hermaphroditic) flowers. I found the article linked below quite interesting.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/aug09/strawberries0809.htm

Laura D
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I also have everbearing strawberry plants (approx 10-15) which I planted in 2009. Can't remember the variety but they are much taller that my June bearing plants. They almost look more like a perennial flower. They don't seem to put out runners but as I said the plants are much taller and different looking than the June bearers.
These plants have been loaded with little yellow flowers almost all season. They seem to make the tiniest of berries but then they don't grow. I'm beginning to wonder if these are strawberry plants at all.
I purchased from Henry Fields and I've been disapointed with their stock. Out of 50 rasperberry plants, none survived. Peach tree, dead...blueberry bushes pitiful. To be fair, the asparagus and the June bearing strawberry plants have done quite well.
Ok, anyone know why the flowers are yellow and why they don't seem to set fruit?

DoubleDogFarm
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There are ornamental strawberries. The two we plant most are Lipstick and Pink Panda. Both of these have redish pink flowers. Even these produce a few edible berries. There maybe some yellow varieties.

I second the self pollinating mentioned above. My SeaScape strawberries are under floating rowcover 90% of the time. The cover protects the fruit from birds.

To much nitrogen will give big lush plants but lower yield. Still you should get some fruit. I like to use fish fertilizer or fish and kelp. Used mostly as a foliar spray once a month.

Eric
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Mon Aug 09, 2010 6:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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applestar
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@Laura D

The edible strawberries I have all flower white. The yellow flowered one -- are all other characteristics those of strawberries? I have this weed -- potentilla -- that ALWAYS pops up in the strawberry beds.

You might want to check out this thread: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13802

Laura D
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Well, after much research I became pretty certain that what I have is Mock Strawberry or False Strawberry, something like that. It's a weed and yes the flower looks suspiciously like a potentilla.

This morning I spent a couple of hours yanking all the offenders out of my strawberry bed. So much for everbearing strawberries!

Thanks everyone for the responses.

One more question, some of my real strawberry plants seem to have a disease. On some plants the leaves have curled and turned brown/dead on the ends. I can't remember the name of the disease they are susceptible to. Can anyone help me here. Should I spray or what?

DoubleDogFarm
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verticillium wilt or maybe Leaf scorch.

Here is a list of Strawberry diseases with images

https://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/plant_searchResults.cfm?host_see=Strawberry

Eric

amylong
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I brought some strawberry from the local farmer market. I asked if the plant will give me strawberry this june and he said yes. one of them has a white flower that is open now. Do I need another strawberry plant to get strawberrys?
https://imgur.com/yn7iPtL

thank you guys.



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