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Disappointing strawberries

• Message 1. 

  Posted by Calendula (U2331338) on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010

  Anyone any thoughts on this? I am growing "Cambridge Favourite" strawberries and have been really disappointed with them this year. The plants were new last year (some made from runners) and the fruits were were sweet and full of flavour. This year, despite looking ripe, they are tastleless and sour, with some rotting off before even ripening. I must admit I haven't watered them much - was it last year's rain that made the difference? I live in SE England.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by grandcottagegardener (U14258183) on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010

  Calenula -That's really disappointing for you.
  
  Not sure what variety of strawberries I have, but I bought them from Homebase last year. The plants grown from last years runners have been allowed to grow in strength rather than allow them to fruit, but the remaining strawberry plants i.e. the original plants are just as tasty as last year. The thrush will vouch for this!! I will do the same thing with the runners produced this year, and hoping that the runners produced last year will give me some good fruit next year.
  
  I did have them growing in a strawberry planter last year, but last autumn I transplanted them to an area in the garden that gets sunshine for about 6 hours per day, and I keep the ground watered nicely. I live in SE too, so wondering if your strawberries are growing in planters or in the soil.

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  Posted by Goggomobil (U14202831) on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010

  Potassium apparently does wonders for the taste. Tomato fertiliser or something similar.

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  Posted by margaretstar (U14415248) on Wednesday, 23rd June 2010

  
  The other thought is botrytis - is here any sign of grey mould around? The first symptoms are the fruit rotting very early, the tastelessness will be because the mould does influence this.
  
  Often botrytis will only strike in the second year.

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  Posted by Lorea (U14415784) on Thursday, 24th June 2010

  I had a big quantity this year, some tastier than others, but smaller and some of them rotted early. I put it down to the cold, extremely wet spring we've had here.

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  Posted by brownturtledove (U13667245) on Thursday, 24th June 2010

  I think that it is the cold weather, they do not like wet crowns either, they become mouldy. Hopefully this sunshine will imporove things.

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  Posted by suffolkboyswife (U3002116) on Thursday, 24th June 2010

  I have the same variety and they are in their 2nd year now with runners from last year producing their own crop this year. We have had about a dozen this week which have been really juicy and sweet - absolutely gorgeous. I live in east of the country so I don't know if this has made a difference, it has been very wet and cold and I just left my strawberries to it, they were covered in 3 inches of snow for a while and all bar 2 plants have grown again. I'm sorry I can't help with your query, it does seem a bit odd though, maybe it has got something to do with the unusual extremes of weather.

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  Posted by Calendula (U2331338) on Friday, 25th June 2010

  Thanks for all your replies. Suffolkboyswife: I'm very jealous! Took some more last night and they were marginally better. I'll water them well at the weekend and hope I get a few more good ones before they finish.

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