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1st Year Strawberries - Pick buds/flowers or let them fruit? (Plus - what's up with these leaves?)

January ManJanuary Man Posts: 212
in Fruit & veg

Hi all

I've got 30 strawberry plants in pots and am growing them for the first time ever.  Some were bare root and some were plugs...  Exciting times! 

I've read in a couple of places that it is a good idea to cut off the buds and flowers and prevent them from fruiting in year one, so that all the energy can go into the plant and root structure.  It would be painful to do that, but if it will really help the fruit production in subsequent years them I'm up for it.  But other articles I've read have not mentioned this as being necessary.  

So I wondered what you guys here think?  

Also, a few of my plants have developed odd patches on their leaves and I wondered whether this is an obvious sign of anything to the trained eye?  Here's a couple of pics.

image

image

Huge thanks

Max 

 

Posts

  • jabsyjabsy Posts: 54

    I've always left the flowers on, had considerable amount of fruit and very good growth in it's first year. Considering you're meant to replace them every 3 years or so it seems a waste to let a good crop go to waste.  

    Since you've got quite a lot of them maybe you could experiment, leaving some with flowers and others not and see how it goes for you:) 

  • January ManJanuary Man Posts: 212

    Thanks jabsy.  I might try the experiment.  But I may also just let them all fruit and enjoy the strawberries this year!  :)  Tough call...  I guess I could just pick one or two plants to experiments with and let the rest fruit.  

    As for the leaf problem, someone on another forum says it looks like leaf miner damage.  So I am just having a read about that now...  Would anyone here agree with the leaf miner verdict?

    Many thanks

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I'd agree with that Max. They don't really cause a huge issue though - they just look unsightly. You can pick the odd leaf off if they're really bad. 

    With very small plants - you might want to let them bulk up a bit, so you could remove any flowers from those. I'm like most people though - if they have a flower or two, I let them fruit image

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • chris 172chris 172 Posts: 403

    Hi Max

    you can read many tales of what to do with first year strawbs however i have relocated many a plant and have never held back on harvest so go for it.

    Most garden centre plants you buy are runners from previous year so why would you wait a year to get that great crop.

    i tend to take runners off plants annually and prepare for when i compost a strawb area.

    two pictures show one patch two years old with cardboard used for mulch and fruit protection and the other i made this year from last years runners.

    i will be taking fruit from all and will enjoy the bounty.

    After fruiting you can give them a good tidy up as i have found strawbs to be very hardy and can take a good cut back well

    happy gardening and enjoy the best taste in the world fresh from the plotimageimage

  • chris 172chris 172 Posts: 403

    apology this photograph is from this morning

    cheersimage

  • January ManJanuary Man Posts: 212

    Thanks for the great, helpful replies.  And thanks for the photos Chris.  They're great, although make me a little jealous perhaps!  :)

    Think I'm going to leave them all to fruit.

    Cheers

  • chris 172chris 172 Posts: 403

    Thanks Max

    you will get a great return on your crops and if they are different varieties they may all not come at once.

    I tend to eat two at the garden for every time I pick five as between middle June till end July it's a binge on them

    Jam, sauce, puds, frozen, Prosecco and what ever takes a fancy

    I have even passed a handful or two through the fence to any admiring compliments given from the general public as my garden is on the boundary of a public footpath

    happy gardening

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