Author Topic: strawberries and blueberries  (Read 1745 times)

laidbackdood

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strawberries and blueberries
« on: November 09, 2018, 09:10:59 AM »
How to i get my strawbs and blueberries to grow big berries please?......just not happening for me .....its bloody hot now in perth 33C.....i have been using seaweed and fish but i wonder if there is anything to help boost the fruit size....i could thin the blueberries out a bit but the strawbs are proving more difficult....any ideas please?

achetadomestica

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2018, 09:45:24 AM »
I decided to try strawberries for the first time a couple weeks ago, actually I made it my 10
year old son's project to try to get him away from the video games a little.
I read up on UF website and they recommended 3 types for Florida and said to
plant them mid October. This is suppose to be Fall but we are still 90F. UF said
strawberries like it between 50F- 80F. I bought 25 bareroot Sweet Charlie Strawberries
off amazon for $17.99 shipped. My boy and I put together a 4' X 8' bed and we added
fresh peat and rabbit manure. The bareroot strawberries arrived and didn't look like much.
There were 26 in the bag and we planted them. My boy has been watering them daily
and he added miracle grow a couple times. In two weeks we have fresh green leaves
on all 26 and some have multiple shoots. I really hope these strawberries produce well
and my son gets inspired to do something besides fortnight?  Sweet Charlie has small
extra sweet strawberries not the big ones according to the website but it was one of the
three recommended by UF for Florida? Here is one website I researched

 https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs403
« Last Edit: November 09, 2018, 09:50:04 AM by achetadomestica »

zephian

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2018, 10:54:40 AM »
I have several types of strawberries growing in a shallow 4x8 raised bed near my house and I made a 5 ft tower with holes drilled in the side, backfilled with dirt and stuck small plants in last spring. They didn't produce much in spring and berries were very bland, but I got much better larger berries this last month or two. (Seascape variety mostly, so as long as temps are ok they will produce)
I believe I read somewhere they will do much better in year two...
My blueberries were bareroot in spring and produced only 5 fruit each... I believe blueberries will produce more once mature. I've thinned mine like you would a tree, no crossing branches, airflow through the middle. Hopefully they will produce alot of fruit next year..They've not stopped growing at all since spring.
-Kris

WGphil

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2018, 11:19:22 AM »
I have six blueberry plants inside a 10 x  5 raised bed

The soil is Pete moss and pine bark and i add pine to the bed

Blueberry cobblers and constantly snacking I still ended up with six gallons in the freezer

Berry size can be type as the emeralds were bigger than the Windsor

Peat and pine are acidic and exactly what they need

Azalea ferlizer works for that reason but the pine is the main feeder


Don’t even say Dolomite around them so no lime or amendments to chage ph





« Last Edit: November 09, 2018, 11:26:01 AM by WGphil »

laidbackdood

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2018, 01:28:33 AM »
thanks for replies.......nice plant there......i have since read thinning the blueberries will in crease their size........its the first year.......so maybe next year i will thin a bit and the tree will be more established.........strawbs i find are fussy.,,,i know you are not supposed to water the leaves.

WGphil

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #5 on: November 13, 2018, 12:45:56 PM »
After harvest you cut back at least a third

Plants shown have already been cut and growing back

hrnsyrk

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #6 on: November 14, 2018, 01:55:42 PM »
WGphil
Are you having any blooms? I have 2 bushes and blooming now.

KarenRei

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2018, 03:49:04 AM »
How to i get my strawbs and blueberries to grow big berries please?......just not happening for me .....its bloody hot now in perth 33C.....i have been using seaweed and fish but i wonder if there is anything to help boost the fruit size....i could thin the blueberries out a bit but the strawbs are proving more difficult....any ideas please?

Do you know what the nitrogen form is in your seaweed and fish fert?  Blueberries can only uptake ammoniacal nitrogen; they cannot use nitrate to any significant extent, and it can even be harmful. They also need acidic soil to perform well (ammonia-based ferts often happen to lower soil pH, doing double-duty in this regard.

Blueberries are not heavy feeders.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2018, 03:51:33 AM by KarenRei »
Já, ég er að rækta suðrænar plöntur á Íslandi. Nei, ég er ekki klikkuð. Jæja, kannski...

WGphil

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Re: strawberries and blueberries
« Reply #8 on: November 16, 2018, 04:51:59 AM »
I get some bloom through the winter as the chill requirement and warm up will do that

But main bloom is in spring