Author Topic: Tropical highland strawberries  (Read 7188 times)

Mike T

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Tropical highland strawberries
« on: August 12, 2012, 05:58:28 AM »



As a strawberry lover I rarely get good ones.The winter ones from the Atherton Tablelands cost nearly $5/lb but are fat, sweet and big.For most o the year only flavorless strawberries from great distances away are available.

Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2012, 07:35:20 AM »
Those strawberries look scrumptious! Living on an island in the middle of the ocean has its downfall... I've never had a good strawberry from the grocery stores... Even the ones from Korea are a bit bland. When I was in WA state, my cousin grew the best berries I've ever had in the U.S. to date...right on the back patio.

Back here on the island, I have a bunch of strawberry plants grown from supermarket seeds, but they refuse to put any fruit out for multiple reasons.... Surprisingly, they grow vigorously in this tropical heat..

Enjoy them for me!
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ReneeFLL

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2012, 09:27:15 AM »
Those look super tasty. I love strawberries.

fruitlovers

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2012, 06:58:21 PM »
Adacaosky, being on an island in the middle of the ocean is not the problem. The problem is not having any high mountains or volcanoes on your island. Here we have very good strawberries grown in an area called Waimea, which is at about 3500 foot elevation. This area also grows most of the traditional western vegetables: lettuce, brocooli, cauliflower, etc. that don't do well in the tropical lowlands.
Oscar

Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2012, 06:01:14 PM »
Haha! So very true, Oscar. Indeed, it is the lack of cooler weather which prevents Guam from producing our own strawberries. I'll keep trying though.... Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy (delicious and SWEET) strawberries like you and Mike. I can't seem to get my hands on those new FL varieties, which tolerate hot/humid weather so well. Probably my best bet for lowland conditions...no fruiting guarantees for the true tropics, though.

My grapes and figs fruit just fine... C'mon strawberries, be like a grape or fig and fruit out already!
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Tim

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2012, 06:14:35 PM »
Chris - would you be so kind to share a bit of knowledge of your fig tree?
Tim

zands

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2012, 06:20:21 PM »
Adacaosky, being on an island in the middle of the ocean is not the problem. The problem is not having any high mountains or volcanoes on your island. Here we have very good strawberries grown in an area called Waimea, which is at about 3500 foot elevation. This area also grows most of the traditional western vegetables: lettuce, brocooli, cauliflower, etc. that don't do well in the tropical lowlands.

The best in world strawberries are the high alpine strawberries but you already knew that 8). Smaller much smaller on European mountains. Less water content and longer growing season

siafu

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2012, 06:33:05 PM »
Haha! So very true, Oscar. Indeed, it is the lack of cooler weather which prevents Guam from producing our own strawberries. I'll keep trying though.... Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy (delicious and SWEET) strawberries like you and Mike. I can't seem to get my hands on those new FL varieties, which tolerate hot/humid weather so well. Probably my best bet for lowland conditions...no fruiting guarantees for the true tropics, though.

My grapes and figs fruit just fine... C'mon strawberries, be like a grape or fig and fruit out already!

Have you tried refrigerating the stolons for a few weeks before planting? You could time it and grow them
during your driest period.

I think comercial growers do that even here, and we are well outside the tropics.


Sérgio Duarte
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ofdsurfer

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2012, 08:02:53 PM »
Adacaosky,
I believe that even the newer fla strawberries are still planted as an annual here during our winter months. Even if you can get your hands on some plants I'm not sure that they would help you very much. Mine have always died when it starts getting hotter.

Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2012, 11:21:13 PM »
Chris - would you be so kind to share a bit of knowledge of your fig tree?

Not sure what you mean by this specifically? Anyways, I purchased several varieties a few months back for trials here in the true tropics at around 300 ft. elevation. Among them are Celeste, kadota, black madeira, negronne, black mission, brown turkey, galbun, and san pietro.

They seem to enjoy full sun and constant moisture and wilt under the tropical heat when moisture is lacking. My figs that I planted out were potted for about 5 months prior. They are just getting accustomed to being in the ground and now showing growth spurts. Among the varieties that are fruiting in ground are: brown turkey, black madeira, galbun, and black mission if I'm not mistaken. The varieties fruiting in pot is my negronne and black madeira.
Most get full sun all day and some get slight shade in late afternoon due to their proximity to nearby trees.
Interestingly, my negronne has the most fruits of all the figs at the moment. My black madeira is the only fig I have which is visibly infected with fmv. Heavy doses of fertilizer have helped it overcome this and it is now growing in leaps and bounds.  ;D

This is my first time growing/fruiting all varieties except the brown turkey. I have had the brown turkey growing for almost a year and even if it is small, it is precocious here in the tropics. Due to our fast draining limestone soils in the north, splitting isn't a problem at all. Under the intense sunlight, they are quite sweet but turn a bit watery after very heavy rains.

All of them are young and under 3 ft tall at the moment. We don't have the fig wasp here or any comparable insect, as far as I'm aware, so pollination is almost certainly out of the question for those which require it. I haven't tried grafting them to a native fig either, but have heard positive results online.

I don't know.... Strangler fig rootstock would make for a monster fig tree I suppose....  :o :o :o

Chris
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Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2012, 11:28:53 PM »
Haha! So very true, Oscar. Indeed, it is the lack of cooler weather which prevents Guam from producing our own strawberries. I'll keep trying though.... Then maybe I'll be able to enjoy (delicious and SWEET) strawberries like you and Mike. I can't seem to get my hands on those new FL varieties, which tolerate hot/humid weather so well. Probably my best bet for lowland conditions...no fruiting guarantees for the true tropics, though.

My grapes and figs fruit just fine... C'mon strawberries, be like a grape or fig and fruit out already!

Have you tried refrigerating the stolons for a few weeks before planting? You could time it and grow them
during your driest period.

I think comercial growers do that even here, and we are well outside the tropics.




No, I haven't tried this as of yet. Maybe then, I will finally see the plants send out flowers instead of all these runners going everywhere! They grow fast and furious, but only send out runners.... Strawberries seem almost weedy here--If I didn't control them.  :o :o

I will definitely try this at the end of the year in order to mimic winter.  ;D ;D
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fruitlovers

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2012, 11:32:14 PM »
In hot tropics figs do fine. In rainforest tropics they also grow fine but the fruit are watery. Best figs i've had are the desert grown figs.
Oscar

Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2012, 11:36:56 PM »
Adacaosky,
I believe that even the newer fla strawberries are still planted as an annual here during our winter months. Even if you can get your hands on some plants I'm not sure that they would help you very much. Mine have always died when it starts getting hotter.

Oh no! That isn't very encouraging news at all.... :'( :o  Here I was, hoping that someway, somehow, it would make a difference... The plants I have growing now are from supermarket fruit grown in CA. They are pretty sturdy, thick plants which tolerate full sun... This is probably the 5th generation grown consecutively here in the tropics... My plants don't die in the heat... but they don't fruit either.  >:(   ;)
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Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2012, 11:42:54 PM »
In hot tropics figs do fine. In rainforest tropics they also grow fine but the fruit are watery. Best figs i've had are the desert grown figs.

Hey Oscar,
I know parts of Hawaii have a leeward side with sparse rainfall. Have you tried figs from the drier side of your island (if you do have a "drier" side). Was it any better? I know parts of the big island have something similar to a desert. I bet the quality would sky-rocket in those areas....

Due to a lack of true "mountains" on Guam, nothing changes except the soil composition and its PH.  lol ;D
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Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #14 on: August 13, 2012, 11:45:29 PM »



As a strawberry lover I rarely get good ones.The winter ones from the Atherton Tablelands cost nearly $5/lb but are fat, sweet and big.For most o the year only flavorless strawberries from great distances away are available.


I'm SO SORRY to hijack your thread, Mike!!!  Maybe it was because you're enjoying great strawberries and I am not. LOL! Please forgive me!  :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
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fruitlovers

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #15 on: August 14, 2012, 12:15:49 AM »
In hot tropics figs do fine. In rainforest tropics they also grow fine but the fruit are watery. Best figs i've had are the desert grown figs.

Hey Oscar,
I know parts of Hawaii have a leeward side with sparse rainfall. Have you tried figs from the drier side of your island (if you do have a "drier" side). Was it any better? I know parts of the big island have something similar to a desert. I bet the quality would sky-rocket in those areas....

Due to a lack of true "mountains" on Guam, nothing changes except the soil composition and its PH.  lol ;D

Yes, dry side of this island is called Kona. Over there fig trees fruit a lot more and are a lot more tasty than ones here. Still not as excellent as desert grown figs. Kona is low rainfall but humidity is still high, not like a desert. Also highest temperature in Kona is 90, as opposed to very commonly way over 100 in real deserts.
Oscar

Tim

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #16 on: August 14, 2012, 01:22:57 AM »
I feel like Jim Rome asking that stupidly vague question hoping your answer would run till next segment ;D
In all seriousness, you covered 95% of what I wanted to know. Curiously awaiting your report on these tropically grown f.caricas.  How long till first tasting?
Tim

zands

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #17 on: August 14, 2012, 01:58:56 AM »


Yes, dry side of this island is called Kona. Over there fig trees fruit a lot more and are a lot more tasty than ones here. Still not as excellent as desert grown figs. Kona is low rainfall but humidity is still high, not like a desert. Also highest temperature in Kona is 90, as opposed to very commonly way over 100 in real deserts.

I was briefly on the figs forum  (an independent forum not gardenweb) and one of the biggest home growers was in Vancouver. He was the Harry of figs. He had them in pots and in the ground all over. Dank rainy Vancouver Canada for good place to grow them? So it seems

My two figs are coming along. Ischia and something else. They look beautiful now but am prepared to be disappointed as far as fungal disease and birds eating them. I feed them 8-3-9 but should get a PJ style foliar program going especially copper
« Last Edit: August 14, 2012, 02:04:02 AM by zands »

fruitlovers

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #18 on: August 14, 2012, 02:26:55 AM »


Yes, dry side of this island is called Kona. Over there fig trees fruit a lot more and are a lot more tasty than ones here. Still not as excellent as desert grown figs. Kona is low rainfall but humidity is still high, not like a desert. Also highest temperature in Kona is 90, as opposed to very commonly way over 100 in real deserts.

I was briefly on the figs forum  (an independent forum not gardenweb) and one of the biggest home growers was in Vancouver. He was the Harry of figs. He had them in pots and in the ground all over. Dank rainy Vancouver Canada for good place to grow them? So it seems

My two figs are coming along. Ischia and something else. They look beautiful now but am prepared to be disappointed as far as fungal disease and birds eating them. I feed them 8-3-9 but should get a PJ style foliar program going especially copper

Growing a fig tree and producing high quality fruits are 2 completely different things.
Oscar

Tim

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2012, 12:19:07 PM »
There are lots of big collectors out there but for sheer number and versatility, I don't think there is one bigger than Jon Verdick of San Diego.  That's a better comparison for Harry.  And SD is ideal for Figs too
« Last Edit: August 14, 2012, 12:20:47 PM by Tim »
Tim

Adacaosky

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #20 on: August 14, 2012, 12:42:10 PM »
I feel like Jim Rome asking that stupidly vague question hoping your answer would run till next segment ;D
In all seriousness, you covered 95% of what I wanted to know. Curiously awaiting your report on these tropically grown f.caricas.  How long till first tasting?

Tim,

In my "Strawberries/figs in the tropics" thread, I have a pic of my fruiting Negronne I took a few hours ago. I have never fruited/grown Negronne before, so I don't know how far away tasting time is. Take a gander and perhaps give me your personal time estimate?
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Mike T

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BMc

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Re: Tropical highland strawberries
« Reply #22 on: September 04, 2012, 01:46:32 AM »
I pulled up a carpet of native spinach over the weekend and found lovely ripe strawberries underneath! The 7 week 0mm rain spell is doing wonders for them!
I think I might take a drive to Palmwoods on the weekend if they have PYO for $3 a kilo!