Healthy strawberry plants, but few flowers...?

[Kenneth]

Howdy,

I have a bed with several variety of apparently healthy strawberry plants but they have produced few flowers.

Are soil nutrients the likely culprit? If so, which one(s)?

Thanks for any help,

[Steve]

Have you been growing these for a while... a few years? Did they do better the first year of two? Have you let them get too crowded?

Steve

[TQ]

When did the first few flowers appear? The plants don't all flower at once.

Did you fertilize them last fall? If so, how much nitrogen did they get? Too much N can inhibit flowering.

Or what Steve said. Maybe it's time to rejuve the bed with new plants.

[Kenneth]

Hello again,

Do you know the relationship between nitrogen content and the tendency of the plants to throw off runners? In the three years, I have (essentially) the number of plants that I started with.

Thanks again,

[Steve]

Nitrogen would encourage more runners. If you are getting few flowers AND few runners, something must be wrong. You didn't answer my question about whether they produced better before this year. Is the soil really bad where they are growing or something? What was growing there before?

Steve

[Kenneth]

Hi Steve,

Few runners, and few flowers on otherwise healthy looking plants. No, they did not do any better in years 1 or 2. And finally, this was just untended meadow before I turned it into the strawberry patch.

Does my situation sound like nitrogen depletion?

Thanks for any further thoughts,

[Steve]

Sorry to say, I'm running out of further thoughts. It doesn't seem like only nitrogen depletion would cause this, especially if the plants really look healthy. You said you had several varieties so I can't think a different variety would solve anything. If it was a meadow before, then I assume the area gets full sun. OK, I'm stumped. If you are in the US your county probably has a county extension office. If someone here doesn't come up with an idea for you, maybe you should call the extension office and run it by someone there. They may have insight into a local problem that nobody else would think of. Let us know if anything comes from that.

Steve

[John Savage]

My Mum has been growing strawberries for over 20 years. I asked her. She said that if you have used excessive fertiliser you'll have all leaf and not many fruit. Assuming excessive fertiliser is not the problem, then go with Sulphate of Potash (use as directed) to encourage flowering. You disolve it and water over the plants. She uses it to encourage blooms in her flower garden, too.

[TQ]

Are they June-bearers or everbearing?

Everbearing produce few runners. They are small plants and produce few flowers and fruits.

[Kenneth]

June...

[TQ]

Well, that puts the kabosch on that diagnosis.

What about pH? Have we explored that possibility?

What about other gardeners in your area? Do they get better results?

What about grey mold? On the part of the berry that touches the ground; is it soft and/or fuzzy grey?

When do you fertilize?

Sorry if some of this is going over old ground, but your last reply truncated the thread.

[Kenneth]

Hello again,

Please see my comments inline below...

I've not checked. What should it be for strawberries?

Much better. Many commercial growers of various sizes around here.

None...

When plants are starting to emerge.

Not at all. I had no desire to truncate anything...

Thanks again,

[TQ]

Strawberries link acidic soils. Not sure of the exact range but mid-to-upper 5 is my best guess.

My cultural practices are different. I apply ferts (5-10-10) early summer and again at the end of summer with. If it's dry, I irrigate.