Strawberry fields forever?

[Doc]

I had some strawberries in a garden at growing in a garden at a house I was renting out. One of my tenants had planted them. The were large delicious and spreading themselves quickly. I transplanted several of the to my new house. The first year they did not do much, which I kind of suspected would happen.

This year they took off. First the plants grew tall and had a flower. I saw bees around them and figured they were being pollinated. They stared sending out spreaders which was great. However all the berries are the small tasteless things what we used to call wild strawberries.

What happened to my berries? Can I do anything to save them? If I have to replant new strawberries how do I keep this from happing again?

[Stubby]

Strawberry cultivation is a whole art. There are lots of tricks. An old guy(!) told me things such as you have cull out 1/3 of the plants every year and use the strongest runners to generate the replacements. When and how you fertilized has a lot to do with the taste. And you can't let weeds take over the walk ways or they will compete for the food.

When I was growing up we always prized "wild strawberries" for their intense flavor in spite of their small size.

I believe you'll be able to find some good advice through Google or your local library. Try to filter the opinion from the fact. Good luck!

Doc wrote:

[Doc]

Okay, maybe they aren't what you call wild strawberries. We called them that when we were kids. These things taste flat, and don't really look like a regular strawberry. They are red and small about the size of the tip of the little finger. They have what appears to be seeds on the outside of the berry kinda like stubble that easily brush off the berry. There are a few of them growing below the trees in the neighbors yard about 50 or more feet away. The transplanted berries were regular strawberries not at all like these. However now the berries have changed since the were moved. they are completely different although the plant is the same one that produced the good berries. what happened? If I plant new ones, will it happened again. I tried google but could not find any reference to this problem.

UNK

[Chas Hurst]

The wild strawberry I'm familiar with has a great and concentrated strawberry taste. The plant being discussed here is probably the Barren strawberry, the fruit of which is considered inedible. Wild strawberries have white flowers and the fruit hangs down on the stem. Barren strawberries have yellow flowers and the fruit stands up on the stem.

[Doc]

Sounds like this is what I have now. I googled brarren strawberries and it is mostly described as a ground cover. The question remains why or how did regular strawberries change? I could not find anything about regular strawberries changing to the barren type.

Doc

[Chas Hurst]

Strawberries don't morph. Somehow you either transplanted the Barren berries or they slipped in and overwhelmed your Strawberries.

[Doc]

I really don't see how . I am only talking about 6 plants. There were no strawberries of any type before I planted these. The ground was tilled before planting and the ground was mounded where they were planted. There weren't any barren berries in the old patch then or now. I could see one maybe two mistakes, but all six? I guess I have no choice but to start over with new plants. Just seems weird to me.

Doc

[paddy]

Didn't read the replies so I may cover some same ground. Cut the runners and eliminate any plants that are crowding. We had Tennessee Beauties and had tons of berries every year until I entered the Service. Dad tilled them under. The berries we buy today are pale in taste and sometimes down right hard. The growers are only interested in their shipability or whatever and everyone grows the same tasteless berries.