strawberries turning white

[ctarry]

my malling opal strawberries in a hanging basket have started to turn white

what is this white stuff and how can i stop it?

is it that the roots are too wet/improve the drainage in the basket?

it wipes away when i rub them, then i just eat them they taste ok.

its not just the ripe ones, they all seem to be doing this


my other strawbs (same variety) are ok in a container

i just want to make some jam, but can't get enough strawbs at the moment with this weather.

can i freeze what i have got already?

thanks

[organic vic]

sounds like some kind of mildew maybe? Post a pic of what they look like and maybe someone on here could identify it. Also you can freeze strawbs by laying them out on a tray then once frozen can be transferred into a bag. No flavour lost but the texture changes but this is through reading about it not personal experience!

[Flummery]

I reckon it's a mildew type thing too. Maybe you've been madly generous with the watering?

[ctarry]

the weather recently hasn't really helped.

couple of weeks ago when the weather was really nice, the leaves started to shrivel up, thought it needed more water, so at night, i sat the basket in some water.

thats the reason?

[bendipa]

You shouldn't really grow strawberries in a hanging basket. They are totally unsuitable for that. They need a decent root run and even moisture. In a hanging basket the roots will tend to dry out quickly, which will lead to wilting, mildew, red spider mite attack and other stress problems as well as poor fruit production. A proper deep strawberry container, or putting them in the ground are the best solutions