Strawberry help

[haza1981]

Hi Guys,

Not sure if this is a dopuble post as my last post has not shown. Sorry if it is though. Anyway, I had some strawberry plants last year and I was advised to cut them right down after harvest so I did. Right to the brown base. Now it's April and I would have expected these plants to start grwoing again but they are not. Are they dead? Also on similar subject can anyone point me to a good pruning guide as the ones I have read are confusing. I never know when to cut right back and when to keep growing. I had a grape vine which I cut right back and that also has not started growing again. Think i'm killing my plants. Just planted some very small strawberries on my plot yesterday. Any advice on how to work with them. As in what to keep and what to cut to get them to fruit ?

Thanks

[Shadylane]

I just take off the dead/dying leaves of strawberries and leave the rest. Other than that they don't need much pruning. As for the others if they're very small it might be worth not letting them fruit this year and let them get established. Depends on what you mean by very small though. Some of mine from last year are still quite ickle. They seem to be taking their time. I would have thought you'd have some leaf growth by now though but it depends on where you are and how warm it is.

[Guttata]

On the grape vine don't give up yet. Mine hasn't burst its' buds yet either yet I have seen some that have. When I got it and planted it up it just sat there to the point I thought it was dead then a few weeks later it just started to grow and there was no stopping it. Did you leave any buds on the vine when you cut back? With grapes you cut down to the lowest two buds. Personally I do it to the lowest two on the two stems that grew in the last season, this allows four stems to grow and taking out the weakest one on each side leaving two to grow through the season.

Where strawberries are concerned I cut all the old leaves off after fruiting too, but never right down to the crown at first. I leave some bits of stem which I then snip of individually with scissors, this way I avoid accidentally gutting into the crown. I also leave all the new growth alone so any leaves that are just starting to open are left. They always put on new leaves before the winter sets in. Just leave them for a bit longer to see what happens.

I wouldn't let them fruit or throw runners in the first year on your new ones. It helps them really establish themselves as they put the energy in to growing a healthy root system. This is how I do it others may do it differently.

[haza1981]

On the grape vine don't give up yet. Mine hasn't burst its' buds yet either yet I have seen some that have. When I got it and planted it up it just sat there to the point I thought it was dead then a few weeks later it just started to grow and there was no stopping it. Did you leave any buds on the vine when you cut back? With grapes you cut down to the lowest two buds. Personally I do it to the lowest two on the two stems that grew in the last season, this allows four stems to grow and taking out the weakest one on each side leaving two to grow through the season.

Where strawberries are concerned I cut all the old leaves off after fruiting too, but never right down to the crown at first. I leave some bits of stem which I then snip of individually with scissors, this way I avoid accidentally gutting into the crown. I also leave all the new growth alone so any leaves that are just starting to open are left. They always put on new leaves before the winter sets in. Just leave them for a bit longer to see what happens.

I wouldn't let them fruit or throw runners in the first year on your new ones. It helps them really establish themselves as they put the energy in to growing a healthy root system. This is how I do it others may do it differently.

The grape vine had a humidity problem and everything started going mouldy so I cut it so there was just 1 stick leaving the pot. The small strawberries have been moved from an abandoned plot so they would have been growing last year. Their roots seem much larger than the plant. Would I be able to fruit? The size of them well...roots are about 7cm long and most of the plants have around 2 leaves around 5 cm long.

I also have a gooseberry bush that i bought last year and itdid not produce fruits, Any idea what to do with that?

Thanks

Such a noob when it comes to fruit.

[Two_Sheds]

I was advised to cut them right down after harvest so I did. Right to the brown base.

I think you killed them

I just take off the dead/dying leaves of strawberries and leave the rest.

That's the way: it's just an autumn haircut really. You should leave the youngest leaves (the greenest ones) on to protect the crown and so that the plant can photosynthesise

I also have a gooseberry bush that i bought last year and itdid not produce fruits

Did it keep its leaves? If not, if they were stripped, then it's probably sawfly larvae

[haza1981]

I think you killed them

That's the way: it's just an autumn haircut really. You should leave the youngest leaves (the greenest ones) on to protect the crown and so that the plant can photosynthesise

Did it keep its leaves? If not, if they were stripped, then it's probably sawfly larvae

Yeah it kept it's leaves, you think it may fruit this year or do you think I need to prune or anything first.

I think I did kill it .....oh well. They where good while they lasted.

[Guttata]

Gooseberries fruit on second year wood, so if you are talking about last seasons growth you should see fruit this year. That is what I saw on a gardening programme, can't talk from experience as I am trying gooseberries for the first time on my balcony.

On the grape vine just give it time and keep an eye on it. Mine is showing little buds on the main stem from the soil. I wouldn't have noticed them if it wasn't for me planting an asparagus and some freesia bulbs in the container.