Strawberry stalks bending/breaking under own weight!

[d000hg]

I'm growing strawberries in towers as we lack space and they've been growing and flowering prolifically. First crop is just coming through and turning out great, except I noticed several of the fruit-bearing stalks have bent & kinked due to the weight of the fruit so much that they then die.

Is this common and are there any ways to help it, or is this just going to happen to some stalks? I would have expected that as they got heavier, the upward pointing stalks would gracefully droop but several have just kinked like a garden hose

Also a side question... on this variety (Elsanta) you tend to get stalks with leaves and stalks with fruit but not both. When picking the fruit, how much of the stem should I be removing... as little as possible or as much as possible so the plant isn't supporting cut-off stems?

I can get a photo if it helps.

[redser]

It does happen sometimes when grown in containers. It usually kinks at the lip. I try to put something like a soft scrunched up plastic bag round the edge to cushion the stem and stop it kinking.
It doesnt really matter how much you take off, those stems will just die off eventually anyway. In fact I prune my strawberries after they fruit, removing everything above 1 inch or so above the crown. New growth will come in plenty of time before winter sets in.

[rustylady]

Also a side question... on this variety (Elsanta) you tend to get stalks with leaves and stalks with fruit but not both.

This normal for all strawberries.

[d000hg]

Thanks to both. I suppose any stalks which are obviously kinked and drying out I'll just snip off - cut my losses on those fruit (so to speak!)

Took a 2nd bowl of fruit today... not masses but easily dessert for two... now to stop them dying from the heat. Looking rather wilted even though I water every couple of days.

[taff]

Once the fruit is off they won't be supporting cut off stems. If you have nothing better to do, i suppose you could cut them off, but it's being a bit finicky

If you can water formt he bottom of the tower, do that, and keep filling the reservoir until the water isnt taken up anymore. It will dry out quicker because it's a container.

[d000hg]

It's a tower with a vertical tube down the centre with holes, so the instructions are to pour water in the top until it overflows. Although if you don't pour the water fast enough it never overflows, it just keeps drinking.

2.5 litres of water for a tower of 10-12 plants seems quite a lot to me, surely that's plenty? Because I empty a 10L watering can into my 4 towers every 2 days

[redser]

I would water much more than that, especially in this weather. If they are wilting then they need more water. Thats another reason the fruit will not reach their best potential.

[d000hg]

OK, thanks. I'll step it up. Presumably wilting plants will recover if watered sufficiently as long as the leaves are still green?

[taff]

Yes, but if they are cripsy and green, they've had it.

[taff]

2.5 litres of water for a tower of 10-12 plants seems quite a lot to me, surely that's plenty?

One of my tomato plants gets that much every other day, and it would probably get more if I watered every day.....

[d000hg]

I suppose 12 plants is quite a lot if you think of them planted in a regular bed... 4 towers worth would be half my garden. It just seems an awful lot when you're pouring it in to the hole at the top!

I'll up the watering while it's sunny and they are fruiting lest I grow dried fruit! Is there a risk of over-watering in this weather or will any excess simply run out of a tower?

[taff]

If it's got holes int he bottom anything not used will seep out.

[rustylady]

Water it slowly until it does overflow - then you'll be sure that the compost is moist throughout. Very dry compost is quite hard to re-wet. You may be surprised how much water it takes.