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Forgive this re-post from 'Rain' - I realise this is immodest - almost as boorish as SHOUTING, but I think Physalis deserve their own thread. Especially as they are totally immune to the blight that must be coming soon...
One other curiosity. I like Inca berries and usually grow three or four bushes. They have grown well this year but are perplexing because the plants have consistently produced very few flowers. Hence very few lanterns and little fruit. On one bush I tried pinching out to encourage bushing but it made no difference. Has anyone else noticed an effect like this. I had assumed they would love the heat and grow like the blazes and was looking forward to a good crop. Well they have grown well but purely vegetative growth. Any advice or similar experiences would be gratefully appreciated.
Are your Inca physalis the perennial kind or the properly annual kind?
I'd recommend you grow both (though seeds of the true annual ones are harder to find*) - their response to weather is pretty different.
This year the annual ones have done much better outside than usual and I'm looking forward to a good crop from larger than normal bushes (though I started late - the "year of no spring" meant my first batch of seedlings failed, and I'm mainly relying on transplanted volunteers).
Are your perennial ones very like the shop version? I find their intense aroma unpleasant and only grow "Aunt Mollys" which have a delicious, much cleaner taste.
The Molly that survived the winter in my (draughty) polytunnel has been providing early berries for 2 weeks now, though its size and thuggish sprawl mean that I will be putting (water-rooted) cuttings in their own outsize cloche next year so I might be able to claw back 20% more space in the tunnel by 2020.
Are your perennial ones from seed? You'd be lucky to get fruit before September.
Are they older plants but outside? Same result.
Cheers.
* My Molly seeds were described as annual, and when they grew they obviously weren't and my response was
but they turned out to be a real find! I still regard the annual ones as more important - earlier, less sharp, and though they are sweeter than most tomatoes (but smaller - like grape/currant ones) they are still the best substitute in a blight year. I was trying to buy them because mine seemed to be getting smaller - I thought a fresh selection would be better - hopefully this year may prove it unnecessary, as it's certainly the best since 2006 despite its problems.
