Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Robert_Brenchley on April 28, 2008, 17:54:20
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Do these self-pollinate, or do they need insect pollination?
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Fairly certain they are pollinated...
:-\ (by insects)
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I've a feeling they are. I'm wondering about growing them under cover for an early crop, that's why I asked.
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definitely insect pollinated
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we do the same, we've just taken the plastic off to replace it with netting..I was told not to worry about bees pollinating them as even ground beetles do ;D
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In that case, I'd need to take the cloche off as they came into flower. How far have yours got?
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i have flowers on some of my plants :o
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Flowers here as well and they are in the open
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I aqree with the insect pollintated theory.
We have brought our strawberry plants into the greenhouse in order to get an early crop. It is an unheated greenhouse,
I have been told to leave the door open to allow the 'humbly bumblies' in to get at the flowers.
valmarg
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ours are massive, bit leggy but coping..lots of flowers, I'm taking pics tomorrow so I'll post one :)
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wind pollinated plants have long tasselled things. like sweetcorn tassells. strawberries don't need pollinting to produce more plants ,they reproduce by runners. i have no idea about producing strawberries tho, my challenge has not been producing them, its always been stopping the birds and the slugs from eating them!!
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Funnily enough there was some discussion of strawberry pollination on a beekeeping site yesterday. Apparently some US growers pay beekeepers to put their hives on strawberry fields for pollination, and they use bumblebees in polytunnels. So they're definitely cross-pollinated.
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The farm I used to work on put bumble bee (colonies?) in their tunnells, this is done at considerable cost as they die after a couple of months. Now it may be that this is just to improve pollination & you'd get something without (you know that when you get hard green, uneven bits on the side, that is from poor pollination, and is why you see it more on earlier strawbs). But yes, you defo need a bit of bee action down there!
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state of play today ;D
excuse the weeds :)
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Looks as though it would be worth putting some early ones under a cloche for an early crop.
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could you go round with a blusher brush and do the job yourself? ??? or is that just cheating? im sure its how mendel did his peas.....
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You can but it's an awful palaver. I don't mind doing a little bit to provide early berries, but the wife's going to yam most of them anyway, apart from the ones I eat on the plot of course, and there are limits to what I'll do!
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lol fair enough!! was thinking if it was only a few but it sounds like its more, lol! either way am leaving mine out theyre flowering nicely so im not going to disturb them :) the bees are busy as theyre next to the keria so theyre drawn in by that if nothing else, lol, fingers crossed however we do it that we all get a good crop of berrys! i suspect my kids will chobble mine, the oh is allergic but the kids ADORE fruit and dd especially loves strawberrys! i dont think ill get a look in some how!!
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loopyloulou - we visited a big indoor greenhouse once & he used a rabbits tail to pollinate strawberries - you need to be very gentle apparently!
Manics - the runners you sent me are starting to form trusses - 2 or 3 per plant, so I reckon a fortnight behind yours. They've had no protection but it's down south. I didn't think they'd be this early!
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How long do you need to leave the greenhouse doors open for, to get pollination ?
I left them open for one day would that be enough ?
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How long do you need to leave the greenhouse doors open for, to get pollination ?
I left them open for one day would that be enough ?
At the moment we are frost free at night, and leave them open overnight. I there is any forecast of frost, we shut them.
R-B, between us on the A515 there is a strawberry/asparagus farm (New Farm). I have noticed in the past that they have beehives in the strawberry polytunnels.
valmarg
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that's good news, ollie, hope you enjoy them, ;D
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If you want good pollination I should leave it open every day unless it freezes or something. With the decline in pollinators you can't take chances these days, and there will be new flowers opening every day.
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Leaving the greenhouse door open seems to have worked, we have quite a lot of strawberries on the plants.
The only thing to remember to do is shut the door once the strawberries begin to ripen, otherwise the blackbirds will beat you to them.
valmarg
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If you use net across the door, you can keep the birds out while letting the insects in to pollinate the remaining flowers.
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Which is what we do, and over the windows when they are open.
You only have to have a small 'chink in the armour', and the little sods will reap the benefit of your hard work ;D ;D
valmarg
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I've a feeling they are. I'm wondering about growing them under cover for an early crop, that's why I asked.
I had strawberries in tyres inside my polytunnel for 3 yrs. I closed the door every evening, during april / may, until the temperature rose. I also have nets over the doors to keep birds and bugs out. The strawberries still formed, earlier than those outside. I only grow perpetual forms, and they also fruited for longer than the outside ones. Strawbs from may - late oct. not bad going. I now grow all my plants outside in tyres, which helps to encourage earlier growth and fruiting.
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Strawberries definitely need hand pollination if grown inside all the time. However, hand pollination can lead to distorted fruit if not done very gently and all round the flower. For suggestions on growing strawberries, visit my web site at http://www.growyourown.info/page80.html