Strawberries

Playk328

Well-Known Member
I use gypsum as well, I wouln't say it affects like say dolomite, but it is used for more alkaline soils "maybe because it wont raise the ph" where as dolomite is used when you have acidic soils "because it does raise the ph".. With lime in your soil it may be kind of hard to get that ph down to make the blueberries happy.
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
I visited one of Driscol's substrate berry farms a month or so ago, and along with their usual red strawberries, they also had some pink and even white cultivars. I tried one of the white ones and they were pretty amazing. They said they get over double the price of the red berries for the white ones, and they yield really good too.

Do the white ones taste like pineapple?
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
Good to know thanks . I wasn’t sure if he was talking about pine berries or if there was a white cultivar with traditional red berry flavor
 

Playk328

Well-Known Member
I was going to run rows of red and white strawberries to make our "Canada theme berries" but if they are all mushy and low on the fruit it may not be worth the effort, we will see.
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
Ya the mushy low yield part isn’t appealing. Guess I won’t try them out thanks. Sounds like more of a novelty
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
This is what I used to acidify the soil around my blueberries. They seem to be very happy. They're loaded with berries. I might have to support some of the branches.

sulfur.jpg


This is a few weeks ago while they were blooming.

 

GroBud

Well-Known Member
I use gypsum as well, I wouln't say it affects like say dolomite, but it is used for more alkaline soils "maybe because it wont raise the ph" where as dolomite is used when you have acidic soils "because it does raise the ph".. With lime in your soil it may be kind of hard to get that ph down to make the blueberries happy.
I don't use native soil bud, appreciate your help
 

bam0813

Well-Known Member
May try to find that variety if its not like described. I can deal with low yield,but mushy is a deal breaker
 

PJ Diaz

Well-Known Member
May try to find that variety if its not like described. I can deal with low yield,but mushy is a deal breaker
Driscoll told me that the yield was basically the same as their red berries, but they sell for 3x the price. The fruit I tasted was large and not mushy. I guess they are a bit finicky compared to the red berries though.
 

Bareback

Well-Known Member
I live in southeast new mexico long growing season I know I'm a little late making it to the show. Pretty cool I would like to share for someone who may not know this about strawberries. had some big sweet ones from the store which is rare, so I cut the skin off let it dry in the sun for a couple days, finally about 3wks later we have life. Had also made some blueberry wine once I poured the juice into bucket and cheese cloth I noticed a ton of blueberry seeds so I did the same let them dry and planted. They haven't sprouted yet little sooner in germination process, hopefully we'll see something soon. They'll be potted, I'm not this year last year and beyond I've had success with potted tomatoes, peppers, sweet and regular potatoes and some greens in cooler months. My wife loves strawberry wine I love blueberry. We're city dwellers be cool to make our wine with the fruit I've grown. any tips for potted strawberries or blueberries are welcome. I'll keep this updated periodically. May make some wine if that's allowed on here.
I make wine every year, from different fruits. I like to use stuff that I grow but to make 5 gallons at a time….well….that’s a lot of fruit. I have about twenty blueberry bushes and they produce a lot. But it would take all of it to make 5 gallons of wine and I like just eating them raw or in smoothies too much to do that. I have to much trouble keeping strawberries alive to worry with them but I totally agree with the other guy about June bearing for a quantity all at once.
I fertilize my blueberry bushes with aluminum sulfate and it really works well for me.
 

GroBud

Well-Known Member
I make wine every year, from different fruits. I like to use stuff that I grow but to make 5 gallons at a time….well….that’s a lot of fruit. I have about twenty blueberry bushes and they produce a lot. But it would take all of it to make 5 gallons of wine and I like just eating them raw or in smoothies too much to do that. I have to much trouble keeping strawberries alive to worry with them but I totally agree with the other guy about June bearing for a quantity all at once.
I fertilize my blueberry bushes with aluminum sulfate and it really works well for me.
I've been just doing gallons for about 3 years. I try for 18 to 20% that blueberry hits the spot unusually dont back sweeten. BlackBerry is good too. Got going now is orange just for shits and giggles may be good tho, also a black and blue berry mix, and a blue berry. Appreciate the information. Keep saying I'm going to do 5 gallons I've got the bucket and carboy. Just alot of fruit lol I'l add more than recipe calls for not much about a pound using 4 to 4 1/2 maybe 5 pounds per gallon depending on fruit winds up making around 2 tho regardless how much juice I get I'll still add a gallon of water. Then I'l save some of the extra to top off after racking. If you do back sweeten and haven't tried the cotton candy sugars that's pretty good. Used watermelon and strawberry so far.
 
Last edited:

GroBud

Well-Known Member
I make wine every year, from different fruits. I like to use stuff that I grow but to make 5 gallons at a time….well….that’s a lot of fruit. I have about twenty blueberry bushes and they produce a lot. But it would take all of it to make 5 gallons of wine and I like just eating them raw or in smoothies too much to do that. I have to much trouble keeping strawberries alive to worry with them but I totally agree with the other guy about June bearing for a quantity all at once.
I fertilize my blueberry bushes with aluminum sulfate and it really works well for me.
How do you degas using the electric driver is fine just wares the arm out after 30 mins. Normally I'll try to prop the screwdriver on something lol keeping trigger slightly pulled not too much can be difficult
 

Bareback

Well-Known Member
How do you degas using the electric driver is fine just wares the arm out after 30 mins. Normally I'll try to prop the screwdriver on something lol keeping trigger slightly pulled not too much can be difficult
I have one those long plastic spoons that will reach to the bottom of the carboy and I chuck it up in my 1/2” drill and I use a rubber stopper ( that I over sized the hole just for this purpose ) to keep out trash while degassing. They make a drill attachment and it sells for close to a 100$ at the shop close to me but I find that my spoon trick works fine.

I have a friend who doesn’t bother with degassing , however he also doesn’t bother with sobering up either.

I live in the Deep South and I make a lot of muscadine wine because they’re free and prolific growers here. The wine is sweet and usually around 15% alcohol.
 
Top