I just became aware of an interesting site that gives a very nice and accurate description of alpine strawberries. Nice pictures too! check it out at
Fragaria x bifera - A New Species for Us
Fragaria x bifera is a hybrid of F. vesca and F. viridis. We have been excited to try this species for quite some time. Very little information is available anywhere about the fruit of this species. Slightly more information is available about the plants. We now know a LOT more about this species after only a few months of growing it. Here’s what we’ve learned:
- The plants are vigorous growers. They aggressivly produce runners as well.
- The plants appear to be day neutral as expected. I say appear to be because time will tell during short days of fall to see how that affects reblooming. As of this date, June 15th, the plants are fruiting and blooming at the same time.
- The fruit is white/yellow. I was very surprises about this. The fruit seems to be larger than F. vesca fruit. One fruit weighed in at 2.3 grams. That’s large for a wild type.
Here’s a couple of pictures.
We are rooting runners and expect to have bare root plants for sale in the fall 2013. Check the shopping cart to price and availability.
Care For Bare Root Plants
For some time now we have been shipping bare root plants to customers. Because of regulations and shipping costs this will be a more common method of delivering plants. Here are a few guidelines to follow when you receive your shipment:
- Unpack the shipment immediately
- Prior to planting in their permanent place, keep the plants in a shaded area and rehydrate
- Plant the plants asap. If you cannot plant within a day or two heel in or temporarily transplant into a container
- Make sure that the media is well drained and is slightly acidic
- Keep the media moist (but not wet) for at least the first two weeks after receiving the plants
- Mist to foliage several times daily if possible for the first week. Keep this to a minimum. Wet leaves for long periods of time create conditions for disease development/spread of disease
- Once planted, provide shade during the hottest periods of the day. If continuous shade is provided, gradually remove the shade over a period of a week so plants are not shocked. Direct sun on tender foliage can cause the foliage to burn.
- Do not over fertilize. High levels of fertilizer may cause root burn. Allow the plants to establish for about two weeks before starting high nutrient fertilization