What causes strawberries to not be sweet?

The strawberry is a common delicious fruit, hailed as the “queen of fruits”, rich in nutritional value, sweet and tasty, and eating strawberries regularly also helps promote digestion. So, what causes strawberries to not be sweet? Let's learn about it together!

1. Small day-night temperature difference

We all know that many fruits grown in environments with a large day-night temperature difference taste sweeter. This is because the higher daytime temperature and lower nighttime temperature are favorable for the accumulation of sugars in the fruit. If strawberries are not sweet, a small day-night temperature difference is very likely the reason. In some higher-altitude areas, where the day-night temperature difference is large, the strawberries grown are fragrant and sweet. When planting, use a greenhouse to raise the daytime temperature, strengthen ventilation at night to lower the temperature, and artificially increase the day-night temperature difference; the strawberries grown this way will definitely be sweet.

2. Insufficient light

During the peak growing season and the flowering and fruiting period, strawberries have a relatively large demand for light and need 12-15 hours of light per day. When grown under sufficient light conditions, the strawberry plants grow vigorously, produce many flowers and fruits, and the fruits are sweet and large with a relatively high yield. Conversely, if the light is insufficient, the strawberry plants grow rather weakly, the leaves are dull, the flowers are small and few, the fruit colors poorly, the strawberries are not sweet, and the yield is low. Therefore, when planting, you must ensure the light duration for the strawberries.

3. Improper watering

Strawberries have a relatively large demand for water during the growing period, but once they reach the fruiting stage, especially during the fruit enlargement stage, if they are watered too much at this time, the roots will absorb too much water. This not only is unfavorable for the accumulation of sugars in the fruit, but also easily causes root rot and dead seedlings, and the fruits produced taste extremely sour. Therefore, during the strawberry fruiting period, you must pay attention to the amount of watering, and by no means water too much. Water according to the wetness or dryness of the soil, and water only after you see that the soil has dried out.

4. Poor fertilization

Strawberries need sufficient nutrients to grow, but the nutrients in the soil cannot supply what they need for growth, let alone for flowering and fruiting. Therefore, fertilization is also very important when planting. For fertilization, it is recommended to apply farmyard manure or organic fertilizer and to apply less chemical fertilizer. Generally, apply 4000-5000 kg of farmyard manure per mu, along with some organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer.

5. Improper management

When planting strawberries, in order to keep them from excessively consuming nutrients, pruning must be carried out at different stages. Removing strawberry runners at the right time and in the right amount can increase yield by about 50%. Excessive runners will consume a large amount of nutrients, so the runners must be removed immediately when they first grow out, ensuring the fruits are large and sweet. In addition, at the bud stage, an appropriate amount of flower buds should also be removed to thin the buds, avoiding excessive nutrient consumption and promoting the amount of fruit set. Furthermore, strawberries grow new leaves throughout the year, so removing old leaves or diseased branches and leaves at the right time can reduce nutrient consumption and also enhance air circulation and light penetration.

The above are some of the reasons why strawberries are not sweet, compiled by the editor, and we hope they can help all growers.