I would cut the blooms and runners until the plant is large enough to support feeding the fruits. If you ever pick strawberries, the plants are typically 12" around (approximately) so shoot for something in that range. I would adjust the nutrients for vegetative growth (higher nitrogen) to promote that kind of growth and discourage fruit set / blooming.

Thanks for that grizzman.

So just to clarify, I'll keep them on the botanicare grow then like they are now. In addition I'll cut the blossoms off until they get bigger. Then once they get to the right size I'll switch them over to bloom as well as well as adjust my lights to something in the 2700k range. Right now they are at 6500k. Does that sound about right?

Also just to clarify do you have any recommendations on how much nutrients to give them? Right now they are only on 10ml/gal of botanicare cs17 grow, which is what the bottle says is for seedlings, though they still seem to be doing good on it. Total ppm is about 450.

Should I increase that to maybe around 750 at this point since they seem to be doing well? Will that be too much? I've read at full growth they should be getting around 1200 ppm although I'm not sure if that is when they are in full flowering?

Sorry I'm kind of new at this. I'm open to any advice. Thanks again for helping!

Yes keep the flowers off until they're bigger. I can't really help with lighting as I always grow outdoors.
As for nutrient concentrations, I would go with full strength veg mix is roots are visible (they probably are). 1200 seems high to me. As I recall I was running around 800ppm but I didn't use botonicare. I can't advise fully as my plants never got to bloom. The deer had a delightful snack one morning before they got that far.

Haha got to love those deer.

Thanks again for the advice.

I'll try to keep ppm at about that level.

Hi Ice,
I've had strawberries inside for almost a year. I started them from seed - alexandria and loran. Both are almost runnerless so, but I would agree with grizz about cutting them off at least until the plants are a little more mature. I use botanicare PBP at an ec of 1.5 ~750 ppm. That's about 10ml/gal grow, 5ml/gal calmag, 5 ml/gal liquid karma. They seem to love it. I've had some success with fruit production, but indoors you really have to be pretty diligent about hand pollinating. Mine are under a 600 watt HPS light. They are a little stretched but healthy and producing flowers. Your pics didn't show for me, do you have another link? If you're interested i can send a pic or two of mine.

Good luck!

1. Since they are blooming already should I start them on bloom nutrient?
Only if you want fruit.

2. Should I cut off the first blooms to try to induce more?
Only if your more interested in growing foliage than fruit.

3. Should I ignore the bloom while increasing the grow nutrient? That way they get larger before blooming. They seem too small to be blooming now although I have no experience to know if that is a wrong assumption.
I'm always so amazed when people who grow strawberry and/or peppers for the first time are so surprised that their actually continuously flowering plants. That means they flower thought their life cycle (from beginning to end), that's what their supposed to do.

You can manipulate things to try and keep them from producing fruit. Theirs no law against it. Personally, I prefer if they produce fruit more than foliage myself though. The fruit tastes better than the foliage to me.

orgmacdonaldSorry the pics weren't working. I reattached them so hopefully they do this time. I'd be happy to see picture of yours as well. Thanks for the nutrient info.

homehydro So are you saying I shouldn't cut off the first blooms? I should just let them start the fruiting process?

Does that mean you think I should actually try to pollinate them at this point?

Otherwise are you saying I should just let flower etc as they would naturally, then when I actually want fruit I should start them on bloom nutrient, change lighting, etc?

Trust me I'd prefer to eat the strawberries instead of the leaves as well. I was just concerned the plant was too small to support the load of the berries. I didn't realize they would flower while the plant was so small.

Should I have started them out on bloom nutrient from the beginning that way they could start producing fruit immediately? Likewise should I have started them on on 2700k lighting instead of 6500k lighting?

Also, any ideas on why some of my older leaves are looking a little brown at the edges? Would that be a nutrient deficiency? Any way I could tell what kind?

Thanks for assistance!

iceman_1000000
Sorry for the delayed reply, I have been very distracted with other things lately.

So are you saying I shouldn't cut off the first blooms? I should just let them start the fruiting process?
I'm saying you can do what you want. I like to eat the fruit, so I let them do just that.

Does that mean you think I should actually try to pollinate them at this point?
I'll need to check for sure, but I believe strawberry are self pollinating. Although they can benefit from help of air currents and pollinating insects to produce better well shaped fruit.

I was just concerned the plant was too small to support the load of the berries. I didn't realize they would flower while the plant was so small.
That's what always amazes me. People are often so surprised when the plants start to flower when their still small. Tomato's, strawberry's, peppers, melons, cucumbers, etc. all do the same thing. Their called continuously flowering/fruiting plants. That means that they flower/fruit from the beginning of their life, tell the end of it (thus the term "continuously"). They don't wait to mature before they begin flowering/fruiting. That always seems to thorough people for a loop when they actually discover/see it for themselves.

Should I have started them out on bloom nutrient from the beginning that way they could start producing fruit immediately?
If their flowering, their producing fruit. Use any nutrient type you want (bloom/veg), they will still want to flower/fruit (their continuously flowering/fruiting plants). Blooming nutrients only help the possess of fruiting. That's why I say it' depends on what you want, leaves or fruit. I prefer eating fruit, but that could just be me. If they want to fruit I'll help and let them, then eat the fruit (I just don't tell the plants the part about eating their fruit).

Likewise should I have started them on on 2700k lighting instead of 6500k lighting?
Unless you overkill it, get rid of the florescent lighting. Florescent lighting is fine for low light requirement/tolerant plants like lettuce, but wont provide enough light for good fruit production, unless you provide tones of it.

Also, any ideas on why some of my older leaves are looking a little brown at the edges? Would that be a nutrient deficiency? Any way I could tell what kind?
That's also another paranoia that many new growers seem to have. First the older growth will always tend to turn color and brown. Especially on strawberry plants, and even on ones that small. But even more so the bigger they get. It's best to trim off the older growth as it browns/dies. But there is a couple things that could be a problem (though I cant tell from the pictures). One is the water level, the second is humidity and air circulation. High water levels can lead to stem rot, and is typicality first noticed as discoloration (browning or yellowing) of the bottom leaves. High humidity and low air circulation can lead to fungal disease. Especially on plants like strawberry's and tomato's that don't like wet foliage.

Other than the first picture (and that's to early to tell anything from it), your strawberry plants look good to me. How do the roots look? Nice and white I'm guessing?

Homehydro thanks for all the good information, I appreciate the detailed response. Yeah the roots seem to be looking pretty good. Part of my problem could have been that I got lazy with changing my nutrients out, so I was pushing a few weeks. I did a full cycle so who knows what will happen now. Its good to know sometimes they can brown like that anyway.later

Now that you mention it though, there is no fan on them so maybe I better get on on that as a preemptive so that I dont run into problems with them later on.

As far as that goes, do you run them all the time, would I be just as well off running them only during the day? Normally it isn't very humid where their located.

"As far as that goes, do you run them all the time, would I be just as well off running them only during the day? Normally it isn't very humid where their located."

The more air circulation the better. Do what you can afford to do..