I'm new to growing ground cherries and had a single five-gallon pot on my deck this summer. It did really well, producing about a dozen husked fruits a day. However, with the cooler weather starting here in Pennsylvania, production has slowed down considerably. I have a few questions:
- Once the plants mature, can they produce fruit year-round if kept in a warm environment?
- I've noticed some empty husks—could this be a sign that squirrels or birds are snacking on them?
- Do I need to regularly fertilize my ground cherries in pots?
- Should I consider pruning and trying to overwinter them, or maybe clone them from cuttings? It was a challenge getting the seeds to germinate indoors, as I didn't realize they require a lot of heat to sprout.
- Also, I started a few big pots of Peruvian Golden Berry plants later in the season—will they keep producing fruit until the first frost?
1 Answer
Ground cherries can be perennial if you keep them warm enough, so they do have a chance of producing year-round in warmer settings. As for the empty husks, it could be critters getting to them or possibly a pollination issue if the weather hasn’t been ideal. They do need regular fertilizing if you want to keep them fruitful long-term—think bi-monthly granules or bi-weekly liquid feed for best results!