Upright ground cherries

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Salaam
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Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 9:34 am
Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada Zone 5A

Upright ground cherries

#1

Post: # 44801Unread post Salaam
Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:01 pm

A few years ago I bought a ground cherry seedling for the first time, and it grew upright. The kids loved it, and I've been planting one or two a year ever since. But since that first year, all the plants I've gotten have been spreading plants. This year I'm growing my own seedlings-Aunt Molly's ground cherry- and I'm afraid it will be spreading as well. Anyone know where I can find an upright ground cherry?
Zone 5A

Gardadore
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Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:15 am
Location: NE PA zone 6

Re: Upright ground cherries

#2

Post: # 44804Unread post Gardadore
Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:58 pm

Aunt Molly’s is an upright. But the stems are not strong and can easily fall over so I place 12” BBQ bamboo sticks next to each stem and use the green garden Velcro to tie the stick to the stem. I grow them every year. Last year I finally got enough plants to harvest a large enough number of “cherries” to make a pie. What a treat! Biggest pest for me are the cucumber beetles. The larva can wipe out a crop if you don’t pay attention. They are fun and delicious.

Mark_Thompson
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Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2019 2:21 am
Location: Hawaii

Re: Upright ground cherries

#3

Post: # 44806Unread post Mark_Thompson
Tue Apr 13, 2021 12:41 am

I’ve got Aunt Molly’s and a generic ground cherry from Baker Creek that has the number GR101 on it. That one is sprawling, and Aunt Molly’s is upright, just as mentioned above.
Wet and windy side of a Hawaiian island, just living the dream

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Shule
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Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2019 3:29 pm
Location: SW Idaho, USA

Re: Upright ground cherries

#4

Post: # 44809Unread post Shule
Tue Apr 13, 2021 3:11 am

My Aunt Molly's (from Baker Creek), and all the ground cherries I've tried, seem to spread uniformly with bracket-like branches in every cardinal direction at once, if they're volunteers. If they're not volunteers, they seem to be small and bushy instead. I don't know that I've ever seen one I could truly call upright; maybe the ones I had in buckets outside were, but I don't know. I'd love to see a picture of the upright ones.

Before the transplant mine look upright, though. Mine tend to be a lot healthier and more vigorous if they grow as volunteers than if I transplant them.
Location: SW Idaho, USA
Climate: BSk
USDA hardiness zone: 6
Elevation: 2,260 feet

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