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Vegetable Gardening

Ground Cherry - Empty husks

12 years ago

Anyone ever had this problem with ground cherries? I just started to get a few ripe fruit the first part of last week and I was really excited. When I left town on Friday, I saw several more husks had turned mostly yellow, and was expecting them to be fully ripe and ready when I got back home yesterday. I went out and started checking around and found perfectly formed husks that were completely empty. Now, I could understand squirrels or birds or something getting a the fruit, but I don't think they'd leave the husks completely intact and untouched. The only opening in the husk was a small opening at the center bottom where it looks like it would naturally open up.

I'm a little disappointed by that, the few ripe fruit I've already tasted I enjoyed quite a bit, but I would like to know if anyone has any ideas what could have happened to the other fruit? the only thing I've seen was early one, some of the tiny black 'sugar ants' seemed to be frequenting the flowers, but I have such enormous fruit set on the plant I decided they must be helping with pollination and left them alone. Now, with it so hot and dry, they don't even seem to be frequent any more.

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Comments (5)

wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
12 years ago
The first possibility is that the fruits didn't get pollinated. I don't seem to have that problem as ground cherries volunteer here like weeds.

The second possibility is an insect biting the fruit. When I planted ground cherries in a concentrated area, I had some insect eating a tiny hole through the husk. When the plants are randomly located, I don't have that problem.
wertach zone 7-B SC
12 years ago
You do know that the husks develop before the fruit? Did you look inside for a small fruit?
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wayne_5 zone 6a Central Indiana
12 years ago
" and found perfectly formed husks that were completely empty.
Slimy_Okra
12 years ago
If it's really hot and dry, pollination might be disrupted. Also I think they need bee activity to be pollinated.
cygnwulf
Original Author
12 years ago
Yes, I realize that the husk forms first, these were yellow, dropped husks that looked exactly like the ripe ones, only missing a fruit inside. I did look inside for a tiny fruit, all I saw was a tiny spot near the center top that looks just like the spot that the mature fruit is connected to the husk.

I would think if it failed to pollinate, wouldn't the flower just drop? Seems strange to me that the plant would grow a husk for a fruit that has no chance of forming....

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