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Perhaps the most beloved and delicious berry that you can grow on your site is strawberries. But it has one fairly significant minus – seasonality. It is possible to feast on it only in summer, but in winter such a berry will cost a pretty penny. Even despite the breeding of remontant varieties that produce crops throughout the growing season, the berries cannot be stored until winter, as it deteriorates very quickly. In this case, the method of growing strawberries at home comes to the rescue. In this article, we will consider the issues of growing strawberries at home, as well as ways to pollinate the plant.
Creating conditions for growing
In order to enjoy strawberries or garden strawberries all year round, it is necessary to decide not only on the method of cultivation, but also to create suitable conditions for this.
At home, this plant can be grown using seedlings in the following ways:
- in plastic bags;
- in boxes;
- in flower pots.
The choice of method on how to grow strawberries at home depends on the goals you want to achieve. If you are going to grow for sale, it is best to plant seedlings in boxes or, in extreme cases, in plastic bags. This will allow you to get a big harvest at the same time. If you grow berries for yourself, then ordinary flower pots will do.
Whichever way you choose to grow strawberries at home, you still have to maintain certain growth parameters. It will be necessary to create the necessary lighting, maintain a certain temperature, as well as good air circulation. With due effort, all this will allow you to grow a full-fledged plant.
Remember that strawberries are a fairly light-loving plant and for its normal cultivation, the length of daylight hours should be at least 14 hours, so additional lighting should be installed in the place of home cultivation – the light of the lamps should be as close as possible to natural daylight.
Things are a little easier with air circulation. At home, air circulation can be created by periodically opening the window.
Creating the optimal temperature for growing strawberries at home does not require additional effort at all. Usually, the temperature in a residential area (especially for apartments) in winter varies between 20-22 degrees. For a plant, the optimum temperature regime is up to +20 degrees , which is ideal for growing it in an apartment. If the temperature rises, you can simply open the vents. Moreover, in this situation, you will fulfill both conditions: ensure optimal temperature conditions and create air circulation.
In addition to the “climatic conditions”, so to speak, the substrate plays an important role in the cultivation of homemade strawberries. The most suitable in this situation is a mixture of peat and perlite. This mixture can be made independently or bought in a specialized store. A mixture of earth with simple fertilizers is also suitable. But the first option is still better in quality.
There are also several ways to obtain seedlings for planting. You can buy ready-made or grow it yourself from seeds. The first option is easier in terms of physical effort, but more expensive. The second, in turn, is cheap, but requires much more time.
After the seedlings have been planted, do not forget about such an important condition for its cultivation as watering. This process must be done manually. In the future, an excellent solution would be to create a drip system, which contributes to more intensive plant growth.
In order to significantly simplify the cultivation of strawberries at home, experienced gardeners give the following tips:
- it is best to use remontant species. The following varieties are suitable for growing at home: Queen Elizabeth, Yellow Wonder, Mount Everest;
- in the case of growing seedlings on their own, the largest seeds should be placed in a plastic bag for a month and in the refrigerator, after wrapping them with a damp cloth. Such seeds will be more hardened and, subject to all the above conditions, will give good germination;
- in a pot or box, you need to create a good drainage layer to avoid stagnation of water in them with fairly frequent watering;
- it is recommended to plant seedlings only in specially prepared soil either in early spring or from August 15 to September 20;
- the plant must be protected from the cold, so you can not keep it on the balcony;
- periodically, potassium-phosphorus top dressing should be applied;
- formed ovaries must be treated with special preparations.
In an apartment, a well-lit window on the south side is considered an ideal place for a plant to grow.
Before you start growing strawberries at home, it is advisable to first familiarize yourself with the relevant literature in order to avoid possible complications or failures. By observing the above requirements for home cultivation, you can not only enjoy its fruits all winter on your own, but also treat relatives and friends. It will become a real miracle on the New Year’s table.
artificial pollination
Do not forget that the fundamental moment in the formation of fruits is the preliminary pollination of flowers and the creation of an ovary. In the case of growing strawberries at home, the plant is devoid of natural pollination, so it must be carried out independently in order to eventually get a crop.
It is possible to carry out artificial pollination of flower stalks on a plant at home in two ways:
- using a fan. In the morning it must be directed towards the flower stalks. The procedure should be repeated for each bush. Pollination will occur almost naturally with the help of the movement of air masses. It is considered the easiest way;
- manually. To do this, in the morning, using a soft brush, which is used for painting, you need to pollinate each flower. Use only natural bristle brushes. Hand pollination is considered to be a rather laborious and lengthy process, so be patient when choosing it. This method is more efficient than fan pollination because all flowers will be accurately pollinated.
The choice of pollination method depends only on your preference.
As you can see, growing strawberries at home is not such a difficult process. The success of the whole business directly depends on the efforts that you are ready to put into it. Creating the most optimal conditions for the growth of the plant will help you practically automate the process, as a result of which you will receive not only an abundant, but also a very tasty harvest.
Video “Growing strawberries in your apartment”
This video will help you grow your own strawberries at home.
