Growing and caring for strawberries at home all year round
In addition to greenery and flowers, strawberries can be successfully grown at home. There are several known varieties of this culture that can grow under artificial light. Since it is more difficult to grow strawberries in a house than in a garden bed, before planting, you need to familiarize yourself with the requirements that the plant makes to the place of growth. And in order to harvest at least twice a year, you will need to provide proper care.
How to grow homemade strawberries?
Breeding heat-loving crops in an apartment is not difficult. Popular remontant varieties are suitable for cultivation, on which berries successfully ripen all year round with constant and long-term exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It is important to create a suitable indoor microclimate for the culture.
However, there are varieties (neutral daylight hours, or NCD) that can germinate even in insufficient sunlight. Moreover, such strawberries can bear fruit for up to 9 months.
You will also need to create comfortable conditions for the plant. The latter is understood as maintaining an optimal temperature regime. The humidity level does not play a decisive role in this. However, it is recommended to regularly spray the bushes during the winter.
Varieties of strawberries for an apartment
It was noted above that strawberries suitable for growing at home are of two types:
- DSD. On a culture of this type, fruits appear twice in one year. Most of the berries appear at the second harvest. The fruits of this variety appear under the condition of constant illumination.
- NSD. The variety is distinguished by its increased resistance to changes in the microclimate (fluctuations in temperature, humidity). Berries appear even in low light conditions. The fruits are formed over nine months.
From the first group of varieties for growing in an apartment, they often use Crimean, Autumn fun or Garland. The Brighton variety is distinguished by the fact that, in addition to low maintenance requirements, this plant produces fruits that hang in the bushes. Therefore, this strawberry is used for growing in pots.
For growing in containers, gardeners recommend the Queen Elizabeth variety, which ensures year-round fruiting.
Also, beautiful colors appear on this plant that can decorate the interior of an apartment.
Growing rules in an apartment
Cultivation will not cause difficulties, provided that the rules for planting and subsequent care are followed. It is also important to decide on the place where the pot with the crop will be placed.
Suitable place for growing
It is recommended to place the container with the plant on a windowsill facing the south or east side. These areas are considered the most illuminated.
Growing on the balcony is also possible, provided that this area is insulated and protected from the winds.
For the rapid growth of the culture, it is necessary to provide sunlight for 14 hours. During the cold season, it will be necessary to create artificial lighting with ultraviolet lamps.
Temperature
Strawberries are heat-loving plants. Therefore, the culture is capable of bearing fruit, provided that it grows at temperatures up to +20 degrees. If this requirement is not met, the plant will die.
Humidity
This parameter does not play a decisive role, provided that the optimum temperature is maintained and sufficient daylight hours are provided. But for normal growth, strawberries need moisture at the level of 70-80%. In order to avoid overdrying the leaves, bushes in winter are recommended to be regularly sprayed with a spray bottle.
In this case, it is important to prevent waterlogging of the soil, otherwise fungal diseases will arise.
Selection of containers for planting
If the plant is grown from seed, then the strawberries are first planted in small glasses. Then, after picking, the culture is transferred to more spacious containers. When 5 full leaves appear on the bushes, the strawberries can be transplanted into a pot.
The choice of capacity depends on which variety is grown. For ampelous varieties, it is recommended to use hanging pots, since the fruits hang down on such bushes. The rest of the varieties are planted in long boxes with a volume of up to 15 liters or in separate containers. The plant can also be grown in plastic bottles with holes in the bottom to allow excess liquid to drain out.
The choice of soil mixture
For growing a heat-loving culture, commercial potting soil mixtures intended for indoor plants are suitable. If desired, the soil can be prepared independently. To do this, you need to mix humus with sand and earth with needles in equal proportions.
Strawberries grow well in loose soil, provided there is a constant flow of water. After preparation, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus must be applied to the soil.
Seeds or seedlings: which is right?
Strawberries are grown from seedlings or seeds. The last option is rather laborious. Therefore, beginner gardeners are advised to purchase seedlings. The plant should be planted in the fall. To do this, you need to separate large seedlings from the outlets and plant them in a pot, leaving only 1-2 young leaves. After that, the container with the culture must be left for two weeks in a cool place.
If seeds are used, then the planting material must first be soaked. To do this, you need to take a container with holes drilled in the bottom. Then you need to lay out the moistened gauze. Next, seeds are placed on the material, after that, the planting material, and the top is covered with wet gauze. A container with a lid should be placed in a well-heated room for three days. At the end of this period, the container is sent for a day to the refrigerator for hardening the culture.
Seed material is sown into the soil at a distance of four centimeters and to a depth of one centimeter. The pots are then covered with plastic. After the seedlings appear, you can start planting the plant.
Planting process
In order to plant a heat-loving culture, you must first fill the bottom of the prepared container with a layer of expanded clay, which will act as a drain.Next, lower the roots of the seedlings into a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After a few minutes, put the plant in a pot. It is not recommended to bend the rhizomes, therefore, if necessary, long branches should be removed. In the latter case, before planting, the strawberries will have to be kept in a weak solution of heteroauxin (the duration of the procedure and the proportion of the mixture are indicated on the package of the product).
At the end, the roots are covered with prepared soil so that the soil reaches the outlet. Finally, the plant is watered abundantly.
How to care?
During autumn and winter, strawberries need to be supplied with sufficient light. To do this, you will have to install an ultraviolet lamp near the plant. Subject to this condition and regular watering, the plant does not require additional care.
How to fertilize?
It is recommended to use settled or filtered water for irrigation. The procedure should be carried out twice a week. The frequency of watering can be increased if necessary. After each procedure, the soil should be loosened. The plant begins to fertilize during the period when the first leaves appear. For this, complex mixtures are used. In the future, top dressing is applied every 2 weeks.
A homemade mixture is suitable for fertilizing the plant. This will require:
- chop the shell by taking one egg;
- fill a three-liter can with the resulting powder;
- pour ash in an amount not exceeding one glass;
- pour pre-heated clean water into the jar.
The composition is infused for five days. For fertilization, this mixture is used, diluted with clean water in a 1: 3 ratio.
Pruning and pollination
It is recommended to prune regularly, removing the regrown mustache. This procedure will ensure the normal growth and development of the plant. However, if strawberry owners plan to transplant the crop over time, then pruning is not necessary.
Artificial pollination is carried out in two ways. The first assumes the following: the brush should be carried out over all the blossoming buds during the flowering period. The second way is simpler: you need to direct the fan on to the bush.
Wintering
Subject to the rules of planting and care, strawberries can not be prepared for winter. During this period, it is important to ensure sufficient watering (since the soil dries faster in the apartment) and the level of illumination.
Common diseases
Indoor strawberries are not susceptible to disease, provided that a purchased mixture was used for seedlings. In rare cases, gray rot develops, for the destruction of which garlic tincture is used (2 cloves per 100 milliliters of water, infused for 2 hours).
Pests to which strawberries are susceptible
The only pest (provided that a purchased soil mixture is used) that infects strawberries is a spider mite. The same garlic tincture is used to fight insects.
The timing of emergence and harvest
If seeds are used, the first shoots appear 20-30 days after sowing. Strawberries planted with seedlings begin to bloom after 30 days. The berries are formed and ripen within 1-2 months. Some varieties give an early harvest, others after six months.
