All about growing strawberries at home

Perhaps the most beloved and delicious berry that can be grown on your site is strawberry. But it has one rather significant drawback - 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 yield the entire growing season, the berries cannot be preserved until winter, since they deteriorate very quickly. In this case, the method of growing strawberries at home comes to the rescue. In this article, we will look at the issues of growing strawberries at home, as well as ways to pollinate the plant.

Creation of conditions for growing

In order to feast on 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, you can grow this plant using seedlings in the following ways:

• in plastic bags;
• in boxes;
• in flower pots.

The choice of method for 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 the seedlings in boxes or, in extreme cases, in plastic bags. This will allow you to get a large harvest at the same time. In case you grow berries for yourself, then regular flower pots will do as well.

Whichever method you choose to grow strawberries at home, you still have to maintain certain parameters for growth. It will be necessary to create the necessary lighting, maintain a certain temperature, as well as good air circulation. With proper 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 must be installed in the place of home cultivation - the light of the lamps should be as close to natural daylight as possible.

The situation with air circulation is a little simpler. At home, air circulation can be created by periodically opening the window.

Creating the optimal temperature for growing strawberries at home does not require any extra effort at all. Usually, the temperature in a living room (especially for apartments) in winter varies within the range of 20-22 degrees. For a plant, the optimal 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 the optimal temperature regime and create air circulation.

In addition to the so-called "climatic conditions", the substrate plays an important role in the cultivation of domestic strawberries. The most suitable in this situation is a mixture of peat and perlite. You can make this mixture yourself or buy it from a specialist store. A mixture of soil with the simplest fertilizers is also suitable. But the first option is still better in quality.

There are also several ways to get seedlings for planting. You can buy a ready-made one or grow it yourself from seeds. The first option is easier in terms of physical effort, but more costly. The second, in turn, is cheap, but much more time consuming.

After the seedlings have been planted, do not forget about such an important condition for growing it 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 views. The following varieties are suitable for growing at home: Queen Elizabeth, Yellow Miracle, Mount Everest;
• in the case of growing seedlings on your own, the largest seeds need to be placed in a plastic bag and in the refrigerator for a month, after wrapping them with a damp cloth. Such seeds will be more hardened and, subject to all of the above conditions, will give good germination;
• in a pot or box, you need to create a good drainage layer in order 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 in the period from August 15 to September 20;
• the plant must be protected from the cold, so you cannot keep it on the balcony;
• periodically, potassium-phosphorus feeding should be made;
• the 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. Observing the above requirements for home cultivation, you can not only feast on its fruits on your own all winter, but also treat relatives and friends. She 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 on its own in order to eventually get a harvest.

To carry out artificial pollination of flower stalks on a plant at home is possible in two ways:

• with a fan. In the morning it must be directed towards the peduncles. The procedure should be repeated for each bush. Pollination will occur almost naturally through 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 brush. Manual pollination is considered a rather laborious and time-consuming process, so be patient when choosing it. The efficiency of this method is higher than pollination with a fan, since 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 willing to put into it. Creating the most optimal conditions for the growth of the plant will help you to practically automate the process, as a result of which you will receive not only a plentiful, but also a very tasty harvest.

Video "Growing strawberries in your apartment"

This video will help you grow your own strawberries at home.