Rules for planting and growing strawberries in pots, suitable varieties

There is nothing better than having your own plot of land and growing whatever you want on it. However, the question arises: what is the solution for those who do not have land, but still have a desire to produce fruits or vegetables? Recently, growing strawberries in pots has become widespread. And how to do this correctly in order to ultimately reap a good harvest, you can find out further.

Features of growing strawberries in pots

For those who decide to grow strawberries on a windowsill, the first thing to take care of is choosing the appropriate material for planting. So, for example, if we are talking about closed ground, preference should be given to varieties that are unpretentious to environmental conditions. In addition, in the room where you plan to grow strawberries in pots, it is necessary to provide suitable temperature and humidity, and also monitor the level of lighting. All specified conditions must be met throughout the growing season.

Suitable varieties

Many, wanting to buy suitable varieties for planting, are guided by beautiful photos in flower pavilions. However, according to experienced gardeners, preference should be given to remontant varieties of strawberries, since they are truly time-tested. Such berries do not require delicate care and bear fruit all year round. Along with this, you need to know that such varieties live for about 2-3 years.

Based on the experience of specialists, when growing strawberries in pots, you should give preference to the following varieties:

1. Garland.
2. Tristar.
3. Autumn fun.
4. Queen Elizabeth.
5. Crimean.
6. Brighton.
7. Inexhaustible.

It is better to plant with seedlings rather than seeds, due to the fact that the latter method will require more effort.

How to plant and grow strawberries

To get a decent strawberry harvest, you need to adhere to some features of planting and growing the crop, which we will discuss below.

Preparing the container

When choosing a pot for planting strawberries, you should not focus solely on its appearance.Aesthetic characteristics or design do not matter in this case, since, basically, the pot will be covered by foliage and berries.

The choice may fall on ordinary flower pots or long plastic containers.

As for the volume of containers, it depends on how many plants are planned for planting, as well as where the pots will be located (for example, on a windowsill, balcony or greenhouse).

Drainage holes are made at the bottom of the selected container to prevent moisture from stagnating in the ground. It is also worth taking care of drainage; expanded clay or broken bricks are suitable for these purposes.

Landing place

If we are talking about planting strawberries that will grow on a windowsill, it is better to choose a window that faces the south or east. However, it seems possible to grow strawberries on the north or west side, provided that the plant is provided with a suitable amount of light.

Temperature

The suitable temperature for the plant is +18-20 degrees. If the thermometer drops below the indicator, the plant will begin to get sick. In spring, the best option would be to use heaters.

Humidity, daylight

For strawberries, it is desirable that the air humidity remains at 70-75%. During the winter months, as a rule, the air in the home is dry, so it is recommended to systematically spray the plant with settled water. Along with this, it is important not to overdo it, since high humidity is an excellent basis for the occurrence of fungal diseases.

Suitable soil

The plant is quite demanding on soil. And if we are also talking about growing strawberries in pots outside, this suggests that in a limited space the soil is rapidly losing its nutritional properties.It is for this reason that at the stage of preparing the container for planting, a mixture of turf soil and manure should be added to the soil in equal proportions. Nutrient soil is poured into the container on top of the drainage.

Selection and preparation of planting material

If you have remontant varieties growing in your garden, they are quite suitable for planting on a windowsill. So, in the fall, the required number of bushes are dug up, placed in a container, and sprinkled with soil. They are left for two weeks in a cool place so that the plant can spend the required amount of time dormant. Next, the strawberries are placed in pre-prepared containers. Planting is carried out in such a way that the roots are buried halfway into the soil. The long root system must be pruned so that it does not bend.

In addition, strawberry seedlings can be found in any specialty store or market. When choosing planting material, it is worth consulting with knowledgeable people who can recommend bona fide sellers. It is important to emphasize that the plants are planned to be planted in pots.

Before purchasing, seedlings must be inspected for damage and disease. Preference should be given exclusively to fully-fledged, beautiful and healthy-looking rosettes.

Immediately before planting, the purchased seedlings are sent to a container with soil and placed in a cool place (for example, a refrigerator or cellar) for about two weeks. This measure will allow the plant to fall into a dormant state, and it will be able to rest before planting.

Planting process

At home, planting seedlings occurs in this way:

1. A layer of drainage and some substrate are placed in the pots for planting.
2. The roots of the plant are placed for some time in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
3. The plant is placed in a container, the roots are straightened.
4. If there is a need to trim the roots, then, in order for the plant to recover more quickly, the roots are dipped in a weak solution of heteroauxin for several hours.
5. The soil missing to the growing point is poured into the container. The soil needs to be compacted a little.
6. In order for the bushes to take root, they are lightly watered with a solution of the substance heteroauxin.

In addition, strawberries are planted on the windowsill and using seeds. In this case, the fruits will not appear soon, but this fact does not scare away gardeners. For those who decide to grow a crop from seeds, we offer one trick that will contribute to the simultaneous growth of the plant. The material for planting (in this case, seeds) is laid out on a wet cloth, which is folded in half, and then placed in a bag. The workpiece is sent to the refrigerator for a month. Seeds can be hardened in a similar way.

Subtleties of plant care

After the plants have been planted according to all the rules, it’s time to learn how to properly organize the care of strawberries so that they will delight you with delicious fruits.

Do you need fertilizing?

Gardeners recommend fertilizing the plant once every two weeks. In the form of fertilizers, simple fertilizers intended for indoor crops or special formulations for strawberries are used. This or that fertilizer is applied strictly according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. They are often applied when the fifth leaf appears on the plant.

Those who do not want to resort to synthetic feeding of strawberries can make their own nutrient mixture at home:

1. A three-liter jar is filled with 30% eggshells, which must first be crushed.
2. A glass of ash is also sent there.
3. The jar is completely filled with warm water.

The mixture is infused for 5 days, after which it is filtered and diluted with clean water in proportions of one to three. After this, the mixture is ready to be applied as a fertilizer for strawberries.

In addition, chicken excrement or a weak solution of manure is used to fertilize the crop.

While the fruits begin to develop, most of all the bushes need iron. To enrich the soil with this chemical element, a rusty nail is placed literally a few centimeters into the container with successfully planted strawberries.

After the fruits are collected, fertilizing is done infrequently or not at all.

Watering rules

Strawberries should only be watered with settled liquid. Those who do not want to wait for the chlorine to sink to the bottom of the container, and who have such an opportunity, can run the water through a filter.

The soil in the container where the crop is planted is moistened twice a week. Watering should be done after lunch, that is, in the afternoon. After watering, the soil must be loosened.

It must be remembered that you should not over-water, as this leads to rot on the roots of the plants.

Treatment against diseases and pests

During fruit development, strawberries may be attacked by spider mites or such an unpleasant disease as gray rot. To eliminate these problems, the plant must be irrigated with garlic infusion.

To make this mixture yourself, you will need two cloves of garlic, which are pressed through a garlic press and filled with 100 milliliters of liquid. Infuse the mixture for two hours, after which everything needs to be strained and poured into a spray bottle for further processing of strawberries.

Timing of germination and planned harvest

If a remontant species is planted, it blooms on the windowsill within 30-35 days, and berry picking begins 60-65 days from the date of planting.