The story is told by researcher (Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K. A. Timiryazev) Olga Syritso.
Step 1. Determine the location.
For good fruiting, strawberries require a lot sunlight(it must be fully illuminated for more than 5 hours a day). This culture will suit balconies oriented to the south and southwest, but they will not like those facing north or heavily shaded. I do not recommend growing strawberries on balconies facing highways: the berries will be contaminated and unsafe for health.
Glazed loggia
To protect plants from overheating in summer, it must be covered with translucent white curtains or paper.
Step 2. Select containers for planting.
The root system of strawberries goes 25-30 cm into the ground, which determines the required height of the pot. To protect the “lower floor” of plants from overheating, containers must be light color. Drainage holes to drain excess moisture are required (if overwatered, the plants will quickly die). To prevent the soil from drying out too quickly, the wall material should not allow moisture to pass through. The best option- light plastic and ceramic containers or boxes made of treated wood with a volume of 3-10 liters.
Step 3. Prepare the soil.
Garden strawberries in a pot do not need a drainage layer of expanded clay: the container can be completely filled with soil. The best nutrient mixture is lowland peat with the addition of baking powder (perlite, vermiculite or clean coarse sand) in an amount of 20-25% of the volume. Take land from summer cottage no need - it will quickly compact in the container, the plants will suffer from waterlogging and over-compaction of the soil, and good harvest will not work.
To disinfect the soil and prevent root rot, 1-2 days before planting, spill the soil with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Photo: From personal archive/ Nina Belyavskaya
Step 4. Select varieties and seedlings.
I don’t recommend bringing regular large-fruited strawberries from your dacha to plant on your balcony. After digging, the bushes take a long time to take root, the growing flower stalks are injured and dry out, so it is unlikely to get even one full harvest.
The best option is to buy seedlings of day-neutral (remontant) varieties. The varieties of European selection are considered the best in taste - for example, the French Mara de Bois, Profuzhn, the Italian Capri, the Dutch Vima Rina. The varieties of American selection - Albion, San Andreas - will delight you with very large beautiful fruits. A win-win option is the favorite variety of Russian gardeners, Queen Elizabeth 2.
All varieties of small-fruited remontant strawberries also bear fruit well in boxes on the balcony. You can just bring her pieces from the dacha. We calculate the number of seedlings as follows: each plant should have at least 1.5 liters of soil.
We purchase and plant strawberries before mid-May. The best seedlings- a plant in pots with 4-5 leaves and peduncles. We plant it as usual, without deepening the heart. We cut off the first peduncle, which stimulates the growth of roots and leaves for further fruiting.
Step 5. Water and feed.
Since plants live in small volume soil, for nutrition they need to be regularly watered and fed. Watering is carried out as the top layer of soil dries regularly, but in small volumes. Fertilizing with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer is carried out every 14 days, starting from the third week after planting. I recommend adding slow dissolving sticks to each container. mineral fertilizers. To prevent the yield from decreasing, the emerging whiskers are removed.
Planting and growing strawberries on a plot near your home or dacha is not so difficult.
Even a beginner who is not very well versed in the intricacies of fruit growing can cope with this task.
Having met several general rules How to grow strawberries, you can easily get a good harvest of this tasty berry full of healthy vitamins.
Preparatory activities
Many novice gardeners, due to inexperience, believe that it is enough to just stick a strawberry seedling into the ground.
Of course, something will grow in this case. However, to obtain a good harvest, preparation is necessary, which includes the following points:
Choosing the time to disembark. There are two options: plant either in spring or autumn. When deciding in favor of one of these two options, special attention should be paid to climatic characteristics.
Thus, spring planting is recommended if the area is characterized by cold winters with little snowfall. Otherwise, planting is usually done in the autumn. Spring planting is done quite early, in late April - early May.
The main condition is completely thawed soil. You should not rush too much, because immature seedlings may die in case of frost.
Autumn planting takes place from late July to early September. It is important to take into account the abundance of precipitation and air temperature: if there is a lack of moisture or the weather is too hot, the seedlings may not survive.
Planting seedlings into the soil too late exposes them to the danger of dying from early frosts.
Selecting a location: It is preferable to plant strawberries on a flat area rather than on a slope. Southern slopes are especially dangerous, as they can become excessively waterlogged during snowmelt.
Good lighting and eliminating the risk of flooding of land with flood waters are extremely important. In addition, the site must be protected from wind erosion. And remember that planting strawberries on the same plot for 4 years in a row significantly reduces its subsequent yield.
You should also pay attention to the type of soil. Ideal for growing strawberries the following soils: chernozem, loamy, sandy loam and dark gray forest. Preferred pH is approximately 5-6.5 and the occurrence of humic substances ( groundwater) at a depth of about 50 cm.
Soil preparation. Before planting strawberries, the selected plot of land should be free of stones, weeds and pests. If the first two enemies can be dealt with using manual cleaning, pest control requires a different type of control.
The following method is effective: in the spring, sow the area with a green manure plant, at the end of summer, mow it and carry out additional treatment with a special compound.
Preparing seedlings. Not every seedling is suitable for planting in soil. Ideal seedlings should have root system fibrous with a diameter of the main root of at least 6 mm and a length of all roots of at least 7 cm.
Also, if the roots are too long, they need to be cut to the above stated length. For planting, specimens with 4-5 leaves and root hairs are selected white 3-4 cm long and an intact apical bud.
Only after thorough preparation can you proceed to the actual cultivation of strawberries.
Methods for growing strawberries
The procedure for placing seedlings in the ground is no less important than preparing for it. There are several known ways to do this.
Carpet. The easiest way, as it does not require careful preparation. Principle of the method: Seedlings are planted on a flat area without removing the tendrils, as a result of which the strawberries grow naturally. A significant disadvantage: every year the berries become smaller.
Bush. The essence of the method: each bush is planted separately at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other, and the tendrils are removed. This helps to better ventilate the seedlings and make them easier to care for. The result is large berries. Disadvantage: the method is labor intensive.
Gnezdovoy. Seedlings are planted in groups, with one placed in the center and six around it. The distance between seedlings should be 6-8 cm, between nests - 30 cm, between rows - 40 cm. Advantage of the method: you can plant a large number of seedlings.
Private. The method is the most popular. Planting can be done in one or two rows in a garden bed.
The distance between the bushes is 20 cm, between the rows - 30 cm, between the centers of the beds (with a two-row option) - 70 cm.
Important! After planting the seedlings in the ground, they need proper watering. It can be done in any way, as long as the plants have enough moisture.
What to do next?
As mentioned above, strawberries grow well in one area for no more than 4 years in a row.
Then replacement with another crop is required to replenish soil fertility. Onions, garlic and legumes are suitable for this. After them, you can plant strawberries again.
Photos of how to grow strawberries
Strawberry in heart shape bowl 
Ripe, juicy, amazing delicious strawberries on the table while a snowstorm is blowing outside the window - this is real luxury! In the middle of winter you won’t find it in every supermarket. fresh berries, and if you manage to find them, their cost will be prohibitively high.
Create favorable conditions for growing berries
But someone grows delicious strawberries at home on the windowsill; some enterprising gardeners even benefit financially from this activity, turning growing berries at home into profitable business. Growing strawberries at home– myth or reality, accessible to anyone?
Now there are various methods for growing strawberries in an apartment of any size. Can be used effectively free space in the house by planting strawberry seedlings filled with substrate, or growing bushes with berries in traditional flower pots and boxes. It all depends on the purpose for which you plan to grow strawberries at home, and how much space you can allocate for this.
Make a choice in favor of remontant strawberry varieties that can bear fruit several times
What do strawberries need for normal ripening? Room temperature, good ventilation and suitable soil. These conditions are easily met, because the apartments are warm at any time of the year (and if there are problems with heating, you can always buy an additional heating device), air circulation can be ensured using a window, a special inexpensive substrate can be purchased in the store. This means that you can also grow strawberries at home if you take into account the most important moments:
- Make a choice in favor of remontant strawberry varieties that can bear fruit several times. Most popular varieties: Yellow Wonder, Queen Elizabeth, Mount Everest.
- When, purchased seeds should be placed in the refrigerator for 4 weeks, wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in plastic bag– then the hardened seeds, when planted in the ground, will sprout vigorously within a week.
- Prepare a spacious pot for seedlings with good layer drainage, since strawberries like frequent, abundant watering, but they cannot tolerate stagnant water.
- It is recommended to plant strawberry seedlings at home in prepared soil either in the fall from August 15 to September 20, or in early spring.
- Since this berry is afraid of the cold, do not keep it on the balcony and protect it from frost.
- From time to time, apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, and to form ovaries, treat the plants with a special preparation “Ovary”.
Ideal for growing homemade strawberries– south-facing, well-lit windows
The ideal option for growing homemade strawberries is south-facing, well-lit windows. With a lack of sunlight, plant growth may slow down and the taste of the berries may deteriorate. However, you can create artificial lighting for your strawberry plantation using lamps daylight. Strawberries will begin to bloom and bear fruit earlier with long daylight hours, and the quality of the berries will increase significantly. Therefore, if you are concerned about how to grow strawberries at home in the most short terms, provide the plants with continuous daylight for about 14 hours.
Video about strawberries in January
How to pollinate strawberries at home?
Since strawberries at home are deprived of natural pollination, you will have to provide the plants with artificial pollination during the flowering period, which can last several weeks. Produce artificial pollination You can grow flower stalks on strawberries at home in two ways:
- point the fan towards the flower stalks in the morning (under the influence of wind, strawberries are pollinated in open ground);
- pollinate each flower by hand by brushing over them daily with a soft paint brush.
As you can see, growing strawberries at home is accessible even to inexperienced gardeners and does not require significant financial costs. Difficulties can arise only with pollination, especially if you decide to plant extensive berry plantations, because it’s not so easy to brush every day small flower, and with a fan, successful pollination is difficult to guarantee.
Video about how to get strawberries in January
However, don't give up! Try it, plant seedlings, carefully care for them - strawberries at home can produce several harvests a year, delighting you and your loved ones with ripe berries in late autumn and frosty winter.
You can grow strawberries on your windowsill all year round. In winter, it is especially pleasant to enjoy homemade berries. About the peculiarities of growing strawberries on a windowsill, how to choose suitable varieties, not to miscalculate the timing of planting, how to plant and grow correctly healthy berries, skillfully pruning and feeding, will be discussed in this article.
Features of growing on a windowsill
Having decided to grow strawberries on the windowsill, first of all you need choose the correct planting material . The fact is that it is better to grow indoors varieties that are unpretentious to environmental conditions.
In addition, in the room where the containers will be located, you need to create special microclimate. To prevent strawberries from getting sick and growing quickly, you need to install comfortable temperature. It is equally important to control during the growing season level of lighting and humidity.
Which varieties are suitable for growing on a windowsill?
You need to choose planting material very carefully, because contrary to popular belief greenhouse varieties of strawberries are not suitable for growing in an apartment. The fact is that you are unlikely to be able to create “greenhouse” conditions, because in winter there is enough dry air due to central heating.
Strawberry varieties for growing at home on a windowsill must be repairable, unpretentious to the length of daylight hours and temperature. The hanging bushes that hang from hanging containers look especially beautiful in the apartment.
For year-round cultivation of strawberries on a windowsill at home, it is best to choose the following varieties:
- Home delicacy F1;
- Eternity S1;
- Temptation;
- Pink Dream;
- Grandian F1;
- Elan F1.
It is also believed that varieties such as Albion, Aisha, Selva, Queen Elizabeth, Geneva, Russian Giant, Supreme and Tristan can be grown in an apartment.
Video: how to grow strawberries (garden strawberries) from seeds on a windowsill
How to plant and grow on a windowsill - features, conditions and step-by-step instructions
To successfully plant and grow strawberries at home on a windowsill, you must follow certain rules and conditions. Let's talk about them in more detail below.
Place
The best place for growing remontant strawberries- window sill facing south or east. It is possible to grow crops on the eastern and northern windowsill only if there is constant supplementary lighting.
Daylight hours
For rapid growth and ripening of garden strawberries, the duration of daylight hours should be 12-14 hours. If in summer the bushes have enough sunlight, then in autumn and winter, when the light part of the day is very short, strawberries need illuminate with fluorescent lamps. Lighting devices are turned on 2 times a day: from approximately 6 to 9 o’clock (in the morning) and from 16 to 20 (in the evening).
Temperature
When growing strawberries at home, it is important to maintain temperatures in the range +18..+20 C. If the temperature is a few degrees lower, the plants begin to get sick. To prevent such unpleasant consequences, it will be necessary to include additional heating devices(heaters).
Humidity
Strawberries will do well if the air humidity is in the area 70-80%. At it's peak heating season, in winter, when the air in the apartment is very dry, the bushes sprayed with settled water from a spray bottle room temperature. However, even in this case, it is worth adhering to measures: due to too much humidity, strawberries’ resistance to fungal diseases decreases.
What container to plant in?
Initially, the seeds are sown in small cups, and as soon as they produce the first pair of leaves, they are transplanted (dive) into larger containers. When the strawberry seedlings have already formed 5-6 leaves, they can be transplanted into a pot for further home cultivation.
For growing bush seedlings will fit small pots. Ampelous species(for example, Home Delicacy F1) feel great in hanging flowerpots.
You can also plant plants in long boxes with a volume of 10-15 l. When planting in such containers the distance between bushes should be at least 20 cm. Regardless of size, the bottom of the planting container should have drainage holes to allow excess water to drain out.
In what soil (substrate)
You can buy soil mixture for planting at a specialty store or prepare it yourself. Suitable for indoor strawberries any substrate intended for growing vegetables and flowers.
To prepare the soil yourself, mix pine soil, sand and humus in equal parts in a container. Strawberries also grow well in a substrate of peat and vermicompost.
The main condition that must be met when preparing the substrate is the soil mixture should be loose, airy and slightly moist. At the end of preparing the substrate, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are added to it.
Important! It is highly undesirable to use soil from the garden to plant strawberry seedlings at home: it can be infected with nematodes and other dangerous diseases. If there is no other option, then before using garden soil you need to disinfect it by spilling it with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, or steam it in the oven. You can start planting bushes a week after disinfection.
Preparation of planting material
Experienced gardeners It is recommended to grow strawberries at home on a windowsill with seedlings, since growing seedlings from seeds yourself is quite a long and troublesome task. Planting material can be purchased at nurseries or taken from your own plot if you have remontant varieties growing.
Preparation of strawberry seedlings for planting at home is carried out as follows:
By the way! Naturally, it is most convenient to plant strawberry seedlings for growing in room conditions carry out exactly in autumn(after you propagate it using whiskers in the summer).
- From the available rooted rosettes, you need to select only the largest and healthiest.
- Planting material is separated from the mother plant and planted in a pot, and first all leaves are removed from them, except for 1-2 of the youngest.
- To provide strawberries with a period of rest, The container is placed in a cool place for 14 days,- basement or cellar.
Direct planting of seedlings
Note! Since strawberries do not like stagnant water and compacted soil, before planting, place a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot using crushed stone, pebbles, expanded clay, small pieces of slate or brick.
Seedlings Strawberries are planted at home like this:
- A drainage layer and some substrate are poured into the pot.
- The rhizome is dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for several minutes.
- The seedlings are placed in a pot and the roots are straightened. The root should be placed in a pot in full height. The rhizome needs to be shortened if, when planting, you have to bend its tips strongly (they cannot be twisted).
- In order for the trimmed bushes to recover faster, they are immersed in a weak solution of heteroauxin (according to the instructions). To prepare the mixture, dissolve a crushed tablet of the drug in 5 liters of water.
- Add the missing soil to the growth point (heart), but it is important not to bury it too deep.
- Next, carefully compact the soil and water it.
Advice! To improve the survival rate of a seedling in a new place, you can water the plant with a special solution of one of the growth stimulants, for example, again, “Heteroauxin” or “Kornevin”.
Sowing seeds
You can grow strawberries at home on your windowsill using seeds. Despite the fact that you will have to wait longer for the harvest than when planting seedlings, this does not discourage gardeners who cannot see their life without what they love.
In order for the seeds to germinate quickly, they need to be hardened. The planting material is laid out on a damp cloth, then folded in half and placed in a bag. Next, the bookmark is sent to top part refrigerator for 30 days.
The sequence of planting strawberries at home on the windowsill seeds:
- Most of the shallow box is filled with prepared soil and slightly moistened.
- Keeping distance, the seeds are laid out in rows.
- Planting material is sprinkled thin layer soil.
- The seedling container is covered with polyethylene or glass and placed in a warm place.
- As soon as the seedlings sprout, the coverings are gradually removed and the container is placed on a bright windowsill.
- Plants with a pair of true leaves are transplanted into a spacious pot.
The optimal time for planting strawberry seedlings in an apartment is early spring or the period from August 15 to September 20.
Video: how to care for and grow strawberries at home in a pot
How to care after planting and before harvesting
Caring for strawberries on the windowsill consists of the following basic actions: watering, fertilizing, pruning, pollination and pest control (if the last two measures are necessary).
Watering
For watering strawberries, like others indoor plants, use only settled water at room temperature. In order not to wait for the chlorine to settle to the bottom of the container, you can pass the water through a filter.
Advice! It will be very good if you regularly spray your strawberry bushes with a spray bottle to increase the humidity in a dry room.
As a rule, it is enough to moisten the soil in containers with strawberries on the windowsill 2 times a week. It is best to moisten the soil in the afternoon. After watering, the soil in the planting container is loosened.
Important! Despite the fact that the growth of strawberries is activated after the next moistening, you should not get carried away with watering. Overwatering the plant is fraught with the appearance of rot on the roots and fungal diseases. Stagnant water is especially dangerous for bushes. However, the soil should not be allowed to dry out either.
Top dressing
It is recommended to feed indoor strawberries once every 2-3 weeks, after the first leaf appears on the bush. As a fertilizer, you can use regular complex fertilizers or special nutrient mixtures for strawberries. Fertilizers are applied in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations (according to the instructions).
If you do not want to use mineral mixtures, you can prepare fertilizer for indoor strawberries yourself, according to this recipe:
- 3 liter jar crushed eggshells are poured into a third.
- Then add 1 cup of ash and fill the jar to the top with slightly warm water.
- At the end of 5 days of infusion, the solution is filtered.
- Before application, the fertilizer is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3.
You can fertilize strawberries on the windowsill with weak solutions mullein (1 to 10), chicken manure(1 in 20).
Note! Overfeed strawberries nitrogen fertilizers it is impossible: a large amount of nutrients stimulates the active growth of leaves and has a bad effect on the setting and formation of fruits.
During fruiting, bushes need a large amount of iron, because... it is required for the formation of ovaries. According to experienced gardeners, the folk way to enrich the soil with this chemical element, you need to stick a rusty nail into the pot a few centimeters. Of course, it would be more modern to use special purchased mixtures and preparations that contain iron; they should be used to spray the plantings 1-2 times a month.
After harvesting, the bushes are fed occasionally or not at all.
Trimming
Many will be surprised, but strawberries need pruning, the purpose of which is to increase yield. How to prune strawberries grown at home on a windowsill?
- On seedlings grown from seeds, the first few flowers are plucked.
Important! But there is no need to pick off flower stalks on strawberries planted as seedlings.
- If further expansion indoor plantings It is not planned, and there is no need to replace mature bushes; it is necessary to remove the tendrils regularly. As a result of pruning, the plants will not be wasted on forming unnecessary rosettes, but will direct everything nutrients to the fruits.
Pollination
In order for the berries to set after flowering, it is recommended to pollinate the strawberries. There are several methods of artificial pollination at home:
Video: growing strawberries in winter
Diseases and pests
During the fruiting period, strawberries are very rarely, but still sometimes, affected spider mite To get rid of this worst enemy of sweet berries, plantings are sprayed garlic tincture. To prepare the solution, crush 2 cloves and add 100 ml of water. The mixture infused for 2-3 hours is filtered, poured into a spray bottle and treated with the affected plants.
Germination and harvest dates
Strawberry seeds planted in an apartment take quite a long time to germinate: the first seedlings make their way to the surface 20-30 days after sowing.
Remontant strawberries, planted with seedlings and grown at home on a windowsill, begin to bloom in about 30-35 days, and ripe berries begin to be collected after about a couple of months after landing.
Video: strawberries on the windowsill in winter
Year-round cultivation of remontant strawberries on the windowsill is a fascinating activity that does not require much time and effort. To do this, you need to choose the right planting material, follow the rules and conditions of growing on the windowsill, skillfully care for it after planting and harvesting, and also fight pests. And in the end, all the troubles and difficulties pay off a hundredfold with environmentally friendly and tasty fruits.
In contact with
Any advice on how to grow strawberries? Previously, we always had this berry growing, but no one really bothered with it. It grows for itself - well, let it grow, as many berries as it gives, so be it. Of course, such a “departure” did not pass without a trace. From a large, one might say, plantation, a couple of dozen bushes remained, and even those bear fruit as they please. I decided it was time to restore order and restore the strawberries. Grandchildren have appeared, there will be someone to eat.
Let's look at the most popular of them, namely:
- carpet;
- lowercase;
- nesting;
- vertical.
Carpet method
One of the most simple options growing summer berries. All you need to do is prepare the area and plant it with seedlings. Humus is added during digging. In the fall, strawberries are planted in mother rows. You should leave about 20 cm between the bushes, and about 70 cm between the rows. In the next couple of years, the queen rows rapidly grow tendrils and self-reproduce. It turns out to be such a green carpet, the boundaries of the rows are lost.
The advantage of the carpet method is the minimum maintenance. There is no need to remove the whiskers, water and weed frequently. Strawberry carpet retains moisture well and displaces most weeds.
Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting that harvesting after a couple of years becomes difficult due to the thickness of the cover. In addition, the berries become smaller.
Advantages of the row method of growing strawberries
The row method provides that the seedlings will grow in rows, with clear control of their boundaries. To prevent “unauthorized departure,” the mustache is regularly removed.
You can plant in one or two lines, observing the recommended indents:
- single-line planting - at least 20 cm between seedlings and from 60 to 90 cm between rows;
- two-line planting - 20 cm between bushes, 30-50 cm between lines, 70-90 cm between rows.
The advantage of the method is high yield. There is enough space for strawberries, the whiskers do not take away nutrition and the berries grow large.
Row planting of strawberries requires more attention than carpet planting. It needs more frequent watering, weeding and removal of whiskers.
How to grow strawberries using the nesting method?
In small areas, the nesting method is often used. Thanks to it, you can plant several times more seedlings in one area. Accordingly, the harvest will be higher. This is done simply: nests are made in the row every 25 cm. They consist of 6 bushes growing in a circle at a distance of up to 7 cm. The seventh bush is planted in the center of the circle.
For the nesting method you need to have a large number of seedlings.
Vertical strawberry beds
Another method that does not require a large area. In addition, it is suitable if the land on the site is unsuitable. Strawberries are planted in any vertical structure. It can be plastic pipes, hanging pots and even bags. They are filled with nutritious soil mixture and seedlings are planted.
The advantages are clear: they save space and are more convenient to care for. And the berries do not lie in the ground, but hang down, which means they will not rot.
Among the disadvantages of this method, it is worth noting that caring for them is more labor-intensive. The soil, due to its small amount, must be regularly fed with mineral complexes. In addition, it dries quickly and also freezes. Frequent watering and mandatory shelter for the winter are other additional measures.
