What is Hydroponics?
To people who are new to growing plants, or even to experienced gardeners who are used to growing plants in soil, hydroponics might sound like a difficult concept. This blog post will teach you that hydroponics makes gardening less complicated, quicker, and more fruitful in terms of yield!
So what is hydroponics? Hydroponics is a horticultural method that allows plants to grow without soil. Instead of soil, plants are provided with water and a liquid nutrient solution.
Why Grow Hydroponic Strawberries?
If you are interested in growing strawberries, there are many reasons why you should consider doing it in soil. even if you have no experience with this type of berry.
Here is a quick overview of hydroponics if you are unfamiliar with it.
This style of growing does not use any soil. Instead of an active material, a inert media is used to keep the plant’s roots in place. The roots of the plant grow through the soil or other medium, and are exposed to either water or a nutrient solution, depending on the plant.
Pros
Some potential benefits of growing strawberries hydroponically include the ability to control the environment (e.g. temperature, nutrient levels, etc.), a smaller footprint compared to traditional farming, and fewer pest and disease problems.
Since there is no soil, you will not have to worry about any pests that live in the soil. This makes your job as a grower much easier. Other benefits of growing strawberries hydroponically include the fact that the plants are less prone to damage from flying pests.
The reason you may think this is because there is always water available, so you may be more likely to use it. In hydroponics, water is recirculated instead of constantly being replaced, making it more water-efficient.
If you’re short on space, you’ll be glad to know that strawberries grown hydroponically can be grown in stacks. This allows more plants to be grown in a smaller amount of space. In addition to this, it is much easier to harvest your strawberry fruit when it is on top of something rather than crouching down to harvest it from the soil.
There are plenty of other good points about hydroponics. It’s definitely a method worth your time.
Cons
What is the disadvantage of this situation?
There are only a few drawbacks to growing hydroponically. The main one is the initial setup cost. Hydroponic systems usually cost more than growing in soil. Although these systems may require a larger initial investment, they often save money in the long run by increasing efficiency and yield. More strawberries can be grown vertically, meaning that you can get more strawberries from a smaller area.
The learning curve for hydroponics can be steep. Although initially more complex than traditional soil gardening, once you get the hang of it, it’s not a problem.
The last thing to think about when it comes to strawberry hydroponics is that each plant will produce slightly fewer berries than if it were grown in soil. While you may lose berries per plant if you grow them outdoors in inconsistent weather, you can make up for it by growing more plants indoors. You’re also growing much more efficiently!
What you’ll need to get started
Obviously, the first step to successful hydroponics is finding a good hydroponic system. The prices, plant counts, and performance of these options vary greatly. You will need to be careful when you buy your system.
Start with an ebb and flow, deep water culture, or hydroponic drip system. There are many great systems that are already set up for growth, but you can also create your own.
You can easily get started growing on a budget by using a garden tray, reservoir, water pump, and a few other miscellaneous hydro components. This will cost you a fraction of the price of a typical growing system.
The actual building of the system is pretty easy. The water reservoir is located beneath the tray where the plants are grown. You will need to set up a pump and timer to move water from the reservoir into the grow tray to keep the berries watered and fed.
One question you need to answer when starting a garden is what type of soil or growing media you will use. You can grow plants using grow stones, clay pebbles, coconut coir, or rockwool. Other forms of growing media are available as well!
It is likely that you will also want to get some hydroponic nutrients to ensure that your plants are healthy and growing to their fullest potential. Whether or not to include organic matter in your soil is entirely up to you as the gardener.
8 Steps in Growing Strawberries Hydroponically
You can grow your own strawberries indoors by using a hydroponic system! Simply follow the steps below:
Step 1 – Prepare your starter plant.
Strawberry seeds can be difficult to start. It will take a while for them to develop into full-sized plants. It’s better to buy young strawberry seedlings from local greenhouses than other places. If you want to order rhubarb plants during the colder seasons, you can find them online. They’ll be shipped to you as bare-root stocks.
Make sure to clean the roots of your strawberry seedlings when you receive them to avoid any soil-borne pests in your indoor garden.
Step 2 – Choose a growing medium.
The roots and base of the plant need a grow medium to stay steady. The design will also prevent light from reaching the water in the rails, and as a result, will help to reduce algae build-up.
Some common options for materials to use in a hydroponic system are LECA, peat moss, gravel, vermiculite, coconut coir, and perlite.
Some systems come with specialized growing media made of sphagnum moss or basalt salt.
The tests showed that a potting mixture that includes perlite, cocopeat, and date-peat leads to increased fruit yield, chlorophyll content, and leaf area in hydroponic strawberries.
Thirdly, ensure that strawberries have the right environment to grow in.
Strawberry plants need certain conditions to grow indoors. Here are some of them:
Tomatoes: Strawberry plants will ideally receive around 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. To supplement the 14-16 hours of darkness that your plant will experience indoors, you can provide light from LED bulbs. Many hydroponic systems come with lighting already installed.
The Day Light Integral, or DLI, is the total amount of light that plants receive during a 24-hour period. A 2019 study showed that a range of 11.5-17.3 mol/(m2· d) was optimal for the quality and efficiency of strawberry propagation.
The optimum temperature range for indoor strawberries is 50-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Their roots are vulnerable to warm water temperatures. A little bit of cold can improve the flavor of strawberries.
Humidity: Maintain 60-75% ambient humidity. When there is a lack of air moisture, it can affect calcium uptake and fruit quality negatively. Fungal diseases can be avoided by installing a fan for air circulation.
Flow rate: Keep the flow rate at 1.6 l/m. If the water flow is too high, it could stop root growth and hinder iron uptake.
The fourth step is to adjust the nutrient solution and water level.
The pH and nutrients in the water reservoir of a hydroponic system can heavily affect strawberries. You should use a pH meter to check the acidity levels regularly. Nutrient uptake will be inhibited at both low and high pH values.
The pH of a hydroponic system is a measure of how acidic or basic the water is. The ideal pH range for strawberries is between 5.5 and 6.2. Some people use vinegar to keep the pH down.
EC measures the total amount of mineral salts and nutrients in a hydroponic solution. AEC values range from 1.2 to 3.0 dS m-1 The ideal electrical conductivity (EC) for strawberries is 1-2 dS/m. The acceptable EC range is 1.2-3 dS/m.
High TDS means a more concentrated, “stronger” solution, while low TDS indicates a more diluted solution Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) is a measure of the strength of a nutrient solution in a hydroponic reservoir. A high TDS means a more concentrated, “stronger” solution, while a low TDS indicates a more diluted solution. The amount of nutrients in water is measured in parts per million (ppm). This is the number of milligrams of nutrients found in every liter of water.
For strawberries, 500-800 ppm is best. If you go outside of the recommended range, you may see brown leaf tips and fewer flowers. You can measure the TDS in your hydroponic system with a cheap digital meter.
The ratio of NPK plus some micronutrients is essential for strawberry growers in order to have a successful crop. If you want to grow fruit using hydroponics, ask your supplier if they have a nutrient solution that is specifically designed for that purpose. We recommend the MasterBlend 9-12-34 Strawberry Formula.
When your plants start to flower, you can improve the potassium and phosphorus levels to get more fruit. To sweeten your strawberries, you can add cal-mag and rainwater.
Step 5 – Prune your plants.
At the early stages of growth snip off any flower buds and long runners without leaves (also called stolons) to give your strawberry plants time to develop their foliage first. If there are more leaves on the plant, it will have more energy to produce more fruit.
Submerge the tip of a runner in a cup of water if you want to propagate your stock plants. The runner will develop roots. You can cut the plant off at the base and start a new one from the cutting.
Step 6 – Pollinate the flowers.
Strawberries have both male and female flower parts. If you want to get bigger and better-shaped strawberries, you can pollinate them yourself.
Wind and bees help pollinate plants outdoors. Indoors, hand pollination is essential in fruit production. If the pollen grains from the Stamen fail to reach each individual Pistil, the strawberries may look deformed.
Use a cotton bud, a makeup brush, or a pipe cleaner to remove pollen from the outer edges of each flower and deposit it in the inner circle. Shaking the plant can help with pollination.
Step 7 – Harvest your strawberries.
Strawberries typically bloom for 2-3 months after being planted as seeds. If you started with bare-root stocks, you will only need to wait for the first flowers. Approximately four weeks after the aforementioned event, the initial harvest of strawberries will be ripe for picking.
Harvest the strawberries when they ripen. The more you pick, the more will grow back. This plant will produce approximately 5-10 strawberries per week for an extended period of time.
If the roots grow too long for the hydroponic system, the plant’s growth and yield will decrease. Older plants must be replaced with newer ones.
An experiment in 2020 showed that coating strawberries that were grown hydroponically in chitosan and calcium gluconate could make them last up to 10 days without rotting.
Step 8 – Clean the system and repeat.
The pH, EC, and nutrient levels in a hydroponic reservoir will change over time as water is evaporated and absorbed by the plant’s roots. Build-up of microbes, along with other factors, will negatively impact the health of your strawberry plants.
The water in the tank will need to be replaced regularly, as well as the tank and rails being cleaned monthly. However, timing is incredibly important.
If the water level decreases, the nutrients in the water become more concentrated. If you expose strawberry plants to this stimulus for extended periods of time, it can eventually damage the plants.
You can top off the water to replace the amount that is displaced. You should add more water every 2 to 3 days, and keep track of how much you add each time. This will help you determine when you need to do a full water change.
It is important to top off your plants because it allows them to slowly adjust to changes in the water content. A sudden change in water can be harmful to the roots of plants.
A water change may be necessary every 1-3 weeks, depending on the size of the hydroponic system and the number of plants grown at a time. Most automated hydroponic systems have pumps that are able to empty the reservoir. You can also manually throw out the water.
The roots of hydroponic plants are thin and vulnerable to pathogens and microbes.
Biofilm is a natural byproduct of plant growth. The microalgae is generally a brown color and can be found on the inside of pods, columns, and tanks. When biofilms accumulate within a hydroponic system, they can clog the various pipes within the system. The presence of the slug can also invite other organisms such as fungi, viruses, and parasites.
Algae is a green-colored organism that is formed when light reaches the surface of the media it is growing in or the interior of columns. It takes away the food that your plants need to grow and causes them to suffocate. Dead algae become the sustenance for pernicious bacteria that can spoil roots.
To clean your hydroponic system, disassemble the parts and scrub every nook and corner you can reach with a cleaning solution. To clean biofilm and algae buildup, mix food-grade hydrogen peroxide with water. While cleaning, remove any particles that may have settled on the bottom of the rails.
Growing Problems
Some of the most common issues growers face have to do with imbalances in nutrition and pH levels. The most common cause of off-flavors is due to imbalances in pH levels.
You are responsible for correctly diagnosing this issue. Gardeners looking to grow the best plants possible should keep a detailed journal on what they are doing, what they are seeing, and what steps they take to remedy each issue.
Make sure your plants are getting the nutrients they need by keeping an eye on the levels in your solution. You should add more water to the solution if it is too powerful. Your hydroponics supplier can tell you about different nutrient solutions that would work well for strawberries and other fruits.
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