How to Grow Strawberries on a Balcony? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Growing Methods
Growing vegetables and fruits on a balcony is very popular now, as it beautifies the environment and lets you taste authentic homegrown produce. To grow strawberries on a balcony, choose a direction with plenty of sunlight, and choose soil with good drainage; a depth of about 8-10 inches is enough. Below, the editor from Qiannong Network will explain in detail how to grow strawberries on a balcony.
The environment strawberries adapt to
Strawberries need to be grown in a sunny, warm environment. In addition, the soil must have good drainage. If you want to plant them in the ground, be careful not to use ground that has previously grown potatoes, because strawberries are easily infected by a bacterium found on potatoes.
When strawberries bear fruit, the strawberries need to be separated from the soil, so growing strawberries in flower pots is a fairly good choice. You can choose a multi-purpose flower pot and spread a layer of stones on the surface of the soil in the pot, so that when watering, it is not easy for mud to splash onto the strawberries. If planting them in the soil, you can use some dry grass, or a mat, to protect the strawberries.
The three-year cycle of growing strawberries
Growing strawberries has a three-year cycle. In the first year you can harvest only very few strawberries; in the second year you will harvest a lot; but by the third year or after three years, the yield of strawberries will clearly decline, and the plants need to be replaced. So arrange the cultivation of new plants sensibly, to ensure that every year some strawberries are second-year plants, so you can obtain the greatest economic benefit.
When strawberries grow well, they produce a kind of runner, and at the end of the runner new small plants will grow. When the small plants grow to 3-4 leaves, you can cut them off and plant them in another flower pot, and be careful with watering. It is best not to let first-year new plants bear strawberries; only let them grow more leaves. So when you find that a one-year-old strawberry has bloomed, remove the flowers. At the same time, do not forget to hang a small tag on the plant, writing the planting date of the new plant, so you do not forget later. Remove the other extra runners on the new plant. If the strawberries are planted in the ground in the yard, also pay attention to weeding. When watering, be careful not to get the strawberries wet, because once strawberries are splashed wet by water, they easily rot.
Care of balcony strawberries
Once strawberries begin to bear fruit and turn red, be careful not to let birds peck at them, because birds easily notice red things. Put a net over the strawberries, or cover the strawberries with a wooden basket. But if you have a greenhouse at home, you can move the strawberries into the greenhouse, which is even better. Strawberries also bear fruit more easily. After the strawberry fruiting period is over, you can move them out of the greenhouse and put them outdoors to overwinter. In a way, if the strawberry plants experience some frost, it is better for increasing the yield the next year.
Strawberries are plants that are very easy to cultivate, and can be transplanted. Sometimes you may find the plants have yellow leaves, but do not worry, just remove them. In winter, you can keep the yellow leaves until new leaves grow out the following spring, then remove the dead yellow leaves, and pay attention to watering, weeding, and pest control.
You can also plant strawberries in a plant bag, but you must water evenly, and prevent birds from pecking the strawberries and prevent pests. The soil in a plant bag easily dries out, so you need to check often to keep the soil moist.
If you do not like managing strawberries, you can plant one strawberry every 18-24 inches, so the strawberries can spread freely everywhere. Of course it will look a bit messy, and the strawberries will not be large. If you want to avoid this situation, you can appropriately remove some runners.
In autumn, spread a layer of soil on the plants to prevent frost. After the soil freezes, you can spread another 3-4 inches of dry grass on the plants. By the following spring, when new leaves grow out, remove the dry grass. After the weather turns warm and stable, remove the covering soil on the surface of the plants. But leave some dry grass between the rows, to prevent weeds from growing and to keep soil moisture.