The Latest Method for Growing Strawberries in Pots
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 land where potatoes have been grown before, because strawberries are easily infected with a bacterium that affects potatoes. When the strawberries bear fruit, they need to be kept separate from the soil, so growing strawberries in a flower pot 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 they are planted in the soil, you can use some dry grass, or a mat, to protect the strawberries.
Choosing the pot, soil and variety
For pot growing, it is advisable to choose a ceramic pot with a rim diameter of 20-30 cm. For the potting soil, choose soil with a relatively high humus content. As for the variety, it is best to grow excellent everbearing strawberry varieties such as European Four Seasons Red, Changhong No. 2, and 83-38 in pots. They can bloom and bear fruit many times throughout the year.
Cultivation techniques
Pot growing can be done in any of the four seasons of the year. However, when lifting seedlings from the garden and potting them up, it is best to do so in autumn. Choose robust seedlings, keep plenty of soil around the roots when lifting them, remove old and damaged leaves, and trim the seedling roots to leave about 10 cm. Let the roots spread out and plant them into the potting soil. The planting depth should follow the principle of not exposing the roots and not burying the crown. Firm the soil to fix the seedling in place, keeping the soil surface 3-4 cm below the rim of the pot. After planting, water thoroughly, place in a shady spot for 3-5 days, then move to a spot with plenty of light.
Fertilizer and water management
Everbearing strawberries bloom and bear fruit many times in a year, consuming a lot of nutrients, so nutrient supplementation should be strengthened. You can use animal hooves, fish bones, poultry innards, soybean cake and so on, add water and let them rot and ferment, and brew them into liquid fertilizer water, or apply a compound fertilizer as a top dressing. Generally, apply fertilizer once a week. For outdoor pot growing, water once in the morning and once in the evening each day. When watering, the water should first be warmed in the sun before use; never water directly with well water or tap water.
Seedling management
Potted strawberries should have their plant management strengthened. First, thin the buds, remove leaves, and remove runners at the right time. That is, the ineffective high-level flowers should be thinned appropriately during the bud dispersal stage. Remove old leaves, damaged leaves, diseased leaves and excess runners to reduce nutrient consumption and improve fruit quality. Second, build supports for the fruit to shape it. That is, use wire or bamboo skewers to make fruit supports of different shapes, place them in the flower pot to prop up the fruit clusters, encouraging ventilation and light penetration for the fruit clusters, even coloring of the fruit, preventing mud from contaminating the fruit, and reducing damage from pests and diseases. At the same time, the runners can also be used for artistic shaping to increase ornamental value. Third, corresponding integrated control measures should be adopted to prevent and control pests and diseases.
Repotting
After potted strawberries have borne fruit for 2 years, they should be repotted or given fresh potting soil after fruiting. When repotting, first take the plant out of the pot, cut off the aged roots, dead roots and the lower aged root crown, then plant it into new potting soil.
Temperature and humidity
Generally, potted strawberries require a temperature of 20-25°C, and in winter the room temperature should be kept above 15°C. The flower pot should be placed in a ventilated, sunny spot, and the potting soil should be kept moist at all times.