Strawberries have long held an honorable place on the tables of the inhabitants of our country. If earlier this berry was found only in the warm season, today it can be bought regardless of the season. Many are now interested in how strawberries are grown using Dutch technology. This method of cultivating berries is considered the most progressive. It helps to get a quality crop at any time.
Process features
The meaning of Dutch technology is to create optimal conditions for the plant throughout the season with minimal labor. This can be achieved through the selection of high-yielding species, as well as maintaining the necessary climate. Plants are planted in special greenhouses with an automatic system for distributing moisture and nutrients. Dutch technology ensures uninterrupted fruiting of the crop.
Benefits
Dutch strawberry growing technology has a number of advantages year-round.
Here are just a few of them:
- Allows you to grow plants in any capacity: pots, glasses, pallets, bags.
- With a minimum area you can get the maximum yield.
- Both vertical and horizontal cultivation methods can be used.
- Berries with this technology do not have to be grown in special conditions. Harvest can be obtained in the apartment on the loggia.
- Every one and a half to two months you are guaranteed a consistently high yield. This allows you to use the technology in terms of obtaining commercial benefits.
- To maintain the growth regime requires minimal effort.
What varieties are better to choose for planting?
The most important task when growing strawberries is the selection of a suitable variety. If you decide to cultivate this berry, then get ready for the fact that the variety from the nearest garden will not suit you. Dutch technology for growing strawberries in closed ground provides that fruiting will be carried out in a limited environment. For this reason, the choice must be stopped at the repairing species.
These include the following items:
- Albion.
- Elizabeth 2.
- Fresco.
Strawberry is a flowering crop. For it to bear fruit, it requires pollination. It is almost impossible to achieve cross-pollen transfer in an artificial environment. It is required that the variety can self-pollinate, otherwise strawberries will delight you only with beautiful flowers.
The following is a description of several varieties that are perfect for breeding strawberries using Dutch technology.
Variety Darselect
This variety of early ripening was first obtained in 1998 in France. This species can be attributed to varieties of short daylight hours. It is characterized by a short time between the appearance of the first inflorescences and the ripening of berries. The plant has large leaves of deep green color. It gives large fruits, weighing from 20 to 30 grams. In special cases, the weight can reach 50 grams. In the case of intensive care, you can get a kilogram of berries from each bush. Strawberry Darselect has heart-shaped fruits. Berries differ in brick color and glossy surface. The variety is characterized by medium winter hardiness.
Selva
How to use Dutch strawberry growing technology? What varieties are suitable for this purpose? Selva was obtained in America in 1983 from the varieties Tufts, Pajero, Ryton. This type of plant belongs to neutral daylight hours. Fruiting can occur all year in the absence of frost. The plant has large leaves of deep green color. The berries are dark red, quite large. Strawberry Selva has a rounded conical shape. The mass of berries is from 40 to 60 grams. About 1.5 kg of crop can be harvested from each bush. A distinctive feature of the variety can be called frost resistance.
Variety Sonata
How is strawberry grown? Dutch technology is a special set of activities. The Sonata variety, which was obtained in 1998 in Holland, is excellent for her. To obtain it, Elsanta and Polka were used. Sonata refers to medium-early early varieties. Plants are tall and have large leaves of bright green color. Fruits have a glossy surface of saturated red color. The average weight of one berry is 40 grams. The variety is characterized by high productivity. About 1.5 kg of strawberries are harvested from each plant. This variety is great for growing in temperate continental climates.
Cultivation methods
What is the difference between the Dutch technology for growing strawberries in a greenhouse? Two systems are known, using which it is possible to effectively grow strawberry crops in artificial conditions - horizontal and vertical. Each of them has pros and cons and allows you to get a rich and full-fledged crop. Before choosing any of the presented methods, it is necessary to consider their advantages and disadvantages. The landing time also matters.
Horizontal strawberry cultivation
How to use strawberry growing equipment using Dutch technology? With horizontal planting, the plants are located strictly parallel to the base of the room in which strawberries are grown. The containers are placed in parallel with respect to each other. So you can create several rows of plants at once. Owners of farms and greenhouses often resort to this method of planting. Such arrangement of the site allows you to provide optimal conditions for high-quality care of plants.
Vertical Strawberry
In the case of vertical planting, strawberry crates are fixed perpendicular to the floor of the strawberry growing room. Thus, it is possible to erect a structure in which the rows of plants will be installed one above the other. This method is usually used by owners of small rooms or amateur gardeners who want to grow fruits in an apartment. Almost everyone can hang such a system on their balcony. The technology of vertical cultivation is associated with a number of inconveniences. It requires more complex technical solutions in terms of providing plants with nutrients and moisture.
Growing process
When you choose a berry variety, it will be possible to grow strawberries using Dutch technology. Many gardeners at this stage are experiencing certain difficulties. This is especially true for pests and infections. The process itself, despite its apparent simplicity, has many subtleties. The slightest violation of technology can lead to a drop in productivity.
Consider in more detail the stages of growing strawberries:
- Tillage: the introduction of specialized fertilizers. Typically, superphosphate, potassium chloride and lime are used for this purpose. Soil enrichment can also be carried out with organic matter.
- Harvesting containers for growing. They need to be cleaned from contamination and disinfected.
- Soil is placed in prepared dishes. A drainage system is installed at the bottom and a hole is made. For this, gravel or pebbles are used.
- Growing seedlings: from seed or by cuttings, two populations of plants need to be grown. In this case, you can get the crop all the time.
- Planting uterine plants: seedlings are grown in containers with soil.
The optimal conditions for planting are a temperature of 8 to 12 degrees and a humidity of 85%. What is the difference between strawberry growing technology? According to Dutch technology, the warehouse worker plays a crucial role in the process. At the end of the fruit harvest, the plants are taken out of the ground and young seedlings are immersed in their place. Old bushes need to cut old leaves. They can tolerate winter even at sufficiently low temperatures - from 0 to +2 degrees.
Soil selection
For growing uterine plants purchased soil is quite suitable. Fertile soils taken in the natural environment should be avoided. They can contain many pests and infections. For the cultivation of fruit crops, it is recommended to take pre-cleared soil. You can buy it today at any flower shop.
Here are the basic requirements that apply to the soil:
- lack of toxins;
- increased moisture capacity;
- porous structure.
Peat, coconut fibers, mineral wool and perlite are best used for soil preparation. To prepare the soil yourself, you need to take sandy soil, manure and sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. When using a home-made substrate, remember to sterilize.
Seedling preparation process
To get quality plants, you need to prepare the appropriate planting material. There are two ways to obtain seedlings.
Consider them in detail:
- Uterine plants can be planted in open ground. With the onset of cold weather, fortified bushes are dug up and placed in a dry room, in which a temperature of 0 to 2 degrees is maintained. The day before planting, the seedlings must be kept at room temperature. At the same stage, culling and disposal of unusable plants is carried out. The main disadvantage of this method is the need to use uterine nurseries.
- The second method is better known as cassette. Here, as a planting material, mustaches are used, aged at 0-2 degrees. One and a half months before transplantation, they must be removed and placed in containers. Any substrate is suitable as a substrate. The first month the seedlings are kept in the shade. Then, in the fifth week, it is necessary to expose it to the light. Starting from the sixth week, you can transplant seedlings to a permanent place. To obtain high-quality planting material, on the same-year plants, peduncles should be removed. Otherwise, you risk getting poor seedlings.
Proper lighting
A prerequisite for a good harvest is the installation of a high-quality lighting system. You can use garden lamps and fluorescent lamps for this purpose. They must be installed at a distance of at least one meter from the plants. To increase the efficiency of the lamps, special reflectors can be used.
Conclusion
Strawberries have always been popular among the inhabitants of our country. Growing strawberries using Dutch technology allows you to achieve high yields at minimal cost. Using this method, you can easily grow this plant even at home.