Today, strawberries are present on store shelves all year round. But, of course, the most delicious is that grown on its own garden. Often, berry lovers think about the strawberry business. And here a lot of questions arise before them. One of them: how many strawberries can be collected from 1 hundred parts? He and many other questions will be answered in the article.
Cultivation methods
First of all, it is worth deciding how to cultivate the berry: in open ground or in a greenhouse.
The main disadvantage of growing in open ground is that due to adverse weather conditions, a precious crop will be lost.
Strawberries under a film coating are reliably protected from all negative factors, which allows you to increase the yield by 25% compared with cultivation in the open.
In addition, strawberries from the greenhouse are more transportable and stored longer. So you can grow berries for several years. Thus, if the question is about obtaining a high harvest, you should prefer a greenhouse.
Possible options
By tradition, strawberries are grown in greenhouses. In such rooms it is possible to achieve a greenhouse effect that favorably affects plant growth and fruit ripening. Especially popular is the Dutch growing technology, which implies planting seedlings in plastic bags. A similar method is ideal for a greenhouse. How many strawberries can be harvested from 1 hundredth in this case? Specialists call the figure 225-250 kg, it is true for novice farmers.
There are many technologies for growing strawberries in a greenhouse, and you can choose the right one for yourself. The least time consuming, but at the same time expensive is the use of hydroponics. It is much more economical to grow in plastic bags with soil. Moreover, favorable conditions for growth and fruiting can be created in the winter. All technology of year-round strawberry cultivation is based on this feature.
The benefits of growing strawberries as a business:
- In a heated room, crops can be harvested year-round. At the same time, the fruiting and quality of the berries do not depend on weather conditions. In open ground, productivity is reduced by 25%.
- Initial business costs pay off quickly enough - for the season.
- The high price of berries in winter allows you to make good profits.
- In greenhouse conditions, it is much easier to take care of plantings than in open ground.
- Such a business is highly profitable - 100%.
Of course, there are also disadvantages:
- Large costs at the very beginning of the business.
- The need to pay salaries to employees. Cope with all the chores on your own will not work.
- Organization of heating. Without this important nuance, it is impossible to grow strawberries year-round.
Greenhouse Options
There are several types of greenhouses. They differ in design, materials and heating system. When choosing a material take into account the climate, budget, method of cultivation.
Creating a greenhouse, they are guided by the following plan:
- Build a building.
- Make heating.
- Buying garden tools.
- Organize a watering system.
- Fill the greenhouse with soil.
- They acquire fertilizers and preparations to protect plantings from parasites and diseases.
- Buy planting material.
Greenhouse material
When choosing a material, it should be understood that it should have sufficient strength, provide good thermal insulation, meet weather conditions.
Among the variety of materials, three main ones should be distinguished:
- Film. The most economical, but also less reliable option. For winter, the film is not suitable. It quickly begins to tear, becomes cloudy and is not able to retain heat well. For a year-round strawberry growing business, this is the worst option. The film is suitable only for regions with warm and light snowy winters.
- Glass. This material is more reliable than film. When erecting a glass greenhouse, first build a foundation. Glasses are put in frames. Glass is a brittle material, can be destroyed by hail, break under the weight of snow, and crack under temperature changes. However, maintaining the desired microclimate in glass greenhouses is easier than in film greenhouses.
- Polycarbonate It is cheaper than glass, reliable, able to withstand heavy loads, not afraid of gusty winds. The greenhouse has the greatest stability if polycarbonate is fixed on a metal frame reliably dug into the ground. Carbonate is durable, lightweight and flexible, easy to clean. For such greenhouses there is no need for a foundation. They can serve 10-20 years.
Which containers do you prefer?
To grow strawberries in a greenhouse, you will need containers filled with nutrient soil, where plants will be planted. For this purpose, you can take:
There should be openings at the bottom of the containers so that water can escape. Metal vessels are not recommended - this material is too cold and is not suitable for growing berries at all.
Tanks are installed on racks with strong slats. Wooden shelves can be deformed under the influence of moisture, wood must be pre-coated with waterproof varnish.
Heating, watering and lighting
In the greenhouse you need to maintain:
- Temperature.
- Humidity.
- Lighting.
Nowadays, most often farmers prefer heating to electricity. The temperature is automatically adjusted. If strawberries grow on the ground, the most intense heating regimen is needed. If the plants are in containers, the temperature may be lower.
Humidity is maintained by regular watering. Very convenient, and therefore drip irrigation is popular. So plants can be provided with the right amount of moisture. A hygrograph or psychrometer is used to control the parameter.
Lighting is necessary to lengthen daylight hours in the greenhouse. Usually install fluorescent lamps.
In modern greenhouses, automation controls the parameters of the environment. Special sensors monitor temperature, humidity and lighting. Of course, such systems are expensive, so at the beginning of a business it makes sense to use the systems more modestly.
Choosing the material and method of heating the greenhouse, take into account the climate of the region. In the southern regions, thermos thermos can be installed, which are heated by solar heat and ventilated. In Siberia and similar cold regions, infrared heating and pumps are often used, thanks to which it is possible to retain heat in the most severe winters. In areas with a temperate climate, biofuel is suitable for heating, the decomposition of which produces heat.
In addition to all of the above, when creating a greenhouse you will also need:
- fixtures;
- drip irrigation system;
- various appliances for heating: boilers, potbelly stoves, etc .;
- fans
- hygrometers and thermometers;
- reflectors.
What varieties are suitable?
When choosing strawberries for planting and calculating how many strawberries can be harvested from 1 hundred parts, it is worth paying attention to varieties with the following qualities:
- excellent appearance and excellent taste of the fruit;
- high transportability;
- self-pollination;
- high fecundity;
- sort of neutral daylight hours.
For example, the following varieties possess similar characteristics:
- Giantella. A variety from Holland with large berries, the weight of one can reach 100 grams. The fruits are dense, aromatic, tasty. During the season, from the bush you can collect up to 3 kg of berries.
- Albion. The variety was bred in the USA in 2006, bears fruit many times, during the season gives up to 2 kg of berries from the bush. The fruits weigh 40-60 grams.
- Crown. Old variety from Holland, bred in 1972. Berries weigh 15-30 grams, have an average density and good taste.
How many strawberries can be picked from 1 hundredth? Unfortunately, this question cannot be precisely answered. Much will depend on nursing care.
Seedling selection
By purchasing planting material, pay attention to quality. The shape of the leaves should be perfect, without defects: spots, dots and wrinkles. At least three leaves should grow on each seedling.
The root neck should be strong, without rot and stains, roots - from 7 cm long, healthy.
Seedling soil
The soil for growing berries begins to be prepared a year before planting. Soil after cereal is best suited. Compost is added to it, peat is added, perlite is used for loosening. If the soil is acidic, lime is mixed in - 50 grams per one hundred square meters.
Before planting seedlings, the soil is fertilized. First moisturize, and then add potassium chloride and superphosphate - 15 and 30 grams per 1 square. meter respectively.
After that, the soil is decontaminated by chemical means or by exposure to high temperatures.
Planting seedlings
Modern farmers plant strawberries in pots, in the ground or in packages. In this case, the yield will be different. Beginners usually collect 30-40 kg per square meter; experienced gardeners manage to get 60 kg of berries per 1 square meter. meter. Thus, strawberry yield from 1 hundred parts can reach 600 kg.
Soil cultivation
This is the most familiar way. Seedlings are planted in pre-prepared beds.
Advantages of the method:
The disadvantage is one level of landings.
Seedlings are staggered at a distance of 30-40 cm, between the strips - up to a meter. The beds are covered with mulch or spanbond.
Special pots
In this case, containers with plantings are placed in several tiers to get the maximum number of fruits.
The diameter of the pots is 20 cm, the substrate consists of 2 parts of peat, 1.5 parts of sawdust, 1 part of perlite. Tanks can be suspended or placed on racks.
In plastic bags
This option is similar to potted, but has a lower cost. In each package, you can grow several bushes.
The substrate is poured into large bags with a diameter of 16 cm and a length of 210 cm, they are installed on shelves or fixed. Expanded clay is put at the bottom, then it is filled with peat-perlite soil. The ingredients are taken in equal parts. 8 cm cuts are made in bags at a distance of 30 cm from each other, and seedlings are planted in them.
Dutch method
This is the most popular berry growing technology. In this case, strawberries are planted on black covering material. Holes for seedlings are made in the black film. The color of the material allows plantings to receive more sunlight, thereby accelerating the ripening of fruits and increasing productivity.
Seedlings are constantly updated - this is a necessary condition for this method of cultivating crops.
The most high-yielding varieties, for example, Tristar, Sonata, are suitable for Dutch technology.
The difficulty is that you need to create a plantation for growing seedlings.
Cultivation technology
So, directly in the process of planting care, what should be monitored?
- Lighting. The length of daylight should be 10-14 hours, the lamps turn on from 8 to 11 and from 17 to 20 hours.
- Temperature. During the planting of seedlings - 10 ° C, then it is gradually raised to 20 ° C. When blossoming flowers - 24 ° .
- Ventilation. If it runs automatically, great. Otherwise, the greenhouse is aired during the day.
- Humidity. Its level at the very beginning is 85%, after seedlings take root - 75%, during fruiting - 70%. Water the planting as needed.
- Top dressing. Potash and nitrogen compounds are suitable for strawberries. For example, potassium chloride diluted in water is 10 grams per 10 liters. Ammonium nitrate - 80 g per 10 liters of water. Organic feeding is also used - slurry (1: 5), chicken droppings (1:10). Strawberry dressing is applied every two weeks. It is important not to overdo it with fertilizers, so as not to burn the plants. So, we figured out how to water strawberries for a high harvest.
Subject to all the recommendations set forth in the article, the farmer will be able to get an excellent strawberry crop.