True gardeners always lack space for interesting ideas and ideas. But what if the owner of a small summer cottage is also a fan of garden strawberries? After all, planting this delicious and healthy berry takes up a lot of space, and in order to collect a good harvest, it is required to allocate at least one and a half hundred illuminated area. And so I want to fit in a limited space a lot of garden crops, plant flowers. Here comes the rescue of vertical strawberry cultivation. - A great alternative to its familiar classic fit.
Features of vertical beds
The popularity of this method of strawberry cultivation is growing from year to year, and all because at first glance, it would seem, a complex technology turns out to be a number of advantages that many gardeners have appreciated.
- Significantly saved space on the cottage, and the landing area is significantly increased.
- The berry does not get dirty with earth and remains clean, during the rainy season it does not rot from dampness.
- The number of pests on it decreases, as it becomes inaccessible to them.
- Caring for such a plantation is much simpler: weed seeds do not fall into the tank, and constantly weeding the beds is no longer necessary.
- Fertilizers are absorbed as efficiently as possible, distributed evenly throughout the pipe.
- Vertical cultivation of strawberries allows you to pick up berries, not to bend, which makes the procedure more enjoyable.
- Such beds look very impressive, decorate any site and delight neighbors with beauty and originality.
But, despite the many advantages, growing strawberries in a vertical way still has some disadvantages:
- The soil on such beds dries out very quickly in hot weather, so it is advisable to water it often: at least once every 5 days.
- The beds require liquid top dressing at least once a season, because the base is not replenished with nutrients, compost and manure.
- In winter, the soil freezes completely, so the beds need to be made mobile so that with the onset of frost they can be transported to a warm place or covered well, otherwise the plants will not tolerate severe cold.
Strawberry Varieties
Varieties of strawberries for vertical cultivation should choose repair, ampelous. They look very attractive on such beds, they are extremely productive and tasty.
The most popular variety is Queen Elizabeth, the crop can be harvested several times a season, from early summer to October. The berries are beautiful, shiny, large, regular in shape, the pulp is very juicy. In total, up to 2 kg of berries can be collected from the bush during the growing season . This species adapts very well to the terrain in which it grows.
Alba belongs to the varieties of curly. The cultivation of strawberries in a vertical way provides for its mandatory presence in the beds. The berry is very early and is not afraid of frost. Fruits resemble an elongated cone, bright red, well stored. From one bush collect more than a kilogram of berries.
Homemade delicacy is an early remodeling variety. Dark red berries with a slight acidity, large, with a diameter of 3 cm. They look great in a vertical planting due to long peduncles.
Another ampel variety bred in Holland is Ostara. A compact bush with dark green bright leaves will delight you with delicious berries. The disadvantage of this is the demand for care.
Domestic experts, except Elizabeth, are advised to plant Finland in their area. The sweetest strawberry variety for vertical cultivation is Honey. Eros perfectly tolerates frosts, Geneva and Alyuba are unpretentious, they will not make you worry about strawberry diseases, and the Moscow delicacy will delight you with a large harvest in the autumn.
Varieties of vertical beds
Growing strawberries vertically allows you to use any containers: barrels, flower pots, boxes, tires, slate sheets, plastic bags, pipes.
The beds of car tires are practical and durable. Tires are stacked on top of each other, and holes are cut for the plants. But these beds are toxic, so planting berries in them is undesirable.
You can make beds from flower pots, you can put them as you like, hang them on poles, tree branches, decorate the arbor.
The most economical option is plastic bottles. Gardeners love this material, and if you fix them on a grid or poles, you get an attractive bed. But in pots and bottles, the amount of land is too small, so you need constant nutrition and watering, and it is difficult to control the amount of fertilizers, so it is likely that their rate can be exceeded.
Strawberry bushes in barrels look interesting on the plot, especially if they are painted in bright colors. But it is difficult to move a heavy barrel, it requires reliable shelter for the winter, as well as beds from pallets and wooden boxes.
Growing strawberries in pipes
The previous methods have significant drawbacks, so a wonderful find for gardeners is to grow strawberries in pipes vertically. This is the most convenient and frequently used method for cultivating ampel strawberries.
The height of such beds usually does not exceed 2 meters. Firstly, if the design is higher, then watering and picking berries will be inconvenient. Secondly, 4-meter PVC pipes can simply be cut in half, then there will be no waste material.
First you should choose a pipe with a diameter of 200 mm, the next smaller pipe is needed for watering plants, its diameter is much smaller, just 2 cm is enough, and the length, on the contrary, exceeds the main one by 15 cm.
In its upper part, approximately at the level of 2/3 of the pipe, tiny holes are drilled, their diameter should not exceed 5 mm. So that the pipe does not become clogged, and the water flowing out does not wash out the soil, it is tightly wrapped in non-woven material or burlap, and wrapped with rope on top.
The holes in the PVC pipe are drilled in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of a quarter meter from each other, their size is 10x10 enough to make the plant feel comfortable and freely develop. At the bottom of the pipe, about 25 cm from the soil, no holes need to be made.
You should also think about the fact that the pipe will be laid for the winter, so it is impractical to drill round holes around the holes. It is better to leave one side untouched and during installation turn it north. The bottom of the pipe must be covered with a lid, because the mobile bed provides for moving or laying for the cold season.
The next step is to insert a watering unit into the main pipe and put claydite, pebbles or gravel to the bottom to a height of 20 cm. This is both a kind of drainage and a load holding the pipe vertically.
On top of the already laid drainage, fertile soil is poured . It should consist of a quarter of turf land, the same part of peat, then it will be light and airy. 30% rotted compost and 20% manure are added to this mixture. Get a nutritious substrate for strawberries.
The container, barrel or pipe to the top is filled with a substrate and filled with water from a hose. After watering, the soil will settle and compact, then you need to add another soil mixture. Gently sits in a bush in each hole.
Land preparation
If the vertical cultivation of strawberries is provided in pots, a little nutrient mixture is required. You can buy in the store any soil for vegetables or flowers. But if it is planned to grow strawberries vertically in posts, a large amount of land will be needed. It can be taken in the garden, previously subjected to disinfection: it must be treated with steam or hot water, and then spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. After 30 minutes it is ready for use.
But there is still a way to prepare an excellent fertile soil for your favorite berry. In the field or on the forest edge, it is necessary to cut the turf ground with layers, bring them to the garden and put an accurate square out of them, spilling each layer with water. Then wrap in plastic wrap, and along the perimeter make shallow undermines for oxygen. Under the film, the burning process will begin, all pathogenic bacteria, seeds, larvae will die from high temperature, and the grass will cross over literally in 2 months. Then it is necessary to sift the humus, and the nutrient substrate is ready.
How to prepare seedlings
If you use strawberry cultivation in pipes vertically, you can buy ready-made seedlings and place them in the garden. But over time, you will want to expand the plantation and increase the number of roots. Then strawberries are easy to propagate. In spring, you need to cut off the 2 strongest whiskers from the bush and dig into the nursery. To make them take root more quickly, mulch the soil under them with grass or leaves. After 2 weeks, when the plants take root, they must be fed with fertilizer.
In October, the sprouts are dug up and put in a box, sprinkled with earth and put in a cool cellar. There they can be up to 10 months. In February, they are taken out and planted in the ground, after 35 days their roots grow back, ready-made bushes are obtained, which can be planted in new beds.
Strawberries can also be propagated by seeds, choosing the largest berries for this and cutting a thin layer of pulp with seeds in the middle of the fruit. It must be dried and planted.
How to care for vertical beds
Before making vertical beds, it is important to decide where they will be placed. It must be noted that the berry is photophilous and drafts are not to her taste.
Vertical cultivation of strawberries at the initial stage involves frequent watering. If the weather is hot, you need to make sure that the land does not dry out, and then 2 irrigation per day will not interfere. Seedlings will take root in 15 days, then watering can be reduced.
If flower stalks immediately appeared on the plant, then it is better to remove them until the berry has gained strength. Extra whiskers are also removed, usually 5 is enough on the plant, then the berries will be large.
If strawberries bear fruit in the second summer, then it needs to be well fed to increase productivity. Liquid complex mineral fertilizers, EM fertilizers and organics are used.
By the fall, when the fruiting is over, you can rejuvenate the plants by pruning the leaves.
For regular fruiting, strawberries need to be transplanted regularly, every 3-4 years, this also applies to high beds. Alternatively, you can simply change the contents in the pipes.
For winter, vertical beds must be brought into the room. But if this is not possible, then they are wrapped in burlap with quality, covered with leaves, slate, roofing material, hay or lapnik. Pillars are laid horizontally and also well closed.
At first glance, growing strawberries vertically seems complicated and time-consuming, therefore, having gained some experience, you might want to do it seriously and sell the surplus of your labor, significantly replenishing the family cash desk.