How To Grow Hydroponic Strawberries? This is a basic guide to growing hydroponic strawberries. Before you begin, it is important to know that strawberry seeds can take years before they are ready to bear fruit.
Therefore, you can find some young plants that are well suited to the location and climate where you live, and plant them directly into your hydroponic system of choice.
How To Grow Hydroponic Strawberries: Hydroponic system
Particularly, strawberries can be grown in different hydroponic systems (drip, ebb and flow, aeroponic…) because their roots are short and weigh very little. For deep water culture system are: RDWC, DWC.
How To Grow Hydroponic Strawberries: Best strawberries
Specifically, Chandler, Tioga, Brighton, Red Gauntlet are some of the bests to grow hydroponically.
Nutrients
Chiefly, they need nitrogen, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and manganese, especially for vegetative growth.
In the flowering stage, best nutrients are mostly phosphorus, sulfur; and in the maturation stage, boron and calcium.
Related Post: Best Hydroponic Nutrients
Lighting
Overall, strawberries need between 10-14 hours of light per day.
pH
Here are some important metrics:
- Water Temperature: 68-77˚F
- Air temperature: 59-72˚F / Night: 50-59˚F
- Relative humidity: 60-75%.
- pH: 5.5-6.5
- EC: 0.5- 1.0
- Nutrient solution: 64-70˚F
- PPM: growth: 800-900 / flowering: 400-500
Pollination
To pollinate your plants, you need a brush or swab. With the tip of the object, transfer the pollen from one flower to another and you’re done.
Harvesting
Harvest time varies depending on the type of strawberry, nutrients, climate, etc. In most cases, it takes 4-6 weeks for the seedling to be harvested.
For this purpose, it is important that you prune the stolons (leafless stems) for strawberries to germinate effectively.