How to Grow Hydroponic Strawberries

Wondering how to grow hydroponic strawberries? It’s a great way to grow efficient and clean strawberries at home. But for most gardeners, hearing the term hydroponic may be a little intimidating but it’s really super simple. Hydroponic gardening refers to the process of growing plants without soil. You’ll mainly use water to grow your plants instead of soil.

In this article, we’ll talk about how to grow hydroponic strawberries and how a mini greenhouse can help.

How to Grow Hydroponic Strawberries

Starting from Seed or Cutting

For hydroponic gardening, starting from seed is not the best route because it’ll take longer to get started. You’ll also need additional equipment to grow a hydroponic garden from seeds.

The ideal way is to grow from strawberry cuttings. You can harvest your strawberries quicker and you don’t have to spend so much time growing from seeds. Strawberry cuttings are more expensive than seeds, but the benefits of quicker harvest outweigh the cost that comes with cuttings.

Water and pH Level

Most people think that all they need to grow a hydroponic garden is to use tap water from their garden hose. However, regular tap water contains contaminants and chemicals including ammonia, chlorine, and chloramine, among others. These chemicals can be harmful to your strawberries.

Expert gardeners recommend using a water filter to ensure that you’re giving your plants pure and clean water. Additionally, you’ll need to regularly check the pH level of your strawberries. The ideal pH range should be around 5.8 to 6.2. If you go out of this range, your plants won’t be able to absorb the necessary nutrients, making them susceptible to various diseases.

How to Create an Ideal Growing Environment for Your Hydroponic Strawberries

In most cases, hydroponic gardening is done indoors or in a greenhouse. This means that you’re responsible for creating the ideal growing environment for your strawberries by controlling light, humidity, and temperature.

Temperature: Strawberries grow best in warmer temperatures. The appropriate growing temperature should be around 65 to 75 degrees F.

Lighting: Strawberries need 10 to 12 hours of direct sunlight per day, but this may not be ideal if you’re growing your plants inside your home. Fortunately, there are different ways to remedy this problem. You can use grow lighting, like LED or fluorescent. The lighting doesn’t have to be intense but just enough to meet their daily lighting needs.

Humidity: Humidity is also an important factor in hydroponic gardening. If there’s excessive moisture inside your greenhouse, your strawberries will become vulnerable to mold and mildew. It’s important to ensure that your greenhouse should be well-ventilated. You can create enough airflow by opening your greenhouse or using a dehumidifier.

Reasons Why You Need a Mini Greenhouse

If you’re planning to learn more about hydroponic gardening, you’ll need to invest in a proper mini greenhouse. Other than that, here are other reasons why you need a greenhouse kit:

Protect your strawberries from pests

If you’re growing your strawberries indoors, they’ll be less susceptible to harmful insects that naturally appear in soil gardens. Additionally, hydroponic gardening further lessens the risk of attracting diseases and pests.

But in the event of insects infiltrating your garden, it’s important to act quickly to avoid further damage. Spider mites, gnats, and thrips are some of the pests that love strawberries. You can address this issue by spraying your plants with neem oil. But the problem persists, you can use an organic pyrethrin-based spray.

Prevent certain diseases

With hydroponic gardening, you don’t need to worry about root rot issues since there’s not soil for fungal rot to develop. But other diseases may still appear and harm your plants. For example, Mucor fruit rot and Rhizopus rot can form on your strawberries. Powdery mildew is another disease that can affect the fruit, while botrytis cinerea can impact the fruits and flowers.

Great for people with limited space

Gardeners who love to plant and grow crops but have limited space can benefit from a mini greenhouse. With a standard size of 6 feet, you can place them on your balconies, decks, and patios. There are other variants as well if the standard size is too big for you.

Greenhouses come in all shapes and sizes

Not ready to invest in a hobby greenhouse? A mini greenhouse is a more cost-effective option! A good greenhouse doesn’t always have to be big and spacious – unless you’re using it for commercial purposes. But for hobbyists, a small greenhouse is more than enough to house different types of crops, including hydroponic strawberries.

Keep your plants safe from harsh weather

Keeping your plants inside a mini greenhouse keeps them safe from ice, snow, and frost. You don’t have to worry about heavy rains, high winds, and excessive heat from damaging months’ worth of hard work. Your strawberries will remain safe inside a mini greenhouse until they’re ready for harvest.

Final Thoughts on How to Grow Hydroponic Strawberries

If you’ve been into gardening for quite some time, it pays to learn how to grow hydroponic strawberries. They’re less susceptible to diseases and insects; it’s cleaner, more efficient, and you’ll get the same results without the hassle. However, if you want to take your gardening experience to the next level, try growing hydroponic strawberries in a mini greenhouse!

 

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