Every year there are more and more people who want to taste their own grown berries, fruits and herbs in their home garden. In addition to the usual tomatoes, cucumbers and various greens, strawberries can be grown on the windowsill of the house all year round. In winter, it is especially pleasant to enjoy homemade berries. The peculiarities of growing strawberries on the windowsill, how to choose suitable varieties, not to miscalculate with the timing of planting, correctly plant and grow a useful berry, skillfully cutting and feeding, will be discussed in this article.
Suitable varieties for growing at home
At home, dacha varieties should not be used due to the presence of a central heating system, the air in the city is dry. It will not be possible to create the desired greenhouse effect. Also, when choosing a variety, many mistakenly look only at its appearance, completely forgetting about the characteristics of the varieties.
Not every variety is suitable for growing berries at home. Repair strawberries, for example, are undemanding to key factors such as soil composition and day length. As a decor, ampelous strawberries are sometimes grown in hanging containers.
Strawberries at home on the windowsill will feel comfortable if they are a representative of one of the following varieties. For example, Geneva or Queen Elizabeth. If these varieties cannot be obtained, you can use analogues like Aisha or Supreme varieties.
Substrate
When forcing strawberries at home, soil is not used. Often, coconut fiber is used instead, which is in a mixture of perlite and peat. It is also allowed to use peat, to which expanded clay sand and perlite are added. The containers in which there is such a substrate are much lighter than those filled with ordinary earth. The next factor that determines the use of the substrate as a basis for forcing strawberries is its “sterility”. Unlike simple soil, pests and pathogens of various diseases of garden plants will not start in the substrate. Another advantage of such a mixture is the practically absence of dirt, in any case, washed out from the holes. Therefore, in the home room there will be no specific smell that gives off moist soil.
Tips for choosing a container
When wondering how to grow a plant on a windowsill, many are wondering how to choose a container. It is believed that at first the most optimal is a glass. Which, after it gives the first shoots, is changed to more spacious container options.
It can be grown in a pot on a windowsill after it produces at least 5 leaves. If the seedlings are bush type, growing in small pots is ideal. For ampel-type strawberries, you can look at spacious options for hanging pots. On the windowsill, you can grow it in pots or boxes, up to 10-15 liters in volume.
Advice! When growing several bushes in boxes, the distance between them must be at least 20 cm.
When growing on a windowsill in any container, it is important to monitor the presence of a drainage layer. It will protect the berry from the accumulation of excess water and, therefore, the occurrence of a fungal infection.
What soil to plant
On the windowsill, the berry can be planted in several soil options.For example, special soil mixtures are sold in specialized stores. Potted strawberries can be grown with these mixtures without fear - they are versatile and suitable for any variety.
The composition of the soil is not the main condition for its selection. It must meet requirements such as looseness, air permeability and moderate humidity. If the mixture is prepared by hand, then it is important not to forget to add fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus to the soil after the end of the work.
Many people mistakenly use land from their summer cottages for planting berries in urban settings. This approach is undesirable, since the soil can be contaminated with various infections. If there is no other option for extracting land, then before planting on the windowsill it should be disinfected with a weak manganese solution. Planting strawberries is allowed 7 days after the soil disinfection procedure.
Diseases
A common disease of this culture is spider mites, as well as gray rot. As soon as you see signs of damage, immediately treat the plants with garlic tincture.
Spider mite on garden strawberries
Garlic tincture recipe:
- Chop 2 cloves of garlic and pour a glass of boiling water.
- After insisting, filter.
- Process the plants from the Pulverizer with the resulting extract.
A well-growing plant will produce a mustache:
- In no case cut them off, tie them to a trellis or a wooden rod stuck in a pot.
- Whiskers take part in photosynthesis, so you should not get rid of them - this is an additional feeding for the plant.
- In addition, with the help of layering, you can propagate your plants vegetatively.
- To do this, sprinkle young rosettes with a damp substrate. After a while, you will find small roots on them.
Thus, having mastered the simple techniques of growing garden strawberries at home, you can provide your family with fresh, fragrant, vitamin-rich berries in winter.
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How to prepare material for planting
Growing strawberries in pots on a windowsill is available in two ways: seedlings and from seeds. For beginners, it is best to use the first method. Since the second option is too time consuming and requires certain skills. Planting material is purchased either in specialized nurseries, or is made by hand from suburban soil.
Advice! It is recommended to grow potted strawberries in the fall.
When wondering how to grow strawberries on a windowsill, it is worth remembering about the technology for preparing seedlings. It includes a few simple but important steps:
- The most healthy and suitable options for planting are selected from the outlets.
- In the pot and on the windowsill, transplantation occurs after the material is separated from the mother bush.
- Before this procedure, you should remove the foliage, leaving 2-3 of the strongest and youngest.
To ensure the strawberries have a stable period, they are placed in a cool place for a couple of weeks. Ideally, the place for strawberries should also be dark. A cellar or basement area is best suited.
How is landing
Before planting the berries, it is important not to forget to place a special drainage layer on the bottom of the selected container for the drainage of stagnant waters. For such purposes, pebbles, crushed stone or expanded clay are best suited. Planting berries on the windowsill is as follows:
- The drainage layer is poured into the selected container, as well as the substrate.
- Strawberry roots are dipped in a weak manganese solution for 2-3 minutes for disinfection.
- The seedling is planted in a pot, helping the strawberry to spread its roots over the ground. It is important that the strawberry root fits into the container to its full height.If you have to bend the ends of the rhizome, it is usually shortened.
- If the roots had to be shortened, a solution of heteroauxin will help speed up the recovery. The process for its preparation is usually written on the packaging of the substance. For 5 liters, 1 tablet is usually needed.
- Then you need to compact the soil, being careful not to damage the strawberry roots. Then they put the plant on the windowsill and watered with copious amounts of water.
In order for the seedlings to take root better in a new place, you can use watering with the help of strawberry growth simulators. Some watered strawberries in pots, for example, using the drug "Kornevin".
Nuances and pitfalls
Growing strawberries on a windowsill all year round is a doable task. But it is important to consider a number of important nuances. Since it is unpretentious, but the urban conditions are strikingly different from the suburbs.
Choosing a landing site
Strawberries at home will take root on a windowsill facing South or Southeast. Growing strawberries in pots on other cardinal points is permissible if you provide it with additional lighting.
Daylight conditions
For strawberries, a day is considered ideal, lasting 13 hours. Growing berries, and strawberries on a windowsill in winter, will require additional lighting with fluorescent lamps due to the short daylight hours. In summer, additional equipment is usually not needed. Growing devices are turned on twice a day, too frequent use can be harmful. The devices on the windowsill are turned on from 6 to 9 in the morning and from 4 to 20 in the evening.
Temperature conditions
Growing strawberries in the city on windowsills requires observing a temperature range of up to 20 degrees. When the temperature deviates by a few degrees down, the plant usually gets sick.
In order for strawberries on the windowsill to feel comfortable all year round, gardeners recommend using additional heating devices.
Air humidity
On the windowsill, the air humidity should not exceed 80%. If the air in the apartment is very dry, for example, in winter due to heating devices, the berry can be additionally sprayed with ordinary water at room temperature using a spray bottle. Growing crops on a windowsill in too humid climates can lead to fungal growth.
Varieties of strawberries for an apartment
It was noted above that strawberries suitable for growing at home are of two types:
- DSD. On a culture of this type, fruits appear twice in one year. Most of the berries appear at the second harvest. The fruits of this variety appear under the condition of constant illumination.
- NSD. The variety is distinguished by its increased resistance to changes in the microclimate (fluctuations in temperature, humidity). Berries appear even in low light conditions. Fruits take nine months to form.
From the first group of varieties for growing in an apartment, they often use Crimean, Autumn fun or Garland. The Brighton variety is distinguished by the fact that, in addition to low maintenance requirements, this plant produces fruits that hang in the bushes. Therefore, this strawberry is used for growing in pots.
For growing in containers, gardeners recommend the Queen Elizabeth variety, which ensures year-round fruiting.
Also, beautiful colors appear on this plant that can decorate the interior of an apartment.
The process of growing strawberries on a windowsill using seeds
On the windowsill, the berry can be safely grown using seeds. Despite the longer planting process, many gardening enthusiasts are not afraid of this nuance. For a friendly germination of seeds, you must first harden them. For this, the seeds are laid out on a damp cloth and put into the refrigerator for a month. It is important not to forget to fold the fabric in half.
If we consider the step-by-step instructions, it includes the following steps:
- A container, for example, a box selected as a planting container, is covered with prepared soil and slightly moistened.
- Further, observing the intervals of 20 cm, the strawberry seeds are laid out using the technique in a row.
- Further, the material must be sprinkled with a small amount of soil.
- The selected container is covered with glass. After the procedure, they are placed in a warm area.
- After the initial emergence of the shelter seedlings, you can gradually remove, and rearrange the container itself on the selected window sill.
- It is advised to transplant strawberries into the selected container only after a couple of young leaves appear on the berry.
Many people wonder if it is possible to grow strawberries on a windowsill in the autumn season. The most optimal time period for the procedure is August 15 - September 21.
Watering
Summer residents are advised to use only settled water at room temperatures for watering berries when growing on a windowsill. If there is no time to wait for the chlorine to be screened out, you can pass it through a filter. To improve air humidity, you can periodically spray the berries with a spray bottle. The procedure is especially relevant in the winter.
Gardeners advise to moisturize the plant a couple of times a week. The best time for the procedure is in the afternoon. After the watering process, the soil should be thoroughly loosened.
Fertilizer
Top dressing is relevant when the first leaves appear. Usually, the procedure is carried out no more than a couple of times every 3 weeks. As a fertilizer, some use a complex type of fertilizing. Which are relevant when growing berries in an urban environment. They should be entered according to the instructions on the package. Chicken droppings or mullein can be used as an alternative to mineral fertilizers.
Pruning
The purpose of this event when growing strawberries is to increase its yield. Pruning tips include a few basic points:
- If the seedlings are grown from seeds, then at the first germination it is important to pick several flowers from it.
- If there is no need for further cultivation of the berries, an additional mustache must be removed.
As a result of the procedure, the plant will not waste its substances on maintaining the outlets, but will direct them in a more necessary direction.
With the help of these tips, you can simplify the process of planting strawberries on the windowsill at home. And also reduce the number of errors in the care process.
Seedlings: buy or grow yourself?
After the containers and soil have been prepared, it remains to resolve the issue only with the planting material. There are two options. The first is to buy seedlings at the market or in a specialized store. The second is to grow them yourself.
If you buy seedlings on the market, then choose trusted sellers. Be sure to purchase only varietal seedlings. Your best bet is to shop at a garden store. The likelihood that you will be sold low-quality planting material there is much lower.
However, it is best to grow seedlings at home. This is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. First, stock up on seeds. Buy the seeds of the strawberries you want to grow at home. You don't need to do anything with the seeds in advance. They are sown in small containers (plastic boxes from cake, ice cream), for which days they make holes. The soil should be very good - the same as for growing already mature plants (described above). The soil is slightly moistened, and then strawberry seeds are sown on wet soil. Strawberry seeds are very small, almost invisible. Therefore, you should be very careful when sowing them. Sow the seeds carefully, spreading them out on moistened soil. The distance between them should be at least half a centimeter.
Important! It is absolutely impossible to fill the seeds with soil! They are simply pressed against the moistened soil, leaving them on its surface.
Then the boxes where the seeds were sown are covered with an ordinary disposable (transparent) bag. It is imperative to make holes in it through which air will enter. Garden strawberry seeds sprout for a very long time. Sometimes shoots appear only after a month. But if the seeds are of good quality, then, most likely, they will sprout within two weeks. If this does not happen, do not be discouraged. Wait another two to three weeks. If the seeds have not sprouted even after a month, most likely, there will be no more seedlings. To avoid such failures, only good quality seeds should be used.
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