Easy Steps to Luscious and Tasty Hydroponic Strawberries

growing strawberries

If you like growing strawberries then you will love hydroponic strawberries? Would you like strawberries at your fingertips most the year? You can grow luscious strawberries right on your counter with very little space and have enough for everybody in the house to enjoy them. The secret is hydroponic gardening. Forget all the yard space needed just to get a crop once or twice per year. You can even for get only having enough space in your yard and then only having enough for a single summer time desert. Now you can grow strawberries year round using only as much room as a toaster or microwave and have enough for several times per week. With a little instruction and a few dollars you can be on your way.

What You’ll Need for growing Hydroponic Strawberries

Decide how many strawberries plants you think you will need. 3 to 6 plants should feed an average size family with berries to spare. Next decide if you want to set up your own system or buy a kit. If you decide to buy a kit these can cost you from about $100 and up and they come with the instructions and possibly fertilizer, all you need are the plants and some water. Setting up your own system is usually less expensive and it can be both fun and rewarding. Plus you get that wow factor when friends and relatives come over and you say, “I made this.” First you need a sunny south facing window or some florescent grow lights on a timer.

Next, let’s decide how you want to set this up. If you want a full water system with no medium then all you need are some jars or plastic pipes and fittings, some tools, a water pump, an aquarium aerator, organic fertilizer, and a water holding tank. Assemble the pipes and drill small holes that the plant bases can fit through. They don't need much space apart, just a little, about a few inches. Make sure the pipes are set at an incline and rerouted to the container where the filters and pumps are. Fill it with fresh clean water; put your plants in the holes, after removing all the dirt from the roots and rinsing them clean. Now add the fertilizer according to the directions and turn the pumps on. Be sure to change the water solution about once per week.

If you decide to use a planting medium you just need a container to plant the plants in, the medium, and a container to hold the water. Be sure the strawberries pots plant are above the water level. Since soil is not used, the plants need very little room in the potting mix. You can plant several strawberries varieties plants in a small shallow pot in the pearlite or other medium. (Often coco-husks, pebbles, rock wool, heydite, vermiculite, peat, straw, or other soilless anchoring medium are used) Be sure to route the pump outlet up to the top of the pot and make sure the aquarium aerator stone is in the water. The idea to gardening strawberries is to keep the water aerated and circulating while allowing the roots to breathe oxygen and soak up water and nutrients.

Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor

Remember to stop often and pick off any runners from the hydroponic strawberries so that they will be encouraged to produce more fruit. Remember too, to change the water often. Picking the right set up depends upon you and the Hydroponic Strawberries plants you have chosen. After enjoying the first bounty of your crop, you may decide that you want to grow something else. Many fresh herbs and lettuces, even squash and tomatoes, can be grown with minimal space hydroponically. While it seems a little complicated at first, growing your own foods hydroponically in a small space on your counter can have wonderful rewards. So enjoy a yummy berry sundae you had the pleasure of growing yourself Hydroponic Strawberries

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