Strawberry plant produce 25 to 40 strawberries in a season of strawberry cultivation. A strawberry plant can live up to 4 to 5 years. Each cycle of every plant producing strawberries is 8 to 9 months.
You can grow strawberries at home or even in your terrace garden pots. So let's understand how to do so with easy steps of learning.
How to grow strawberries in pots/containers at home
In comparison of direct soil land, strawberry plants grow better in pots/containers. In each pot you can look the growth of each plant at a time and keep them in good shape. So without making things complex, let understand with the requirements first-
Requirements to grow strawberries in pots/containers
Let's start with the basic requirements. You need to be aware during the selection of pots/containers, preparation of soil, and your local region's climate.
Preparation of soil mixture
Like any other plant, the strawberry plant can't grow in direct garden soil because of low fertility and water drainage capacity.
For strawberries, you need to prepare a 4:4:2 of garden soil, organic compost, and river sand respectively. It means if you are preparing a 10 kg soil mixture, then you need to mix 4 kg garden soil with 4 kg organic compost, and 2 kg river sand.
After mixing all the components well, you need to maintain moisture in it. So spray some water before using it directly in the pots/containers.
Preparation of seeds
You can either buy strawberry seeds from the market or you can prepare them at home. You just have to take fresh fully matured strawberries. Take a sharp blade and separate the upper skin of the strawberry with its black seeds.
Do it with one or two strawberries. Now, you need a cotton cloth or tissue paper. Keep all these cuttings on the cloth or tissue and leave them in the direct sunlight. After a few hours or day, these strawberries' skin becomes dry and it is easy to separate all the seeds from this.
Use your gentle fingers to drag all the seeds. From two strawberries you will have enough seeds to grow at least 15 to 20 plants.
Type of pots/containers to grow strawberries
There are three basic types of pots/containers to grow strawberries in the garden. The first one is a plastic pot, the second is loamy soil pots and the third are metal pots.
Plastic pots are pretty cheaper than other pots. These are lightweight and easy to move around. But you need to make sure that before sowing any seed, you have to make holes on the surface walls in the pots for drainage.
For sowing all the seeds together, you need 18 inches diameter and 6 feet deep pot/container. For mature plants, you need 8 to 10 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep pots for each.
Temperature and humidity for strawberry plants
There are three stages of temperature requirements for strawberry plants. 20 to 25 degrees Celcius temperature required for sowing strawberry seeds. Second, 18 to 24 degrees Celcius is required for flowering and starting of becoming fruit. And the third one is required 25 to 35 degrees Celcius when fruits become mature.
During these stages, humidity required 50% during the first stage, 30% during mid-growth(second stage), and 5% at the time of harvesting strawberries.
The process to grow strawberries in pots/containers
I'm considering that you are aware of all the requirements to grow strawberries in pots. Now let's move further and understand the process to grow strawberries-
Sowing of strawberry seeds in pots
Fill the biggest pot/container with prepared soil mixture(check the moisture of soil mixture). You can either grow market seeds in your garden pots or you can prepare them at home. Considering you have seeds, spread or sprinkle them on the soil mixture of the biggest pot.
Don't let the seeds overlap each other. Now cover them with a thin layer of the same soil mixture and spray some water on it.
These seeds become sprout within the next 20 to 0 days. When they become young plants(3 to 5 inches) you need to transplant them for better growth.
Transplantation of strawberry plants
Now, let's move on to the second step. You need to transplant all the plants from a big container. So fill the rest of the small pots with soil mixture(below than total height). Dig a few inches deep in the middle of each filled pot.
Use a sharp small cultivator tool. With the help of this, pick all the plants and put them in every pot one in each. Cover them with the same soil mixture and spray some water.
Don't dig too deep otherwise plant can become lazy to grow.
Regular irrigation of strawberry plants
Within every 10 to 15 days, you need to spray some water in each pot. Remember that soil must not be wet but it has to be maintained moist enough. Your last irrigation of the plants will be 15 days before harvesting.
Weeding of strawberry plants in pots
Although pots don't have enough space for spontaneous plants but still because of moisture, there is a possibility of the appearance of spontaneous plants. So whenever you will see them, keep them clean from the pots. Regular cleaning/weeding is important. It is not a big task and you will learn easily.
Composting of strawberry plants
Here comes the main factor of the successful growth of strawberry plants. You can either use organic waste compost or better to use vermicompost in each pot. Within each 25 to 30 days, provide compost to each plant in the pots.
At the time of flowering and becoming fruit are the two most important stages to use organic compost for quality results. Use water showering when you provide compost to plants and let it be in the sunlight.
The appearance of strawberry flowers.
After 180 to 200 days, each strawberry plant starts to produce strawberry flowers. These flowers are white in color. These flowers start pollination when you keep the pots closer to each other. After 5 to 6 weeks these flowers become mature strawberry fruits.
Harvesting of strawberries
After 7 to 9 months from sowing, strawberries become ready to harvest.
The best time as always in fruit cultivation is morning. Each plant produces 25 to 40 strawberries in one season. The strawberry plant doesn't produce all the strawberries at once but takes some time to produce more.
Use scissors to cut them from their vertices with the stem. Wash them, clean them and consume as you want to.
Season of growing strawberries
The strawberry cultivation starts from September to the last week of October. Each plant produces flowers between April and May. These flowers become fruits from June to the end of July.
Productivity of strawberries in pots
Strawberry plants can grow better in pots in comparison to direct soil if you arrange and care for all the requirements. If you sow 20 seeds then it is certain that you are going to have 12 to 15 plant sprouts.
During transplantation, you may lose 2 to 4 plants. So at the time of harvesting, you will have left 8 to 10 plants out of 20 seeds. Each of this group of 8 to 10 plants, most of plants will produce strawberries.