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Fans of gardening always try not only to grow tasty fruits on their site, but also to decorate it. Some ideas can save you a lot of space. For example, for growing strawberries a fairly large area is needed. But experienced gardeners know how to cope with this task so that they get a good harvest and do not take up too much space. Thus, you can make room for other crops or equip a beautiful flower bed. This unique method is the vertical cultivation of strawberries.
Features of vertical cultivation
This method is gaining more and more popularity every year. At first glance, it might seem that such a technology requires too much effort and expense. However, it has a huge number of advantages:
- saving space on the site;
- berries do not rot due to touching wet ground during rains and do not get dirty;
- many pests simply cannot get to the strawberry bushes;
- no need to permanently delete weeds... Their seeds do not fall into containers, which makes it much easier to care for the berries;
- fertilizers are evenly distributed through the pipes. Top dressing becomes more efficient;
- to pick berries, you do not need to bend over and look for them under the bushes;
- vertical beds also perform a decorative function, decorating a summer cottage.
Nothing can be perfect, so right after the advantages, let's consider some of the disadvantages of this method:
- These beds should be watered much more frequently. The sun easily penetrates the strawberry containers, which is why the soil dries out very quickly.
- The soil in such containers is not naturally filled with nutrients. Without regular feeding, it will not be possible to grow a good strawberry crop.
- The cold also easily penetrates the vertical beds. You will have to take care of a warm shelter for the winter period or transfer them to a warm room.
Strawberry varieties for vertical cultivation
To breed strawberries vertically, you should choose ampelous or repair strawberries. Such strawberries not only have high yield rates, but also decorate the garden beds.
Queen Elizabeth
It is one of the most popular vertical cultivars. Fruits from these bushes can be harvested from early June to October. Queen Elizabeth has beautiful large berries of the correct shape. They are very juicy and dense. Up to 1.5–2 kg of strawberries can be harvested from the bush during the season. The variety quickly adapts to new conditions, undemanding to care, resistant to many diseases.
Alba
An early curly variety. Alba tolerates frost well in winter. It has elongated red berries with a pleasant sweet taste. Strawberries tolerate transportation well and can be stored for a long time. From 1 bush of Alba, you can collect at least a kilogram of fruit.
Homemade delicacy
A great remont strawberry... It has red berries with a dark shade. They taste good, with a slight sourness. Each fruit reaches 2.5–3 cm in diameter. There are beautiful long peduncles on the bush, which makes the variety looks very aesthetically pleasing.
Of course, list all strawberry varieties for vertical beds it will be difficult, since there are so many of them. Lovers of sweet strawberries will do grade Honey... More fruitful berries include Moscow delicacy and Finland. Eros can boast of frost resistance, and Geneva and Aluba are the most disease-resistant.
Types of vertical beds
Vertical growing beds strawberries can be made with your own hands from ordinary materials at hand. For example, for this purpose, any barrels, flower pots, tires, slate, wooden and plastic boxes, pipes and even plastic bags.
Tire beds are not only practical, but also very hardy. They can stand on your site for many years without losing their attractive appearance. For the construction of such a bed, it is necessary to stack the prepared tires on top of each other. Then holes are made in them. Some gardeners are against this method of planting, since tires are made of toxic material and can be dangerous to human health.
Landings look very nice strawberries in flower pots... Most importantly, such containers are easy to carry, and you can change their location and placement every year. Some people suspend these containers from special supports or branches. They can also decorate a gazebo or balcony.
But the most economical vertical way to plant strawberries is in plastic bottles. Prepared containers are attached to poles or a grid. Unfortunately, this method also has some disadvantages. Bottle volumes may be too small, making it difficult to control the amount of water and fertilizer during feeding.
Very beautiful beds can be obtained using barrels. Many gardeners paint them in various bright colors. The disadvantage is that it is rather difficult to move such containers. Strawberries cannot be moved to a warm place, so you will have to take care of a warm shelter for the winter.
Vertical cultivation of strawberries in poles
Unlike previous methods, growing strawberries in tubes has a lot fewer drawbacks. Most gardeners prefer this method. You can build such a bed with your own hands. PVC pipes... This structure usually has a height of no more than 2 meters. This is the optimal height, which allows watering and picking berries without unnecessary tools.
The construction of such a vertical bed is carried out in the following way:
- Prepare main pipes with a diameter of about 200 mm, as well as smaller pipes (20 mm) for irrigation. The length of the smaller pipe should be 15 cm longer than the main pipe.
- A thin pipe is conventionally divided into 3 parts. I make small holes in the upper two parts, and the lower part is left untouched. The diameter of the holes should be no more than 0.5 cm. The liquid will not wash out the soil from the pipe if the pipe is wrapped in burlap from the outside. Then you should wrap the pipe with rope.
- Now start making holes in the pipe. They are placed in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of about 25 cm from each other, as shown in the photo. Each hole should be at least 10 cm in diameter. This size is enough for the normal growth and development of strawberries.
- There is no need to make holes at a distance of 25 cm from the underside of the pipe. It would be good to leave one side of the pipe without holes and should be turned towards the north. The bottom of the pipe must be closed with a cover. Thus, it will be easier to transfer the structure for the winter.
- Then a watering pipe is placed in the main pipe. Gravel, expanded clay or pebbles are poured to the bottom. Their height should be no more than 20 cm. This material will hold the pipe in strong winds.
- After that, the prepared soil is poured into the pipe. To prepare it, mix sod land (50%), peat (50%), compost (30%) and cow dung (20%). After filling the soil, you should thoroughly water it with a hose. The soil will settle a little, and it will be possible to fill up a little more.
- Now it's time to plant the strawberries themselves in the holes.
Maintenance of vertical beds
The first step is to decide on the location of the beds. Remember, strawberries love sunny areas. Also, the location of the bed should not be in the wind. Growing strawberries in vertical beds requires frequent watering. This is especially important in hot weather.
After 2 weeks after planting, the bushes should root well, after which you can reduce the amount of watering. The first peduncles should be removed. Up to 5 whiskers are left on the bush, the rest are torn off. In the second year, it is customary to fertilize strawberries so that yield indicators do not fall. For this, mineral and organic solutions are used. In the fall, all old leaves and peduncles are cut off from the bushes.
Strawberries from vertical beds should be replanted every 3 years. Some, instead of replacing the bushes themselves, simply change the soil in the pipe or container. For the winter, it is better to transfer the beds to a suitable warm room. But, you can leave it on the street, covering it with a special material. For this, hay, slate, leaves and burlap are used. The pipe beds are laid vertically to the ground and well covered.
Conclusion
Growing strawberries vertically may seem like a daunting task. But, as you can see from the article, this is not only an excellent growing method, but also an exciting activity. Growing strawberries in the greenhouse and in the open field requires a large plot of land. Vertical beds can be placed even in the smallest yard. They are easy to build with your own hands.
