Strawberries - one of the most beloved berries of every person, familiar from childhood.
However, not everyone can afford to buy it regularly on the market, which is why many summer residents and gardeners grow this delicious berry at home.
Since it is completely irrational to grow strawberries in its classical version, since the area is large and the crop is small, an option was developed to grow strawberries in vertical pipes.
Strawberries in vertical tubes: list of required materials
The main feature of growing berries in this way is that you can significantly reduce the consumption of land. To have such vertical beds at home, you need to prepare all kinds of designs that can be either purchased at a specialized store or built independently. One of the new, but already very popular among gardeners, is the vertical planting of berries in a PVC pipe, which is usually used for installing sewers.
To make a vertical bed yourself, we will need the following materials:
PVC pipes;
drill + nozzle for drilling circles;
plug for pipe.
To organize a system of watering berries, you need to prepare:
metal-plastic pipe;
elements for connecting to water;
knife;
electrical tape;
a piece of geotextile (cover the watering pipe).
Growing strawberries in vertical plastic pipes: the process of creating a vertical bed
1. First you need to cut the pipes to the desired height. However, the tube of a smaller diameter must be cut so that it is 10-12 cm longer than the main one.
2. A narrow pipe is needed for watering plants. In its upper half, you need to drill holes through which water will leak out, for this a 3-5 mm drill is perfect. It is better to make the holes higher, otherwise the water will begin to flow mainly into the lower layers, and subsequently the soil below will very soon become too wet.
3. So that moisture is well distributed throughout the pipe and evenly moistens the entire soil (and also does not become clogged), it must be tightly wrapped in burlap, which in turn must also be wound tightly around the rope. The lower end, in which there are no holes, should be covered with tape.
4. Next, you need to drill several holes in a large-diameter pipe, which we will need to plant plants in them. To do this, we need a nozzle, with which we will need to make holes with a diameter of 8-10 cm with a distance of 22 -25 cm from each other. At the bottom, a margin of 25 cm from the ground must be left, that is, it is not necessary to drill holes for the pipe in the lower part of the pipe.
5. The bottom of the main pipe must be closed with a lid and attached so that the pipe is accessible for movement, while the lid always remains in place. The structure itself should be set upright. Make sure that it is well attached to something, that is, it remains resistant to any weather conditions.
6. Then, inside the attached main pipe, it is necessary to place the irrigation pipe previously wrapped in burlap. The gap formed between the pipes should be filled with expanded clay with a height of 18-20 cm, which will not only make our garden more stable, but also will become a source of additional moisture. The remaining space should be densely covered with earth and shed in stages to avoid remaining air gaps.
7. All that remains for us is to plant strawberry bushes in the holes. Everything, the process is completed!
Strawberries in vertical tubes: top dressing
The main secret of growing excellent berries is in their nutrition. Before starting this process, you should analyze the soil, because it is from its composition that the norms and types of fertilizers will directly depend. In the autumn period, plants need to make 50 -55 t / g of manure, in the spring - the same amount of humus.
The norms for feeding strawberries look like this:
Phosphorus 50 kg / ha. It should be introduced before boarding;
Nitrogen 90 kg / ha. Half must be paid immediately before planting, the second part during the vegetative period. You also need to take into account the weather factor, that is, if part of the fertilizer was washed out of nitrogen by precipitation, additional feeding will be needed;
Potassium 100 kg / ha. Half should be made before planting, the second - during the flowering period of plants;
Magnesium 100 kg / ha. It is brought before preparation of soil.
Also, foliar dressing with microelements should be carried out, since it helps to increase the yield from 5 to 15%. Make a mixture during flowering (0.025%) and fruiting (0.05) of berries.
The composition of the mixture must contain the following trace elements:
boric acid;
cobalt nitrate;
zinc sulfate and manganese;
Growing strawberries in vertical plastic pipes: planting and care
When planting in the lower holes of the pipe should be placed marigolds. These flowers perfectly relieve the plant from various pests. When planting varieties that propagate by abduction of the antennae, strawberries should be planted through one hole. This is necessary so that subsequently it was possible to hold the antennae into the holes in which they can take root. We fill the pipe with soil, make minor indentations with our fingers and plant the plants in stages, not forgetting to fill them with earth.
This method of growing berries is very simple and practically does not differ from the usual soil method. All you need to do is water on time, do disease prevention and feed plants from time to time. To facilitate the irrigation process, you can install an extended-neck watering can at the end of the irrigation tube. With good drainage, you can not worry about the gulf of plants. The soil condition is also determined quite simply, all that is needed is to periodically test it with your fingers in the holes.
If you ultimately want to get an excellent harvest, you should pay enough attention to a problem such as pests. The most famous pest that can cause serious damage to leaves is a strawberry clear mite. When it starts, the leaves begin to curl, turn yellow, and the berries become very small. The best way to get rid of this pest is to treat malathion. To do this, mix 3 tbsp. l funds in 10 l of water and spray the plants through a watering can at the rate of 3 l per 1 m. This treatment should be carried out after the period of picking berries. In addition to the strawberry mite, in this way you can destroy other pests, such as weevil, whitefly and others.
Strawberries can also be damaged by snails, millipedes, and other insects. To get rid of them, use the drug metalguide in granules. Granules should be laid out in areas where they live at the rate of 5 g per 1 m.
If you have a limited amount of space on the site, and you want to eat homemade strawberries, then the best option is to grow berries in vertical pipes.
All that is needed for this is a little time and effort, and voila!
Homemade strawberries on your table!
