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charlielittle_gw

Strawberries

charlielittle
16 years ago

Got my strawberries in yesterday from Burgess. Had read some questionable reviews about them but took a chance anyway. Took three weeks to get my order but they came in good shape and all plants look alive. 10 Goliath, 25 Quinalt, 25 Ft. Laramie, 25 Ozark Beauty. Since they were from dirt planting I had to wash the roots and pruned to about 4-5".

Didn't have room in the gutter rows for all of them so made this tube like the All Season Fruits guy except used the foam plugs from the 1/4" pipe insulation, filled with perlite. The 3/4" holes were cut with a drill & hole saw and plugs set in at a slight upward angle like grizzman suggested. The 25 Ft. Laramie plants are 6" apart with holes staggered. It took 2 gallon of water to saturate the perlite to drain and drained almost a full gallon over about 30 minutes so there's a gallon still in there!

In the bottom there's a cereal bowl siliconed in with drain holes drilled. Hangs from the roof joist and drains into a 5 gal bucket.

I ordered 100 more with a couple different varieties for the outdoor fence project...

{{gwi:1000613}}

Comments (8)

  • vipvenom
    16 years ago

    I like that design. I wanted to make something like that for strawberries too. Right now I am growing them in a raft method. They are doing good so far. but your design is more efficient for strawberries.
    Hmm, I wonder if that method would work better for lettuce too? I am growing them via the raft method and I am pretty sure some ducks mistook it for my pond as all my styrofoam floats are broken and half the lettuce was flipped over. Damn snowbirds :)
    LMK how it works for you.

    How are you supplying water to the plants (manual fill up)? Are you using any pumps etc? More details please.

    Chris

  • charlielittle
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    This is a passive/manual fill tube. Pour it in the opening at the top and it drains out the bottom. Next project will be to have some vertical tubes hanging from either an A-frame type thing like a swingset or just some posts cemented in the ground. Reservoir and pump to drip type setup. Got it drawn on paper so far...

    See this fella's strawberry tubes... All Season Fruit Company

  • charlielittle
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Saw Grizzman talk about "Charlie" strawberry. Dang if I didn't find some at a nursery in Tennessee and ordered a bunch, lol!

    Now a question about propagating runners off a hydroponic system. How is it normally done with no dirt for the runners to land on? With all the different varieties I'm going to have I hope to have one or two favorites to concentrate on as for future expansion. Kinda have some thoughts about what to do but wanted other input. Thanks...

  • iliketoast
    16 years ago

    Do you strawberry growers use the 'june bearing' type or the ones that make just a few at a time all year long?

  • charlielittle
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I've got some of both.

    Cool thing about strawberries as with raspberries, you can fool them into winter by placing the plants in a cooler for their required chilling hours, bring them into the greenhouse and make them fruit. I've got Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry also and plan a few experiments this year.

    Heres a link on off season fruit production Pritts Berried Treasures

  • iliketoast
    16 years ago

    You're planting raspberries and blackberries hydroponically?!!?

  • iliketoast
    16 years ago

    I'm curious as to what you will do when they start sending off runners in the summer. You could attach them and get free strawberry plants. But how could you do it? You can't control runner length, and who knows if they'll reach the desired spot?

    This is exciting! Good Lord, I'm such a nerd for thinking this is exciting. Regardless, I'm hoping charlielittle has an epic win :)

  • charlielittle
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I asked a question in another thread about how to propagate hydroponic strawberries from runners since there was no dirt for the runners to land on. I don't think anyone answered. I was thinking of trying some of the oasis foam, tape or rubber band it to the runner and spray/water the foam piece till the runner roots then transplant. Don't have any runners yet so will figure it out when the time comes.

    I don't have raspberries but do have thornless blackberries. Was going to try and tip root some of the lateral limbs from this year's growth into perlite in styrofoam cups, cut of the limb about 2ft back and chill in the refrigerator for a few weeks then bring them out and put them into the hydro system and see if they will bloom and fruit, like fake them out so to speak. Blackberries bear on second year canes and need chilling time to trigger that response so we'll see.

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