Quote:
Originally Posted by GpsFrontier
Hello brandonbelew,
That temperature (74-75) is just fine. The optimum temp range is between 68 and 72-75, but your still fine if it's between 60 and 80. Below 60 will inhibit growth, and above 80 heat stress begins.
P.S.
Ya, I knew this round of strawberry plants was not going to pay for itself with just 10 plants growing. And unless that variety of strawberry plants bloom and fruit all at once rather than spread over it's life cycle, you will be hard pressed to even get enough fresh strawberry's to make a couple of strawberry shortcakes for dessert. You would need to be growing 30+ strawberry plants for that. But I know you said your wife was growing some in soil as well. Typically strawberry plants will produce between 1 to 2 lbs of strawberry plants over it's summer life cycle (4 months). For me it takes about 1/2 lb of strawberry's to make one strawberry shortcake.
Wont' your wife allow you to grow outside in natural sunlight, so you can eliminate the cost of lighting? Even if it's only in an area she doesn't use much (side of the house, patio, back of the garage etc..)?
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I ordered some pineberries bare root plants today, so with them going i'll get 20 plants total. White strawberries with a mixed flavor of pineapple and strawberry seems like my type of fruit.
I also invested my birthday money and bought a 600W
hps/MH light setup. I'll pass the fluorescents down to my wife, she needs more space to get her
seeds started for her outdoor garden.
As far as growing outside, she is growing strawberries outside as well. Or will be as soon as the temperature is right. I don't think we'll have an issue with the number of berries, between both of our gardens. I'd let the plants die if I grew them outside, I hate all forms of yard work, so weeding is out for me.
I expect a couple of my plants to die, as they die i'm going to swap them out for day neutrals to get more berries throughout the year. This is really my test crop being my first year, i'll add to them and swap things out as I go.
Plus I could probably squeeze in another couple rows if I moved my tubes closer together, and could add a dutch bucket system as well to the side if necessary. I have plenty of pumping capacity, and apparently plenty of
lights now too.