Hydroponics Online Home Home Store Blog Forums FAQs Lesson Plans Pictures

Go Back   Hydroponics Forums Discussions > Hydroponics Discussion Forums > Your Hydroponics Setup

2012 strawberry towers for fair


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 03-12-2012, 12:34 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Southeast Washington State - Right on the line of growing zones 6b & 7a
Posts: 347
Default 2012 strawberry towers for fair

So guy's I need some input here. I have 120 bare root strawberry plants that I got 2 days ago for the fair display. I have been keeping them covered with a damp towel like the lady told me to. I don't have a fridge I can keep them in. Hopeing to get the pipe for them tonight (waiting to hear from owner that the donation was ok'd) Now the delima, I know how I am gonna make the tower, but I don't have a greenhouse just yet and I'm worried about planting them too early. The forcast for today is rain and snow and the low temps for the next week btwn 29 and 40. The day temps from mid 60's to 40's. If I drape them in clr plastic and wrap the pipe with non-led christmas lights, will that keep them warm enough? I do have some windows for my green house that I guess I could utilize and just make a box around them with some 2x4's. I also have some sheets of 2" foam that I can cover them with at night kind of box them in and add a top. I can heat the nutes with some stock tank heaters. Is that gonna be enough? I will be making towers like these...

Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	st5.jpg
Views:	2794
Size:	87.9 KB
ID:	2072  

Last edited by fintuckyfarms; 03-12-2012 at 12:39 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 03-12-2012, 01:26 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Southeast Washington State - Right on the line of growing zones 6b & 7a
Posts: 347
Default

Just receive an e-mail that I got the pipe donated, but I probably wont get it till Friday. I think I will have to put them in something else till then
maybe a raft system I can fit in the house till it gets warmer...
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 03-13-2012, 02:14 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

fintuckyfarms
When is the fair? I thought it was going to be in late August. I wouldn't start the plants any sooner than 2-1/2 to 3 months before the fair. Given the right growing conditions the bare roots strawberry plants will take a few weeks to wake up and start growing foliage. Then within a month after that, they will have plenty of foliage and flowers. Within the next few weeks they will be full grown, producing plenty of flowers and in their prime (flourishing in about 2- to 2-1/2 months, given good conditions).

That said, for starting that many plants without a permanent home, I would build a temporary system for them to begin growing (propagation system). Actually I would create the temporary propagation system regardless of weather the main system was built or not. The best and easiest system for starting the bare root plants (as well as any seedlings/sprouts) in my opinion is a shallow grow bed. Use a short wide plastic tub/storage tote. Fill it with Vermiculite, Perlite, or coco fiber for a growing media. Then run it as a simple drip or flood and drain system. But if using Vermiculite or Perlite in a flood and drain system, be aware that it floats, so the water level will be a factor in how well it actually works. Personally I would set it up as a drip system similar to how I did for the makeshift system I made for my Mellon seedlings. They will be easy to transplant as long as you don't let them get to large before you transplant them into the main system.

Also just a tip for healthier strawberry plants. Strawberry plants are very susceptible to soil born pathogens. So unless your bare root plants were grown hydroponically, they were grown in soil, and I don't know of a commercial supplier growing bare root strawberry plants hydroponically. their might be some, I just don't know of any. Because strawberry plants are very susceptible to soil born pathogens, I would either dust the roots with beneficial microbes/fungi (specifically Trichoderma and or Mycorrhizae), or mix it directly into the growing media for a much more even distribution (as well as much less labor incentive with that many plants to do). I will be mixing both in with the growing media for my greenhouse operation. Here are the two products I already have, and will be using: General Hydroponics SubCulture-B (for Trichoderma), and Earth Juice Rooters Mycorrhizae (for Mycorrhizae). That will give your strawberry plants the best chance of being strong and healthy.

P.S.
I don't know if you have read this article before or not:

Berry Bonanza: Growing Indoor Strawberries
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems

Last edited by GpsFrontier; 03-13-2012 at 02:34 AM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 03-13-2012, 12:25 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Southeast Washington State - Right on the line of growing zones 6b & 7a
Posts: 347
Default

Thanks for the info, the lady assured me that I would have strawberries for fair with this variety. I will check out your articles as soon as I can, I knew I would have to do something with the roots to clean them better.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 03-14-2012, 06:14 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
Posts: 1,855
Default

I don't doubt you'll have strawberry's for the fair, just saying that if the fair is in late August, I wouldn't start them now. I would wait until late May at the earliest to start them (two months from now). The thing with soil born pathogens is you cant clean them off the roots. Even if you clean every speck of soil off, the pathogens will still be on/in the roots. It only takes one infected plant to spread it to all of them in a recirculating hydroponic system.
__________________
Website Owner
Home Hydroponic Systems
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 03-15-2012, 12:37 PM
fintuckyfarms fintuckyfarms is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Southeast Washington State - Right on the line of growing zones 6b & 7a
Posts: 347
Default

I completely get where you are coming from, however the business that donated them said I had to take them now if I wanted them. I don't have anywhere to keep them dark and cold as I wasn't expecting to get them on the day I asked for them. The pipe still isn't in, maybe today. I just don't want to loose them. Even if they are only with me long enough to take picts on how to put the system together and then reorder them later for fair(even if I have to go with plugs). In the research, I knew the plants were being shipped now, but I didn't expect to get them donated let alone have to take them on the same day I asked for them. I just will do everything in my power to ensure that they get a good start and make it to fair. I talked to the hydro store lady and she is gonna provide some root stuff like you mentioned. I am going to divide them in to two systems so if one goes bad, I won't loose both of them. After this weather system passes, spring is suppose to hit and there is no way I can keep them cool enough so they don't start to grow. Talking with other gardeners, they will be planting their soil ones this next week and use a cover at night. Gpsfrontier, I know you want what is best and I apprieciate you help, I just don't know what else to do.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:22 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.