Content:
The taste and aroma of real strawberries can be felt throughout the year, not just during a certain period of time. Growing strawberries using Dutch technology will help in this. The main differences from the traditional method of cultivation in the garden - the site is closed from wind and direct sunlight, and the plants are located in containers.
Holland is famous for flowers and delicious berries, so not only gardeners can use the method, but also people who make strawberry cultivation the basis for business.
Description of Dutch technology
The special cultivation of the strawberry plantation allows you to get bountiful harvests throughout the year without losing quality, while maintaining a bright aroma and rich taste in the winter months.
To form a business that will generate income, the features of the technology allow:
- planting strawberries is carried out in closed ground (greenhouse, greenhouse);
- there is a constant renewal (planting new seedlings);
- the optimum temperature and other indicators are maintained, creating a special microclimate inside (the room should always be warm so that the biochemical processes in plant cells do not subside);
- there are special installations for irrigation (sprayers).
Growing strawberries using Dutch technology
Fluorescent lamps are also installed, which give the plants the necessary amount of heat, the illumination can be adjusted as needed. To place seedlings, pots, boxes or pallets are used, which eliminates the contact of the plant or ripe berries with the soil (the soil contains microorganisms that can cause a decrease in product quality).
The renewal of seedlings allows maintaining a constant high yield rate - new plants are planted in the pots every 2 months, so the yield indicators are always stable. Special equipment replaces the need for manual irrigation, allows you to regulate temperature and humidity. The peculiarity of the method is to carry out regular feeding to ensure the required amount of nutrients.
Benefits of the Dutch Method
The chosen method of harvesting has made the Netherlands a leader in the production of aromatic products.
The advantages of the technique are:
- constant harvest - a stable amount of berries helps to form blanks, provide potential buyers with products;
- diseases inherent in strawberries grown in the open field are absent;
- no damage to the berries (presentable appearance increases demand);
- pests cannot penetrate the ground;
- good taste.
Small areas can be used to start breeding. At first, a greenhouse or greenhouse can be used, but it is possible to increase the area useful for production by placing structures for seedlings vertically. On special structures, pots or bags with soil are installed in which strawberry seedlings are placed.
Strawberries suggest a similar breeding method. Due to small areas, space saving and constant harvest, the return on investment is made quickly: in 2-4 months you can get a plus, and for personal use of berries in 1 month.If you use cassette seedlings of strawberries or strawberries, the yield will be consistently high. Feature - with proper care, the greenhouse variety will not differ in taste and aroma from the one grown in the open field in the usual way.
Growing strawberries using Dutch technology is very profitable
Also, the advantages include the ease of agrotechnical measures, the simplicity of the arrangement of irrigation and lighting systems, no need for additional weeding and protection from pests.
The best varieties to grow
The method, involving the cultivation of strawberries according to the Dutch technology in a greenhouse all year round, takes into account not only the capabilities and technological features. There are varieties that are ideal for indoor cultivation.
A small room allows you to get large yields using seedlings of the following varieties:
- Maria;
- Baron;
- Tribute;
- Frigo (several classes of seedlings, a description of the main variety gives an understanding of what the yield will be);
- Silvia;
- Sonata.
It is convenient to grow strawberries using both open and closed ground, indoor greenhouses or large greenhouse structures.
Frigo strawberries
Unusual, ideally suited to the Dutch method - Frigo strawberries, how to plant and care for them, you can first ask a specialist. Frido is not an independent variety - it is a special method of preparing planting material. Selected seedlings are planted in light soil. Then fertilizer is applied. It is important not to let the seedlings bloom, but as soon as they bloom, feeding is required. Young bushes will be completely ready for use in November - the foliage at this time has a brown tint, and the rhizome turns brown. That is why even experienced gardeners may not know what young Frigo strawberries are.
Equipment for growing strawberries
In order to grow strawberries constantly, you will need to purchase:
- Planting containers - this can be a pot, a cassette, a soft bag that can be hung. It is convenient to grow berries in them, collect them, and plant new bushes in the vacant space;
- Irrigation system - the distribution scheme of the installation is developed based on the existing floor plan. You can purchase a ready-made version for installation, as well as make it yourself, using the assembly instructions. You can choose between intensive watering in hot weather or moderate watering in the winter months;
- Lighting devices - the light spectrum must be selected in such a way that it is as close to sunlight as possible. In this case, you can regulate the flowering process of plantings. The floor plan indicates the places where lamps or specialized appliances will need to be installed.
The main condition for obtaining a constant harvest is the selection of the temperature and humidity that is optimal for the plant. After picking the berries, the bushes are replaced with new ones, and the old ones are used for breeding seedlings. A step-by-step set of measures indicates that at the time of replacement it is necessary to apply fertilizer or completely renew the soil. The main equipment should also include devices that measure humidity and thermometers, since these indicators must be monitored constantly.
The variety called Frida is not a new strawberry, but a berry specially prepared for cultivation according to a special method, which gives abundant yields. It is planted in closed ground. A home strawberry garden can be created, and in a suburban area, berries are grown in greenhouses or hotbeds.
Frigo strawberries
Detailed planting instructions are drawn up based on the size of the room, since you can place plants vertically or horizontally. To maintain the microclimate requires the purchase of lighting lamps (they also provide additional heat) and systems for irrigation and irrigation (the best option is a drip installation).
Return on investment is fast when planting and growing practices are followed without deviating from the norm.The optimal temperature indicators are 21 degrees, the maximum values are 25 degrees, if the variety is thermophilic, for example, Italian or Spanish. Indicators for air humidity - average value 75%.
A feature that must be taken into account is that a slight increase in the composition of the air of carbon dioxide stimulates the bushes to grow and develop. If the agricultural technique is fully observed, then from a small strawberry plantation it is possible to collect good and abundant harvests on the basis that up to 50 kg of strawberries are harvested from 1 m².
