Substrate Soilless Culture Technology for Strawberry in Greenhouses
With the development of modern horticulture, especially the development of leisure and sightseeing agriculture, a new type of substrate culture has been applied in strawberry production. So when and how to plant strawberries in greenhouses?
Selection of strawberry varieties and seedlings
We should choose the shallow dormant strawberry varieties with high quality, disease resistance and large fruit. The seedlings shall be of varieties with more than 5 new leaves, a single plant weight of more than 20g and a new stem diameter of about 1cm. The leaves of the plant should be green and plump, the roots should be developed and milky white, and there should be no pests and diseases.
Cultivation substrate
We should choose a high-quality substrate with good physical and chemical properties, strong buffer capacity, good permeability, good water holding capacity, light weight, EC value between 1.0 and 1.5 ms/cm, and pH value between 5.8 and 6.8.Because of this, you can safely choose Tenlead Plant Growing Cubes. Tenlead Plant Growing Cubes are very effective agricultural products, made of high-quality phenolic foam, melted at high temperature, compressed into blocks by a proprietary process, so they are soft and uniform in texture, good water absorption, strong air permeability, and conducive to root growth. They are biodegradable and will completely degrade after a period of time without polluting the environment, so they are easy to handle and can be placed directly in the planting trough at a later stage, which will save you money, time and risk. Tenlead Plant Growing Cubes come in many sizes and shapes, so they can hold almost anything you want to grow.
Drip irrigation facility
We should use flexible pipes to lay the drip irrigation system. Each strawberry should be equipped with a drip irrigation head. For trough cultivation, drip irrigation belt should be laid the under the film. At the same time, the amount of water and nutrient solution shall be adjusted at any time to save water and fertilizer and reduce the air humidity in the shed.
Strawberry growing season
Strawberries are generally planted in the first ten days of September, blossom in the first ten days of October, harvest in early December, and end in May of the next year, with a growing period of 260 days.
Environmental management of greenhouse
Temperature management
The optimum temperature for strawberry growth is generally 15-25 ℃, and the optimum temperature for root growth is 8-21 ℃. In the daytime, the temperature in the greenhouse should be lower than 30 ℃, and in winter, the temperature at night should be generally controlled at 5~8 ℃, which is conducive to the development of strawberry fruits and the improvement of sugar. In the daytime, when the temperature of the greenhouse is above 26 ℃, it shall be ventilated and shaded in time to cool down.
Humidity control
The relative humidity of the air in the greenhouse should be controlled at about 40%. Too high or too low is not conducive to the germination of strawberry pollen. It is better to keep the substrate humidity at 50%, otherwise it will affect the root activity of strawberry and the normal growth and development of fruit.
Lighting management
When the average daily temperature of the shed is 16~25 ℃, the average daily illumination shall be controlled at 8000~80 000 lx/h. During the low temperature and low light period from January to February, the normal growth and development of strawberry can be ensured by means of supplementary lighting. Especially in the late stage of fruit development, the content of soluble solids in the fruit can be significantly increased by means of supplementary lighting, so as to ensure the flavor and acid sugar content of the fruit. Since the light intensity is high and the sunshine duration is long in May June, shading and cooling measures should be taken to prevent strawberry from being burnt by sunlight.
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