How to Grow Strawberries Indoors

Strawberry-Fragaria Ananassa

Do you like strawberries?

Well, I’m a great strawberry lover. If you are not a big fan of strawberries, then you will love them for sure after reading completely about strawberry benefits in this article. These superfood strawberries are juicy, delicious and are packed with rich nutrients and antioxidants.

It also contains 91% of water, 7.7% of carbohydrates and remaining 1.3% of fats and proteins to protect us from the direct sun.

Strawberry plants are grown worldwide for its fruits and many other applications. It is consumed in large quantities in Ice-creams, Jellies, Jams, Smoothies, Milkshakes, and Chocolates for its taste and flavor. It is also used in powders, perfumes, lip gloss, candy, sanitizers and many other products.

Here in this article, we share the complete information about how to grow and care for your homegrown berry plants.

Strawberry is a widely grown hybrid species of Fragaria. It is abundantly seen in Britain, France, North America and Chile. It is a plant that grows well in both cool and warm climatic conditions at a temperature of 60-80 F. Hybrid berry plant grows to a height of 30-40 centimeters (12-16 inches) and fruit about 2 inches. long. The fruit is sweet, bright red in color and has the characteristic aroma.

Nutrient Information

Strawberry mainly contains 91% of water, 7.7% of carbohydrates and remaining 1.3 of fats and proteins. A cup or 150 grams of strawberries contains less than 50 calories. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese, fiber, folate and potassium. It also contains the antioxidants like flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins that help to protect us from the sun.

Growing Strawberries from Seeds

To grow strawberry plant in a pot, you can start growing from berry seeds. They have shallow roots and can be easily grown in pots both indoors and outdoors. Here is the procedure that explains the growth of strawberry plants from seeds in a pot.

Purchase berries from the stores or nursery. Make a hole of 6mm and spacing about 100mm to place the berries in a large pot containing soil. Place 3 seeds in each hole as they are very small. Add soil to the seeds and press it with fingers gently in a pot or large container. Cover them using plastic wrap. This will keep the soil moist when the seeds germinate.

Water the seeds and place the entire setup on a sunny site. Strawberry plants are much benefitted when they are placed in sunlight. During winter season place them near a radiator or a heat source. When roots sprout removes the plastic wrap from it. Now they are ready to grow at room temperatures and make sure the soil isn’t dry when it is uncovered.

When berry plant grows to a height of 6inches you can start pinching off the leaves for better and fast growth. It takes 2-3 months to produce sweet and reddish berries. Till that time care for the strawberry plant using fertilizers and is ready to harvest now.

Growing Strawberry from Starter Plants

To grow strawberries; starting from seeds is a time taking process  and need lot of care to bloom berries. Instead of growing from seeds you can actually grow them using a starter plant or baby strawberry plants. With this method, you can produce a high yield crop just by selecting the desired hybrid variety. The following are some of the factors that are responsible for the growth of strawberry plants.

Pick up the right variety

Berry plants are classified as summer producing berries and perpetual berries. There are many other varieties and you better ask local gardeners for advice. Choose a right variety of berries for growing it in a pot.

Choose soil & Location to Grow Berries

Strawberry plant grows well in both cool and warm climatic conditions. Use moist potting mix well-drained soil to grow berries. The ideal temperature to grow berries is 60F to 80F. At this temperature, berries develop strong roots and have the ability to take nutrients and produce flowers and fruits.

Watering

Water as much as required. The shallow roots of berry plants consume lots of water in warm climates for plant growth. You can also water the crown of the plant. Avoid watering fruits as it can damage the fruit and overwatering may result from the fruit to rot.

Pest and Diseases

Pests like Spider mites, cutworms, aphids, fruit fly; caterpillar eats the leaves & fruits of berry plants and damages the plant growth. It may also result in diseases like black spot, powdery mildew, fusarium wilt disease and grey mold. It may be due to the insufficient amounts of nutrients supplied to the berry plants. Use organic methods to keep pests and diseases away from them. Factors like location and weather are also responsible for the Plant damage.

Use Liquid Fertilizers to Boost Plant Growth

To have sweet and large berries you must know how & when to fertilize your plants. Use liquid fertilizers such as commercial or organic as they need nitrogen for producing berries. Apply liquid fertilizers or manures around the base of the plant to increase nitrogen levels and promotes plant growth.

Harvesting the Berries

Strawberry fruit is ready to harvest after 4-6 weeks of blossoming. Pick berries before they ripe and bright red in color. Pluck the fruits properly from plants with your hands or shears (if you have allergic reactions on your body). After harvesting keeps berries in a cool and shady location or in the refrigerator. It can be frozen for 2 months.

How to care for strawberry plants?

Strawberry plant care is an important factor for growing tasty berries in your home or garden. they just need a lot of care and maintenance before you reach the harvesting stage. Here are some useful tips you can follow to care for your homegrown berry plants easily…

• Do not pull the berry, simply cut berries from the stem.
• Strawberries need a lot of water when flowers develop and mature.
• Pinch the berry plants to ensure good root system and grow effectively.
• Make sure that the potted strawberry plant has a proper drainage system.
• Protect your strawberries from insects and birds especially using row covers.
• Eliminate or prune daughter plants from the main crop as it results in high yielding.
• Spacing should be 10inches apart between each strawberry plant when planted outdoors (landscape garden).
• At the time of fertilizing strawberry plants, wears safety goggles, shoes and long pants to prevent from eye irritations and allergic reactions. 
  

  Is strawberry an annual or perennial?

  Strawberries are treated as annuals that are planted together and the leftover grows as perennials. For annual strawberry plants hill up to the soil about 6-8 inches and spacing between the rows should be 2 inches apart. Provide them right growing conditions to produce tasteful strawberry fruits with high yield.
  

  Can you plant strawberries in the fall?

  To start growing strawberries, plant them in the months of Septemeber and October. The strawberry plants that are established in the fall or early spring season produces high yield berry fruits. They just need a well-drain organic soil with pH ranging from 6-6.8 to grow.

  Why are strawberry leaves turning yellow?

  Strawberry plant leaves may turn yellow because of the deficiency of nitrogen content in the soil. It can also be due to the lack of sunlight and moisture levels caused by overwatering or underwatering.

  How to prune a strawberry plant? 

  Cut the stems down to the ground with pruning scissors, shears or pinch off them with your fingers. While pruning, be careful so as not to damage the strawberry bush or roots. Also remove the runners and small plants away from the strawberry bed in your compost heap. If necessary you can also transplant it to outdoors for better growth.

  Is strawberry plant poisonous to your pets?

  Feed your pets with strawberry fruits in small amounts. Though they love to eat sweet strawberry fruit do not feed them as it may result in diarrhea symptoms. Also keep your loving pets away from strawberry plants, as they eat leaves, fruits and cause great damage to the plant growth.

  Strawberry Plant Benefits

  Here in this section, we will let you know about the possible benefits of strawberries that will make you live happily.

  Culinary

  Strawberry is the most beautiful red-color fruit that can be eaten fresh and cooked immediately or kept frozen. Most kids love berry recipes and as toppings on birthday cakes because of its taste and color. It is also used in Jellies, Jams, Chocolates, Smoothies, Ice-creams and Milkshakes for its sweet flavor.

  Cosmetics

  Strawberry is a vitamin C rich fruit that makes an excellent face mask to combat against the oily skin which is due to change in hormones (at the time of puberty). The oily skin adds dull and boldness to your face. So make use of a strawberry face mask to treat oily skin; it will completely eliminate the oil nature and makes you look fresh and young.

  Brain functioning

  Aged people have the common problem of losing their memory and control over muscles & limbs. This is due to the aging of the brain and nervous system. When you give them strawberries as a snack item; Vitamin C, Iodine and phytochemicals help to neutralize the effects and improve their willpower.

  Cancer

  Regular intake of berries (has anti-carcinogenic properties) for cancer patients helps to fight against tumor and reduce hazardous cancer cells growth. Fiber and folate in berries form an ideal cardiac health pack and reduces cholesterol in arteries, veins.

  Blood pressure
  
  When you consume strawberries as a fruit or its supplement; potassium and magnesium content helps to lower the blood pressure and other risk factors. As potassium is vasodilator it can also reduce hypertension and makes easing the blood flow to various parts of the body.

  Weight loss
  
  Berries are low in sugars, calories and fats help to maintain a balanced diet for your body. It also promotes weight loss due to the presence of high fiber content that can stimulate the metabolic activities, prevent muscles from becoming tired after exercise and reduce appetite.

  Anti-inflammatory
  
  A study shows that women who ate 16 or more strawberries per week have 14% less risk of having elevated levels of CRP. high levels of antioxidants like polyphenols in berries help to fight against inflammatory disorders like osteoarthritis, asthma and atherosclerosis.

  It helps to regulate sugar levels in the blood by making glycemic index (40) stable and for pregnant women to protect against neural tube defects in infants.

It’s fun to grow strawberries in your home that benefits in kitchen items like smoothies, ice-creams, jams and jellies and also monitors health. If you have amazing ideas about growing strawberries indoors, please share your experience with us.

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