Strawberries are usually grown in rows outdoors, but vertical strawberry cultivation has been gaining more and more importance in recent years. The compact root system of strawberry plants even makes it possible to successfully grow strawberries in PVC pipes with a sufficiently large diameter. This method not only offers a good opportunity to save a few valuable square meters, but also brings many other advantages such as higher yields or less maintenance. There are basically two ways to plant strawberries in a tube: vertical and horizontal. We'll tell you what the differences are and show you how you can build a strawberry tube yourself.
Advantages and disadvantages of planting in a tube
Advantages of the cultivation method:
- You save space – the harvest yield per square meter is up to five times higher.
- Mobility – If necessary, the strawberry tube can be moved to another location.
- Minimal Maintenance – This method eliminates labor-intensive weeding.
- Strawberries in the cane are less susceptible to diseases and pests.
- TheHarvesting the plantsis quick and convenient. The fruits have no contact with the ground and remain clean.
Disadvantages:
- The soil in the pipe needs frequent watering because of its small mass and dries out more quickly.
- There is a chance that the soil in the pipe will freeze in the winter, killing the strawberry plants.
PVC pipes are poor conductors of heat and this property can have a negative impact on plants. For example, if the temperature differences in the morning and evening are extreme. With this growing method, the contact area of the soil with cold air is much larger and the PVC pipes will lose residual heat from the sun in 2-3 hours. This means the plants will spend the entire night in cold soil. This also makes overwintering strawberries in the cane difficult. One option would be to lay the pipes horizontally on the floor and use a suitable covering material.
Plant strawberries vertically or horizontally?
Pipes placed vertically take up less space. They also fit in a large bucket and canbe placed on the balcony. Saving space is a particularly important issue, even if you want to grow strawberries in a greenhouse or on a small plot. Vertical tubes of fruit are also more visually appealing than standard planting and can be integrated into landscape design in interesting ways. How about a green privacy wall for the terrace?
Horizontal pipes, on the other hand, are arranged in rows or cascades. They usually need a sturdy frame, but can also be attached to a fence or an outside wall. It is also possible to put strawberries inCultivate hydroponically.
What materials and tools are needed to build a strawberry tube?
Growing strawberries horizontally or vertically in a tube requires some material investments, but these will pay off in the future. To build the strawberry tubes you need:
- a PVC pipe with a large diameter – e.g. ø 100 – 150 mm
- End caps: for vertically installed pipes – 1 piece, for horizontal installation – 2 pieces
- For irrigation – a small diameter plastic pipe, about ø 20 mm. These are mostly used for cold water.
- 1 cap for the thin tube
- Garden fleece or burlap to seal the irrigation pipe and prevent the holes from clogging
- a hole saw
- a drill with a small tip
- high quality soil
- Expanded clay or gravel for drainage layer
- Seedlings of an ever-bearing variety
Think about where and how you can attach the strawberry ears. Consider available space, mounting options, and facility limitations.
Plant the fruit vertically
These are particularly suitable for growing in pipesever-bearing strawberry varieties. These are still referred to as “remontant” and enable strawberry cultivation almost all year round.
Strawberry varieties that bear multiple times are e.g. B:
Kitty Schindler
Cardinal
Alba
Albion
Nova Core
Ostara
Evita
Mara de Bois
Sweatheart
Pray
Fresh
Muir
Selva
Thuriga
and tributes.
The hanging strawberries like “Mount Everest” also feel very comfortable in the vertical tube.
Building instructions for the strawberry tube
1. First determine the height of the structure. The irrigation pipe should be slightly higher.
2. Measure and cut the large tube.
3. Use the hole saw to make holes, each about 10 cm in diameter, in staggered rows. They must be spaced at a distance of 20 cm from each other. Start about 20 cm above the bottom and leave 10 cm free at the top.
4. The end cap is placed at the bottom end.
If you don't have a hole saw, you can also make the cutouts with a jigsaw. They don't have to be perfectly round, but rather big enough so that the strawberries feel comfortable there.
5. Prepare the thin pipe for irrigation. It needs to be about 10cm longer than the big pipe. Measure and cut to size.
6. Mark 20 cm at the bottom and 10 cm at the top. Small holes are drilled in the middle part of the pipe.
7. The pipe is wrapped with burlap and fixed with wire to ensure even watering and prevent roots from overgrowing through the holes.
8. Place the pipe cap on the lower end.
9. The large pipe is installed vertically in the ground, in a raised bed or in a bucket.
10. The thin tube is attached in the middle of the large one.
11. Add an 8-10 cm drainage layer to the bottom of the thick pipe. It also provides more stability.
12. Fill the large pipe with soil up to the first hole. Place the roots vertically in the hole and carefully pull the leaves through the hole. Then fill with soil and plant the rest of the seedlings.
Plant the fruit horizontally
The strawberry varieties mentioned above are also well suited for this cultivation method.
The holes for planting the strawberries are prepared in the same way using the hole saw. But the filling process is a little different.
Horizontal planting of fruit occurs almost like in normal beds:
1. Drill holes in the large pipe in a row about 20cm apart.
2. Place the pipe caps on both ends.
3. Spread the drainage material at the bottom of the pipe. 3 cm of drainage is sufficient.
4. Spread soil over the drainage layer. Place the seedlings in the holes and fill with soil.
In this method, the strawberry tubes are usually placed at a slight angle for excess water drainage. However, if they are laid parallel to the floor, you can also drill a few small holes so that excess water can drain away. Alternatively, you can also connect an irrigation hose for drip irrigation.
Horizontally laid strawberry tubes and hydroponics
PVC pipes are perfect for use in hydroponics because they allow for easy water circulation.With the hydroponic cultivation methodA pump is connected to the pipes, which supplies the nutrient solution to the roots of the plants. Instead of soil, substrates such as coconut chips, expanded clay, vermiculite or even ordinary gravel are used. Ready-made mixtures for growing strawberries in hydroponics are available for sale. It is enough to dilute these mixtures with constant clean water according to the instructions and ensure that they feed the roots in the desired regime.
