Vertical Columns With Strawberries. Method Evaluation

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Beautiful photos of growing strawberries using Dutch technology in a vertical culture give rise to the desire of gardeners to embody unusual designs on their site. Bright red berries, hanging in clusters like a garland on a Christmas tree, beckon to pick them and taste them. And as for aesthetic pleasure, to be sure

For growing in vertical columns, there is no point in using varieties with a one-time harvest: early, mid-season and late. They finish fruiting quickly, then only greens with many hanging whiskers remain. Which in itself is also beautiful, but not practical.

Therefore, for greater profitability of this event, any remontant varieties of large-fruited garden strawberries (Queen Elizabeth 2, Moscow delicacy, Temptation, Albion) are better suited. They yield from June until frost. First, 2 collections on the main bushes and the third on the mustache formed in the same season.

The load on mother plants is very high. After 3 years, the planting material will have to be replaced. Therefore, one should not rely on endlessly fruitful "columns" for many years.

It should be noted that there are no climbing strawberry varieties. But the mustache can be directed in any direction. If you pin them with a wire to the trellis, then they grow in a vertical direction upwards. It is advisable to provide them with a substrate so as not to deplete the mother bushes ahead of time, getting a full harvest in the fall.

Some gardeners ask about growing strawberries in thick PVC pipes that are used for sewage. Usually their diameter does not exceed 15-20 cm. This is a very small volume for the roots. The plantings look beautiful, but in fact the plants will suffer greatly from lack of nutrition and drought. It is more expedient to make vertical "beds" ourselves from a construction mesh of sufficient size for the normal growth of strawberries.

Before proceeding with the creation of such a design, we will analyze all the positive and negative aspects of this technology.

"Cons" of the method:

1. Frequent watering, top dressing (there is little soil, it dries up faster, depletes).

2. Mandatory wind protection plus good support so that the structure does not accidentally fall.

3. For irrigation, a special system of uniform distribution of moisture over the entire height is required.

4. Protection of soil from washout.

5. Two contradictions. Strawberries need good lighting, but the roots overheat from direct sunlight.

6. The problematic nature of wintering. There is a high probability of freezing or drying out of bushes.

7. The fragility of both plants and the structure itself.

8. Additional materials and labor costs to create a "masterpiece".

But it is not all that bad. There are also positive aspects of this method:

• easier harvesting (no need to bend your back, picking each berry);

• mulching of row spacings is not required;

• products always have a presentation (clean, even in rainy weather);

• less frequently affected by pests and birds;

• good ventilation of plantings reduces the likelihood of diseases (gray fruit rot);

• the yield per unit area increases by 3-4 times, due to the greater number of plants per 1 square meter;

• labor costs for weeding and picking berries are reduced (they are clearly visible and accessible);

• beautiful decorative view (you can admire these "masterpieces" for hours).

As you can see, the ratio of the advantages and disadvantages of growing garden strawberries in a vertical culture is approximately the same. Therefore, if there is a great desire and opportunity, then why not try this method on your site. Practice first on 2-3 "beds". Realistically evaluate all the pros and cons on your own experience. Then you can draw conclusions whether it is worth continuing your experiment further or not.