How to Grow Strawberries Indoors: 2 Easy and Natural
- First, you can start from seeds, but this is a bit time consuming.
- Second, you can start by buying small runners. These runners come from nurseries where you can pick them up, take them home and plant them inside your home.
Materials required for growing strawberries indoors
Before you grow strawberries indoors, you need to gather a few things:
- Potting soil : You can use peat moss or coconut coir.
- Perlite : This is great for drainage and aeration.
- Slow-release organic fertilizer.
- A pot : If you don’t have drainage holes, don’t worry. Just don’t overwater.
The right way to grow strawberries indoors
First, I mix some slow-release organic fertilizer into the soil. Then I moisten it with a little water. This helps prevent dust dispersion. Adding perlite to the soil improves drainage and aeration.
Learn more: How to Grow Tomatoes in Pots
Now, it’s time How to plant strawberries indoors. First, I put some soil at the bottom of the pot. Strawberries should not be planted too deep. The green part (leaves) should remain above the soil, and the roots below. If you are getting the plant from the nursery, gently pull it out and place it in the new pot.
The right way to water strawberries indoors
How to grow strawberries indoors They don't need a lot of water. I don't water until the soil dries out a little. If your pot doesn't have drainage holes, don't overwater. If water starts to collect, pour it out.
Learn more; How to Grow Onions at Home Without Seeds
How to Pollinate Strawberries Indoors?
Outdoors, bees and insects help pollinate strawberries, but indoors you'll need help to pollinate strawberries.
Why is hand pollination necessary?
If you've ever grown strawberry plants indoors, you've probably noticed that without pollination, the fruits produced are either very few or the ones that do grow are ugly and tasteless. There are a few reasons for this:
Lack of natural pollination
In plants grown outdoors, bees and wind are responsible for pollination. But if you are growing plants indoors or in a basement, both of these are absent. I once tried to provide air by installing a fan, but even that only resulted in 20% fruiting. It was only when I started hand pollinating that the number of fruits on my plants increased.
ugly fruit
When indoor strawberry plants are not fully pollinated, the fruit becomes misshapen and tasteless.
The indoor strawberry fruit will ripen, but it will not be perfectly round. This is because not every part of the flower was pollinated. And when the fruit is fully pollinated, it is beautiful, round and sweet.
Understanding the Parts of a Strawberry Flower
Let's understand in simple terms how a strawberry flower works. The flower has three main parts:
- Stock: It connects the flower to the root.
- Pistil: It is the female part of the flower.
- Stamen: It is the male part of the flower.
Pollination occurs when pollen from the male part (stamen) reaches the stigma of the female part (pistil).
Self-Pollination and Cross-Pollination
Self-Pollination:
In this, the pollen reaches the same flower or another flower of the same plant. But the plant does not like this because it prevents genetic diversity.
Cross-Pollination:
In this, the pollen reaches the flower of one plant to the flower of another plant. This increases genetic diversity, so that the plant can fight diseases or pests better.
How to Hand Pollinate Strawberry Plants Indoors?
Now on to the most important part: how to hand pollinate a strawberry plant indoors.
Items needed:
A soft makeup brush (like a foundation brush). You can get this online for about $10.
A little time and patience.
Procedure:
- Collect pollen from the male part of the flower (the stamen).
- Now rub this pollen gently on the female part (the pistil).
- Do the same for other flowers on the same plant.
- If you have plants of different species, hand pollinate them too.
- Collect pollen from the male part of the flower (the stamen).
- Now rub this pollen gently on the female part (the pistil).
- Do the same for other flowers on the same plant.
- If you have plants of different species, hand pollinate them too.
(A little tip: you don't need to have too delicate hands. This is just like a bee.)
Benefits of Pollinating Strawberry Plants
Better Fruit:
When you hand pollinate, the fruits are rounder, prettier and sweeter.
Higher Yield:
When I hand pollinated my strawberry plants at home, I had a significant increase in the number of fruits on my plants.
More article; How to Grow Spinach at Home
Benefits of growing strawberry plants indoors
There are no bees outside in January, but indoors you can pollinate anytime.
Which variety to choose?
Alpine strawberries – small, sweet fruit, fewer runners.
Regular garden strawberries – more fruit, but also produce more runners.
Conclusion
If you start from seeds, it can take up to 6 months to get fruit. So I recommend starting with runners. You can give these runners to friends or plant them outside.
So today you learned how to grow strawberry plants at home and what to do to pollinate them. If you liked this article, like it and share it with your friends. Thanks! 😊
Enjoy aromatic fruit gardening! 🍓🌿
