Cultivating everbearing strawberries year-round? It is possible!

Hydroponic strawberry growing is revolutionising the way we enjoy strawberries, offering a sweet taste of summer – even in winter! Traditionally, commercial strawberry growers have been limited to cultivating strawberries during the warmer months. However, many commercial growers are now discovering the benefits of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). By optimising strawberry production through advanced techniques such as indoor plant propagation on ebb and flood tables, and using new innovative ways of growing they can ensure high-quality fruit yield and profitability. CEA allows growers to meet market demands by reducing dependency on outdoor weather conditions, ensuring fresh, high-quality strawberries year-round. This is especially valuable in winter when off-season produce prices peak, presenting a lucrative opportunity for growers.

In this article, we will explore key strategies to achieve year-round cultivation of everbearing strawberries, focusing on:

• Choosing a variety that allows you to grow year-round
• Keeping strawberry plants active in winter
• Effective root zone management

Choosing the suitable variety of strawberry plants for commercial strawberry growing: everbearers vs junebearers

The benefits of everbearers

Choosing the right variety impacts the consistency and quality of your strawberry yield. Everbearing strawberries offer continuous production, which means a steady supply of strawberries throughout the year. This is in contrast to junebearers, which have a limited production window and can only produce for a short period.

Why growers prefer junebearers

Despite their advantages, everbearers are not widely used for winter production due to their susceptibility to dormancy during colder months. This dormancy issue has traditionally made junebearers the preferred choice for winter cultivation, as they can be more easily managed in controlled environments. However, growing everbearers successfully in winter is possible but requires proper irrigation and lighting strategies.

Keeping everbearers active in winter

To keep everbearing strawberries active and out of dormancy during winter, it is essential to integrate effective lighting and irrigation strategies. Here’s how you can achieve this:

Maintain higher temperatures

Ensure the greenhouse temperature remains higher than the typical autumn temperatures, targeting an average of 19.5°C during mid-winter. This higher temperature works in conjunction with the lighting to keep the strawberry plants from entering dormancy.

Energy efficiency

Utilise Next Generation Growing principles to keep energy screens at least 90% closed at night. This approach minimises heat input and reduces energy consumption. In a recent trial, we used less than 2m3 of natural gas to heat the greenhouse, with the lighting providing additional warmth.

Effective root zone management

Effective root zone management is pivotal for the health and productivity of strawberry plants. Stone wool growing media, in combination with precise irrigation systems, offers unparalleled control and steerability over the growing conditions. Here’s how to optimise root zone management for cultivating everbearing strawberries:

Ebb-and-flood irrigation system

Implement an ebb-and-flood irrigation system to maintain optimal moisture balance. This system ensures uniform water distribution, from the root zone to the leaves, preventing water stress and promoting healthy growth.

Monitor and adjust EC and pH

Utilise sensors like Grodan’s GroSens to constantly monitor the electrical conductivity (EC), drain EC, and water content percentage (WC%) in the slabs. This data allows you to fine-tune the irrigation schedule and fertilizer recipe, maintaining stable pH and EC levels for optimal nutrient uptake.

Flexible irrigation strategies

Experiment with different EC levels during the propagation phase to identify the most effective irrigation strategy for your plants. For instance, in our trial, we tested targeted irrigation at EC levels of 2, 3, and 4 mS/cm to determine the best approach.

Conclusion

By integrating stone wool growing media with advanced LED lighting and precise root zone management, growers can successfully cultivate everbearing strawberries year-round, empowering them to consistently produce high-quality strawberries and meet market demands.

Learn more about year-round strawberry cultivation using everbearers in a controlled environment: Download our whitepaper!