 |
Sponsored by INCON CORPORATION |
|
See Also:
|
Main Index > Markets > Horticultural Applications > Hydroponics > Hydroponic Culture of Strawberries in Perlite Hydroponic
Culture of Strawberries in Perlite At the Katsambas farm of the Institute of Vine, Horticulture & Floriculture, a series of experiments were undertaken to determine the performance of horticultural perlite as a substrate in the hydroponic growing of strawberries. The experiments were conducted in a wood framed polyethylene covered glass house with no heating. A vertical growing system was employed and four varieties of strawberries were tested. These were: Brighton, Douglas, Tioga and Tuft. The System The vertical system employed consisted of square containers of expanded polyethylene having a volume of .1 cuft (3.3 liters) each. Containers were stacked on top of each other diagonally so as to form a column. A plastic pipe of 1/2 in (12 mm) diameter was passed through the containers to secure the columns and the columns were suspended from horizontal wires from the glass house roof. Each column was composed of six containers and four planting pockets were created at the corner of each container. An entire column thus contained 24 plants. Nutrient/Water Supply A drip irrigation system was employed to provide nutrient
and water. Drip tubes were inserted in the 1st, 3rd and 5th container from the top of each
column. Nutrient was collected at the base of each column and recycled. Solution was
provided to each column 2-4 times per day depending on weather. Concentrations of the
elements in the nutrient solution are shown in the following table.
Brighton Has Highest Yields Production of strawberries continued for a period of 5 months. Earliest commercial production was from the Brighton variety. Greatest yield was from Brighton as well, followed by Douglas, Tuft and Tioga. Yields for each of the varieties is summarized in the following table.
Photos Strawberry Plants in Perlite Substrate
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
Information given herein is from sources considered
reliable, but no guarantee of accuracy can be made or liability assumed. Your
supplier may be able to provide you with more precise data. Certain compositions or
processes involving perlite may be the subject of patents. |
||||||||||||||||||||||