Home Removal Services Blog

Have you ever considered growing your own hydroponic strawberries? You really should do because they are delicious and you could sell them for money!

Below is a list of why hydroponic strawberries beat traditional soil grown strawberries.

1. You don’t need a garden to grow hydroponic strawberries so anybody can do it! If you live in a crowded apartment block in the city centre you can grow them! If you live in the desert or Antarctica then its not a problem!

2. Because you’re not using soil, no soil borne diseases will be passed on to the plants! This solves a big problem for many gardeners.

3. You will have no need to purchase expensive pesticides to kill any soil loving pests. Your strawberries will remain organic as a result.

4. Once you are all up and running, your running costs will be around 20% lower than with traditional soil based gardening.

5. You can grow more hydroponic strawberries in a smaller area! This is due to the decreased size of the roots as they don’t have to spread out to find nutrients. So you will be able to grow more in your growing trays.

6. Maintenance is greatly reduced as soon as everything is set up. There is no need to water them as they already have all the nutrients they need and there is no weeding with hydroponics. In fact all you really need to do is pick them as and when you want them.

7. The strawberry yield will be year round. You control their environment and you will have everything set to their optimum growing conditions so they will continue to produce 365 days a year.

8. You can grow hydroponic strawberries anywhere; rooftop, window ledge, cellar, corridor, greenhouse, conservatory or living room.

9. Hydroponic strawberries grow on average 40% larger than their soil born brothers. This is because you have created their ideal growing environment and they have full access to all the nutrients they need. Money in the bank!

Hydroponic Strawberries are delicious and there is an opportunity to make some real money especially if you sell them off season for high prices. You should set up your own Hydroponic Strawberries system, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

As summer closes and fall settles in, you may notice insect pests are settling in your greenhouse, too. Vegetation in your greenhouse provides an appetizing alternative to the outside garden. Aphids are a common greenhouse problem, and not the easiest to combat.

The first step in dealing with aphids in your garden greenhouse is to make sure you carefully monitor plants you choose to transplant into your greenhouse. Plants selected for your greenhouse should be healthy and vigorous. In addition, you should spray them down with your garden hose to knock off any hitchhikers. If the plant has an obvious insect infestation, do not bring it into your greenhouse without more drastic measures. You can spray it with an insect control spray, or enclose it with a plastic bag in which you place an insecticide strip for two or three days. After taking your plants out of the treatment bag, hose them down before transplanting them to your greenhouse.

Sometimes aphids can become established no matter how careful you are in your preparations and preventative tactics. In this case, there are several alternative paths you can take. If you are a purist and do not want to use insecticides in our greenhouse environment, you have a couple options. Hosing down infected plants with a powerful stream from your garden hose can be effective for a while. If you plan on closing down your greenhouse soon, this may be the best option. Some hobby greenhouse gardeners choose to shut their greenhouse down for anywhere from 2-4 months in the winter allowing Mother Nature to take over and freeze out insect pests. If you want a little more aggressive natural control, diatomaceous earth is effective. You can sprinkle this powder on and under leaves of effected plants. If you catch the problem early and have isolated insects in one part of your greenhouse, this can be an effective control.

Another way to control your aphid problem is to use a fast acting insecticide that is safe for using on vegetable gardens. There are several varieties out there that are “garden safe.” Check your local garden center or hardware store for alternatives. Most of these involve an organic insecticidal soap that takes care of aphids, or at least significantly reduces their number. You can also make your own version of this by mixing a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent with water in a quart sprayer. The soap coats the aphids and reduces their numbers. You have to spray every day for best results, paying particular attention to the underside of leaves of infected plants.

Another alternative to aphid control are biological controls, such as lacewings, ladybugs and midges. Several companies provide these predators for your greenhouses. If using this approach, be sure to limit your use of insecticidal spray, as it will kill off your predator population, as well as your pests.

Using a combination of the above controls, you can keep your greenhouse healthy and productive throughout the fall and winter greenhouse growing seasons.

Betsy Woodworth writes about gardening advice and also about how to build a greenhouse.