Kratky Strawberry Setup

• An opaque container with a lid
• Net cups, usually 3 inch for strawberries
• A growing medium such as clay pebbles
• Hydroponic nutrients
• A pH test kit or meter, plus pH adjuster
• Strawberry plants

1. Cut the lid. Make a hole for each net cup so the rim of the cup rests on the lid. Space plants about 8 to 12 inches apart.
2. Mix the solution. Fill the container with water, add hydroponic nutrients following the label, and stir well.
3. Set the pH. Test the solution and adjust it to between 5.5 and 6.5.
4. Set the level. The solution should just touch the bottom of the net cups when the lid is on.
5. Plant. Feed the roots through each net cup, fill around them with clay pebbles and keep the crown above the pebbles.
6. Place it. Put the container where it gets 6 to 8 hours of direct sun, or under a grow light.

For the first week or two the roots are short, so keep the solution touching the bottom of the cups. Once roots are growing down into the container, let the level fall and do not refill to the top again. The gap that opens up is where the roots get their oxygen.

• Check the level every few days. Strawberries drink quickly once they are fruiting.
• Top up before it runs low, but only part way. Always leave an air gap of a few inches under the lid.
• Test the pH each time you top up.
• Replace the whole solution every few weeks, or sooner if it turns cloudy or smells.
• Snip runners and dead leaves so the plant puts its energy into fruit.

• How to Move a Soil-Grown Strawberry Plant Into a Kratky Container