Strawberry Plants for Kratky Growing

A strawberry plant grows from a crown, the short, thick stem at its center. Leaves, flowers and roots all come from it.

• Crown height matters most. The crown must sit above the growing medium and well above the solution. A buried or wet crown rots. A crown set too high lets the top roots dry out.
• Roots grow down from the base of the crown into the container.
• Runners are long stems the plant sends out to make new plants. In a container they take energy away from fruit, so most growers snip them off.

• Bare-root crowns are dormant plants sold without soil. They are inexpensive, widely available in late winter and spring, and suit hydroponics well because there is no soil to wash off.
• Plugs are young plants already growing in a small block of medium. They establish quickly but cost more.
• Potted nursery plants work if you rinse all the soil from the roots first, gently and thoroughly.
• Seed is the slow route. Seedlings take months to reach fruiting size, and most named varieties are not sold as seed.

Trim any dead or very long roots, feed the roots down through the net cup so they reach the solution, and fill around them with clay pebbles to hold the plant upright. Check that the crown is sitting above the pebbles, not in them.

A bare-root plant usually leafs out within a couple of weeks. Day-neutral and everbearing varieties often begin flowering within about three months of planting when light and temperature are right. Some growers remove the first flush of flowers so the plant builds roots and leaves first. A plant can keep producing for many months, though fruit size and yield tend to fall as it ages.

• Bare-Root vs Plug Strawberry Plants for Hydroponics
• How Deep to Plant a Strawberry Crown in a Net Cup
• How Long Do Kratky Strawberries Take to Fruit?
• Should You Cut Strawberry Runners in a Kratky Container?