Set the plant so the base of the crown sits level with the top of the growing medium: roots below, crown above. Too deep and the crown rots. Too shallow and the top roots dry out.
Finding the Crown
The crown is the short, thick, woody stem between the roots and the leaf stalks. On a bare-root plant it is easy to see. The point where the roots begin is the line you are aiming to match with the surface of the medium.
Planting Step by Step
- Feed the roots down through the net cup so they hang out of the bottom.
- Hold the plant at the right height with one hand.
- Fill around the roots with clay pebbles, working them in gently.
- Stop when the pebbles reach the base of the crown. The growing point in the center should be clear and dry.
Too Deep
A buried crown stays damp. The center of the plant turns brown and soft, new leaves fail to emerge and the plant collapses. In a Kratky container this is made worse if the solution is high enough to wet the crown.
Too Shallow
If the upper roots are exposed above the pebbles they dry out, and the plant rocks about in the cup. It grows slowly and wilts easily.
Fixing It Later
Crowns can lift as roots grow, and pebbles settle. Check after the first week or two. Add or remove a few pebbles to bring the surface back to the base of the crown. It is a small adjustment that is easy to make before the roots fill the cup.
Related guide: How a strawberry plant grows.
