| APRIL 24, 1998 | VOL. 14, NO. 33 |
| PAGE 1 |
Charles
Johnson, right, LSU Agricultural Center professor, and research associate Ho
Huu An of Hanoi Agricultural University in Vietnam are pictured with the early
strawberry crop they grew in a greenhouse, stacking pots in groups of eight
to save space. Grown hydroponically, the researchers can produce the equivalent
of 10 acres of strawberries in 6,000 square feet of floor space.
Those who love strawberries but don't have the space to grow enough strawberry plants to harvest much of a crop might want to try a technique being perfected by LSU Ag Center researchers.
Instead of plants sprawling on the ground--and suffering damage every time there's a heavy rainfall--strawberries can be grown successfully in towers of pots. The backyard hobbyist can produce enough berries for the average family's needs.
"This method is ideal for patio gardeners, as well as greenhouse growers," explained LSU horticulture professor Charles Johnson. Each large, square styrofoam pot holds four strawberry plants. In the LSU greenhouse, the pots are stacked eight high, each pot offset from the ones below and above, with the plants growing in the corners of each pot. A metal rod down the center provides support, and an automatic watering system supplies water and liquid fertilizer to the top pot, which drains down through the other pots. The potting mixture is perlite and pine bark.
Total space required for the tower? One square foot. Yield? 32 pints of strawberries.
Growing strawberries in the greenhouse comes with advantages as well as challenges, Johnson said. While small commercial greenhouse growers can produce berries earlier than those grown in the field and protect the crop from adverse weather, the problem of pollination is created. "We have to use a vibrator to transfer the pollen or buy specially bred bumblebees to do the job of pollinating the plants," he said. And, if any disease is present in the plants, it may be harbored and spread in greenhouse conditions.
But the big advantage is that the equivalent of approximately 10 acres of strawberries can be grown in 6,000 square feet of greenhouse space.
This way of producing strawberries would not fit into everyone's management system, Johnson pointed out, but it may help area farmers. "If they are growing greenhouse tomatoes, they might want to try this method of growing strawberries."
Johnson's greenhouse crop was planted Oct. 15, and harvesting began the last week of December. By early March, the crop was finished.
"This technique has been very successful," Johnson said. "We have a strong commercial farming industry in Louisiana. This is a great new way of growing and marketing strawberries. It is very expensive to grow strawberries in the field. We're trying to hit a market window when berries are not being grown. After Louisiana's crop has been exhausted, berries from farther north are brought in and sold here, as well as berries from California and Florida." Expanding Louisiana's strawberry season would be a boon for local growers, he added.
--Sarah Sue Goldsmith
