Growing strawberries upside down is enjoyable and easy. Upside-down planters hold the strawberry plants so that they grow downward.
When hanging strawberries upside down, you may hang the plant on the balcony, helping save your garden space. This growing method appears unusual, yet it will result in juicy strawberries.
So, how do you grow strawberries upside down? Check out the following ultimate guide!
Can You Grow Strawberries Upside Down?
Yes, you can grow strawberries upside down. Hanging strawberries upside down is a new and inventive method to grow these healthy fruits.
However, growing strawberries upside down is not the natural way for the plants to develop. It’s because the stems and leaves naturally grow upward toward the sun.
When you hang the plant upside down, gravity will pull the vines down. This opposing process puts a lot of stress on the plants.
Strawberry Plant Upside Down: Pros
Growing strawberries upside down has several advantages:
- Hanging strawberries upside down on a rope, balcony, ceiling, or trellis helps to save your floor space. You will grow more strawberry plants and harvest more berries.
- The soil is one of the sources of fruit infection caused by fungal diseases and common pests. Upside down strawberry planters prevent soil from clinging to strawberry vines and leaves.
- Strawberry plants upside down will produce less infected fruit. It would help if you had abundant ripe fruit with proper care tips.
- You can harvest them without bending down. It facilitates and expedites harvesting, saving you a lot of time and effort.
Hanging Strawberries Upside Down: Cons
No growing method is ideal. The following are the drawbacks of upside-down planters:
- Upside-down plants must initially struggle against gravity while bearing the fruits.
- Root systems are made to grow downward rather than upward. Forcing them to grow upward can disrupt the root system growth.
- The soil tends to dry out quickly because it’s exposed to too much air.
- The hanging glossy fruit will attract birds.
What Is The Best Way To Plant Strawberries Upside Down?
What is the best way to plant strawberries in pots? Here are a few methods you may use to start raising your homegrown strawberry.
- Trellis System
You may set up a trellis system for your compact strawberry plants, which is still a terrific way to give your plants lots of room for development. It takes a little more time and effort.
- Hanging Planters
Planting strawberries in hanging baskets helps you to save space for your small garden.
Other advantages of hanging strawberry planters are their protection ability from soil-borne illnesses and insect infestations.
How To Grow Strawberries Upside Down?
First, choose the strawberry type that will grow best in your area when you are ready to plant it.
It’s best to consider which types to plant, such as flavor, processing quality, and resistance to root and leaf diseases.
Next, high-quality planters are necessary for proper plant growth. Topsy Turvy strawberry planter is the best option for proper plant growth.
Another option is the hanging planters, which have plastic compartments for each strawberry plant.
After picking the suitable planters, add the soil and place the seedlings in the planters. It would help to hang the planters in a sunny location.
The plants need to get regular irrigation and fertilizer feedings to be healthy. You will see blossoms and green fruit after 3-4 weeks, while the fruits will gradually become crimson as they ripen.
Here is a 10-step tutorial on how to grow strawberries upside down so that the plants produce healthy fruit.
Step1: Choose The Strawberry Varieties
You can grow any strawberry variety as long as you purchase plants from trusted suppliers. Some varieties only bear fruit once a year, but others produce harvests for months or weeks.
- June-bearing plants
In the early summer, June-bearing plants offer a concentrated crop of big, crimson berries with classic strawberry flavor. June-bearing berries are larger, making it better for some uses.
These plants produce a large yield all at once. As a result, the plant only bears fruit for 4-6 weeks.
- Day-neutral varieties
The day-neutral varieties provide an abundant crop in the first year. Growing these strawberry plants in spring, you can harvest berries from late spring to autumn.
The glossy fruit has an attractive long conical shape and is smaller than June-bearing varieties. It is medium firm and has a good sour-sweet balance.
- Everbearing strawberries
Everbearing strawberries are smaller than June-bearing. This variety gives low yield, taking a long time to finish a harvest. It can’t stand hot climates, yet it can tolerate winter.
The advantages of this common fruit are that they’re firmer than June-bearing strawberries, making them easy to freeze and preserve.
They’re also sweeter and taste better than June-bearing strawberries.
- Alpine strawberries
Although alpine strawberries are small, the fruit has a delicious strawberry-pineapple flavor. Alpine strawberries may survive many years in pots and planters.
Step 2: Prepare The Strawberry Upside Down Planter
It’s crucial to pick the appropriate types of containers. Here are common upside-down strawberry planters that gardeners usually use.
- Topsy Turvy Strawberry Planter
The Topsy Turvy strawberry planter is the most creative invention ever for growing fresh strawberries at home. Because of the smart upside-down design of Topsy Turvy, water and nutrients naturally flow readily from the root to the fruit, producing more yield than conventional growing methods.
- Hanging Baskets
This type of container is commonly used to grow strawberries upside down. Strawberries grow well in hanging baskets as it has good drainage and air circulation.
- Plastic Pots
Can you plant strawberries in a pot? Yes, you can. Plastic pots come in various sizes, are strong and lightweight, and have many drainage holes.
- DIY upside down strawberry planter
- Create an upside-down strawberry planter using recycled material, such as a bucket made of metal or plastic.
- After choosing the size of the planter, make several small draining holes at the bottom.
- Hang the bucket using its handle or attach a chain to the top, which can support at least 50 pounds.
The container should have a 10 to 12-inch diameter and an 8-inch depth because growing strawberries needs a large soil capacity.
An ideal container for growing strawberries needs to feature adequate drainage.
The container’s material is important as well. Terra cotta is a porous material that absorbs water. It requires you to check the soil moisture more often.
On the other hand, a plastic planter holds moisture better than a terra cotta one. So, I recommend finding a plastic pot to retain more moisture.
Step 3: Fill The Container With Soil
A loose, loamy potting mix is the ideal soil for strawberries grown in containers. Potting soil can retain moisture yet rapidly drain away any extra water.
I advise using high-quality potting mix and compost 50/50 to fill containers. After preparing the soil, water the soil until it settles down.
Step 4: Place The Plant Into The Pot
- Take an actively growing strawberry seedling with a good root system off the sprouting container.
- Use a stretch fabric to hold the root ball.
- Turn the seedling upside down.
- Carefully put the seedling through the hole of the Topsy Turvy strawberry planter. Keep the space plants 12 to 18 inches apart.
- While holding the root ball in, fill the planter with soil.
Step 5: Use Slow-Release Fertilizer
Your strawberries need a balanced fertilizer feeding every three to four weeks. It’s better to use slow-release 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer for even plant growth and prevention from fertilizer burn.
A bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10% phosphate, 10% potash, and 10% nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilizers are essential for strawberry growth because it maximizes photosynthetic assimilation, resulting in high strawberry yields.
You can also apply organic fertilizers or a blend of plant food every couple of weeks during the growing season.
The common blend is made from blood meal, soybean meal, kelp meal, and alfalfa meal.
Step 6: Hang Your Planter In A Sunny Spot With Good Air Circulation
Upside-down strawberries need direct sunlight for at least 6-8 hours daily. Thus, arrange your hanging pots in a sunny pot with good air circulation around plants.
I recommend rotating the container every three to four days to ensure the plants develop evenly when receiving light from all sides.
In addition, strawberries attract insects, birds, and rodents. It’s best to keep them enclosed with a netting, or a powder-coated steel cage would be better.
Step 7: Do Regular Watering From The Top
Make sure your strawberries are getting adequate water for nourishment. You need to water your plants twice a week from top to bottom.
Be careful not to give the plant excess water, which might result in soggy and rotting plants. I advise you to spray water through drip irrigation to avoid water splashing.
Use a soil moisture meter to check the soil’s moisture level to determine when you need to water it.
If you can, install an internal self-watering reservoir coming with capillary matting or a self-watering planter to encourage earlier ripening.
Step 8: Prune Branches To Increase Fruit Yield
Before new growth starts, prune strawberry trees in late winter or early spring. Pruning can shape the plant and eliminate unhealthy or dead vines.
It also improves air circulation and sunshine penetration. However, avoid severe trimming to prevent excessive regrowth and reduced blooming.
Step 9: Prevent Diseases In Strawberries
Fungal diseases and leaf diseases will reduce fruit production. While fungal infection mainly causes fruit rots, severe leaf diseases may also occasionally infect fruit through the fruit caps.
Colletotrichum fungus is one of the common causes of fruit rot. The fruit symptoms can appear as brown or black water-soaked spots on immature and ripe fruits.
Another fungal disease named Anthracnose fruit rot causes flower blight and fruit rot in warm, wet weather. Therefore, it’s recommended to water the plants early in the morning on a sunny day for speedy drying.
Leather rot makes both ripe and unripe berries become fruit mummies. After that, the gray mold fungus will develop on mummified fruit.
If the crop is seriously infected, remove the infected fruits and infected plants to avoid spreading disease.
Fungicides also may provide chemical control to protect this susceptible fruit from gray mold fruit rot.
One of the best methods for keeping your fruit safe from pests and bad weather is to keep the plant enclosed in a net. The net can also shield the plants from insects and birds.
Step 10: Take Care Of Strawberries Upside Down In Winter
Strawberry roots could freeze in colder climates; therefore, certain containers might break if left outside in cold weather.
You need to place your planters inside a garage or beneath a deck to avoid the threat of frost.
FAQs
What Is The Best Position For Growing Strawberries?
Strawberries are easy to grow in the ground or pots. They thrive in sunny spots.
Should Strawberry Beds Be Rotated?
I don’t recommend growing strawberries in the same field for over 5 years. You should rotate out strawberries every 3 years to get more berries during harvest.
Should Strawberries Float Or Sink?
Strawberries are heavier than water. Thus, a healthy fruit should sink in water.
Conclusion
Growing strawberries upside down may be an enjoyable and profitable way to add a new look to your garden.
Following the 10-step tutorial and basic care above, you will have the opportunity to taste the most beloved summer fruits.
However, it’s not always a success story.
The best way to plant strawberries in pots is to place the plant upward because it’s better for root system development, followed by larger crops.
If you have any experience addressing the problems of hanging strawberries upside down, feel free to leave your comment. Happy gardening!
