CULTIVATION
Want a huge crop of giant strawberries? Try this simple homemade fertilizer
Yeast, sugar and a little bit of patience are the key ingredients to ensure your strawberry patch flourishes this year.
Frustrated with your strawberry patch? Tired of tiny, tasteless strawberries popping out despite all hard and dedication? Fear not, amateur growers, as one fellow enthusiast has come across a homemade fertilizer to ensure your strawberries are bigger, better, juicier and tastier than ever.
Homemade fertilizer ingredients for strawberries
And the best bit is there’s not too much to it, although a little bit of patience will be required, as Sarah Jensen of WECB Radio has revealed. Here’s what you’ll need for your magic potion:
How to make your strawberry fertilizer
Once you’ve mixed the three ingredients together in the bowl, let it sit at room temperature for around 24 hours (that’s where patience comes in). Then dilute the mixture with water at a ratio of 1:5 (one part mixture, five parts water) and you’re good to go.
Jensen then recommends watering each plant with half a liter of the fertilizer before sitting back and waiting for the magic to happen.
The B vitamins, proteins, and minerals such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium that yeast possesses makes it akin to a “superfood” for plants, helping with growth.
Sugar, meanwhile, enhances soil structure and water retention, which will also help those strawberries flourish. And, of course, those of you with a sweet tooth may also find the extra sugariness to your liking.
When is the best time to grow strawberries in the United States?
Growing season obviously varies from state to state in the US, given the size of the country and its differing climates.
There are usually fresh strawberries in California (where 80% of all strawberries in the United States come from) all year round, while Florida has the second longest growing season, from November to April.
New York, Michigan, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington also have relatively lengthy periods which are conducive to growing strawberries.
For most southern states, best results are obtained between April and June, while states with cooler climates will likely have to wait until June for strawberries, although they often last until the end of summer.
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