Strawberry? No, strawberries!
Part two.
Chapter 4
Well, let's go back to the country. That same year, 2018. Strawberries in pots, eaten up by mice in the winter, nevertheless grew, blossomed, and gave berries. And not even bad, as evidenced by the presented photos.
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But this is only half of what could be. It was clear that the expected harvest will not be. How to rectify the situation?
And here I again paid attention to my bags. Rooted in June, the seedlings in bags did not just look great. She looked defiant. In fact ... After all, it will not be necessary to replant it. That is wasting time. This time! Seedlings will not experience stress when transplanting. These are two! She still has two warm months in stock. And maybe seize September. These are three!
And taking into account all these factors, we made the decision to get the berry right this season. In bags on the old ridges. And the three ridges were renewed, covered with white wrap, right on top of the old one.
Because already in August, the root neck in these bags reached, and even exceeded twenty five millimeters. Three or more horns. And the color had to be torn off daily, and there was no end to it.
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Now I do not know how to say it ... To say that it was just the right decision? Probably it will not be enough. Who to thank? Providence? Good luck Yourself? .. But this was done right on time, correctly and successfully.
In September, the berry went. The first wave. When the berry is the largest and when it is very much. The first wave. But in September! It was a kind of shock. Because we are such an option at all, if considered, it is not in the near future. And she fell here. Right now and right under your feet. Collect!
And we collected. Thanks to this decision, we were able to seriously straighten out, firstly, our financial situation, and at least slightly compensate for the losses caused by damage to strawberries in mice during wintering. Because a very small amount of strawberries planted in September and October gave us another two hundred kilograms of berries. This is when the price for it can be said maximum. And you have practically no competitors.
And secondly, this is another reinforced concrete argument in favor of the “In bag” technology. Yes. This method makes it possible to obtain a crop in the year of planting. Like this. But there is one serious factor that cannot be ignored. Strawberries bloomed very strongly in August and September. Just like in April. But! The bees, though flying, were much smaller than in the spring, and there were no bumblebees at all. And almost half of the flowers were not pollinated. Even in the photo you can see a lot of barren flowers. Therefore, the purchase of bumblebees, and breeding flies specifically for pollination, the necessary measure. The fact that the common fly is a good pollinator was first seen by the Americans.
Well, in the third, again, experience and knowledge. Which no man could give me. Because he hardly knew about this technology himself.
Berry was to the frost in late October. Frosts ... It's a bit early this year. Sorry for the frozen berries, but they reminded me once again - if the greenhouse was covered with a film ...
And therefore, in 2019, the shelter of the greenhouse film, probably the most important task. And I think, having gone all this way, I’ll make such a trifle, and I can finish the job I started.
I do not know whether the recognition of the technology "In Bag" among the berries, and what range it can conquer. There is time the best judge. My task is to bring this technology, this way to all interested parties. To as many people as possible find out about it. Time will tell the rest. For ourselves, we have already decided. We have completely switched to In bag technology. There are still old ridges. Still have strawberries in pots. Next season, they will give their last berry. But there will be no continuation. No crop rotation. No new ridges. No seedlings in cassettes or glasses. No queen cells or greenhouses or plots. No foggers in seedling production technology. It will not be anything. We have already prepared bags for two years with a margin. And with the sale, too. Because it sells well. Good and always sold well. And I suspect that the production of bags and sacks of seedlings will now have to deal with no less, if not more, than the production of berries. For us, this technology has become a breakthrough. With the old ways there was a limit. There was a clear range of possible yields, which on average did not exceed one to one and a half tons per year. In some years it could be more than two tons, usually a ton or so. This is for a square, about ten acres. With the use of technology «In bag», we ourselves consider it quite possible yield of three to five tons per year. Landing is planned within ten acres (minimum). It is possible to add two - three weave. That is, a yield of four kilograms or more per square meter seems completely real. In the greenhouse more due to a longer warm period.
The 2018th year ... I consider it very successful. We launched a greenhouse. Not all yet. Only one third. But still, this is the logical conclusion of the enormous labor of more than one year. And the realization of goals and dreams. And we will finish the job. This year’s berries didn’t give much to a self-sufficient family enterprise, during which the harvest, and then profits, should be enough for a normal life throughout the whole year, until the next harvest. But he gave us the technology "In bag". Such a potential, which removes all the questions and doubts about our choice to do strawberries. And all the years spent. And its true value can only be fully realized after the passage of time.
2019th year.
January. Beginning of the year. I'm in my lodge. There was so much snow this year that there was no talk of any work on the street. We really sealed. All under almost a meter layer of snow. And he continues to pile on. There is some work in the garage. Studs for rooting. Some remaining greenhouse details. And of course the bags. A lot of bags. Lots of. In winter, this is the time. In the summer there will be no time.
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In conclusion, a few words about the technology «In bag». I have no questions for her, of course. But there may be doubts and questions from the reader. How? Where to begin? Where is it applicable? Where to get bags or bags with already planted seedlings? How and what to do next?
This technology is new and still very young. It is designed for varieties of neutral daylight. She appeared in June 2018. That is, the author of these lines did not know about her a month earlier. For ourselves and for small sales, we have fully mastered it. And we are thinking about increasing volumes. And bags with the substrate, and bags with ready-made seedlings can be bought from us. But in general, nothing is known about her yet. At least until the appearance of this article. And even more so, to meet the potential needs for this technology, nothing has been created by anyone yet. The market does not know about it. In order for this technology to occupy an appropriate niche, serious investments are needed. Once I shared my thoughts with one of my foreign friends. He was very positive about this idea, and said that it was a swing to a whole sector in the industry. That is, this requires a certain infrastructure. And this is big money. I have already talked a lot about this technology. But not all. And if among the readers someone is seriously interested in this topic, I have ideas and a vision for the development of this business. There is something to talk about and what tasks to solve.
But what about now? What do those who want to do this today do? Only industrialists and farmers, who have large areas, will not be able to deal with growing strawberries using the “In Bag” technology today, right here and right away. Just because of what I wrote above. There is simply no one yet tens and hundreds of thousands of bags of the “In bag” standard. And while there is no such proposal. But all this is solved. And if they wish, they will be able in a year or two. Just by running this technology yourself. This topic can be interesting for industrialists. And its implementation is quite possible. Of course, the farmer, especially those with hectare areas, will not sit and darn these bags. And then they stuff the substrate. Especially because they need about twenty-five thousand (25,000) per hectare! What can be the way out? Only in establishing horizontal, actual cooperation. It may look like this. In some area there are two dozen farmers who are engaged in growing strawberries. So this is potential buyers. With the appearance of a corresponding demand, there will surely be an enterprising person who wants and can satisfy this demand. Because the expense of its products will go to hundreds of thousands. And maybe millions. And it is profitable. Is the farmer profitable? This question is best to ask them. But I believe that the purchase of seedlings ZKS, the quality is not inferior to the strongest seedlings "frigo", and at a price not exceeding it, does not bear the financial risk, if a person is generally aimed at buying seedlings. And what he can definitely win? He can get a hectare in one hectare, which he used to get in two. Because of this, he can hire fewer collectors and spend less on cultivating the land. And all this is not bad to save. Well, yet he will not need to do a periodic crop rotation. Because at one site you can grow strawberries indefinitely for a long time, every few years, only changing worn film. And God forbid her to perforate! Well, the bags, as they stop functioning. This is two years. That is, this is all like removing the film on the old ridges, plowing the plot, sowing another culture and preparing and setting up a new plot do not need. And he will definitely win if later, he masters his own production of “In Bag” seedlings and purchases only bags with a substrate (capsules). Because at one site you can grow strawberries indefinitely for a long time, every few years, only changing worn film. And God forbid her to perforate! Well, the bags, as they stop functioning. This is two years. That is, this is all like removing the film on the old ridges, plowing the plot, sowing another culture and preparing and setting up a new plot do not need. And he will definitely win if later, he masters his own production of “In Bag” seedlings and purchases only bags with a substrate (capsules). Because at one site you can grow strawberries indefinitely for a long time, every few years, only changing worn film. And God forbid her to perforate! Well, the bags, as they stop functioning. This is two years. That is, this is all like removing the film on the old ridges, plowing the plot, sowing another culture and preparing and setting up a new plot do not need. And he will definitely win if later, he masters his own production of “In Bag” seedlings and purchases only bags with a substrate (capsules). sowing another crop and the preparation and construction of a new plot is not necessary. And he will definitely win if later, he masters his own production of “In Bag” seedlings and purchases only bags with a substrate (capsules). sowing another crop and the preparation and construction of a new plot is not necessary. And he will definitely win if later, he masters his own production of “In Bag” seedlings and purchases only bags with a substrate (capsules).
Of course, there will be some other actions that were not there before. For example wintering bags. It is quite simple. Bags with ridges, just carried in the aisle. But this work did not have to do before. Logistics and transportation. Laying bags. That is, you will have to do something that you have not done at all before. But, in contrast, a lot of operations, actions and movements that were performed before, do not have to. Of course it is difficult to abandon the old and proven technology. Especially if it is debugged. But, it is quite possible that a person who has decided to start growing strawberries, today has no debugged technology or scheme at all. And why not try. So the last word for the farmers.
With small farms everything is much simpler. They will be able to master this technology almost immediately after reading this article. Because any woman who is on “you” with a sewing machine can sew a few hundred bags. And not really straining. These bags can also be soldered. In the future, we plan to do so. It remains only to fill these bags with the substrate and plant strawberries in them. Again, one thousand bags, these are eight thousand bushes. Arithmetic is not complicated.
Fertilizers. We apply Agromaster through the drop. The same effect will give and Crystal. Because these fertilizers are analogs. Either charging the substrate with osmokots with irrigation with plain water. I read a lot about Mivenu. Reviews are almost always very good, but I myself did not use this fertilizer. Just because of his absence. I know that many berries, especially beginners, in fertilizers see a panacea and consider this the main condition. Just with some sort of suspicious distrust perceive the words that it is not only in them. As if this is the main secret that they do not want to share with them. But that's not the point. Plant nutrition is definitely important. But it is impossible to tear out separate pieces from any solid technology, in the hope that this piece is more important and significant for the other parts. Everything must be in its necessary proportions. Comfortable conditions must be created for the roots, and for this you need a good substrate. We also need timely and sufficient watering. Luminance and temperature are equally important. That's when all these conditions are met, then the fertilizer will play the role assigned to it. And then there will be a harvest. But one thing it can not replace the above factors.
Substrate ... We do not have a good nutrient substrate from well-known brands and manufacturers. Therefore, we use neutral peat. He is the cheapest. Also, any other substrate, even if it indicates that it is nutritious, we perceive as empty, that is, without fertilizers. There is an explanation. A year ago, we bought peat in one store. Near the entrance to the store are two large piles of bags with the substrate, the volume of two hundred and fifty liters. On one it is written that it is a neutral peat, on the other it is indicated that the nutrient substrate. (???) The bags in both stacks are exactly the same. That is the same. I became interested in the difference between these substrates, and the salesman, a young guy, without further ado, “burned the whole office,” saying that they make the labels on these bags themselves. For, allegedly, the range and diversity. So it is better not to hope for a good uncle and fertilizer to make yourself. In addition, the neutrals consume it more. This year we plan to try mineral basalt wool as a substrate.
February is still ahead, and quite a bit there before the opening of the season. I finish this article. But the point is still too early. For us, this is now a routine and almost familiar work. For the reader, perhaps interesting material, and yet more experiment. And the purity of the experiment requires a complete production cycle. How strawberries are sailed in “In Bag” bags and what the crop will be at least in the first wave of fruiting. In the greenhouse and on the ridges. This will be the closing of questions and the moment of truth. And by sentence. Therefore...
