Let’s Grow Strawberries on Our Balconies

Is there a balcony in your house? Balcony is usually a small outdoor space at the top of the house with many uses. You may use it as a spot to relax, seek inspiration, or have a little chat with family and friends.  

Despite its small size, your balcony will look prettier and more refreshing if you put a variety of miniature plants. Not only ornamental plants, you can also put certain plants that produce edible fruits that may add your joy at the spot.   

You can imagine how good it feels if you enjoy a cup of tea with a sweet and sour strawberry picked from the plant on your balcony. The atmosphere, especially at night, will certainly bring you a very pleasant moment. 

So, are all fruits suitable to be planted and grown on a balcony? Fruits to grow on your balcony

Growing fruits on the balcony will turn it into a true garden and bring you more comfort. Citing erabaru.net, the following plants are suitable to be grown on your balcony: 

Mangoes

Although it is classified as a type of plant with a large trunk, mango is one of the fruits that can be cultivated on the balcony. Today, there are many fruits that you can grow in pots or containers. 

You can find sellers of mango seeds that can be planted in pots or made from grafting in every city. In fact, there are many online shops that sell seeds of various fruits which are usually planted in pots, in Indonesian language called as tabulampot. 

Figs

Believed for its many benefits, including for alternative medicine, the cultivation of figs made a trend some time ago. Many plant lovers were attracted to planting this plant. 

Moreover, many sellers of the fruit seeds already provide plants that are ready to be moved or have grown around 20 centimeters in polybags. 

Cherry tomatoes

For some tomato lovers, cherry tomatoes tend to be a bit sour. But the sensation of the taste and its rich content of vitamin C make many people consume the fruit. 

It’s even quite easy to plant the fruit. You can just sprinkle the unused cherry tomato seeds into a planting medium that has been mixed with compost or manure. After being moved, this plant needs to get water that is balanced with the conditions of the growing medium. 

Dragon fruits

Dragon fruit is one of the most popular plants because of its sweet taste and soft texture, making this fruit loved by all ages from children to the elderly. 

Planting dragon fruit on the balcony can also be an option because the treatment is not difficult and does not require a large space to grow the fruit. 

Grapes

Grapes are actually easy to grow, as long as they are grown in an adequate space or pot, with a depth of more than 40 centimeters. 

To grow grapes, you must pay attention to the conditions of the soil. It should be loose. Grapes like water, but their roots can’t be flooded. Therefore, many fail to plant grapes because the roots rot under water. For that, it’s important to remove water immediately from the pot. 

Strawberries

This tiny red fruit can also be suitable to grow on a balcony. Strawberries are classified as plants that are not difficult to grow so they do not require special skills. 

How to grow strawberry plants on balcony

Usually identified with a form of love, strawberries are not only delicious for juice or fruit puddings. They are also used as an additional ingredient in cakes. 

With the many benefits and ideas of processing strawberries, it would be interesting to have your own strawberry plant at home. But, for those of you who want to plant it on the balcony of your house, there are several things that need to be considered. 

First, make sure there is adequate light. If your strawberry plants are not exposed to enough sunlight, their growth will be obstructed. Strawberries also require good drainage, otherwise their crown may rot because the soil is too wet. 

Other things you need to know to grow strawberries on your balcony are: 

1. What strawberries need to grow

– A direct sunlight for 8-10 hours every day helps strawberries grow well 

– Humidity of around 70%-80% will stimulate the growth of this fruit 

– The acidity or the ideal soil pH in polybags or pots is 6.5-7. 

– The planting media must be porous, easy to swallow water, and always contain nutrients 

2. How to plant strawberries

Before planting, you have to buy the seeds first. We can also do vegetative nurseries by taking part of the stem as the forerunner of the plant. 

Prepare filling media for pots or polybags consisting of a composition of soil and compost or manure in a ratio of 1:1. Then, make a hole and plant a strawberry seed or stem into it. 

3. Watering

The use of special plant sprinklers or kettles is necessary so that the watering can be carried out properly. This step must be done intensively and if necessary make a schedule. 

You also have to maintain the humidity of the planting medium by not letting the soil dry out. 

4. Plant stitching

Plant stitching or replacing plant seeds that die or are not growing well should be done if the strawberries are stunted, do not grow properly, are damaged, or even die. Swap the dead plants with new seeds in the same planting medium.

This method is very important to do because it can identify problems so that crop failure can be avoided. 

5. Pest and Disease Control

Pests are among the problems that need attention to handling. Make sure there are no pests attached to your plants. 

To prevent this, you can spray pesticides recommended for strawberry plants. In addition, make sure that this plant is not attacked by other animals, such as pigeons and other types of birds. 

How to Fertilize

Inseparably, the application of the right fertilizer at the right time is also the key to boost the productivity of our crops, including strawberries. 

When the age of your strawberry plant turns to two weeks, you have to apply fertilizer to maintain the ability to grow. The use of organic or inorganic fertilizers should be in accordance with predetermined doses. Make sure that there is no fertilizer attached to parts of the plant such as stems, leaves, and fruit. 

With a composition of 16-16-16, NPK Pelangi fertilizer is recommended for strawberry plants. Produced by PT Pupuk Kaltim, the fertilizer is now widely sold. The packaging of this fertilizer is also quite practical,  including 2 kilograms per bag. 

The application of NPK Pelangi 16-16-16 fertilizer is very suitable to support leaf and fruit growth with the intensity of fertilizer application at least once a month. You can simply sprinkle fertilizer granules into the planting medium. 

Please be noted that the fertilizer should not attach to the plants or leaves so that it can effectively support the productivity of the strawberry fruit plants that we plant in pots on the balcony. 

After the fertilization process is carried out optimally, strawberries can begin to grow and bear fruit. There are even seeds that can be harvested at the age of one month. However, strawberries are generally harvested when the age of the plant has turned to two months. 

So, good luck with planting strawberries on your balcony, a great spot where you can enjoy the view and delicious fruits at the same time. 

_{Writen by: Renat Sofie}