Aquaponics - Strawberry runners

I cant tell if the reason the surviving strawberry plant fruited so well, and so deliciously, because it just happened to be thriving, or if it's more suited to aquaponics in some way.

Most of my strawberry plants died, but I suspect the one that did survive was one of those I pulled from my original grow bed. If so it may have survived because it had an enormous root system, where as most of the others were store bought when they were transplanted, and had roots that didn't quite make it out of the cups they were in.

All of them had roots that touched the water in the end, but having a huge root system might have stored some water during those 4 times the water was off. Some of them spent 4 days in my bathroom sitting in a dry bath tub.








Lucky for me the one plant that did well is sending out runners. They seem quite healthy, and if it did thrive because it's extra suitable, I'll at least have some more to go on with.




















120 Things in 20 years not just one plant hanging on by the skin of its teeth, but actual aquaponics strawberry runners!

4 comments:

  1. I've read that if a plant struggles a little bit - a bit less than all the water it needs, it tastes better. Vinyards don't water their vines unless necessary to stave of death for this very reason.

    Makes me wonder if we ought to do an intentional drying just to flavour the produce in AP?

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  2. That's an interesting point. Less water in grapes does mean higher sugar content and more concentrated flavours. Grapes are a funny kind of sack of water, so it might just apply to them. I know with oranges, the more water you give them as the fruit is developing the better. (obviously within reason) I have mandarins lying on the ground because they taste dry, woody, and generally horrible due to the house being empty before we moved in, and nobody being around to water the tree as the fruit developed.

    Yet more tests required, but a very interesting idea. Please let me know if you do any work on it, I'd live to see the results.

    Tomatoes would be an interesting one to test as well.

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  3. I've read a lot of people don't like the taste of hydroponic and aquaponics tomatoes. Too bland.

    Might be something similar to grapes.

    I am planning on doing an Aquaponics SIP tomato rig this summer. I may need to do a few other tomato plants as controls.

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  4. Really! Mine are delicious. I'd guess it would have more to do with a lack of some essential nutrient.

    A good quality food should supply everything,but if not some seasol, iron, and eco-rose can be added.

    Certain plants strip nutrients from whatever they are growing in. Tomatoes are one of those. If you grow a lot of tomatoes, I guess it's possible they might strip the bed of something that gives them flavour. Yet another reason for abandoning mono-culture.

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