Growing strawberries in a hydro tower: sweet fruit without soil
In the tower, strawberries hang freely, never lie on damp soil and stay clean. Here I show you how to start them from seed or young plants, keep the crown dry, pollinate the flowers and harvest for a long time.
Why strawberries suit the hydro tower so well
Strawberries are made for the tower. The fruits hang down freely, never lie on wet soil and stay clean. Slugs can’t reach them, and you pick standing up. You fit so many plants on little floor space that a real strawberry wall forms on the fence.
Two things are different with strawberries than with lettuce: the crown of the plant mustn’t be wet all the time, otherwise it rots. And strawberries bear fruit, so they need a different nutrient supply for flowering. I show you both step by step.
| Sorte: | Hersteller: |
Dünger, EC und pH
| Phase | EC (mS/cm) | Frankies Dünger | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anzucht (erste Blätter) | 0,4 | 0,5 ml pro Liter | 5,5 bis 6,5 |
| Jungpflanze | 0,7 | 1 ml pro Liter | 5,5 bis 6,5 |
| Wachstum im Tower | 1,1 | 2 ml pro Liter | 5,5 bis 6,5 |
| Blüte und Früchte | bis 1,4 | Blütedünger nach EC | 5,5 bis 6,5 |
Zeitplan und Beobachtungen
Pflege
- Samen nur andrücken, nicht abdecken: Lichtkeimer.
- Erde von gekauften Pflanzen gründlich abspülen.
- Herz über dem Stützring, damit es trocken bleibt.
- Drinnen kurze Pumpenzeiten, sonst bleibt alles zu nass.
- Blüten mit dem Pinsel bestäuben.
- Ausläufer abschneiden, das bringt mehr Früchte.
Grauschimmel: grauer Pelz auf Früchten. Für Luft sorgen, befallene Früchte sofort entfernen.
Spinnmilben: feine Gespinste, helle Punkte auf den Blättern. Drinnen bei trockener, warmer Luft.
Blattläuse: an jungen Blättern und Blüten. Mit Wasser abbrausen.
Echter Mehltau: weißer Belag, Blattränder rollen sich ein. Luftbewegung, befallene Blätter weg.
Mein Tipp für draußen: Bei Hitze 15 an / 15 aus, ein Vogelschutznetz schützt die reifen Früchte.
Wasserwechsel und Messwerte
| Datum | Wasser neu | EC | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ |
| Datum | Wasser neu | EC | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ | |||
| ☐ |
Strawberry profile
| What | Value |
|---|---|
| Plant group | fruiting plant (rose family) |
| Start | from seed, young plants or runners |
| Germination type | light germinator, don’t cover seeds |
| Germination temperature | 18 to 22 °C |
| Germination time | usually 2 to 4 weeks, sometimes longer |
| pH value | 5.5 to 6.5 |
| EC value | 0.4 (seedlings) to 1.4 (fruit) |
| Light indoors | 300 to 350 PPFD, 14 to 16 hours |
| Water temperature | 18 to 22 °C |
| Harvest | about 4 to 6 weeks after flowering |
| Special point | keep the crown dry, use a support ring |
You’ll find all values to print on the growing card above. The values for all other plants are in the pH and EC table (German).
My tip for your strawberries
Your strawberry wall: the HydroFlex Tower 9+
37 litre tank and room for 27 plants and more. Enough for a real strawberry harvest, and with the big tank you top up less often in summer.
Your growing plan
Here you can see all phases at a glance. Tap a phase, below I explain each step in detail.
Step 1 · seed or young plant
How to start your strawberries
- From seed: 2 to 3 seeds per cube, just press in.
- Lid on, place bright and evenly warm.
- Patience: strawberries germinate slowly.
- Faster: buy a young plant and rinse off the soil.
Use runners: The runner plantlets of your strawberries root in water by themselves. That way you get new plants for free.
What you need now: seedling box with lid.
Read in detail ›Step 2 · in the seedling station
Let roots form
- Thin out seedlings, the strongest stays.
- Start with 0.5 ml nutrient per litre.
- Put bought plants into the net pot with a support ring.
- Air pump runs day and night.
Crown above the ring: The crown of the strawberry must sit above the ring and stay dry.
What you need now: Seedling station and Support rings.
Read in detail ›Step 3 · into the tower
Transplant and water briefly
- Into the tower with strong roots.
- Fit the support ring, the crown stays on top.
- Short pump times indoors.
- Slowly increase to EC 1.1.
Not too wet: With 15 on and 15 off, strawberries stay wet too long indoors.
Read in detail ›Step 4 · flowers and fruit
Pollinate and feed correctly
- From the first flowers raise the EC step by step.
- Switch to a bloom nutrient with more potassium.
- Indoors pollinate every flower with a brush.
- Cut off runners.
Misshapen fruit? Then the flower wasn’t fully pollinated. Dab every flower in the centre with the brush.
Read in detail ›Step 5 · harvest and enjoy
Only pick them when fully red
- Only pick fully red fruit.
- Pinch off with the green calyx.
- Remove rotten fruit immediately.
- Everbearing varieties keep flowering.
No ripening after picking: Strawberries don’t get sweeter after picking. Let them ripen fully on the tower.
Read in detail ›1Starting from seed or young plant
seed 2 to 4 weeks · young plant straight away
You can start strawberries in three ways: from seed, with bought young plants or with runners from your own plants. From seed takes longest, but it’s cheapest and you can grow varieties that are hard to get as plants, for example aromatic alpine strawberries.
Strawberries need light to germinate. Put 2 to 3 of the tiny seeds on the cube and press them in only lightly, you mustn’t cover them. The lid on the seedling box keeps the moisture in. At 18 to 22 °C and with light they germinate, but slowly: usually after 2 to 4 weeks, some seeds need even longer. Many gardeners put the seeds in the fridge for one to two weeks beforehand, after that they germinate more evenly.
Runners are easiest: strawberries form long shoots with small plants on them, the plantlets. If such a plantlet hangs in a net pot with nutrient solution, it forms roots by itself. Only when it’s well rooted do you cut the connection to the mother plant.
What I use for the seeds: the seedling box with lid from my shop.
2Seedlings in the station
until strong roots have formed
Once the seedlings have their first true leaf, I thin them out: the strongest stays in the cube, I carefully pull out the others. Then the cube goes into the net pot of the seedling station. Bought plants and plantlets I put directly into the net pot with a support ring.
The crown must stay dry
The crown is the centre of the strawberry from which leaves and flowers grow. If it stands in the wet permanently, it rots. That’s why with strawberries the crown stays above the ring and therefore dry. Only the roots hang into the nutrient solution.
Thin and flexible, with a predetermined breaking point for inserting from the side. They also hold plants without a cube securely in the pot and cover it against light.
To the support rings ›How I feed seedlings
Strawberries need less nutrient than lettuce. I start with 0.5 ml of Frankie’s nutrient per litre, which gives an EC of about 0.4 with soft water. As a young plant it goes up to 1 ml per litre, then the EC is about 0.7.
Without a meter you’re just guessing. A combination meter shows you pH, EC and temperature at a glance.
View on Amazon* ›* Affiliate link: I earn a commission if you buy. Your price stays the same.
3Move to the tower
as soon as the roots are strong
Once the roots have grown strongly out of the pot, the strawberry goes into the tower. I simply put the net pot with the support ring into the planting spot. During growth I increase to 2 ml nutrient per litre, which gives an EC of about 1.1.
Short pump times
Indoors my pump runs for 5 minutes, then pauses for 30 minutes. The often recommended 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off is too long for me indoors, strawberries then stay wet too long. Only outdoors in great heat do I switch to 15 on and 15 off.
* Affiliate-Link: Bei einem Kauf erhalte ich eine Provision, dein Preis bleibt gleich. Preis inkl. MwSt., zzgl. Versand, Stand 8.11.2026. Bilder: Amazon Creators API
HydroFlex Tower for indoors and outdoors, seedling box, seedling station, support rings and my own nutrient. After you buy, I’ll help you on WhatsApp.
To the shop ›4Flowers and fruit
from the first flowers · EC up to 1.4
With the first flowers the needs change. For flowers and fruit the strawberry needs more potassium and less nitrogen. Increase the EC step by step to about 1.4 and switch to a bloom nutrient. How I do that with powder nutrient for my tomatoes is shown on the tomato page.
Pollinating indoors
Outdoors bees and bumblebees do the work. Indoors you help: dab every open flower in the centre with a soft brush, ideally every other day. A fan that moves the plants slightly helps as well. If a flower isn’t fully pollinated, the fruit grows misshapen.
| Your water | EC without nutrient | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| soft | below 0.3 | feed normally, measure the pH more often at first |
| medium | 0.3 to 0.5 | feed by EC, a little less room is left for nutrient |
| hard | above 0.5 | mix half and half with rain or RO water |
* Affiliate-Link: Bei einem Kauf erhalte ich eine Provision, dein Preis bleibt gleich. Preis inkl. MwSt., zzgl. Versand, Stand 8.11.2026. Bilder: Amazon Creators API
5Harvest
about 4 to 6 weeks after flowering
Strawberries don’t ripen after picking. Only pick them when they’re red all over, then they’re sweetest. I pinch them off with the green calyx, that way they keep longer. Harvested in the morning they’re freshest.
Remove rotten or nibbled fruit straight away, otherwise grey mould spreads. Everbearing varieties keep flowering after the first harvest. After two to three years a plant declines, then replace it with your own plantlets.
Light and location
Strawberries bear fruit and therefore need more light than lettuce. Indoors 300 to 350 PPFD at leaf height is a good value, with 14 to 16 hours of light a day. With too little light, lots of leaves grow but hardly any flowers.
* Affiliate-Link: Bei einem Kauf erhalte ich eine Provision, dein Preis bleibt gleich. Preis inkl. MwSt., zzgl. Versand, Stand 8.11.2026. Bilder: Amazon Creators API
* Affiliate-Link: Bei einem Kauf erhalte ich eine Provision, dein Preis bleibt gleich. Preis inkl. MwSt., zzgl. Versand, Stand 8.11.2026. Bilder: Amazon Creators API
Outdoors
Outdoors strawberries like a sunny spot. Mine go on the fence behind the greenhouse, as a wall mount. In great heat set the pump to 15 minutes on and 15 minutes off. A net helps against birds as soon as the first fruits turn red.
Pests and diseases in strawberries
In the tower you have far fewer problems than in a bed, because no fruit lies on damp soil. I still look out for these four.
If your tower stands outdoors, a fine net protects against insects and birds. Stretch it over the tower as soon as the first fruits turn red.
View insect net** I earn a commission if you buy, your price stays the same.
Common problems and what helps
Lots of leaves, hardly any flowers
Usually light is missing or the EC is too low for flowering. Give more light indoors and switch to a bloom nutrient for flowering. Runners cost energy too, cut them off.
Misshapen or small fruit
The flower wasn’t fully pollinated. Indoors dab every flower with a brush and let a fan run.
The crown rots
The crown stood in the wet. Put the plant into the support ring so the crown sits above it, and use short pump times indoors.
Yellow leaves with green veins
That’s usually iron deficiency because the pH is too high. Keep the pH between 5.5 and 6.5, then the plant can take up the iron.
Brown edges on young leaves
Often calcium deficiency due to too little evaporation. Ensure air movement and keep humidity below 60 percent.
Seeds don’t germinate
Strawberry seeds are slow. Give them up to 6 weeks, keep them bright and moist and don’t cover them. A cold phase in the fridge beforehand helps.
Fancy your own strawberry wall? You’ll find the HydroFlex Tower 9+ with 37 litre tank in my shop ›
FAQ about strawberries in hydroponics
Can you grow strawberries in a hydro tower?
Do strawberries need light or darkness to germinate?
At what temperature do strawberries germinate?
How long do strawberry seeds take to germinate?
How many seeds go into one cube?
Can I put bought strawberry plants in the tower?
What pH value do strawberries need?
What EC value do strawberries need?
Which nutrient do strawberries need?
Which pump times are right?
Why must the crown stay dry?
How do I pollinate strawberries indoors?
Why are my strawberries misshapen?
How much light do strawberries need indoors?
Which varieties are suitable?
When are strawberries ripe?
Should I cut off the runners?
How long does a strawberry plant bear fruit?
How warm should the nutrient solution be?
You’ll find more fruit and vegetables without soil under vegetable growing in the hydro tower. You’ll find the right HydroFlex Tower for your space in my shop.
Continue with your own growing
168 pages, simply explained for beginners and with videos on the topics (in German). Exactly how I grow myself: from sowing to harvest.
More about the book ›A few questions about space, location and what you want to harvest, and you get a recommendation.
To the tower advisor ›Questions about your setup? Message me on WhatsApp.
Tapping opens WhatsApp (provider: WhatsApp Ireland Ltd.). More in the privacy policy.