It's been a while since I last posted...and I just started this! Unbelievable. Anyway, since the last post about three weeks ago, my strawberries have grown up a bit. Taking advice from Kayla to use a florescent light, a leaf grew within one week (it kind of looks like holly from this angle):
Since then, I've had done some research on the internet on how to take care of them properly. I spent about two weeks going back and forth about whether I should use fertilizer and what kind. I never knew there was such a dizzying array - greensand, liquid seaweek, fish emulsion, balanced vs unbalanced fertilizers - it's all very overwhelming. But I referred back to my handy-dandy book, and decided to use a very diluted solution of liquid seaweed when I first plant them and a balanced fertilizer on a regular basis throughout the growing season.
Last weekend, I decided to re-pot the oregano that was residing in a very large pot all by its lonesome self into a smaller pot. I was using some the liquid seaweed, and used some leftover solution on the strawberry plants. By that time, my plants had very healthy second and third leaves growing (sorry, I forgot to take a picture to commemorate). I then left town the next day for a business trip.
Thomas took care of them while I was gone, mindful about doing it carefully, since I have developed an odd obsession for them. One of them had apparently gotten "soft" (an adjective he used) around Tuesday, and so he stopped watering fearing that he was doing too much of that. They recovered, and he sent me this picture on Thursday:
I couldn't believe it, they got so big! I was really thrilled. I couldn't wait to see them up close when I got home. And now that I am home, as ecstatic as I am that they had gotten significantly bigger, I also realized that they were starting to look a bit droopy. I picked one up and saw that the roots were beginning to grow outside the peat pellets they were in - they were at least an inch outside the pellets. I hadn't readied the large pot for them, so I decided to temporarily pot them in disposable cups with holes poked at the bottom (for water drainage) to give them more room to grow. It was too soon for any fertilizer, so I just added moist potting soil and am letting them do their thing by the window:
I am keeping my fingers crossed that my plants will do better now that they have more room to grow. I am really thrilled at the progress the strawberries have been making so far. I am on furlough this week, so it's probably the best time to prepare their final home sometime soon rather than later.
And a side story, the act of moving my oregano has resulted in getting it killed. I don't know if it was because it was unhappy being in a smaller house or that the fertilizer was too strong. Either way, may it rest in peace and know that I appeciated the wonderful flavor it imparted.
I will try to be better about posting the next update soon. Pray that I don't accidentally kill these plants too!
