Utilization of Bamboo Chips as a Growing Medium For Strawberry

Abstract

Bamboo is known to interfere with mountain maintenance because of its rapid growth and expansion. The applicability of bamboo chips, which is one of various organic mediums, as a strawberry high bench culture medium were investigated. A strawberry cultivar, ‘Tochiotome’, was cultured in pots filled with bamboo chips mixed with peat moss (bamboo chips : peat moss = 4 : 1, v/v). The vegetative growth, fruit yield, and physical characteristics of strawberries in the culture medium were measured, and compared with those of strawberries cultured in pots with coir (standard medium). The yield with bamboo chips was lower than that with coir. The low proportion of the liquid phase of bamboo chips was considered to cause a low yield. The amount and frequency of watering should be doubled or peat moss is required to increase the yield. Continuous use of the medium containing bamboo changed the proportion of the liquid phase, which was higher than that initially, leading to the same yield as the standard medium.