Question: Growing Strawberries in Tropical Climates?
Richard asked:
I am interested in Strawberry varieties which are most suitable for growing in tropical climates…particuarly the Philippines. So far I have found out the following are perhaps suitable: Red Gauntlet, Tioga, Cambridge, Turft.
However, I struggle to find much more about these, especially where to get the seeds from. Can you help?
Answer to: Growing Strawberries in Tropical Climates?
Richard,
Just about all strawberry varieties do better in temperate climates rather than tropical ones, unless they are grown at altitudes where it is cooler. Though the plants will likely grow with appropriate soil, water, and attention, you may want to read about the most common reasons why Strawberry Plants Don’t Produce Strawberries. Additionally, most modern Fragaria x ananassa garden strawberry varieties won’t grow true from seed as discussed on the Strawberry Seeds page. To find strawberry seeds, you can visit the directory of Strawberry Seeds for Sale. To find strawberry plant varieties, you can visit the directory of suppliers who offer Strawberry Plants for Sale. To shop by strawberry variety instead of by supplier, visit the Buy Strawberry Plants page. For the specific varieties you mentioned, you can go directly to the sellers who offer them by clicking these links, respectively: Cambridge Favourite, Cambridge Prizewinner, Cambridge Vigour, Red Gauntlet, Tioga. If you do decide to order from overseas companies and have them sent to you, you might benefit from this information: Shipping Strawberry Plants.
This is a question submitted to StrawberryPlants.org by a reader. See the Strawberry FAQ for more questions and answers.
Barry
Am from the Bahamas am thinking about growing strawberry here ,am thinking if they grow in Florida well they can grow here
pamila d. loquillano
hi, I. am pamila from the Philippines particularly here in misamis occidental, mindanao.. I just planted strawberry last November, I bought it from davao. it has been flowering now and some are starting to develop fruit. what more can I do to continue its fruiting.
Ryan Battick
Hi,
I am looking into growing strawberries in Jamaica, about 2000 ft above sea level. Temps here in the summer are 85f in the day and 70f at night. I know Strawberries like cool temps, but is this focussing on root zone temps or shoot zone temps? I am planning to grow hydroponically, therefore i can control the root zone temp and keep it as low as I like. But if the ambient temperature is what affects them, then thats a bigger problem to solve. I am planning to chill the nutrient solution to about 60f.
Angella
I live in Uganda where the temperatures are between 18-27 degrees centigrade. I started growing strawberries in May of this year and the are doing really well. I planted the everbearing variety. We do have people here growing them commercially without trying to control the temperature. The only major worry is irrigation during the dry season.
Hussain Zoeb
Hi Mr strawberry ,
I cultivating strawberries on open grounds in a tropical region in Sri Lanka , I’m doing everything right according to my study and others experiences . But the humidity over here is above 95 percent through out the year . My strawberries are smaller in size , not really small , plus they aren’t hard and juicy enough . Is the humidity affecting ? If so what can I do to prevent this .
Primo Mital
Myand Sharma good to know that you are successful with your strawberries. Can you please provide us with more detailed information,such as variety of plant, altitude, fertilizer, etc..
Wild Man
According to the Burgess seed company there is one variety that does well in the tropics. Sea Scape. These plants are not day length sensitive. This is an ever-bearing variety. They do not do as well in a temperate climates as they do in the tropics or hot arid climates
Patrick
Hello,
Good day.
I am growing strawberry in singapore my mock strawberries flower but my wild strawberries still have not flower. my temperature is around 30 degree and my hydroponics solution is cooled to 25 degree daytime and 20 degree night time.
am i doing anything wrong?
Oldy
I am growing strawberry in a very hot tropical climate in Sarawak. I started more than a year ago with only 1 plant. At the begining it was very difficult to grow but now i believed its growing well. It seemed my strawberry is adapting to local climate after many generation of propogation.
traveler
Can you give me specific instructions on how to do that please? I’m from Malaysia and I’d like to grow strawberries.
Budi
Hi,
After trying it for a while, with many varieties, many conditions, many treatments, hot condition, low altitude, the berry will have flowering in two condition, the runner is originated from high altitude cooler place, or he plant suffering a hot condition and lack of water, it develop a flower, a fruit and then died, the plant easy to survive and can be bigger in hydroponic with about 40 leaves in single plants but flowering will always need cold conditions as mentions, biggest fruits i get is only about a thump, afew gr, small compare to original fruit in temperate climate, so vegetatif row shouod not b issue, and with about for alpine type is easy to have flowers and fruits.
Bonita
Hello,
I live in a country with temperature between 75 – 85 Fahrenheit year round. Also just two season wet or dry. Humidity levels within the 80s. Can strawberries be grown here?
Amila
Hello Bonita,
I’m Amila and Sri Lankan. i had 2 years experiace cultivating strawberry in cold places in Sri Lanka. now i’m cultivating strawberry in tropical areas in our country small scale. it can do but hard.
Amila.
Assistant Scientist,
RRDI,
Department of Agriculture.
Huchilly
Hello Mr amila , I’m a Sri Lankan too , starting my strawberry cultivation next season , it would be great to get some advise from you on it . Please guide me 😊 .
Itala
Hello Mr. Strawberry,
Thank you for this website, it’s very helpful, especially for a novice like me. I’m in Miami, Florida, and I’d like to know if I still have a chance to plant some strawberries from seeds before the tropical heat really arrives? Thanks for your answer.
Akash Das
Hello Mr. Strawberry
Thanks for the website. Its been really helpful for me for being aware of various tips for growing strawberries. I always wanted to grow strawberries as they taste so yummy. In the above comments, I come to know that growing strawberries in the tropics is pretty tough. But fortunately, it doesn’t apply for my region. I stay in West Bengal, India. My city just comes on the way of the tropic of cancer and many of the residents living here are growing strawberries successfully in here. In mid February, Its still pretty cold in here in the mornings and after sunset, otherwise there’s continuous sunshine in here for 4-5 hours, and the rest of the daytime is full of shade because of trees. Recently, I bought some potted strawberry plants and I’ve been taking full care of them and they have been thriving pretty well in here, continuously flowering and bearing plenty of fruits. Summer’s approaching and isn’t too far. In the coming months, violent thunderstorms come anually. These thunderstorms are accompanied by strong squally winds and torrential rainfall. How can I prepare my strawberry plants for the weather?
Marie
Question, how well do strawberries produce inside a building, climate controlled, without access to bees for pollination? I am on a ship and would like strawberries, but worry they would grow, flower, and then not produce. I can’t grow them outside since it is tropical and I doubt bees would fly the (more than) mile to the ship even if they were outside for pollination. I was thinking inside maybe with a grow lamp in a hanging basket.
green horn
you guys say that strawberries are hard to plant in a tropical climate but, i’m from the Philippines, a tropical country and we are famous for it, so i’m positive I can grow strawberries in pots. mga pnoy magtanung nlng tyu sa mga farmer sa country natin 🙂
Gil
Taga-batangas ako,I planted my strawberries in plastic bags in our roof deck where it is exposed in harsh heat of the sun. My two plants manage to bear lots of flowers but only produce two berries. Yes it is possible to grow strawberries in tropical climates, the plant just need acclimatization and good care.
Sheena
May I know where you at in the Philippines? I’m here in Batangas and 3x na akong nagtry bumuhay ng strawberries pero palaging namamatay. I am planning to buy runners and give it another shot. Hopefully this time it will do well. I will have to try other varieties kasi sweet charlie ‘yung lagi kong inaalagaan and namamatay.
Hood
“However, we better information on strawberry varieties that are most suitable for tropical climates”
Very sorry for the confusion. Actually I am looking for seeds of strawberry varieties that are suitable for growing under tropical climates conditions, where altitude is more than 1000 meters above see level.
I have no experience, but want to try.
Best regards
Hood
Mr. Strawberry
Hood,
Strawberries can be grown in the tropics at altitude, as long as the soil is of good quality and water needs are also met. However, there aren’t many that produce the large strawberries from seed. You might want to try Delizz. Good luck!
Hood
Thank you so much for the very informative website. The issue of growing strawberries under tropical climate conditions looks very interesting. Since strawberry is a temperate plant, my understanding is that it can only grow and produce in the tropics under two conditions: altitude and artificial climate controlled. However, we better information on strawberry varieties that are most suitable for tropical climates.
Mr. Strawberry
Hood,
I don’t quite understand your last sentence, but if you have information on how to get strawberries to do well in the tropics, feel free to share! Thanks!
Dimbab
what are the most suitable strawbery varieties for the tropic?
Mr. Strawberry
Dimbab,
Unfortunately, none of them. They are temperate by nature. I’m sorry!
Gerald
Hello ,
I plan on constructing a green house and grow strawberries commercially. what varieties would be best as i live in East Africa, Uganda to be exact?
thanks
Mr. Strawberry
Gerald,
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with which varieties are available in you location. Most of the commercially available varieties will do fine in a climate-controlled greenhouse, however. Good luck!
Drea
I live in trinidad will strawberries or blueberries grow there
Mr. Strawberry
Drea,
Strawberries will have a lot of difficulty growing and producing strawberries there outdoors. However, you have a climate-controlled location for them to grow, they can do well. Good luck!
Michael
Check Cube Root Farms they grow commercial strawberries in Trinidad and Tobago
Myand Sharma
I live in Trinidad and I’m have strawberries growing ,flowering and bearing.
In an hydroponics system..
Size about 1″in length
Taste good
Mr. Strawberry
Myand Sharma,
Great! Thanks for sharing! Strawberries can do well most places in a climate-controlled situation. I’m glad yours is succeeding! Good luck!
Julian
Hi Myand,
Is your hydroponic setup completely climate controlled (i.e. In a temperature controlled greenhouse)? If your setup is outdoors are you at low elevation? I’m also in Trinidad and interested in trying to grow strawberries, but outdoors (at relatively high elevation where temperatures are generally quite low at night).
Manuel
I live in Martinique in the West Indies, and I grow nice strawberries in the south of the island where it is very hot. But not all variety though. I don’t know its name, but this variety is growing very well in tropical countries.
Mr. Strawberry
Manuel,
Great! If you can get the name of the variety, would you post another comment to share it? Thanks!
Tatiana
Hi Mr Strawberry,
Great website, thanks for all the helpful information! I was wondering if you have heard of a company in New Caledonia called Les Fraisiers de Paita. They seem to be quite an anomaly as they have a strawberry farm in the tropics.
I have been looking into this for a while as I would like to grow strawberries around 21 degrees latitude, which is in the tropics but not as hot as other parts of the tropics.
Do you have any idea how this company would be managing this feat, what varieties they might use, etc?
Many thanks!
Mr. Strawberry
Tatiana,
I’m not familiar with them, but it isn’t impossible to grow strawberries in the tropics, just much more difficult than in temperate regions. They can be grown at certain altitudes in the tropics, and they can be grown in climate-controlled areas. Good luck!
Laila
Hai mr strawberry. I live in malaysia n the temp usually 30-35c in sunny days. I tried to plant giant strawberry seeds i bought in lazada. It looks like they are begin to grow. Should i put them under the roof but near sunlight? What medium is the best to use, the best pH, n the max n min temperature to be maintain? N what is the best type of pesticide n fertilizer for the berries plant. Bc im planting blueberry n raspberry too.
Mr. Strawberry
Laila,
I’d recommend starting here. Good luck!
ayesha
what is the best time to add the ice water?
Mr. Strawberry
ayesha,
The goal of adding ice water is to decrease the root temperature of the naturally-temperate strawberry plants. You can try adding ice water a little bit before the time when the temperatures are going to be hottest.
Justina
I groww strawberries here in Dominica ( Caribbean) . Before I only got a lot of foliage and runners but no fruit. I started giving them ice water , because it gets pretty hot here. Now I have a lot of fruit , good size and color. Hope this helps.
Mr. Strawberry
Justina,
Thanks for the tip! Keeping the roots cool is important for fruit production in tropical conditions. Good luck!
Daniel
Hi, I do live in Dominican Republic but in the Caribbean like you. Our climate is about 3°C lower than in Dominican your country but i am also having some troubles getting my strawberry plants to get fruits. Can you tell me about this method of add Ice Water? Whats the best water temperature? Do you refrigerate the water or do you add some ice cubes to get it cool? Also what is the best time to add the ice water?
I have sucessfully started 7 strawberry plants from seeds and some of them had a good size now but not flower, runners or fruit. So any help is highly appreciable.
Thanks! Excellent website Mr. Strawberry!
Aizuddin Azhar
If i grow strawberries successfully in tropical climates, do they need overwintering or just leave them alone (not overwinter them). And do mulch helps to keep the soil temperature cool and moist?
Mr. Strawberry
Aizuddin Azhar,
If the temperatures do not drop into the low 20s, the strawberries will probably not go dormant. So, you won’t need to overwinter them. Mulching with a light or reflective mulch can help keep the soil temperature down, but lack of moisture is not usually a problem in tropical climates. Too much moisture is usually an issue. Either way, good luck!
Aizuddin Azhar
Do strawberry plants need to go dormant to survive in the tropics? And if so, do refrigerating them work well?
Mr. Strawberry
Aizuddin Azhar,
No, they don’t have to go dormant to survive, but the heat and moisture in most tropical locations will either kill them outright or allow for pathogenic fungi to do the trick. You can induce dormancy with refrigeration if the humidity is also controlled. Good luck!
Archana O'Connor
Hi there first of all thank you for sharing all these information. I live in a tropical place don’t know if you heard about it, Mauritius. Temperature here in winter can go as low as 17 degrees and summer can go as high as 32 degrees but humidity can be very high at times. I came across your website as I was looking to grow strawberries from seedling, with your expertise do you think we can grow strawberry here but am also looking for a variety that will produce fruits all year round, as starting this as a business venture.
Nevertherless starting with a very small project due to lack of space, experience and funds. Would be grateful if you could help me with some information please.
Mr. Strawberry
Archana O’Connor,
It will be difficult to start a commercially viable strawberry venture in your location unless all the plants are located indoors in a climate-controlled environment. I’m sorry! Good luck!
Abdon Noor Bappy
hi orcana…I m from bangladesh as like environment like your mauritius.. Here some farmer grow syrawberry very well in size n colour..but taste is not so sweet.In winter somet they can get sweet strawberris but after winter it goes sour. but they can grow it whole year except rainy season.
taha
hi , i am living in a very hot place which the temperature level reach to (40 – 50) Celsius and the weather is dry so what can i do to grow strawberry and which type of strawberry seeds are suitable for me ????
Mr. Strawberry
taha,
It is going to be very difficult for you to successfully grow strawberries in your climate. I’m sorry!
Satori (Nickname)
Hi,
Thank you for this information-filled website. I live in Malaysia and recently, I bought some strawberry plants from Cameron Highlands. I’m not sure what species it is, but basically, it’s strawberries. The temperature here is 34 degrees Celsius (average) on sunny days and 28 degrees Celsius on night. I do want to grow some home-made strawberries, so I put the plants in my room. It is air-conditioned and the lights are always switched on (except for midnight till morning). Can the plants grow well or it’ll won’t produce so much strawberries or it’ll die?
Mr. Strawberry
Satori,
Yes, they can grow as long as they have proper nutrients and enough light. I’d recommend putting them by the brightest window possible and adding a grow light to help them develop and produce. Good luck!
atari
Hi,
I’m living in malaysia too, and find that it is difficult to make them to grow fruit. Just growing them is pretty easy, but further reading stated that they not only required a chilling requirement, but also growth degree hours (warm after cool). Air condition is okay, but we might also need a dehumidifier to comply with the air.
Do you have any success obtaining strawberry fruits?
thanks.
Victorio Hawkins
Interesting website. Thanks. Hi, All comments are very helpful. I bought a strawberry plant from a plant shop in Trinidad(Caribbean). It is about 34Celsius and the plant is growing well with several runners and the runners are producing other runners. I am surprised that they seem to be doing quite well. they look healthy all the time. Many flowers. however, they seem to be not making fruit. can anyone offer an explanation? I have a black mesh covering and i believe that it is a great help to the plants. i am hopeful.
Regards, Victorio.
Mr. Strawberry
Victorio Hawkins,
This should help! Good luck!
shie
I’m from the Philippines. We grow strawberries in Baguio, a city in Northern Luzon. It’s located 5K feet above sea level. The average temperature here from December to February is 12 deg C. It goes down to 8 degrees at least once during its “winter” season.
Budi
Hi,
I had grown some californian strawberry plant (not sure which species), my temperature place is between 25-37 deg, humidity about 60-80%, 0-5DPL, at this moment the plant seem to grow quite well, it can hold the sun light from 0600-1100 dan 1400 to 1800 hours, it seem grow quite big on the leaf and have produce many runners, I let few plant grow many runners and one without runners, it has been about 4 months since the I plant the first runner I get from highland. So far I havent seen any indication of flowering, is there a force way such as hormone, fertilizer, or light to induce flowering on mature vegetative strawberry plant beside temperature control?
Mr. Strawberry
Budi,
No, not that I am aware of. The flowers form initially as perrenating buds in the fall of the year prior. Good fall conditions and temperatures will produce the most perennating buds in plants that have strong root systems. Good luck!
Sebastian
I live in a tropical climate will it be possible to grow strawberries in a climate controlled green house? And do strawberries do well under artificial lighting I.e LED, HPS, or metal halide lamps?
Sebastian
Mr. Strawberry
Sebastian,
Yes, if you have the climate controlled to reduce the heat and humidity of the tropical climate, strawberries can produce well. Grow lights will work if positioned correctly. Good luck!
rogier
Hello my name is Rogier.
I am from suriname south america. We have a tropical climate here. Very warm. My question is..which seeds or varriety can i use to start growing some strawberrys
Mr. Strawberry
rogier,
Unfortunately, strawberries are temperate by nature. They usually produce poorly or simply die in tropical climates. If you are set on trying it, I’d try a more heat-tolerant variety like Chandler. Good luck!
roger kidney
Hi ….I have successfully grown tasty strawberries in maracas valley in trinidad
Mr. Strawberry
roger kidney,
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Rogier
What kind of strawberrie varriety do you use?
JayJay14
Hi,
I have been planning a solar power-cooled greenhouse with the aim of growing strawberries since I live on a humid lowland in the tropics (PNG). People who live in the higher altitused (above 1000-2000m) successfully farm and sell these. I hope to be successfully.
Cheers.
Mr. Strawberry
JayJay14,
I hope you are successful too! Let us know how it goes, and good luck!
Eric
i tried growing strawberries in Trinidad it grew well even in my aquaponic system. i got many runners and many flowers. i got fruits the size of quarter of a normal strawberry with very strong acidic flavor the smell was strong and pleasant. our local leaf-cutting ants (bachac) loved the plants also, they would cut down to the soil in one night all my plants were destroyed.
Mr. Strawberry
Eric,
Thanks for sharing your experience!
famerboy
Hi very interested topic, I also planted about 20 plants of Strawberries in the Caribbean in Dominica and am a little in altitude and I did have some good results,and I use a strain from Norway called korona .
Mr. Strawberry
farmerboy,
Thanks for sharing your experience. The moderating effect of altitude on the tropical climate can indeed make it easier to successfully grow them in the tropics. Good luck!
William
I took some plants to Aruba.
Although they grew and also produced young plants, they did not flower and thus not give strawberries.
Then I read somewhere, that strawberries need cold to initiate flowering. So I did 2 plants in pots and put them in the fridge for 2 weeks, until all the leaves died. Then I put them outside again. Soon new leaves grew and amazingly: flowers! I had been able to fool them!
After the flowers, strawberries appeared, but they were very small when they turned red and didn’t taste well.
I finally stopped watering the plants.
Bernard
Hi Barry,
I’m quite interested by your post.
I would like to grow some not that far from Udon Thani, in Loei.
Could you tell more about the varieties you have and where you got them from.
Thanks
Bernard
Barry
I grow strawberries in Udon Thani Thailand with some success.
I bought some local plants and grew some from seed.
It does get cool here at night Nov-Jan. I think that must be of help.
I have about 50 plants in containers. I try to hang most of them.
If I do not the ants eat the strawberries. They will never eat the
hanging plant strawberries. I do not know why. Maybe the heat
discourages them.
Mr. Strawberry
Barry,
Thanks for sharing that!
chris
Elaine,
I reside in the Caribbean as well Trinidad to be exact , I am also interested in cultivating strawberries in my green house as well. any assistance would be greatly appreciated such as type and variety of seed should I purchase.
Mr. Strawberry
chris,
Unfortunately, strawberries do not do well in the Caribbean. You would need humidity and temperature controls in place to be successful. Sorry!
ms. lhuminight
im so confused….so it means you cannot grow strawberries on low lands in tropical countries??
Mr. Strawberry
ms. lhuminight,
Usually not. They are temperate and prefer cooler weather. The heat and moisture in the tropics usually causes them to die.
Elaine
Hi,
Thank you for your informative website.
I grew up in tropical north Queensland, Australia in the 60s and I clearly remember that we grew strawberries in the back garden but I don’t recall the time of your when they fruited. I now live in the Caribbean and run a community garden.
In February we received a shipment of Camarosa crowns from the Natural Gardening Company and they flowered almost immediately then again 3 months later. They then produced runners, hundreds of them. We’ve maintained them over the summer in our shaded greenhouse and propagated many of the runners in the hope that they will fruit early next year. I’ll let you know if they do.
Regards,
Elaine
Mr. Strawberry
Elaine,
Thanks for the information, and keep us posted!
missedup
Hi,
First, thank you for this website. What a great resource!
I’m in UAE and plan on growing strawberries this year. I’ve started already some june bearers, everbearers and alpines in pots. Waiting for milder temps to set them outside and in planters later this month.
The climateis very hot(>40 celcius) and dry for most of the year. So basicly the growing season is Between Oct. and April when max temps range between 20 & 35. The plants are going to die certainly after May. So I’m planning to cut off all runners and allow them to concentrate on fruit setting. How far you think I should space them (the 3 types). Does 20 cm’s seem reasonable since I don’t want the runners? Do you agree with my strategy? Any other tips besides mulching, shade and lots of water? Any thing I can do to get the most of them in the first year? I’ll try and dig them out at end of April and see if I can keep them alive till next year. But that’s another story.
Thank you.
Mr. Strawberry
missedup,
First, you’re welcome! Second, twenty centimeters could be ok, but thirty would probably be better. You do NOT want to shade the strawberries. They do best in full sun. And, in full sun in hot, dry climates can kill strawberry plants. That is the conundrum. To produce optimally, strawberries need full sun in a temperate climate. Unfortunately, I think you will likely have difficulty in your location no matter what you do (short of growing in a climate-controlled, air-conditioned greenhouse. But, the cost of doing that usually is prohibitive. I’m sorry! Let me know how it goes for you!