**4.4 Growth media**

The suitability of various growth media for hung soilless strawberry culture was thoroughly evaluated during the late 1990s [17–19]. Among these were peat from Germany, perlite, coir, and coir mixed with polystyrene foam flakes (30%). As no significant differences in crop performance, yield, and fruit quality were observed between the growth media, the coir medium was preferred due to its lower cost and convenient packaging. In addition, during the recent years, coir quality has been greatly improved, containing more homogeneous fine fibers and less salts. It should be noted that while other growth media can be more easily reused for several growing seasons, the careful disinfection procedure required is costly and labor demanding. Undoubtedly, the recycling of the growth media, including the growbags or not, remains an important challenge from both environmental and economic aspects.

*Winter Strawberries Production in Greenhouse Soilless Culture under an Arid Climate… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104390*
