Seedlings of strawberries in a seed way are painstaking and require constant attention. This berry is very sensitive and capricious, but with the right approach to planting it gives good and juicy fruits. In this article, we will tell you how to grow healthy seedlings of strawberries from seeds in stages and correctly in a house or apartment.
Growing garden strawberries at home - choosing a seed variety
Experienced gardeners know that The best way growing strawberries in greenhouses or open ground - vegetative, from the tendrils of young plants. However, this method cannot be applied at home, therefore, a more convenient seed method is used for the home. Unlike vegetative cultivation, seeds can be stored longer and transported over any distance. In addition, young seeds have an excellent effect on soil renewal.
To get a good harvest from healthy berries, before planting at home, you need to correctly determine the variety garden strawberries. We do not recommend using hybrid varieties, since it is almost impossible to grow them at home, hybrids grow only if they are planted vegetatively.
Remontant varieties of greenhouse strawberries are well suited for growing at home. Among them, one can distinguish such as Albion, Montana, Selva, Maestro, Flamenco, etc. These are varieties of garden strawberries that give medium-sized, but sweet and juicy fruits with a wonderful aroma already in the month of May. They are also resistant to various diseases and have a strong root system.
Strawberry seedlings from seeds for home or greenhouse cultivation work well precisely from early ripening varieties, since more late varieties(Talisman, Honey, Festivalnaya, Harvest, etc.) are more suitable for summer outdoor cultivation in a garden plot. Varieties of medium maturity produce fruits in late June-early July, late varieties, such as Florence or Wima Tarda, bear fruit in late summer, but they need more careful care.
Sowing dates and proper seed preparation
You can grow seedlings of strawberries and strawberries at home at any time of the year. It all depends on the variety and the conditions created for the growth and development of the berry. Seeds are usually sown in early spring, late summer or autumn. In the first case, when using the early varieties recommended above, the first harvest will come in late May or early June. Summer or late autumn sowing of greenhouse varieties will bear fruit the very next year.
For proper development seedlings at home, it is necessary to carefully prepare the seeds, harden them and germinate, otherwise they will take root for a long time or not take root at all. First, the seeds are carefully laid out on a dense natural fabric or between two cotton pads. Next, the fabric needs to be moistened (it is better to use melt or rain water), placed in a plastic dish (special food containers are perfect), cover with a lid and make several holes in it for constant ventilation.
Next, we place the seeds in a lighted place, but not in the sun, and leave them for several days, while making sure that the fabric is always slightly moistened. The temperature in the room should be 18-20 degrees. After 3-4 days of soaking, place the moistened seeds in the refrigerator, and let them stand there for about a week. We periodically check the condition of the grains, as soon as they hatch, we proceed to plant them.
The choice of soil for strawberry seeds - what should it be?
For sowing seeds of garden strawberries, peat tablets are used (the easiest option) or a specially prepared nutrient substrate. The soil for alpine strawberries or large-fruited strawberries should be loose, sifted and rich in minerals and organic matter.
To provide good food and seed growth, we recommend using such combinations of components as:
- garden soil, peat mixture and wood ash;
- sand, sod land, peat and mineral substrate;
- humus, fine sand, coconut fibers, garden soil;
- earth, vermiculite, biohumus, sand, peat.
As you can see, the options can be very different, it is important that the main element is good, fertile land (at least 50% in the composition), the remaining components can be mixed with it in various proportions. If sand is used, then its share in the composition should not exceed 15-20%. The selected mixture must first be sieved and then steamed for 30-45 minutes.
Then we spray the earth mixture with a small amount of potassium permanganate solution, you can also add a certain amount of fungicides or garden antiseptics. After that, the earth should stand for a week in a room with the optimum temperature to restore biological properties after steaming and disinfection. Strawberries are a very demanding berry, so we carry out such preparation of the soil composition in without fail.
Planting seeds and caring for them - we do everything in order
As a container for soil, you can use ordinary plastic garden pots. If you want to plant seeds of several varieties at the same time, use a wooden box that can be grooved to delimit the sowing areas. Before planting seeds, moisten the soil with warm water, but do not overdo it so that it does not become unnecessarily wet.
Next, use a match or cotton swab to make small holes in the ground (1.5–2 cm), the distance between them is about the same. In them, you need to carefully sow the hatched seeds, 2-3 grains per recess, and gently sprinkle them with earth. In no case do not tamp the sowing places, this will only complicate the emergence of young shoots. Water the soil again, while using a spray bottle or sprayer, as regular watering can erode the soil, which will negatively affect your plantings.
After that, cover the container with seedlings with plastic wrap or paper, but so as not to block access to oxygen, and place it in a warm and bright place for several weeks. Make sure that the soil under the film is always moderately moist. In addition to proper watering, you need to take care of lighting. Garden strawberries are very warm and light-loving berries, the more light, especially in winter, the better it will affect seed germination.
Arrange additional lighting with phytolamps to provide strawberries with at least 12 hours of light every day.
As soon as the seeds give the first green leaves, it is mandatory to pick the seedlings. To do this, we water the ground, carefully dig up the tender roots, loosening the ground with a non-rough tool. We take out the seedlings not by the stem, but by the leaves, the stems are very fragile, they can be easily damaged. We pinch long roots, then dive the sprouts into a new container with a fresh, but similar to the previous soil composition. We plant the roots at a distance of 8-10 centimeters from each other or each separately in its own container (you can use plastic cups with holes for drainage) and water it.
For top dressing, we use fertilizers on a water-soluble basis with a high content of nitrogen compounds and iron. The procedure is carried out every 10 days after picking the seedlings in the proportions indicated in the instructions for the preparations. 1–1.5 months after spring planting, garden strawberry seedlings can be planted in open ground. To do this, we first harden the container with sprouts by putting them outside a week before planting. With the right approach to spring sowing, strawberries grown at home will please with their juicy harvest in the first decade of June.
Most varieties of strawberries (garden strawberries) reproduce vegetatively - with a mustache, less often by dividing the bush. But there comes a time when these methods of reproduction become ineffective. Together with the vegetative planting material, the accumulated diseases are transmitted to the young plant, strawberry seedlings become smaller, and the taste of the berries changes (and not for the better). The way out of this situation is the acquisition of healthy planting material. It can be seedlings from a nursery or seed propagation. However, the purchased strawberry seedlings do not always meet our expectations.
Seedling of strawberries. © Tanya
If strawberries are running (heavily affected by fungal, bacterial and viral diseases), then best way out from the current situation - the transition to alternative propagation by seeds and for 100% certainty that this is the strawberry variety you have chosen, you can prepare the seeds for sowing and grow seedlings on your own. The work is very exciting and in the first half of the year it will reward you with unusually tasty berries.
Content:Comment. In this article, we call strawberries garden strawberries, or large-fruited strawberries, which is not entirely true from a botanical point of view, but is universally accepted in everyday life.
Step-by-step technology for growing strawberry seedlings from seeds
Buying Strawberry Seeds
Seeds can be purchased at a specialized store. Buy better seeds, the keeping quality of which exceeds 12 months. For beginner gardeners, varieties of small remontant beardless strawberries are more acceptable: Ali Baba, Baron Solimakher, Alpine. They have high germination and germination energy, which facilitates care, especially when germination and picking.
Of the other varieties capable of forming the first crop of berries when planted permanently in 3-4 months, you can use the varieties Queen Elizabeth, Alexandria, Moscow Debut, World Debut, Picnic, Temptation and others.
Isolation of strawberry seeds from berries
You can collect the seeds yourself. To do this, you need to ask for a few especially large, healthy, well-ripened strawberries from friends, neighbors, or take them from your own berry. If there are several varieties, then number each bag with berries, and write down the name of the variety and the date of selection of berries in the garden diary.
After picking the berries with a sharp blade, carefully cut off the top layer of pulp with seeds above the middle part of the fruit. The cut layer must be very thin, otherwise it will start to rot and the strawberry seeds will die. We place cut strips on gauze folded in several layers or cotton wool, another material with good liquid absorption.
Each variety of strawberries (if there are several) is numbered or signed by the name and laid out in a warm, dry place without direct sunlight. After a few days, the layer of pulp will dry out. Carefully fold the seed pad and rub it between your fingers or palms. Dry husks will release strawberry seeds. Sort them out and arrange them in thick paper bags or in glass jars. Seed material is stored in a dry place.
Shoots of strawberries. © Matty Ring Preparation of soil mixture for sowing strawberry seeds
The composition of the soil mixture
To grow seedlings of any crop, a special soil mixture is needed, especially for small-seeded crops. For strawberries, you can offer several compositions of the soil mixture:
- Mix 3 parts of high-moor peat with sand and biohumus, taken in 1 part,
- mix leaf or sod land with sand and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Instead of peat, you can add mature humus or biohumus to the mixture,
- mature humus and sand (5:3).
Instead of soil mixtures, some gardeners use peat tablets and you can buy a universal substrate for cassettes, pots and other containers. Suggested soil mixtures are optional. Experienced gardeners have many other options in their developments.
Soil disinfection
In any soil mixture there are fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens, pests and their eggs. Therefore, the soil mixture must be disinfected in one of the following ways:
- spill the soil with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate;
- scatter on a tray and bake in the oven for 1-2 hours at a temperature of +40..+45 °C;
- in areas with frosty winters, the soil mixture is harvested from autumn and left in bags on the street to freeze.
Revitalization of the soil mixture
The disinfected soil mixture is filled with useful microflora. To do this, it is treated with biological products containing living beneficial microflora: Emochki-Bokashi, Baikal EM-1, Mikosan-M, Trichodermin, Planriz, Fitosporin and bioinsecticides - Boverin, Fitoverm, Aktofit.
For processing, you can use one or a tank mixture of biological products. After wet treatment, the soil mixture is kept wet for 7-10 days and dried to flowability at room temperature. You can add a little to the prepared mixture mineral fertilizers used for flower crops. Some novice gardeners, in order to reduce the amount preparatory work they simply buy ready-made substrate for strawberries or soil mixture for saintpaulias in flower shops.
Preparing strawberry seeds for sowing
About a week before sowing, strawberry seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, placing gauze knots with seeds in a dark pink solution for 6-12 hours, then in a growth stimulator solution (Novosil, Narcissus, Kornevin and others) for 3-4 hours. Seeds are pressed and sent for hardening. To do this, 2 layers of bandage are moistened, the seeds are laid out and rolled up with a sausage.
The sausage is placed standing in a container and sent to the refrigerator for the night, and during the day the workpiece is kept at room temperature +18..+22 °C. And so repeat 3 days. It is not necessary to extend the hardening period. Seeds may germinate and die.
It is possible, without hardening, to place the seeds for stratification.
Mini greenhouse for seed germination. © Kristina Bliss Stratification of strawberry seeds
The seeds of every crop that needs a rest period must be stratified. The duration of stratification depends on the requirements of the culture. Stratification is an artificial winter. During such a “winter”, the seeds go through several stages of development, as a result of which the dormancy period is reduced. Seeds germinate several times faster. So, strawberries germinate for more than 30-40 days, and after stratification in a warm room, the first shoots appear on the 4-5th day and massive after 1-2 weeks.
It is more convenient to carry out the stratification of strawberry seeds after sowing. Containers with seeded material are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where they are kept at a temperature of +2..+4 °C for the entire period of stratification. Containers are periodically opened for ventilation and humidification. The substrate must not dry out.
In cold areas, containers with seeded material are covered with a lid or film and placed outside under snow. After such a natural stratification, the container is transferred to warm room. For large-fruited strawberry varieties, stratification should be long and take a period of time of at least 2-2.5 months.
You can stratify the seeds separately before sowing. In this case, the seeds are laid for stratification approximately in November-January. The laying time for stratification is counted from the time of sowing for seedlings. For stratification, strawberry seeds are laid out on moistened cotton swabs (round), covered with the same ones (also wet) on top and placed in a container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator at a temperature of +4 .. + 5 ° С.
Tampons periodically moisturize. At the end of stratification, the seeds are dried a little and sown in prepared containers.
Preparing containers for sowing strawberry seeds
At the bottom of a box or other container, a drainage layer of coarse sand or fine gravel is laid with a layer of 2-3 cm. The prepared container is filled with a layer of soil mixture of 5-10 cm from above, not reaching the top of 1.5-2.0 cm. The soil mixture is slightly compacted with the palm of your hand, moisturize. If there is snow, then scatter a 1-2 cm layer of snow. You can use the frost from the refrigerator. On a flat snowy surface, after 3-4 cm, with a light pressure of the ruler, grooves are made up to 0.2-0.3 cm deep with row spacing of 3 cm. The container is ready for sowing.
Sowing strawberry seeds
Sowing strawberry seeds in prepared containers is carried out in late March-early April. Some gardeners sow in February, but in this case, after germination, the seedlings need additional illumination to ensure a day length of 15-16 hours. With a lack of lighting, seedlings are drawn out, become frail, prone to disease and loss.
Strawberry seeds are laid out in a prepared container on the surface of the snow. Snow (hoarfrost) gradually melts and pulls the seeds to the desired depth. Cover with a lid or light film. With several holes pricked (to provide oxygen).
If sowing was carried out before stratification, then (if necessary) the container with sowing is sent for stratification for 2-2.5 months under the snow on the street or in the refrigerator on the lower shelf before being moved to a warm room. If stratification is carried out before sowing, then the sowing is covered, imitating a mini-greenhouse, and exposed to a warm place with an air temperature of +18..+20 °C.
Alpine strawberry seedling. © gardengal82 Care for strawberry seedlings
The first shoots after the passed stratification may appear on the 4-5th day, and mass shoots after 2-3 weeks. As soon as the first shoots appear, provide the air temperature +23 .. +25 ° С in the first week, which will contribute to a more friendly emergence of shoots. Then transfer the containers with strawberry seedlings to a cool place, with an air temperature of no more than +15 .. +18 ° С (to colder window sills or to other places).
This is necessary so that the seedlings do not stretch. Both during and after germination, the substrate must be kept moist (not wet). Wipe or turn the glass and film daily to prevent condensation from getting on the seedlings.
When the first leaves of the strawberry shoots straighten out, the coating is gradually removed, accustoming young seedlings to increased light and temperature. During this period, the optimum air temperature will be +18..+20 °С. Watering is not needed. At lower temperatures and high humidity weak sprouts can rot. With the full development of 1-2 true leaves, the cover from the seedlings is removed and the young seedlings are transferred to a lighted place, but not under direct sunlight. The air temperature is reduced to +10..+15 °С.
Further care for strawberry seedlings
Further care of the seedlings includes moistening the soil, top dressing, adding soil to the growing seedlings, picking. At first, strawberry seedlings are watered under the root literally from a pipette in the aisle once a week. To avoid a fungal infection, 1-2 waterings with a gap of 2-3 weeks can be carried out with a solution of biofungicides - planriz, trichodermin, trichopol and others according to the instructions.
If a grown strawberry seedling leaned to one side under a load of leaves, sand or a mixture of sand with fine humus is poured under the base of the stalk, but so as not to cover the central part (heart) of the seedlings. With this addition, young plants quickly form additional roots.
Picking strawberry seedlings
Picking is best done in the phase of 3-4 developed leaves. Some gardeners dive plants during the formation of 2-3 leaves and sometimes carry out 2 dives: in phases of 2-3 and 4-5 leaves, especially if the seedlings have grown and the weather is cold outside. You choose the number of picks yourself according to weather conditions.
We divide the soil mixture in the container into squares with sides of 8x8 or 10x10 cm. In the middle of the square, with a picking peg, we make holes sufficient to freely accommodate the roots of the strawberry seedling. We pre-water the seedlings so that they are easily removed from the parent soil by the cotyledon leaves.
The stem must not be touched when picking! Having taken out the strawberry seedling, we pinch the central root and place the plant in a new place. Gently fall asleep and squeeze the soil around and water in a thin stream so as not to flood the growing point of the seedlings.
Seedling of strawberries. © John and Annie Winings Feeding strawberry seedlings
After picking, strawberry seedlings can be fed. We carry out top dressing every 10-12 days with fertilizers containing mainly phosphorus and potassium and little nitrogen. Water-soluble fertilizers are optimal - solute, kemira with the addition of a 2% solution of iron chelate and trace elements.
Planting seedlings of strawberries in open ground
Before planting in open ground, we harden strawberry seedlings. Approximately 7-10 days before planting, we gradually (starting from 2-4 hours and up to round-the-clock maintenance) take the seedlings to unheated premises. 1-2 days before transplanting, we leave the seedlings indoors (on the balcony, attic) at a temperature of +10 ° C around the clock.
In the south, we plant seedlings in open ground in the middle or last decade of May, later in the northern regions. We choose the period when the soil warms up to +12 ° C and the threat of return frosts passes. Further care is normal. You can propagate this strawberry in the next 2-5 years with a mustache, layering, dividing the bush. Then again you need to heal the variety through seed propagation.
Fragrant strawberries with delicious fruits are especially loved by gardeners. A huge number of varieties grown in garden plots please with a harvest from early summer to cold weather. It is not always possible to buy the right seedlings, and it is not cheap. However, you can successfully grow seedlings from seeds at home.
Features of growing strawberries of different varieties
Among the variety of varieties of these berries, remontant ones are distinguished, which make it possible to get a good harvest. long time. They do not have a mustache, so gardeners use the cultivation of strawberries from seeds at home. Non-remontant species propagate using seedlings. They are obtained from the mustache - it is more convenient, but as a result, strong, healthy seedlings come out. When planting such strawberries with seeds, the characteristics of the variety are not always preserved.
Remontant strawberry
This type of garden berry is distinguished by the fact that it bears fruit from June until frost. Delicious fruits with the aroma of wild strawberries can be small and large - they are also called strawberries. Very beautiful - white, yellow, red - they decorate garden plot, serve as a decor for flower beds. Repair varieties differ:
- resistance to low temperatures;
- the absence of a mustache;
- immunity to insects;
- harvesting before cold weather;
- disease resistance.
Growing strawberries from seeds at home helps the gardener to have plants that are not always available from seedlings. Good feedback have varieties:
- Baron Solemacher. Grown in pots on the balcony, in open, closed ground.
- Ali Baba. High-yielding, with increased resistance to diseases.
- Queen Elizabeth has fragrant, large fruits.
- Alexandria. Hardy, productive variety.
- Merlan. Such strawberries on the balcony will delight with bright flowers and berries.
An interesting variety is Frigo, which does not winter in the beds. The plant is dug up when the season ends, stored in refrigerators at a low temperature, hermetically packed. The variety is used in the cultivation of strawberries on an industrial scale. It differs in that you can plan the date of harvest. At home, varieties are grown from seeds:
- Ruyana. Is different early term maturation.
- Alexandrina. Small-fruited, very decorative.
- Tarpan. With large berries, bright pink flowers.
- Elan. For vertical cultivation on a balcony.
Non-repair varieties
Reproduction of seedlings of non-remontant varieties is carried out from the mustache of the plant. This process is less complicated and more efficient - seedlings take root quickly and produce a crop, but in the second year. It does not make sense to grow strawberries from seeds at home. Popular varieties are:
- "Lord";
- "Gigantella";
- "Mashenka";
- "Muscat";
- "Milan".
How to grow strawberries from seeds on a windowsill
A very exciting, albeit troublesome, task is growing seedlings from seeds at home. The main thing is to want, and everything will work out. You will be rewarded with a bountiful harvest - strawberries from seeds will delight you with fruits from the first year of planting. Pick a variety in advance, purchase seeds. Even in winter, buy containers and earth, worry about lamps to lengthen daylight hours.
Growing seedlings of strawberries from seeds
Obtaining strawberry seedlings at home begins with the preparation of soil and containers. Choose a place where the seeds will germinate. The main stages of growing seedlings:
- seed preparation - soaking, stratification;
- sowing in a container with soil;
- ventilation of seedlings;
- watering;
- picking in pots;
- top dressing;
- hardening;
- transfer to site.
Soil preparation and seedling containers
When preparing the land for seedlings, it is necessary to mix equal parts of biohumus and sand, add 3 times more peat. To get rid of pests, it is recommended to ignite the soil for 20 minutes using an oven. Do this three weeks before planting so that the earth recovers. For growing seedlings from seeds, disposable food containers with a lid are used. Plants dive into pots, peat tablets, forms with cells 5x5 cm in size.
Seed preparation
In order for the seeds to sprout together and give strong shoots when growing seedlings, they need to be prepared for planting at home. At this point, 2 operations are performed - soaking and stratification. Seeds are placed on a cotton pad placed in a disposable food container. Abundantly moisten with snow water, leave for two days. Then the container is kept for 2 weeks on the shelf of the refrigerator - this is the stratification that improves germination.
Sowing
Prepared seeds are placed on moistened soil in 2 cm increments, covered with a film, then put the container where it is warm. Important - you can not sprinkle on top of the earth. There is another way to sow a crop at home, which does not require additional preparation. When germinating seeds with this option, you need:
- prepare a small container with earth;
- spill the soil with water;
- pour snow on top;
- lightly tamp it down;
- sow seeds on top;
- close with a film;
- put in the refrigerator for a day;
- then the strawberries will be on the windowsill until germination, and it needs watering and airing.
Seedling care
After the appearance of sprouts, the plants are carefully transplanted into a container, where they will be until planting on the site. At this stage, good lighting and watering are important. In spring, daylight is still short, so you need to lengthen it artificially using lamps. With the advent of the third leaf, the plant is fed. For this, fertilizers are used:
- "Aquarin";
- "Kemira-Lux";
- "Solution".
Picking and planting seedlings in a permanent place
Approximately 7 weeks after planting, the plant can be planted in the ground. Before that, at home, strawberries are taken out to the balcony for hardening at a temperature of 15 degrees. Start with two hours, then gradually increase the time. It is advisable to shade the plants so as not to burn them with the sun. If you plant strawberries by mid-May, you will get a harvest by the end of summer.
Planting is done in cloudy weather, the first days the strawberries are covered from the sun. The site for seedlings is leveled, compost and potash fertilizers are added to the soil. The earth should be loose, light. It is not advisable to carry out a pick so as not to spoil the roots. The plant is carefully transferred from the pot to the hole. Using peat tablets for seedlings from seeds, it should be planted immediately in the ground. The distance between the holes is 40 cm. To facilitate care, the ground between the bushes is mulched.
Rules for the care of strawberries after planting in the ground
In order for the berries to please you with a harvest, you should follow certain rules:
- Water regularly.
- Carry out loosening between the bushes to improve the access of oxygen to the roots, to retain moisture. Before the appearance of berries, this is done three times.
- Weed out the weeds.
- Remove old leaves.
- In preparation for winter, reduce watering.
- Carry out mulching - covering the soil under the bushes with straw, sawdust, grass. This retains moisture and prevents weeds from growing.
The famous gardener Oktyabrina Ganichkina, talking about growing strawberries, gives the following advice:
- If strawberries are grown in your area good varieties, which gives an excellent harvest, cut off the first flowers from remontant strawberries. After the end of the strawberry harvest, it will please with abundant fruiting.
- Fertilizers for strawberries are put into the ground just before planting. For top dressing during the growth period, the leaves are sprinkled with ash.
Video about growing strawberries at home
Growing strawberries from seed
Why is it better to grow strawberries yourself?
One of the berries most loved by gardeners is strawberries. No one will remain indifferent to this berry, thanks to its excellent smell and taste properties. Throughout the year, you can buy strawberries grown in greenhouses, but this is not at all the same as growing them yourself in your own garden. The most fragrant strawberries are wild strawberries. Despite the small size of the berries, this plant is especially popular due to its unsurpassed smell and useful properties
Buying seedlings in a store does not guarantee a high-quality, unmodified fruit without diseases and viruses, so it is better to grow it yourself from seeds prepared in advance than to use purchased ones.
Among the disadvantages of using ready-made seedlings are:
- high price;
- low probability of survival, out of 10 bushes planted, approximately 70% survive;
- lack of fruit due to disease;
- the presence of modified fertilizer formulations;
- adaptation to natural conditions.
All this can be avoided by growing strawberries from seeds yourself.
Preparing to grow strawberries from seeds
Seed preparation must begin in winter. If you yourself harvested strawberries for seedlings, make sure that they are dry and not covered with bloom. The earlier you sow the land, the greater the likelihood of timely germination, so it is not recommended to plant seedlings later than March.
However, there are also disadvantages of early sowing, since strawberries are very fond of light. Due to poor lighting, shoots may not appear at all, so you need to use fluorescent lamps if the side is not sunny or it is cloudy outside.
Seed preparation
In order for the embryos to germinate, it is necessary to imitate the effects of nature. In the forests and fields, seeds turn into embryos with the onset of spring, when it gets warmer and the snow melts.
In the same way, it is necessary to act on them at home in order to destroy growth enzymes called inhibitors.
Simulation of natural conditions. Strawberries growing from seed.
To simulate natural conditions, you can perform the following sequence of actions:
- Put the seeds, placed in a small amount of earth, in the refrigerator;
- Simulate the onset of spring with melt water (wet abundantly with cool water);
- Leave in a transparent container or in a bag for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, then wait for friendly germination.
Strawberries growing from seed. How else can you grow?
If there is not enough space in the refrigerator, you can use the snow from the street. But this method is only suitable if the future seedlings have not been processed and have not been placed in fertilizer granules.
When the embryos swell, they are placed on a paper towel moistened with water and kept on a plate in a warm and bright place for germination. It is very important to ensure that the napkin or cotton pad does not dry out. This can harm the seedlings or completely destroy them.
Growing strawberries from seeds at home
When planting seedlings, it is important to consider that they cannot be sprinkled. Most often, the seeds are mixed with wet sand and laid out on the surface. If sand is not available, you can spread them into the ground and press down a little, then spray water without directing a direct jet at the seedlings.
You can also sow strawberries or strawberries in small grooves, which are made with a small rake. Future bushes are placed at a distance of 1-2 centimeters from each other. The soil composition must be firm, slightly moist and well leveled before seeding into furrows, otherwise the germs may sink into the ground and fail to germinate.
How to choose the right soil for growing from strawberry seeds
Soil selection is extremely important point. It is most preferable to prepare the land in the summer, using the soil in which the berry will be planted. However, such soil may not be quite suitable, so you still have to buy more.
It is advisable to choose a neutral soil and carefully sift it before planting. If you want to prepare the soil for growing strawberries yourself, you can use peat, humus, sand and ash.
How to choose the right container for growing strawberries
It is preferable to take a container that is not very deep and transparent. A plastic box from products that are found in supermarkets is perfect. The bottom and walls of the container must be pierced to allow air to enter. The plastic should not be matte so that sunlight can penetrate from all sides without problems.
Care of seedlings during the germination of strawberries from seeds
The process of planting strawberries is completed, but further care for seedlings is needed. For best germination, the following conditions must be observed:
- temperature regime from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius;
- light, but without direct sunlight;
- make sure that the earth is not too wet, remove condensate on the lid;
- remove the lid from the box for ventilation;
- moisten with a spray gun if the condensate has ceased to appear.
In no case should the surface dry out completely, but it should not be watered either. After waiting for the appearance of seedlings, further care is not required and comes down to watering. As before, the soil should not be oversaturated with water, but not dry.
Planting strawberries grown from seeds in the soil
Seedlings must first be taken outside for a short time, for example, on a balcony or veranda, so that they get used to it, but hypothermia should be avoided and be sure to clean the house at night.
Transfer of seedlings and soil preparation
The most important phase of growing remontant strawberries from seeds is the transfer of seedlings to the soil. This is usually done when the bush already has 5-6 leaves. The rest with 2-3 leaves are seated in separate cups to speed up growth. It is recommended to prepare the land before planting strawberries.
The soil is previously dug up and fertilized with ash, as well as other means. It is recommended to plant a grown berry, maintaining a distance of 25 centimeters between rows and 15 between bushes. After planting home-grown strawberries, it is recommended to weed and water it, as well as periodically loosen the ground.
Preparing strawberries for cultivation
The principle of germination of strawberries and strawberries is identical. Strawberries are more domesticated and their varieties are more adaptable, so they can be watered less often and fertilized less.
Before you grow strawberries, you need to prepare the seeds. To do this, use large and ripe strawberries or strawberries, cut and spread on a smooth surface in the sun to dry. Can be bought different types berries every year. But if you like the variety, it is better to take your own. This will be more reliable and cheaper.
To better understand the whole process, or if you have questions, pay attention to the cultivation of strawberries garden video.
Outcome
Growing strawberries from seeds is a simple and very interesting procedure. By following the simple rules of seed preparation and ensuring the necessary conditions plants you will get strong and healthy seedlings, which will subsequently give an excellent harvest.
