Planting strawberry seeds

Many gardeners do not even think about the possibility of obtaining strawberry seedlings from seeds. Indeed, garden strawberry is a plant that itself and with enviable persistence takes care of the planting material. It remains for the summer resident to make sure that young plants do not overlap the fruiting mother bushes, separate the daughter rosettes and form new plantings of strawberries or strawberries on the site.

But such a traditional idea is losing its relevance, since more and more musty varieties appear that reproduce only by dividing a bush or by seeds. An example of this is remontant varieties. And if friends or neighbors in the country do not have a plant they like, then it is inevitable planting strawberries seeds and associated troubles and successes.

Read also on the topic:how to plant strawberries in spring video.

Selection of material for sowing

The first task facing the summer resident is the selection of seed.

• With the help of the seeds offered by the manufacturing companies, you can get the plants of the newest and most productive varieties or hybrids, both large-fruited strawberries and remontant strawberries. Such seedlings from seeds are not infected with any diseases or pests and necessarily confirm the qualities declared by the manufacturer.
• If you use your own material for planting strawberries with seeds for seedlings, then it is important for the summer resident to know about two points. Seeds are collected only from varietal plants, since hybrids do not transfer their qualities to the offspring. Self-harvested seeds usually have better germination and endurance than purchased seeds.

Sowing time for planting strawberries in spring

So that when transplanting to a permanent place, young sockets fall in the spring, you need to sow strawberries in February, March or even earlier, if an additional backlight... Seeds buried in the ground in May or June will produce seedlings that can be used for winter production of berries in the greenhouse. Otherwise, the seedlings will have to overwinter in containers or pots.

Pre-germination for planting strawberry seeds

Strawberry seeds, whether large-fruited or alpine strawberries, take a long time to sprout and are often troublesome to the gardener. You can speed up the process by pre-soaking the seed for 2-3 days in soft melt water.

• So that small seeds are not lost, it is better to spread them out on a cotton pad or filter paper, and then place them in a shallow container with water.
• Excess moisture is drained from the swollen seeds, the container is covered with foil, glass or plastic and placed in a warm place. Already at this time, sufficient lighting is important for crops. Until the sprouts are visible, water is added under the film, preventing drying out or the development of mold.

It is more convenient to transfer tiny seeds to the ground with a match or a toothpick. This will increase the accuracy of the strawberry planting and will not damage the emerging sprouts.

Soil preparation for planting strawberry seeds for seedlings

Priming for strawberries should be sufficiently loose and nutritious. The potting mix includes:

• one part of high-quality peat, cleaned from coarse inclusions;
• two parts of sod land;
• one part of clean river sand.

A complex of mineral fertilizers or sifted ash with rotted manure is added to the soil.

To exclude infection of seedlings with any infection or damage by pests remaining in the soil, before planting strawberries with seeds, the soil is steamed for half an hour and allowed to stand for three weeks.

Sowing strawberries

There are several options for sowing strawberry seeds, but the main rule is only one. Do not allow small seeds to sink into the soil and from erosion during watering.

1. In compacted and leveled soil, shallow grooves are made, where seeds are laid out at a distance of 2 cm from one another. Sealing is not done, but for abundant but accurate watering I use a spray bottle.
2. Since planting strawberry seeds for seedlings is carried out in winter, snow is often used for sowing. It is leveled on the ground with a layer of up to 1 cm, and seeds are laid out on top. As the seeds melt, the seeds fall on the soil and the soil is moistened.
3. For sowing use and peat tablets, and the smallest are suitable for strawberries.

Stratification of sown seeds helps to wait faster for friendly strawberry shoots. For this, containers with moist soil containing seeds are placed in the cold, where at a temperature of 0 to +4 degrees the crops will stay for about a week. Then the containers are removed, covered with glass or foil, and placed in the light for germination.

Care of strawberry seedlings

After sowing, the summer resident will have to be patient. You can wait for the first shoots of strawberries from 30 to 40 days.

• As soon as sprouts appear above the ground, the plants need to be provided with additional lighting. This is especially important if the seedlings were planted with strawberries during the winter months.
• The film is gradually removed, starting from an hour a day, when the first true leaves appear.
• And until this moment, they make sure that mold fungi do not develop on the soil - a sign of waterlogging and mustiness. It is better to water the seedlings in a tray.
• If common containers were used for planting strawberries with seeds, then the sprouts dive twice or three times, as a result, seated in separate containers.
• For better acclimatization, young plants are hardened by taking them out into the open air during the daytime, having previously protected the plantings from wind and direct sunlight. In May, the period of stay on the street is increased, leaving seedlings ready for planting at a temperature of at least +5 degrees and overnight.

Planting strawberries in the ground

In open ground, strawberry seedlings are planted in late May or June, when the danger of freezing has passed. In greenhouses and plastic greenhouses, planting strawberries in the spring can be carried out much earlier.

With a favorable combination of circumstances, the strongest plants can give the first harvest in the current season. But experienced summer residents still advise removing the peduncles in the first summer so that the rosette gains strength for wintering and fruiting next year.

If by the beginning of summer the seedlings were not ready for transplanting into the ground, do not despair. Having got to the beds by the end of August, she will have time to take root. Even the sockets that have grown in autumn can be saved until spring in a cellar or by digging in containers at their summer cottage and well covered with spruce branches, oak foliage or other insulation.

Planting strawberry seeds in peat tablets - video