Growing garden strawberries from seed. Strawberries from seed

Strawberries are grown in almost every suburban area. Its taste and aroma leave no one indifferent. Usually, the culture is propagated with the help of tendrils, or by dividing the mother bush. Germination of strawberry seeds at home from seeds is a rather laborious process. But with its help, you can improve plantings, learn new varieties and always be sure that exactly the species that is needed is grown.

Growing strawberries at home - where to start?

For sowing seeds, experts recommend choosing small-fruited, remontant varieties. They are not very capricious, but the chances of getting seedlings capable of fruiting are much greater. If, when growing seedlings, it is possible to place containers in a light, sunny place, or illuminate the plantings with a lamp for 12-14 hours, then the seeds for seedlings can be planted in February. The first harvest of berries will be available this season. If this is not possible, then sowing is carried out in late March - early April.

When planting seeds, you need to follow the rules:

1. seed preparation. Seeds are placed on a damp cotton pad and covered with another, also moistened with water. Seed discs are placed in a transparent plastic container with a lid, in which small holes must be pierced to allow air to enter. The container is placed in warm place. After that, they are refrigerated for another 14 days for certification. Every day, it is necessary to ventilate the container and make sure that the discs do not dry out.

2. Ground preparation. The soil should be light, crumbly, but not too fertilized. You can use harvested from the fall garden soil and add sand to it. In order to disinfect the soil, it must be heated in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This will help to get rid of flies and insects wintering in the ground. After warming up, the earth should lie down for two weeks.

3. Sowing seeds. Soil is poured into the container, which is slightly compacted and moistened with water from a spray bottle. Seeds are laid out on the surface with tweezers or matches (toothpicks). Then, they are lightly pressed to the ground, but do not fall asleep. The container is closed with a lid with holes and placed in a warm, bright place, but not in direct sunlight, otherwise the seeds may burn. Before the seeds germinate, the container should not be opened, as the greenhouse effect created can be disturbed. If, when inspecting the container, it is noticed that the lid is dry, therefore, there is not enough moisture, and watering is needed. If, on the contrary, there are too many drops on the lid, and shoots are not visible, there is an excess of moisture. It is necessary to open the container and ventilate the landing.

4. Picks. After the appearance of three true leaves, seedlings are transplanted. They are seated in separate peat or plastic cups, no less than 5 * 5 centimeters in size. At the bottom of the containers you need to make holes, put drainage (walnut shells, sand, small pebbles) and pour soil. The soil should be moistened, make a small depression. Carefully, with the help of a match or a toothpick, sprouts are transplanted. The heart with leaves should remain on the surface. Since the seedlings of strawberries are very tender, in order not to pick and not injure the plantings, the seeds can be sown immediately in separate containers.

Sometimes sprouts can rise high above the ground so that the root is visible. You need to put soil under it. Watering plantings is best done from a spoon, adding water under the spine. AT open ground seedlings are planted in late May - June. In order for the seedlings to develop better and get stronger for the future wintering, it is recommended to remove the first flowers and get the harvest next year. Germination of strawberry seeds at home – effective method obtaining high-quality, healthy seedlings.

See also video:

Growing strawberries from seeds is not easy, but exciting. It is important to follow a few rules in order to get a flowering and fruiting bush.

Growing strawberries from seeds

For a long time, strawberries migrated from gardens and orchards to window sills and loggias in ordinary apartments. Most often, remontant garden strawberries are grown at home (often called strawberries). You can choose plants for almost every taste and color, and seedlings are obtained by growing from seeds.

Seeds from proven agricultural firms can be bought in stores. Another option is to collect seeds from the fruits of your beds, however, after free pollination between several varieties, you will get a hybrid plant with special qualities.

Strawberries are often planted in planters or hanging pots.

Seed collection

You can collect strawberry seeds only from varietal bushes, not from hybrids. Otherwise, your young plants will not retain maternal qualities.

Video: how to collect strawberry seeds

Soil preparation for seedlings

Most often, strawberry seedlings are grown at home, much less often - right in the garden. Seedlings appear small and tender, in open ground they may die.

For strawberry seedlings, the easiest way is to use ready-made universal soil from the store. Usually there is no pathogenic microflora in it, and the composition of the soil is quite suitable for growing strawberries.

There are special soil mixtures for strawberries on sale, but you can use universal peat-based soils.

Proportions of components for self-study soil:

• 1/2 of the sod land;
• 1/4 of peat;
• 1/4 of the sand.

It is useful to add a little to this mixture wood ash and biohumus. The soil must be steamed in an oven or on a steam bath for about 30 minutes to destroy weed seeds, eggs or insect larvae. Sterile soil must be “rested” for about 3 weeks, it is advisable to add beneficial bacteria to it by watering it with Baikal EM1 or Radiance preparations.

Baikal EM1 contains beneficial bacteria that help the plant absorb nutrients from the soil

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Strawberry seeds are tight. On the bags, manufacturers indicate the germination period from 1 week to 2 months. This process can be accelerated by pre-soaking or stratifying the seeds.

The seeds collected or bought in the store are soaked in rain or melted snow water for 3 days. You will have to change the water 2 times a day. During this time, the seeds will swell. They are laid out in plates on wet paper napkins, wrapped in plastic bag and place in a warm place, making sure that the napkins do not dry out. Sprouted seeds can be planted in individual peat tablets or in rows in boxes.

When germinating, the seeds must be constantly in a humid environment.

Stratification is the long-term keeping of plant seeds at a certain temperature to accelerate their germination. Strawberry seeds can be stratified both soaked and already planted in boxes.

Stratification of soaked seeds

Wet seeds are poured into small saucers and covered with a film, then they are placed in a cool place with a temperature of 2–4 0 C, ideally a refrigerator shelf. Once a week, the seeds need to be checked: ventilate and add water if necessary. Seeds can be stratified in this state from 3 weeks to 3 months.

For stratification, the seeds are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

Stratification of planted seeds

The planted seeds are moistened and, covered with a film, are also put in the refrigerator. The box can be kept at a temperature of 2–4 0 C for about a month, and then transferred to a warm place. Usually after this shoots appear together.

Seed sparging

Another way to increase seed germination is bubbling. This is a process in which the seeds are in warm water with air. The most simple circuit- lower the tube aquarium compressor in a liter jar with warm melt (rain) water. Seeds should be placed in a gauze bag or poured immediately into a jar (if one variety), turn on the compressor for 2 days. It is important that the water temperature is around 25°C. After bubbling, the seeds are slightly dried and sown as usual.

Hard-to-growth strawberry seeds are barbored for 2 days

Sowing seeds in boxes

You can sow strawberries both in boxes and in peat tablets.

Sowing seeds in the snow

Sowing seeds in the snow is one of the most simple ways getting seedlings.

When the snow melts, the seeds are slightly pulled into the soil, it is no longer necessary to sprinkle them.

When to sow strawberries

Strawberries from seeds require warmth and sun. In addition, it grows for a long time - it needs about 5 months before the development of flower stalks, so it should be sown in February. good seedling strawberries will grow only at an air temperature of more than 23 0 C and a day length of 12–14 hours. Therefore, in February, she definitely needs lighting with phytolamps. If there are no such conditions, then plant strawberries in March - April.

Care after landing

Boxes with planted strawberries should be kept in a warm place, the seeds can germinate both in the light and in the dark. Check and ventilate the greenhouses at least once a day, removing drops of condensate from the film. Depending on the freshness of the seeds, the producer and the pre-treatment, seedlings may appear in a week or a month.

Seedling care

After the appearance of the first shoots, the boxes must be transferred to the brightest place, under the phytolamps or to the south window. It is better not to remove the film yet - too dry air of the apartment will destroy young tender sprouts in a few hours. Therefore, it is better to take trays with transparent lids. You need to water from a syringe or spraying with a spray bottle, because young seedlings only slightly cling to the soil with roots.

Strawberry shoots are very tender, it is better to leave shelter for the first time

Seedling picking

It is advisable to pick seedlings after 2-3 true leaves appear. A week before this, seedlings need to be accustomed to room air, for this, the greenhouse lid begins to open slightly for a few minutes or leaving a slightly noticeable crack. Every day the gap is increased and then the cover is removed completely. Be sure to watch the soil: if it dries out, the plants will die.

Seedlings ready for picking should have 2-3 true leaves.

For pickled seedlings, individual pots with a volume of 200-250 ml are suitable, you can take universal soil, but add 0.5 l of biohumus to 10 liters of substrate.

The first time after picking, you need to carefully monitor the seedlings. If the room is dry and hot, it is necessary to spray the leaves with warm water.

To relieve stress in plants, you can add HB 101 to the water (1 drop per 0.5 l).

Seedling feeding

2 weeks after picking, you can start feeding strawberry seedlings. At this time, the seedlings should actively grow, so it is better to use fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen. Can be used both liquid and water-soluble dry mineral fertilizers. Frequency of use - 1 time in 7-10 days.

Fasco - fertilizer for young plants, nitrogen predominates in the composition

strawberry seedling care

The main care for strawberries before planting in the ground or pots is watering, fertilizing, spraying.

1. Strawberries should be watered so that the earthen ball does not dry out, but is not waterlogged either. You need to focus on the condition of the soil. For example, seedlings standing on a southern window under the sun's rays will dry out much more often than seedlings standing under lamps in the back of the room.
2. Periodically, plants need to be sprayed with water to maintain optimal humidity, because in dry and hot air, strawberries can be attacked by pests: spider mite, thrips.
3. It is not advisable to loosen the seedlings, since root system strawberries are superficial and can be damaged.
4. Day length for better growth should be about 12-14 hours.

Good strawberry seedlings have powerful leaves and developed roots.

Planting seedlings in open ground

After 3-4 months after germination, seedlings can be planted in open ground or on permanent place in a cache-pot - for indoor cultivation. Plants are planted in open ground from mid-May, or after the temperature during the day is about 20 ° C and at night 15 ° C. Before planting, the seedlings need to be hardened, for this they are taken out for several hours for open air(first for 0.5 hours during the day, then for 1–1.5 hours, then left for a longer period).

If it is not possible to harden, then strawberry seedlings can be placed in a greenhouse or greenhouse. It is very important to harden plants that have grown without access to sunlight. After planting unprepared seedlings in the garden, tender leaves can burn under the bright sun.

Transplant process:

1. Seedlings are well watered before planting in the ground.
2. On the prepared bed, holes are made at a distance of 30 to 50 cm between plants (depending on the variety).
3. Seedlings are taken out of the pot. If the roots are twisted into a spiral, then they need to be straightened, and if they are too long, they should be cut.
4. A lump is placed in the hole so that the plant is at the same level of the ground as in the pot.
5. The earth around the strawberries is crushed and watered.

It is not for nothing that garden strawberries are called strawberries. To prevent rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil, the bushes are mulched with chopped straw. It also helps keep the crop from rot.

Video: planting seedlings of strawberries in the ground

Alternative ways to plant strawberry seeds

In addition to planting in pots, strawberry seeds can be grown in peat tablets and in a snail.

Video: planting strawberries in a snail

Video: planting strawberries in peat tablets

What varieties are best to take for growing from seeds

Before the start of the season, ask yourself the question: where and why will you plant strawberries.

• container growing at home or on the balcony: you will need remontant varieties and hybrids with different size berries;
• cultivation in open ground: varieties or hybrids of ordinary large-fruited strawberries;
• growing in a greenhouse for sale: varieties of large-fruited high-yielding remontant strawberries.

In addition, there are varieties that do not produce whiskers or give them little. Some varieties bear fruit not only on mother plant, but also on rosettes formed on the mustache.

Alpine varieties and hybrids of strawberries

Alpine varieties are different small berry, predominantly with the aroma of wild strawberries. Most often - beardless, but varieties have appeared that give a small amount of whiskers. Alpine strawberry blooms and bears fruit all season, it is more adapted to shady places and is successfully grown on loggias, balconies, apartments, as well as on Alpine rollercoaster in open ground.

Table: popular varieties of alpine strawberries

Name	Description
Alexandria	The mass of the berry is from 3 to 5 g, very fragrant, juicy, dark red. The bushes are dense, not giving a mustache.
Ali Baba	Beardless strawberries, berries are fragrant, can grow up to 5 g, the color is bright pink. The plant is wide due to the ability to quickly bush.
Baron Solemacher	Bushes up to 20 cm high, not giving a mustache. The berry is sweet, fragrant, weighing up to 4 g.
Snow White	Strawberries with an unusual color of berries - white, with the smell and taste of pineapple. Bushes do not give mustaches, densely leafy, but small.
forest fairy tale	A medium-sized shrub that does not give a mustache. very different abundant flowering and fruitfulness. Berries weight - 4 g. Color - red.
Ruyana	A beardless strawberry with tall peduncles. Berries from 2 to 5 g, red, fragrant, very tasty.
White Soul	Compact shrub, no more than 15 cm high, with creamy white conical berries. Ripe fruits have a pineapple flavor.
alpine dream	Suitable for both open ground and pot culture. Very early, bears fruit throughout the warm season. The berries are fragrant, rather large, up to 3 cm in diameter.
Regina	Early remontant strawberry, ready to bear fruit all summer without a break. From one bush you can get up to 500 berries.
yellow miracle	Remontant variety of beardless strawberry. Berries yellow color, fragrant, weighing up to 3 g. The bushes are very compact, no more than 25 cm high.
Fragrant Surprise	Under this name, a mixture of beardless remontant varieties of alpine strawberries is sold. In a pack, both red and white berries come across, not inferior to each other in taste.

Photo gallery: Alpine strawberry varieties

Strawberries Yellow Miracle - a remontant variety of beardless strawberries Strawberries Alexandria have juicy fragrant berries Strawberries Regina bears fruit all summer Strawberries bush Baron Solemacher does not give a mustache Strawberries Snow White have an unusual color for culture - white Strawberries Ruyan are distinguished by high peduncles

Varieties of ampelous strawberries

Ampel strawberries are distinguished by the presence of a mustache. In addition, each tendril is immediately ready to bear fruit. If you plant such a strawberry in a high hanging planter, then hanging mustaches, with berries and flowers, give the impression of curly. Such varieties are very demanding on nutrition, especially in a limited pot space - they need fertile soil and constant feeding.

Many varieties of ampelous strawberries have pink petals, which is very unusual and beautiful.

Table: varieties of ampel remontant strawberries

Name	Description
Elizabeth, Elizabeth 2	A remontant variety, the bush is very large, wide, can grow up to 50 cm in open ground. The berries are large, up to 40 g, red. The variety is productive.
Temptation F1	Strawberries of Italian selection, remontant, large-fruited, can be grown in the open and closed ground. The berries are large, weighing up to 35 g, tasty. During the season, the bush gives up to 20 peduncles, from one plant at good conditions collect up to 1.5 kg of berries.
Flavor of Summer F1	Remontant variety with large quantity whiskers that bloom even without rooting. A bush up to 30 cm high. Up to 1.3 kg of berries can be collected per season from a plant.

Large-fruited strawberries

Garden large-fruited strawberries (strawberries) are also perfectly grown from seed. Many varieties are brought from abroad, but it is important to take into account their winter hardiness.

Table: varieties of large-fruited strawberries for growing from seeds

Name	Description
Dawn	Remontant variety of beardless strawberry. Berries can grow up to 18 g, beautiful egg-shaped. Bush up to 25 cm high, insensitive to changes in the length of daylight hours.
Gigantella	Dutch variety with huge, up to 100 g, berries. The color of the fruit is bright scarlet, the taste is sweet, with hints of pineapple. The bush is large, reaching a height of 50 cm. Not remontant.
Holiday	American variety, spreading bushes, berries up to 30 g, round-conical shape, red. Not repairable.
Cinderella	Variety of domestic selection, bush compact, vigorous, fruitful. The first berries are up to 40 g, the next - up to 23 g. The variety is not remontant.
Lyubasha	Large-fruited remontant strawberry. Bushes are powerful, sprawling. Berries are conical in shape, weighing up to 22 g. Sweet, red. Mustache does not give.
Tristar	Remontant large-fruited variety. Berries weighing up to 30 g, cone-shaped, dark red, very sweet. The bush is compact. Requires a lot of food.
Yoke	Remontant variety of large-fruited beardless strawberries. Bush up to 20 cm high, compact. Berries up to 25 g, red, sweet, fragrant.
Geneva	Large-fruited remontant strawberry, forms little whiskers. The first berries can weigh up to 50 g.
Zephyr	Non-remontant high-yielding variety, bred in Denmark. Differs in tall and strong peduncles that do not lie on the ground under the weight of berries. Average weight fruit - 20 g, but there are larger ones. One adult bush per season is able to produce 1 kg of berries.
Lizonka F1	Large-fruited, early, high-yielding hybrid. Flowers of an unusual bright pink color, berries are red, weighing up to 30 g.
Scarlet Light F1	large-fruited remontant strawberry which can be grown in a pot. Plant height up to 35 cm. Red berries with nutmeg aroma.

Photo gallery: varieties of large-fruited strawberries grown from seeds

Dawn - remontant strawberry Gigantella gives berries of 100 g
The first strawberries Geneva gain weight of 50 g One adult bush of strawberries Zephyr can produce 1 kg of berries per season Strawberry Tristar requires quality nutrition

So the holidays are over, my dear readers, I congratulate you on the fact that we all courageously endured them, I laugh of course, but there is still some truth in this. Standing for hours near the stove to cook various goodies for your family, and then tasting all this with her, you need to have tremendous stamina, you must admit, and if you still look like guests, wow, and it’s hard work. I laugh again.

Today we will have a fasting day with you - we will talk about vitamins that are so useful for our body, and of course, the most useful are those that are grown with our own hands.

And we will grow strawberries with you. You think it is difficult, nothing, a few secrets of its cultivation, and in the fall you will enjoy the smell and taste of this healing and very tasty berry.

They say that garden strawberries do not smell, forest strawberries are another matter. I will not refute the merits of wild strawberries, but garden strawberries smell no less, believe me, and they are also not inferior to wild ones in taste.

So if you want to pamper yourself and your family with such fragrant vitamins, then let me tell you how I grow bushes of this healing berry in my area.

How to grow strawberries from seeds on a windowsill

When to sow strawberries

Yes, yes, it is on the windowsill that the life of a small bush of strawberries begins, it will then move to the garden, grow a large bush and give its first crop. All this will happen when it gets warmer outside, the earth warms up, but for now it’s January outside, and in order to enjoy a little fragrant, autumn harvest, you need to start working now.

You ask what is right in January? Yes, if seedlings are planted in your area at the end of May. I plant after May 20, respectively, I start sowing seeds for seedlings on January 20-25. All this is due to the fact that strawberry seeds peck for a long time, seedlings grow slowly, especially if the house is not very warm. If it is hot in your country, and the timing of planting seedlings is shifted to later dates, for example, to the beginning of June, then you need to move the sowing of seeds to the beginning of February, or even to the middle.

What varieties of strawberries are best grown from seeds

Definitely, varieties of remontant bush strawberries are the best. What are her charms? She does not let her mustache, which means she does not spread over the entire area, but grows in a neat bed, which can be easily processed during the summer. When you buy a bag of seeds, and it says remontant variety, it means that strawberries will bear fruit from spring to frost, with little to no rest. You still know how to collect it.

• Regina- large beautiful bushes with cone-shaped berries, which are 2 times larger than forest ones. The plant is drought tolerant and middle lane Winters are not bad enough.
• Baron Solemacher- also big beautiful bush with long berries, but they are slightly smaller than Regina's.
  
• Ali Baba- powerful bush, large round berries. It tolerates winters well.
• Alexandria- winter-hardy bush with fragrant berries.
• Renaissance- large strawberries, fragrant.
• There are many more yellow varieties strawberries, but somehow I didn’t like them. Berries are tasteless and sour for me. And if you want, try it.

Soil for planting strawberry seeds for seedlings

In fact, no special soil is needed for planting seeds. Strawberries grow well in all-purpose soil, the kind you normally use for seedlings. I do not prepare the land myself, because we have heavy soil, and adding sand or other additives does not improve the situation.

If a mature plant feels quite well on such soil, then the kids do not have enough strength to put roots in such soil. Therefore, I rely on specially prepared soil. And for those who still prepare their soil for seedlings, I recommend watching the video on the page: "Growing a tomato: seedlings at home" . Strawberry seedlings in such a land will feel comfortable.

How to sow strawberries with seeds

It is very important to sow strawberries with seeds correctly, many of my friends made the same mistake, so they did not succeed. They sowed the seeds according to all the rules - they prepared the ground, distributed the seeds over it and sprinkled more earth on top. It was the last step that turned out to be wrong.

Strawberry seeds can not be sprinkled with earth !!!

Even if you lightly powder with earth, the chances of germination will be zero. Seeds need light. Therefore, in order to get good seedlings, you need to take the following steps:

Step 1:Pour the prepared earth into a small and not very deep wooden box. If you are using a plastic box, then be sure to make holes in the bottom for removal excess moisture. The soil was compacted by hand.

Step 2:This step can be done in two ways. The first is to shed the earth cold water. The second is to pour snow brought from the street over the ground.

Step 3:Spread the strawberry seeds evenly over the surface. On the snow it will be more clearly visible how you did it, without it to seeThiswill be more difficult. If you scattered the seeds just on the ground, then lightly press them with the palm of your hand. You don’t need to do this with snow, melting, he himself will press them to the ground.

Step 4:Then we place the box with its contents in a transparent plastic bag, tie it so that there is no air access. Some experts advise, before tying the bag, inhale into it to fill it with carbon dioxide. They say carbon dioxide contributes to better seed germination.

Step 5:Sending seeds, where do you think? So they didn’t guess, not in a warm place, but in the refrigerator. Don't worry, it's only for one day. We kind of let them know that it's winter now, sleep, rest until spring. And in a day - quickly to a warm place, - they say, spring has come, wake up. This process of simulating the seasons is called stratification. It speeds up seed germination.

How many days do strawberry seeds germinate

Strawberry seeds germinate for a long time - from 10 to 25 days, it all depends on the characteristics of the variety, on the quality of the seeds and on ambient temperature. Another very important fact, affecting the germination rate, is the humidity in which the seeds are located.

Even though they are in a plastic bag, and condensation is visible on it, the seeds can dry out and even dry out, because they are on the surface of the earth and are not protected from dry air.

And he will definitely get there. After all, every day you need to carry out airing so that these small grains do not fade.

To maintain humidity at the proper level, you need to lightly spray the surface of the soil every two or three days. Do not overfill - there is no need for extremes.

I usually peck the seeds around day 7. You will see it, it's hard not to notice the white tips near the seeds.

Strawberry seeds germinate unevenly. This process can take a long time, so do not rush to rearrange them on the windowsill, let as many seeds as possible peck, and some will already start growing. But do not overdo it so that the sprouts do not stretch out much.

Sowing strawberries for seedlings - video

Well, finally, I made a video for you. Now you can not only read how I sow strawberries, but also see everything with your own eyes.

How to care for strawberry seedlings

Strawberry sprouts grown from seeds are very tender and their care is special. He must be careful, one wrong move and the sprout can die.

So how to properly care for seedlings? Firstly, after the first sprouts have appeared, the seedling box can be put on the windowsill without removing the bag from it. Just a few minutes of bright sun can be fatal for them.

Secondly, it is important to choose the right place where the emerging shoots will grow. Ideally, this should be a sunny window sill, but you can try growing strawberries in a more shaded place. As the experience of my friends shows, this is quite possible. The bushes, of course, stretch out a little, but based on own experience, I will tell you that there is nothing wrong with that, planted in the garden, they will let out new leaves from the middle (outlet), not elongated, stronger and stronger.

Every day we air the box, let the strawberry sprouts breathe for a few seconds. If there is little moisture, you need to add it, but this can be done by spraying and warm water. Under a heavy stream of water, a weak strawberry will simply lie on the ground, and if it is not lifted, it will die. After spraying, see if any sprout lies, if so, then take a toothpick and gently lift it up.

When 50% of the bushes start growing, you can remove the package, but you should not do this abruptly. They are not yet accustomed to the sun and dry air, they need to be accustomed gradually, starting from 5-10 minutes, and better at a time when the bright sun will not shine on them.

In general, on bright sunny days, you need to be especially attentive to seedlings, either water them abundantly, or remove them from direct rays, it is impossible for the soil to dry out.

You can feed the plant when it acquires two true leaves. But top dressing should be given already with a neat strait, without spraying the leaves.

I don’t dive seedlings of strawberries, somehow very small strawberries do not tolerate transplanting, they die a lot, therefore, in order for the bushes to be spacious, take a box of such a size that the seeds are scattered far from each other.

And as I wrote above, when spring frosts stop making their nightly forays, you can plant seedlings on the site.

If they are hot and bright days it definitely needs to be shaded. Since my bed is narrow and located from east to west, I solve this issue simply, put low arcs and stretch sponbon (agrofibre) with south side. As a result, strawberry bushes get quite a lot of scattered sunlight. And this means that the plants do not burn, the moisture does not evaporate after watering, the bushes take root quickly and painlessly.

This method is good because you do not need to pre-harden the seedlings. When the bushes begin to grow and new leaves appear from the outlet, you can remove the sponbon in the evening. Let the strawberries get used to adulthood.

Grown seedlings in this way, by the fall will become a beautiful adult bush and give the first harvest, just a few berries. But already this year you will taste the variety that you have planted.

And on next year from harvested crop you can .

Good luck and great harvests!

I wish everyone happiness, Natalya Murga

If you decide to grow strawberries from seeds, then you need to know the following rules.

• the seeds are very small and germinate only in the light;
• you need to sow the seeds on the surface of the soil and do not sprinkle anything on top.

For planting seeds, take a plastic container with a lid (these are sold as disposable tableware). Pour the earth, compact it, and put the seeds on top over the entire surface, but sparsely. Close the container with film, glass or a container lid. You have a mini greenhouse for seedlings. Do not forget to sprinkle water on the seeds and the ground with a spray bottle beforehand. In this case, strawberry seeds germinate very well.

In fact, it is believed that strawberry seeds germinate for a very long time - 30 or more days. So, if you decide to start growing strawberries from seeds, then be patient. But still I advise you to spray them with HB-101: this biological stimulant, which will improve germination, and this is very important, since the cost of these seeds is high.

When to sow strawberry seeds?

They can be sown in December, but then you will definitely have to illuminate the seedlings. If you do not have the opportunity to illuminate, then wait until March and then sow the seeds. To illuminate the seedlings, you can do the following: place the container under an ordinary table lamp, just replace the incandescent lamp with an energy-saving one. This will not take up much space for you, and the seedlings will have enough light. The distance to shoots should be 10-15 cm, and the lamp should shine from 12 to 16 hours. The bigger, the better.

Instead of a container with earth, it is very convenient to use peat tablets. They are especially suitable for seeds of large-fruited strawberries. You need to sow one seed per small tablet (24 mm).

Before sowing strawberry seeds, soak the tablets in water, or even better, take a drop of HB-101 per liter of water and soak them in this solution until completely swollen. After that, put one seed per tablet without deepening it.

Please note that there should be no water in the container in which you will have the tablets. Excess water after soaking will need to be drained. When the peat tablets dry out, you will gradually add water, but so that there is no excess moisture left, otherwise the strawberry seedling roots will rot and grow poorly.

When you have seedlings of strawberries, in no case do not remove the lid of the container, otherwise they will die almost on the same day. This can happen due to the fact that the root system of strawberry seedlings is weak, and it is not able to give required amount moisture. Your seedlings should be under a transparent cover all the time until real strawberry leaves appear. This is being done gradually. First, make a small gap between the lid and the container, then more. After a few days, you can remove the cover completely.

You should also pay attention to the fact that when condensation forms on the lid, it must be removed.

When you only have roots from peat tablets, this will indicate that now you need to transplant strawberry seedlings into pots, filling up the missing land.

Here, in fact, is the whole technology.

Growing strawberries from seeds is a rather laborious and lengthy process. Therefore, it is worth doing this only in those cases when it is necessary to propagate the variety you like. Well, or if there is a desire to take care of something for a long time and painstakingly.

Strawberries are long-growing crops with a small percentage of germination. The most popular among gardeners was the method of propagation by mustache or division of bushes. But if you need to grow strawberries from seeds, then you should strictly adhere to all the recommendations below.

Seed selection

The most effective will be the cultivation of strawberries from seeds collected with my own hands. It's worth the time and effort spent here. After all, most likely, the seeds were collected from the variety you liked, which surprised you with its palatability or a bountiful harvest. Subject to the rules for the collection and storage of planting material, germination can be improved by a third.

To collect strawberry seeds, you need to take a ripe, but not overripe fruit, soak in warm water for 3-4 days. It should be remembered that hybrids when propagating on their own harvested seeds do not repeat all the qualities of the mother bush, so the variety must be chosen appropriate. Gently grind the strawberries that have fermented in the water through a sieve, rinse the seeds that have separated from it running water, dry well for several days and pack in paper bags. Keep planting material should be in a cool, dark place.

When buying seeds, you need to pay attention to the period of their collection and storage. It is desirable that this be fresh planting material collected in the previous season. Seeds stored for a year or more lose their germination capacity significantly.

Soil preparation and containers

Land intended for growing strawberries should be given special attention. From sowing to seedlings, which have reached the required size for planting in open ground, it takes about three months. Therefore, all this time the soil must be in a decent condition.

An ideal option for growing long-growing crops such as strawberries are peat tablets. They are completely ready to use, you just need to feed them with water and plant seeds. For strawberries, the thinnest tablets are suitable, growing after swelling up to 5-6 cm, no more.

You can use purchased soil for seedlings or make a soil mixture for growing strawberries yourself. It should be very light and porous, not retain moisture, consist of two parts of sand, one part of humus and soddy soil. Any land, store-bought or prepared with your own hands, must be disinfected. This can be done with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, spilling all the soil well with it, or warm it up in the oven for two hours. An excellent way to stimulate the right microclimate in the soil for a long time will be the colonization of good microorganisms acquired in the form of biological preparations.

You can grow strawberries in any available containers - containers for cakes and cookies, disposable cups, cut plastic bottles. It is enough that they are no deeper than 6-7 cm. The inner walls of the container must also be treated with a disinfectant solution, dried well before filling with earth, and holes pierced in several places. The container should be filled with soil, leaving a few centimeters to the upper edge of the side, so that the seedlings sprouted under the shelter have enough space.

Seed preparation

You can grow strawberries from seeds throughout the year, but if you want to get a harvest from it already in June best option sowing - mid-January, all of February. Then by May it will gain sufficient green mass, it will form a strong root system that can transfer the transplant to open ground and give the first harvest. With the planting of remontant varieties, you can wait until March, when daylight hours become longer. By August, young strawberries will already be able to pamper with the first berries.

Regarding whether or not to soak the planting material, experienced gardeners have different opinions. Some advise keeping the seeds for a couple of days in a humid environment or in a growth stimulator, while others consider this activity useless. If the seeds are fresh, collected by hand, or there is no doubt about the integrity of their supplier, then it may not be worth it to germinate them. Otherwise, it is better to spread them out on a damp cloth to make sure they are swollen, able to sprout.

Sowing

The most popular way to plant small seeds, whether strawberry, petunia, lobelia or any other similar plants, is to sow them in the snow. Snow is laid out on the surface of the prepared soil with a layer of 2-3 cm. Tiny strawberry seeds will be very clearly visible on it. Having melted, the snow will not only saturate the soil with the moisture necessary for the first time, but will also gently draw the seeds into it. After sowing, seeds should be stratified, accelerating their germination. To do this, just place the container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Sown strawberry seeds do not need to be sprinkled with earth. The container with them should be covered with glass, film or a lid and placed on a windowsill, isolated from direct sunlight. Strawberries need light from the first days of planting. Under the conditions of a micro-greenhouse under a lid, it will remain until the first shoots. It does not need to be watered - the moisture from the melted snow will last for a long time if the shelter turned out to be quite airtight. The first shoots of strawberries may appear in one and a half to two weeks, but some varieties germinate only after three weeks.

strawberry seedling care

During the growing period of strawberries, drops of water will appear on the lid of the container, indicating its tightness. They must be removed with a clean cloth or paper napkins. To air the sprouts, the time when moisture is removed from the lid is enough. If, with proper care, drops do not form, then this indicates the drying of the soil. You can spray its surface with a spray bottle or add water to a pre-prepared pan. The cover can be completely removed when 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings. After that, it is necessary to carefully monitor the sufficient amount of moisture in the soil.

Lighting

The winter months may not provide the plants with enough light outside the window. Therefore, any of them, planted for seedlings in January-February, needs additional illumination. To do this, you can use special structures with a fluorescent lamp or ordinary table lamps on the extreme case. But strawberries must receive their ten hours of light. Otherwise, it will stretch out, become frail and painful.

Watering

Seedlings should be watered as needed when upper layer soil will be dry to the touch. It is better to pour water into the pan to avoid the formation of mold on the surface, infection of seedlings with a black leg. If you need to water the surface of the soil, then this should be done carefully, from a spoon or syringe, so that the tender sprouts are not washed off with a stream of water.

top dressing

In the early days, seedlings have enough nutrients located in the ground. The first top dressing necessary for the successful cultivation of strawberries from seeds is made after the formation of 2-3 permanent leaves on the sprouts. Can be taken complex fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, enriched with trace elements. You need to repeat feeding every week and a half. It is necessary to strictly adhere to the instructions that come with fertilizers so that their overabundance does not provoke the active growth of greenery to the detriment of the fruits.

If there is fungus or mold

In conditions high humidity and temperatures created under the lid of the seedling container, growing strawberries from seeds can be difficult due to the possibility of green, black spots of fungus or white mold on the surface of the soil. All these troubles must be removed, the earth must be disinfected with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or a purchased antifungal agent. Watering in the pan significantly reduces the possibility of plaque on the soil surface. Well in the prevention of contamination of the soil helps regular ventilation.

picking

If the plants are planted in one common container, then after 3-4 weeks they need to be planted in separate containers, dive. This will help the root system to develop better, and the above-ground part will provide additional volume for growth.

Dive strawberries should be after the formation of 3-4 pairs of leaves on the sprout. To do this, carefully water the soil, allow it to absorb water and become more pliable when removing sprouts. You can put a clod of earth with seedlings on the table and, pouring water, wash off all the soil from the roots. If the plants are intertwined with roots, then you should carefully unravel them with a toothpick, slowly and without trying to stretch the sprouts to the sides with your hands. A damaged root system will lead to disease, stunted growth, or death of the plant.

Before planting in the bottom of the pot, you need to make several holes to drain excess moisture. Seedlings of strawberries are planted in pots with soil, the composition of which is closest to the ground, where it will be planted in a permanent place. It also needs to be watered well before planting, make a notch with your finger, plant a stalk in it. When transplanting, it is very important not to fall asleep the heart from which the leaves grow.

Seedling hardening

A few days before planting in open ground, strawberry seedlings must be hardened off. To do this, it must be taken out into the street for several minutes, increasing the hardening period every day. The air temperature for hardening should not be below zero.