How to grow strawberry seedlings from seed

Strawberry is one of the first to appear in the spring on the domestic shelves. Seedlings attract the attention of gardeners who want to grow large appetizing berries on their own land. The only drawback is the cost of planting material. The problem is solved, it is enough to buy seeds in winter, sow them in pots, and by spring they will turn into luxurious plants that will decorate the garden and will delight you with a tasty harvest.

Selection and preparation of seed

For beginners, it is better to try your hand with a small-fruited remontant variety, the cost of which varies from 20 to 60 r. for a bag. The Alpine variety is less demanding, quickly adapts to adverse conditions, and can begin to bear fruit immediately after disembarking on a bed.

Strawberry's large-fruited varieties produce strong plants, but need more careful care, and some varieties will cost a ton of money.Such varieties are recommended for experienced summer residents who have learned to grow ordinary strawberries from seeds.

Test Drive
Regardless of where the planting material was obtained: from the store, or from the hands, you need to check its suitability. Enumerate the seeds on a white sheet, discarding the defective specimens, and then bathe in salt solution. Immerse strawberries in water, chop, and insist 7 minutes.

Drain the solution with the surfaced seeds, the residue settled on the bottom, wash, and dry a little.

Stratification
Strawberry seedlings are not treated with potassium permanganate or fungicides. To activate germination, and increase the resistance of the workpiece to the fungus and bacteria, it is enough to harden the seeds.

• Suitable transparent plastic containers from the cakes. The main thing is that they are closed.
• Pierce the side holes and the cover with a needle to ensure air circulation.
• Use rain or melt water, preferably cold or room temperature.
• Put cotton swabs moistened in liquid on the bottom of the container.
• Top with a thin layer of seeds. Carefully flatten so that the pips do not lie on top of each other.
• Cover with a second wet swab.
• The container should stand for 2 days in a warm place for the strawberry to “wake up”.

The next step is to place the container with planting material in the refrigerator as close as possible to the freezer. Keep 14 days to wake the buds, and start the growth of strawberries.

Tampons regularly moistened so that they do not dry out. Instead of water, you can add a little snow, which will gradually melt, and moisten the seeds.

Hardened billet immediately planted in individual cups, or a box filled with special soil.

Useful information: You can collect seeds for growing strawberry seedlings yourself. Cut off the top layer of ripe berries, carefully separate the stones from the pulp, rinse, and put in a bag after drying. You can not use for these purposes, F1 hybrids, only full-fledged varieties that produce crops.

Perfect time
It is possible to be engaged in preparation of a sowing material in the fall, during the period from November to December. This option is suitable for people who want to sell seedlings, or to harvest strawberries in May. They note one drawback: it is necessary to finish illuminating the whole winter, otherwise they grow poorly or die at all.

An alternative solution is to start hardening seeds in January, and plant them in pots in early February. The light day is gradually increasing, and when full-grown seedlings are formed from sprouts, it will have enough natural ultraviolet radiation. It is better not to delay until March, otherwise you have to winter the strawberries in pots on the windowsill.

What primer to use

Domesticated strawberries are not capricious, so gardeners can use a mixture of garden soil with sand to fill the boxes. Some add to the basis of black soil, taken in the near forest, because in this soil a lot of nutrients.

Other options:

1. Turf ground plus summit peat (approximately in the same proportions), diluted with coarse sand (2 liters per 10 liters of mixture). Fill with rotted humus to feed the seedlings, and a couple of tablespoons of wood ash, which prevents the appearance of fungus.
2. You can take 3 kg of coarse sand, add 1 kg of biohumus and non-acidic peat, and use the resulting base for growing strawberries.
3. Suitable and coconut fiber with humus or biohumus.The components are combined in equal proportions.
4. Vermiculite (8 kg) plus peat with coarse sand (6 kg each).

Important: Combining the components, you need to calcine them in the oven, or sanitized using a double boiler. Some use a microwave. High temperatures will destroy weed seeds and pest eggs hidden in the ground.

Soil after treatment insist 3 weeks, so that it appeared useful bacteria. Some gardeners, instead of steaming and heating in the oven, pour the black earth with boiling water. The fungus is destroyed by water with potassium permanganate or fungicides.

Drawers and pots

Do not do without drainage, which circulates oxygen in the ground, and removes excess moisture. Any suitable means will do:

• crushed foam;
• nuts or sunflower shells;
• small pebbles: pebbles, crushed stone or crushed brick;
• broken earthenware to be crushed into small pieces;
• coarse sand.

For the first time strawberries are planted in plastic or wooden boxes. The development of a strong root system contributes to the pick. The thickness of the drainage layer is approximately 2 cm.There should be holes in the bottom or on the side so that the seedlings breathe.

Pour the soil over the sand or shell. Tamp, pour with warm water, make small recesses for seeds with a stick. The distance between the holes is 1–2 cm.

Important: Some gardeners enjoy modern benefits in the field of horticulture, and planted seeds are planted directly into peat tablets. In such cases, no need to dive strawberries. Stronger plants are transferred directly to the garden bed.

Harsh conditions

Strawberry seeds are put into the hole with tweezers or a wet match. Carefully strung and left in the hole. Can be planted on 1-2 things. Do not sprinkle with earth. Strawberry belongs to the category of light-loving plants.

Snow drifts
The stratification of planting material is sometimes carried out not at the initial stage, but after the seeds hit the ground. Strawberries cover 5 cm with a layer of snow, cover with foil, and put on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Keep 14 days, then move to a warm place.

The snow will gradually melt and moisten the soil. Care should be taken to avoid a lot of condensation on the lid.Every day, put the containers on the table, and air 10–15 minutes.

If the seeds have passed the stage of stratification before landing in the ground, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle, covered with a film, and the container is removed in a bright place. You can not keep the boxes and pots on the window. The sunlight dries the seeds and they die.

The temperature in the room where strawberries sprout, should be kept at around +20, until the first shoots appear. The box must be ventilated every day for at least 10 minutes in order for the plant to receive oxygen.

Correct watering

1. Water should not fall to the top of the seedlings. Use pipettes, syringes or a teaspoon.
2. Water no more than 2 times a week. To check the soil moisture, you need to stick a finger into it. If the inside is too wet, reduce the amount of water. The ground seems too dry? It is necessary to moisturize it more often.
3. Twice a month to add fertilizer to the liquid for irrigation. Suitable water-soluble drugs: "Kemira" or "Mortar."
4. Water is passed through a carbon filter, or to stand for several days, so that harmful impurities settle to the bottom. It is better to warm up, because cold slows down the development of strawberry sprouts.

Lighting
The first 10–14 days of seedlings require a lot of light. Suitable room lamps or special designed for plants. The length of daylight hours for strawberries is 9–12 hours, otherwise it stretches out, becomes thin and weak.

After the boxes with young shoots can be rearranged to the window. The glass is not removed, but we must not forget about airing. Under the cover is placed a matchbox, and leave for a few hours.

New house

It is recommended to carry out a picking after the appearance of the second or third seedbed leaf. Seedlings gently dig up a garden spatula, and remove the plant along with clods of earth, adhering to the root system. Strawberries can be picked with fingers or tweezers.

Transplanted into plastic or peat pots, or in milk bags. Do not recommend boxes from under the juice, in which the seedlings are developing poorly.

The right technology

• Make a few holes in the pots.
• Fill the drainage layer, for example, small stones so that the water does not stagnate.
• A layer of earth is compacted, and a hole is dug in the center.
• Moisturize soil, put seedlings in the hole
• Carefully straighten the root system with a match or toothpick.
• Sprinkle strawberries on the ground.

When the plant takes root in a pot, you need to fill it with soil to the very cotyledon leaves. Then the root system grows, and additional branches appear.

Tip: If the roots of neighboring bushes intertwined, you need to rinse them with water, and gently unravel the usual fork.

Departure after picking
It is recommended 10 days after transplanting strawberries into separate pots to podushit the top layer of the earth. After loosening, fertilize the seedlings with a combination of potassium, nitrogen and magnesium to stimulate the laying of the flower legs.

Strawberries older than 2 weeks are good for hardening. The temperature outside should be above zero. The window under which the seedling stands is first opened for 10 minutes, after it is increased to 30. A week before planting on the beds, the strawberries should be on the street for 3-4 hours daily.

At the end of April, when it becomes noticeably warmer, the pots are brought to the balcony or left in the yard, protecting it from the sun. If at night the temperature does not fall below 0, you can leave the strawberries to sleep in the fresh air.

Useful tips

1. If a mold of white or green color appears on the surface of the ground, it must be removed with a match. Ventilate the seedling containers thoroughly. To process the land with fungicides, for example, to buy "Maxim".
2. Some seeds do not fall deep enough into the ground, so the root system remains on the surface of the soil. In order for the plant not to die, it is necessary to carefully sprinkle the sprout with black soil.
3. You can soak the seeds in a solution of "Epin", so that they hatch faster.
4. Seedlings are transferred to the garden in May. Planting it in the ground is better on a cloudy day.

Growing strawberries from seeds is an excellent option for gardeners who want to try new and exotic varieties, save on planting material, and gain invaluable experience.

Video: how to plant strawberries with seeds