How to grow strawberries from seeds: country tricks. Seedlings of garden strawberries and strawberries from seeds - how to grow at home? How to grow strawberries from seeds

Some amateur gardeners are wondering how to grow strawberries from seeds, which generally requires certain knowledge, without which you will never get a harvest.

In today's article we will provide the information necessary for growing strawberries from seeds, which will be useful for both beginners and experienced gardeners who have decided to test their skills in a new path.

It is best to plant strawberry seeds in late February or early March. Some gardeners plant seeds in late December, which is appropriate for areas with colder climates. Planting seeds at this time will allow the seedlings to become sufficiently strong for further transplantation into open ground.

Moreover, if you plan to be at suburban area, you can plant strawberry seeds in May or June, but in this case, planting seedlings in open ground will occur in the hot summer months, which will require additional care in the form of timely shading and more frequent watering.

Plant strawberry seeds in more late dates We do not recommend it, since the seedlings will have to be kept at home until the next season, which is not suitable for all people.

Selection and processing of planting material

Having figured out the timing of planting seeds at home, you should move on to direct choice these same seeds.

In order to do right choice, check out the list of the following items:

Before purchasing seeds, check with the seller whether it is possible to grow them in the conditions of your site (type of soil on your site). The overwhelming number of strawberry varieties grow and develop well in any type of soil, but there are exceptions that you need to know about before direct disembarkation seeds of a dubious variety;
Choose varieties that in the best possible way suitable for the climatic conditions of your region. In addition, there are varieties that are resistant to certain diseases but have smaller yields, as well as varieties that have larger yields but are susceptible to disease. Based on this, you should choose exactly the variety of strawberry that is right for you in these matters;
Decide in what position you will grow your strawberries. Modern varieties have both horizontally and vertically growing specimens;
Decide on the final taste of the berry itself, which can be sweet, tart, sour, as well as a hint of banana and pineapple.

The most popular strawberry varieties in the CIS countries are the following:

Gigantella;
Mashenka;
Victoria;
Gum;
Anapolis;
Camarosa;
Regina;
Fragor.

You should purchase strawberry seeds in flower shops or from trusted breeders of this crop. Often, the seeds from such suppliers are of high quality and also have good germination. Before planting seeds, all damaged, underdeveloped and abnormal seeds should be eliminated. appearance samples.

We do not recommend using seeds from strawberries sold in stores for food consumption, since there is no reliable information regarding what kind of variety or hybrid it is, whether it will suit your growing conditions, and whether its seeds will bear fruit.

Having decided on the criteria for selecting seeds, you should talk about their immediate preparation, which consists of observing the following points:

To improve and accelerate germination, seeds should be soaked in melt or rain water for 2-3 days.
The soaked seeds are laid out on a damp cloth and placed in a plastic bag. Place the package in a warm and bright place, while avoiding direct contact sun rays, and remains there until the seeds sprout. Check the fabric periodically and moisten it.
If desired, before soaking the seeds, they can be treated with phytosporin, which will protect them from possible fungal and bacterial invasions that may occur when planted in open ground.
Seeds are germinated at a temperature of +27-30 degrees. Seedlings are kept at a temperature of +25-27 degrees.

The use of growth activators in germinating strawberry seeds is not relevant, since the crop has good germination.

For experienced gardeners You can germinate seeds using the stratification method, when the container with the sown seeds is moistened, covered with cellophane, and placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks, then in a warm and bright place, which stimulates them to actively grow and form the strongest seedlings.

Selection of capacity

It is best to plant sprouted strawberry seeds in plastic or wooden boxes with a length of 50 cm and a width of 30 cm. Also, seeds can be planted in ordinary containers and cups, like seedlings of other plants, but this is true in cases where you only need 2- 3 bushes of this berry, for indoor growing.

We recommend using black plastic boxes, which sell fruits and vegetables in large grocery stores. A polyethylene film is placed at the bottom of such a box, in which the drainage holes. The box with the film is placed on a tray in which excess liquid will accumulate.

As for the container for planting already sprouted seedlings, you can use ordinary containers for flowers, as well as deeper ones plastic cups, but this applies only to those seedlings that will later be transplanted into open ground.

If you plan to grow strawberries hydroponically, special carton boxes, ensuring maximum planting density of a given berry, and the ability to collect as much harvest as possible from as small an area as possible.

Soil preparation

The overwhelming majority of strawberry varieties are unpretentious to soil.

Despite this, to improve the speed of growth, development, and fruiting in general, it is recommended to prepare the soil in accordance with the following points:

Take 1 part of turf soil.
Take 1 part of peat.
Take 1 part of clean coarse river sand.
Mix everything until smooth.
Place the mixture in the oven for 30 minutes and heat it at a temperature of +150 degrees to destroy all microbes and fungal spores.

You can also sow seeds and grow grown seedlings in soil purchased at a flower shop, for which a fruit and berry soil mixture would be an excellent option.

General rules for sowing seeds

Regardless of how you grow strawberries, there are general rules planting seeds that are listed below:

To obtain maximum germination, strawberry seeds should be planted in a warm room, the temperature of which does not fall below +25 degrees.
Planting of sprouted seeds is carried out in a container with soil, to a depth of no more than 1 cm.
Sowing seeds is carried out in soil that has previously been calcined in the oven (relevant for soil taken from nature).
Seeds whose seedlings will be planted in open ground should be treated with phytosporin, which will protect the root system and sprouts from infection by fungi and bacteria in the first months of growth.
It is better to use seeds of hybrid species, since they are the ones most oriented towards propagation by seeds.
Sow sprouted seeds, which will greatly increase their germination rate and significantly reduce germination time.
You can stratify seeds as desired (not recommended for beginners).

Instructions for sowing in a container

Sprouted seeds are most often planted in containers or boxes.

For correct landing seeds into these containers, adhere to the following points:

Take the desired container, the height of which will be at least 10 cm.
Treat the container with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or wipe it with a cloth moistened with alcohol. Dry the container thoroughly.
Place a plastic bag on the bottom of the container and make through drainage holes both in the bag and in the container itself. In general, if the container is plastic, you can do without cellophane, but if it is wooden, in order to avoid rotting of the bottom, we recommend using film.
Pour the previously prepared soil mixture into the container, the layer thickness of which should be approximately 7-8 cm.
Lightly compact the soil layer and moisten it with a spray bottle.
Take the sprouted seeds with tweezers and place them in a container on top of the moistened soil.
Lightly press the seeds onto the soil, but do not deepen them, and cover them with a layer of soil, the thickness of which should not exceed 5-10 mm. If you are planting ungerminated seeds, you should not cover them at all. Ungerminated seeds should be lightly pressed into the soil and left to germinate in a bright and warm place. Space the seeds 1 inch apart.
Place the container in a bright and warm place, periodically spraying the soil with a spray bottle. If you sow ungerminated seeds, you can cover the container with film before the first sprouts appear. If the seeds were viable, simply moisten the soil in a timely manner, keeping it moist.

Instructions for sowing in peat tablets

Sowing seeds in peat tablets must be carried out in accordance with the following points:

Purchase peat tablets from a flower shop, which will be approximately 2.4 cm in size.
Fill the peat tablets with melt or rainwater and let them sit for 2 days.
After the peat tablets increase in size, place them on a pallet or in a plastic box.
Make a small depression in each of the tablets and place one seed there, lightly pressing it into the tablet.
After all the seeds have been placed on the peat tablets, the container is covered with a plastic bag and placed on the windowsill.
Periodically spray the peat tablets with a spray bottle, preventing them from drying out.
After the shoots appear, the film must be removed.
Keep the seedlings on the tablets until the first roots appear through them.

Remember, sowing seeds in peat tablets can be done without first germinating them. Otherwise, the peat tablets will have to be left open, which will complicate the procedure for moistening them.

Picking

If you are growing seedlings on peat tablets, after the first roots begin to appear through them, transplant them into separate containers (pots, boxes, cups) keeping a distance of 3-4 cm between the sprouts. In the case of growing in cups, for each cup plant 1 sprout at a time. The seedlings are planted in a container with soil, the recipe for which we discussed in the middle of the article.

Seedlings are transplanted into open ground when they have at least 5 leaves. If you are growing seedlings traditional way, initially using a container with soil, after the seedlings have 2-3 leaves, transplant them into larger and deeper containers, where they will grow until 5 leaves appear, after which they also pick them into open ground.

It is necessary to plant strawberry seedlings in pre-prepared beds, arranged in 2 rows, and having a distance of 30 cm between them. The depth of the beds should be equal to the depth of the container in which the seedlings grew, for example, a cup has a depth of 15 cm, respectively, the bed should have a similar depth, +-1 cm.

Carefully transfer the sprout into the prepared beds, along with the earthen cake on the root system. Cover the planted seedling with soil so that the surface of the seedling soil is not covered with new soil.

After planting the seedlings is completed, water each seedling with 0.5 liters of water in which an organic stimulant, for example AgriTecno Fertilizantes, will be diluted. After fertilizing the seedlings, the soil around them should be mulched with humus. The mulch layer should not exceed 1 cm.

Remember, if your beds are located in direct sunlight, they should be shaded in the middle of the day for the first few days so that the sprouts can smoothly adapt to their new growing location.

Aftercare

Subsequent care of seedlings transplanted into open ground comes down to observing the following points:

Water regularly, every 2-3 days, depending on weather conditions.
Lightly loosen the surface of the soil after watering, preventing it from compacting and settling.
Remove weeds.
If necessary, treat with insecticides against insects.

As for fertilizers, they are applied only after the first harvest. The best fertilizer for strawberries 2 spoons are considered chicken manure, diluted in 10 liters of water. Melon fertilizer is completely natural, and berries treated with it will be absolutely safe for human consumption.

As we approach winter season, at the end of September, the bushes are covered with a thin layer of humus, the thickness of which does not exceed 1 cm. The beds are insulated with straw, fallen leaves or sawdust. If your region experiences heavy autumn downpours or gusty winds, you can additionally cover the strawberry bushes with a plastic bag with holes previously made in it for air circulation.

Conclusion

Based on the information in this article, it becomes clear that almost every beginner can germinate, grow and care for strawberry seeds at home, if they have the desire and hard work. Remember, you can sow and plant strawberries in almost any climate zone of the CIS countries, which makes them an excellent purchase for any summer resident and gardener!

While there is snow in the garden, a real gardener is not idle, but is preparing for the next spring-summer season - buying seeds and fertilizers, repairing garden tools, laying seed for stratification... But you never know what the amateur gardener has to do! After all, besides everything, lately we have to increasingly look on the Internet in search of the necessary information, since in February we need to start sowing garden seeds and garden crops for seedlings. In our articles, we decided to compile all the necessary information on the most popular crops, so that you do not have to collect the necessary information bit by bit from different sites.

In this article we will talk about when to plant strawberry seeds for seedlings, how to grow strawberry seedlings at home and where to buy strawberry seedlings if you cannot grow them yourself. We will try to answer all the questions you asked us about this topic.

When to sow strawberries for seedlings in 2019

January: from 7 to 20, and the most favorable days– 15 and 17;
February: 6 to 18, and the most favorable days are 6 and 7;
March: from 7 to 20, and the most favorable days are 8, 14 and 15;
April: 6 to 18, and the most favorable days are 10 and 11;
May: 6 to 18, and the most favorable days are 10 and 16.

Never sow, plant or replant plants during the new moon or full moon.- in these lunar phases all juices flow either to the top or to the rhizome, so the normal development of any crop in the future will be greatly hampered.

Soil for strawberry seedlings

The soil for strawberry seedlings should be loose and crumbly, but not oversaturated with fertilizers.

We offer you several soil options for strawberry seedlings:

three parts of compost or humus, three parts of garden soil and half of wood ash;
two parts of turf land and one part each of peat and sand;
three parts sand and five parts humus;
one part coconut fiber and one part vermicompost or humus;
three parts of peat and sand and four parts of vermiculite;
three parts sand and one part each garden soil and humus.

After you thoroughly mix the ingredients, the soil should be disinfected - baked in the oven for 30 minutes at a temperature of 150 ºC, frozen or spilled strong solution potassium permanganate. After disinfection, the soil is placed in a warm place for 2-3 weeks so that bacteria beneficial to the seeds appear and multiply.

Growing strawberry seedlings from seeds

You can buy seed material, or you can grow strawberries from seeds you collect yourself. The only exception is hybrid varieties– their seeds do not transmit varietal characteristics from generation to generation, so you will have to buy new seeds every time.

Growing strawberry seedlings begins with disinfection of the seed. The seeds are placed for half an hour in a half percent solution of potassium permanganate, then rinsed thoroughly in clean water and begin stratification: put it on a moistened linen napkin, cover it with the same damp napkin, then roll a roll from this “sandwich”, place it in a plastic container, cover it with a perforated lid and keep it warm for two days, after which they put the container in a vegetable garden for two weeks refrigerator drawer. Don't let the napkins dry out– ventilate the seeds and sprinkle them regularly with water, and dry them a little before sowing.

The seeds will be ready for sowing when they swell, but try to prevent them from pecking, because when sowing small sprouts easily break off, and you will wait in vain for seedlings.

Place the disinfected soil for seedlings in a container washed with potassium permanganate solution, compact and moisten it, spread the seeds on the surface in rows at intervals of 3-4 cm using a damp toothpick and do not cover them - strawberry seeds germinate in the light. Cover the container with transparent plastic cover with small holes for air exchange and place it in a bright and warm place where direct sunlight does not reach - the window sills of western or eastern windows are most suitable for such purposes.

There is another way of sowing seeds, which allows you to combine direct sowing with stratification of strawberry seeds. Disinfected seeds that have not been subjected to stratification are laid out in the manner just described on the surface of dry soil, which does not reach the edge of the container by 2 cm, and a layer of snow is placed on top of the seeds to the edge of the container, after which the container is covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator for two weeks. IN vegetable drawer the snow will gradually melt and draw seeds into the soil, as usually happens in the garden in the spring. After two weeks, the container is moved to a windowsill under bright but diffused light, but the lid is not removed until the first shoots appear.

How to grow strawberry seedlings in tablets

Strawberry seedlings from seeds develop well in peat tablets. They are convenient because you don’t need to bother with preparing and disinfecting the soil, and you can skip picking the seedlings.

Peat tablets are placed in a container and filled with water so that they increase in size, after which the seeds that have undergone the disinfection and stratification procedure are placed into the tablets using a damp toothpick. To prevent moisture from evaporating quickly, cover the container with a transparent lid and then place it in a warm, bright place.

It will be necessary to ventilate the crops daily and remove condensation from the lid, so that mold does not appear on the substrate, but if you suddenly find it, remove the mold and water the area with a fungicide solution. Remove the covering as soon as the seedlings begin to develop their first true leaves.

Frigo strawberry seedlings

IN last years appeared new practice dig up developed annual strawberry rosettes of the first and second order for the winter, store dormant bushes with an open root system in sealed packages at a certain temperature and air humidity, and in the spring plant these rosettes in the garden bed. The advantage of frigo is that that such strawberry seedlings quickly take root in the spring and grow, since during the winter, with proper storage, the normal biorhythms of the plants are not disturbed.

By choosing the timing of planting frigo at your discretion, you can get a harvest by the planned date. In addition, frigo strawberry seedlings take up little space during storage.

Specialists from the UK and the Netherlands, who developed this method of growing strawberries, have already completely switched to frigo seedlings, which are divided into three classes:

class A– seedlings with a rosette diameter of 12 to 15 cm, usually forming no more than two peduncles;
class A+– seedlings with a shortened shoot with a diameter of more than 15 cm, forming 2-3 peduncles;
class A+ extra– the diameter of this seedling is more than 20 cm, it has lateral horns and at least 5 peduncles.

Frigo seedlings also have disadvantages– it is difficult to determine the time to dig out sockets and maintain the temperature (from 0 to 1 ºC) and air humidity (90%) required for storage at home. The disadvantages also include the high cost of frigo, although gardeners claim that the price of seedlings is fully recouped due to its productivity.

Strawberry seedlings in a greenhouse

Usually seedlings of remontant strawberries are grown from seeds, as well as those varieties that do not form mustaches. You can get strawberry seedlings at home and continue growing them in open ground. Or you can plant mature seedlings in a greenhouse and grow strawberries in it all year round. We will tell you how to grow strawberries in a greenhouse in a separate article.

Buy strawberry seedlings – is it worth it?

If you have extensive experience in cultivating strawberries, you will probably be able to grow seedlings yourself. But for novice gardeners this may be challenging task, therefore, for the first time it is better to purchase seedlings from well-established manufacturers. Accept from us Some tips to help you choose healthy seedlings:

It is best to buy strawberry seedlings directly from nurseries or at fairs. Avoid purchasing seedlings on the market from private traders, because they will not be able to give you any guarantees, while nurseries will not risk their reputation for short-term gain;
carefully consider the seedlings before purchasing: its heart should be strong and elastic, the seedlings should have a well-developed root system, there should be no damage to the stems, leaves and roots. Color y healthy seedlings light or bright green;
the root collar must have a diameter of at least 5 mm;
there should be no more than three leaves on the rosettes, and there should be no stains on them. Inspect the undersides of leaves for pests.

Caring for strawberry seedlings at home

Conditions for growing strawberry seedlings

Contains strawberry crops in bright warmth place under a transparent covering. If there is no condensation on the inside of the coating, then the soil needs to be moistened; if there is too much condensation, it needs to be removed. Air the crops once or twice a day. Stratified seeds can germinate as early as 4-5 days, and mass shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks. The seedlings will need to be kept at a temperature of 23-25 ºC. After a week, to prevent the sprouts from stretching, the air temperature is lowered to 15-18 ºC.

The covering is removed when the first pair of true leaves develop on the seedlings, but this is done gradually, allowing the seedlings to adapt to environment. At this time, the crops are not watered, and the room temperature is maintained at 18-20 ºC.

Once you remove the cover, the seedlings will need even more light, so be prepared to provide them with additional lighting, and the air temperature at this stage of development should be between 10-15 ºC. Do not forget to regularly ventilate the seedlings, but make sure that they are not exposed to a draft.

Watering strawberry seedlings

It is best to use a pipette or medical syringe for watering, from which you can “water” each seedling at the root once a week. Water for moistening crops should be standing for at least a day or filtered, at the same temperature as the air in the room, or two degrees warmer. Make sure that water did not fall on the leaves of the seedlings, otherwise they may become stained.

Strawberry seedlings should not be over-watered, as this can lead to the appearance of blackleg, a fungal disease. infecting plant during the seedling period. But the soil with crops should also not be allowed to dry out.

Watering the seedlings is carried out either early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. As prevention against fungal diseases you need to water the seedlings 1-2 times with a fungicide solution (Planriza, Trichodermin or Trichopolum) with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

Illuminating strawberry seedlings

Since they begin to grow strawberry seedlings in winter or in early spring When daylight hours are still short, you will have to install an artificial light source over the seedlings - a phytolamp, LED or gas-discharge lamp or fluorescent lamp, which should work daily for 13-14 hours. After all, even at 12 o'clock in the afternoon daylight in February it is not as bright as in May.

Place the lamp above the seedlings at a distance of 20 cm, and for convenience, you can purchase a timer socket that will automatically turn on artificial lighting, for example, at 6 a.m. and turn it off at 11 p.m.—this will be enough daylight for your seedlings.

Picking strawberry seedlings

They pick strawberries at the development stage; they have 3-4 true (toothed) leaves, but this only applies to seedlings growing in a common container. Before picking, they are watered well, removed from the soil by the cotyledon leaves (in no case by the stem!), pinch off their central root and transplant the seedlings into separate cups, where they will grow until planted in open ground. After transplanting, the seedlings are carefully watered.

If you sowed seeds in tablets, then as soon as the roots of the seedlings begin to grow through the mesh, plant them directly in the tablets in separate cups.

Sometimes gardeners carry out not one, but two pickings - the first at the stage of development of 2-3 leaves and the second when the seedlings already have 4-5 leaves. They do this mainly because the seedlings develop too quickly, and weather will not allow seedlings to be planted in the ground on time. In this case, picking can preserve strawberry seedlings, preventing them from overgrowing and even somewhat slowing down their development.

After picking, caring for the seedlings consists of watering, loosening the soil and fertilizing.

Fertilizing strawberry seedlings

Strawberry seedlings at home do not need feeding until picking, but after this procedure, every 10-12 days fertilizers are added to the soil, containing mainly potassium, phosphorus and only small quantity nitrogen. Strawberries prefer water-soluble fertilizers– Kemiru or Solution with the addition of a two percent solution of trace elements and iron chelate.

Diseases of strawberry seedlings and their treatment

At good care Strawberry seedlings do not suffer from diseases, but with chronic waterlogging they can be affected by blackleg - rot of the root collar of seedlings, which manifests itself from the beginning of seed germination to the stage of development of 2-3 leaves. Against the background of high humidity, within 4-6 days the base of the stem turns black, softens, breaks, and the seedling lies down.

If the disease is widespread, pick up healthy seedlings in separate sterile containers into disinfected soil, place them in a warm place and protect them from direct sunlight. As soon as they take root, the temperature can be lowered, and a fungicide (Fitosporin, Baktofit or Maxim) must be added to the water for the first watering.

It is inspiring that seedlings growing in peat tablets practically do not suffer from blackleg, since the tablets are disinfected and impregnated with fungicide.

Sometimes, at home, seedlings can get powdery mildew, and then a whitish coating appears on its leaves and stems, which gradually darkens and becomes dense and brown. Affected plants stop growing and die. The cause of infection may be:

excessive fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers,
sudden temperature fluctuations,
air humidity.

To combat powdery mildew on strawberry seedlings, use solutions of biofungicidal preparations - Alirina-B, Fitosporin, Gamaira or Planriz - prepared in accordance with the instructions.

In conditions of low humidity, strawberry seedlings can be occupied by spider mites, which make small punctures in the leaves of the seedlings and suck out the cell sap through them. In addition, ticks carry incurable viral diseases, for example, mosaic. Destroy pests with an acaricide solution– Aktary, Aktellika, Karbofosa, Fitoverma.

Planting strawberry seedlings in open ground

Two weeks before planting seedlings in open ground, they begin to harden them - gradually accustom them to the conditions in which the strawberries will grow in the garden. During the day, the seedlings are taken out into an unheated room, first for half an hour, increasing the duration of such sessions daily.

A day or two before planting strawberry seedlings in the garden, transfer the seedlings to a balcony or veranda, where the air temperature will be about 10 ºC.

Planting strawberry seedlings in open ground is carried out after return frosts have passed and when the soil warms up to 12 ºC - from mid-May to mid-June. Strawberries are undemanding in terms of soil composition, but grow better on black soil fertilized with wood ash. Peat soils are not suitable for cultivation. It’s good if onions, garlic, legumes, root vegetables or green manure grew on the plot before the strawberries.

Before planting strawberries, the soil should be prepared - dug up, freed from wireworms, May beetle larvae and cereal weeds.

To plant seedlings, choose a cloudy day or after sunset. Deep and wide holes are placed in a row at a distance of 30-50 cm from each other with row spacing 40 cm wide. The soil removed from the holes is mixed with fertilizers in the following proportion: per bucket of soil - 2 cups of ash, a bucket of compost (humus) and a bucket of Strawberry Pink (Rosaceae) Herbaceous Growing seedlings

After this article they usually read

From seeds it is currently gaining particular popularity. This is quite easy to do, and watching the growing season is exciting.

Choosing varieties and sowing time

From seeds? First you need to decide on the optimal varieties for sowing. Small-fruited hybrid varieties - great way experiment by planting a new subspecies every year. You can also use your own seeds, but you need to collect them not from hybrids, but from the main varieties.

The time for sowing seeds depends on the area and the ability to care for them. If you are doing personal plot only on weekends, then sowing can be done in April. The most important thing is to get there before the drought sets in. If constant care of plantings is possible optimal time for sowing is May-June.

Soil preparation

Before planting seeds, the soil should be carefully prepared and processed, since it often contains insect larvae and eggs, weed seeds and various microorganisms. It is optimal to steam the soil for half an hour over a pan of boiling water. This must be done three weeks before sowing so that the soil has time to restore its lost properties.

Seed preparation

Experienced gardeners who know how to grow strawberries from seeds so that germination is maximized and the fruits themselves are large and fleshy are advised to carefully prepare the seeds before sowing. They should be soaked for several days in rain or melt water. At the same time, the water needs to be changed every day. Soaking allows you to break germination inhibitors. The swollen seeds should be spread in a thin layer on a saucer covered with soft paper, placed in and placed in a bright place. In this case, direct sunlight should not fall on the seeds, as they can dry out all the moisture. The hatched seeds are planted using a match in a box with prepared soil.

Sowing

So, how to grow strawberries from seeds at home? We fill the box with pre-prepared soil, compacting it thoroughly. We make grooves in the soil and place the seeds there at a distance of a couple of centimeters from each other. For watering, it is better to use a spray bottle to prevent the seeds from being washed away and dislodged. It must be remembered that strawberries grown from seeds at home require abundant watering at all stages of the process. The box must be covered with film or glass to reduce evaporation, but the sprouts must be opened and ventilated every day.

Planting seedlings

Two months after the first shoots appear, the seedlings are ready for planting. Before this, it is recommended to harden them by placing the box in shady place in the garden so that the sprouts get used to the sun. The time for planting seedlings depends on the initial sowing. Thus, strawberries sown in winter can be planted under film already in May. However, summer planting is optimal. In this case, by the end of August, individual plants can produce their first harvest.

As you can see, the answer to the question: “How to grow strawberries from seeds?” simple enough. It only takes a little hard work and patience, and then juicy and ripe berries will delight the whole family.

Growing strawberries own plot- an exciting activity that will provide the family with tasty and useful product. Excess harvest can be preserved or sold. Growing strawberries from seeds at home gives you the opportunity to taste new, unusual varieties of berries. For getting good harvest you need to follow the rules for caring for this crop.

Deadlines preparatory work and planting seeds for seedlings depend on the farming region. When starting work, they take into account the experience accumulated by gardening enthusiasts and climate change in recent decades.

In Kuban, strawberry seeds are planted at the end of February or early March.
IN middle lane Russia - in early or mid-February.
In Siberia - in early February.

Strawberry seeds are very small, similar in size to a poppy seed. The amount of seed material in packages purchased in a store varies significantly. This is due to the rarity of the variety and production costs.

Seeds can also be sown in mid-January, so that by the time they are planted in open ground, the seedlings will have grown well. Big problem Winter sowing requires short daylight hours. In low light, the sprouts do not develop, many of them die. Early boarding high-quality light is required for 10-12 daytime hours. The sprouts are “extra-illuminated” with lamps that provide a good luminous flux, but do not overheat the plants. At night the lamps are turned off.

A month or a month and a half before sowing strawberry seeds, they are subjected to stratification.

Stratification of strawberry seeds

Seeds stored in the fall contain substances that block their development and prevent the activation of growth mechanisms until spring. If germination inhibitors were not blocked, the seeds of many plants would rot after thaws that occur in late autumn and winter.

To start the growth mechanisms, you need to place the seed material in conditions that simulate winter. This is done and a stratification procedure is carried out.

During stratification, seed material is stored in a humid environment, at a temperature from zero to plus four degrees, after which chemical processes are activated to ensure growth. Seeds that have a low percentage of germination and a hard, durable shell are kept at low temperatures. For strawberry seeds, this period ranges from 2 weeks to one and a half months. Seed material that has not been cooled takes a long time to germinate, has low germination rate and weak sprouts.

How to stratify in the refrigerator

Keeping seeds in a home refrigerator - reliable way activation of strawberry growth. For stratification you will need a small food container with a lid, a plastic bag with a lock, a sheet of white paper, two cotton pads, a plate with cold water and a bag of seeds. The work is carried out in the following order:

IN household refrigerator operating temperature is 2-10 degrees. Before planting seeds for stratification, the temperature should be adjusted so that in the storage location (top shelf, door) it is no more than plus 4 degrees Celsius. You can measure the temperature using a thermometer designed for the street or room.

Dried seeds cannot be subjected to stratification.

Planting seeds

The soil for planting is prepared different ways. This can be garden soil (1 part), mixed with humus (2 parts) or soil purchased in a store. The ready-made Terra Vita mixture has proven itself well; it does not need to be diluted with garden soil.

What kind of soil do you use for seedlings?

From the gardenI'm buying

The planting soil is crushed well, poured into a plastic container no more than 4 cm deep and lightly compacted. Compaction must be done so that small strawberry seeds do not sink deeply, in which case they will not sprout.

Several holes are made at the bottom of the container for aeration.

Before planting, the soil is disinfected. There are several methods of disinfection:

freezing outside at minus 15 degrees or in the freezer;
roasting on a baking sheet in the oven;
steaming with hot water;
treatment with solution (1.5 g per liter of water);
treatment with a pink solution of potassium permanganate (3-5 crystals per liter of water).

Calcination, steaming and freezing destroy fungal spores and insect larvae, but also kill microflora. You can add Fertika Lux to the soil (2 grams per liter of water). Before planting, the soil should be well wetted.

Gardeners plant both stratified and dry seeds. Seeds are transferred to the soil layer in two ways:

pour onto a sheet of white paper and shake it slightly, scattering the seeds onto the surface of the soil;
With the rounded wet end of the handle, toothpicks take each seed and transfer it to the soil.

The second method allows you to distribute the seed evenly.

In order for small seeds to be clearly visible, it is recommended to pour a layer of snow into the container. After the snow cushion melts, the seeds will firmly attach to the soil.

Some gardeners sprinkle a layer of fine sand 3-5 cm thick on top of the soil. The seeds are applied to the sand and germinate, their roots easily reaching the soil. The sand cushion prevents the growth of fungi.

The container is covered with a transparent plastic lid and placed on the windowsill in the southern part of the house. The lid is opened daily for ventilation.

Until the seeds have sprouted, direct sunlight should not fall on the container. Lamps are installed next to the container for “additional illumination”. With good, uniform lighting, strawberry sprouts will not stretch, and resistance to disease will increase.

The soil in the container should be moist. For watering, use a small watering can or syringe.

Strawberry seeds germinate slowly. From planting to emergence of seedlings it takes from 2 to 4 weeks. Gardeners note that 30% germination is considered very good.

Seeds can be germinated in peat tablets. The tablets are filled with water and left until they swell. Place a seed on the surface of the peat and lightly press it down. The tablets are placed in a plastic container and placed in a well-lit place.

Picking strawberry sprouts

The sprouts are planted as soon as 2 true leaves appear. Some gardeners do this even earlier - when the cotyledon leaves have opened. You can plant a seedling in a flat, wide container made of thin plastic, in single cups or in peat tablets. The composition of the soil for replanting sprouts is similar to that in which the seeds were planted (garden soil with humus, soil mixture Terra Vita).

Diving is done as the sprouts emerge, since seedlings often lag behind each other in growth.

The roots of the seedlings must not be damaged, so replanting is done with the utmost care. Used for work homemade instrument. These can be thin flat sticks, a pen for writing with ink, a plastic straw for juices cut diagonally at an acute angle, and other items. Diving is carried out in the following order:

Planting in open ground

The seedlings are transferred to open ground when the strawberry seedling has 4-5 leaves and the height of the plant reaches 5-6 cm. Planting is carried out in soft, loose soil, well fertilized with rotted humus. On the garden bed you can scatter the soil purchased in winter for germinating seeds. The transplant is carried out in the following order.

The seedlings remain under the containers for one to one and a half months. The containers are cleaned daily to ventilate and adapt the plants (first for two to three minutes a day, then the time increases). After a month and a half, shelter will only be needed at night.

A shading screen is built near the seedling bed, which will protect the strawberries from direct sunlight. The screen is covered with white film, light fabric, agrofibre. Strawberries are protected from hot direct rays of the sun for a month or more.

Remontant varieties When sown with seeds, they will have time to produce a harvest in the first season. Regular strawberries will bear fruit the following summer.

In mid-July, when the strawberries have grown stronger and produced 5-6 new leaves, the protective containers are removed completely. By mid-August, the garden bed will be covered with a thick, bright green carpet of young strawberries. Remontant varieties will gain color.

For home grown For strawberries, you can use tendrils with well-developed rosettes, purchased seedlings or seeds. We want to talk in detail about the last option. The advantages of growing seedlings yourself are obvious: firstly, it is not always possible to find ready-made seedlings of the desired variety on sale, and secondly, there may not be enough seedlings High Quality, thirdly, often unscrupulous sellers actually sell something other than what is stated.

In the case of growing seedlings yourself, the entire process will proceed under your strict control. After reading the information below, you will learn all the secrets and tricks of this craft.

Start growing seedlings from seeds between the last weeks of February and the first weeks of March. This will allow you to have time to transplant young seedlings into the soil before the onset of extreme heat.

Seeds can be bought in specialized stores and via the Internet - do what is most convenient for you. As for specific varieties, the hybrid large-fruited berry is very popular - it gives healthy plants, in many respects superior even to seedlings vegetative propagation. Our own strawberry seeds are also quite good option. Otherwise, basic information about choosing a good strawberry variety can be found in the table.

Table. Popular varieties of strawberries for home growing

Varieties	Description
	She is also Alpine. One of the most widely available varieties. Seeds are relatively cheap - an excellent choice for a novice gardener and gardener.
	Option for more experienced ones. If possible, collect seeds from varieties - hybrids often do not produce offspring.
	Also known as pineapple. It is very popular, primarily due to its large and tasty fruits. The seeds are quite expensive, but the end result is worth the investment.

What soil is needed for planting seeds?

There are 2 main options available.

If you wish, you can purchase the ingredients separately and mix them in the specified proportions, or you can buy them already ready mixture- as you prefer.

About 2-3 days before planting, soak the seeds in rain or melted snow water - simply place them in a container and pour in enough liquid to cover the seeds.

Change the water twice a day. Similar preliminary preparation will contribute to the destruction of germination inhibitors, which will have a beneficial effect on the growth rate of embryos. The seeds will swell somewhat.

We are waiting for our seeds to hatch. After this, we disassemble the structure (we carefully pick up the seeds themselves with tweezers or a moistened toothpick / sharpened match) and move on to further steps.

Growing seedlings in a container

One of the most popular and widespread methods involves growing seedlings in a container. As such, plastic or wooden box sufficient (depending on the number of grown seedlings) sizes. We adhere to the sequence given in the table.

Table. Instructions for growing strawberry seedlings in a container

Work stage	Instructions and explanations
	Pour out the selected soil mixture in the box. We level the ground, compact it with a plank or other suitable device, and then make grooves several millimeters deep. You can evaluate the optimal parameters of the grooves and the distance between them in the photo.
	Armed with tweezers or a moistened toothpick, fill the grooves with seeds, maintaining a 20-mm step between them.
	For personal convenience, we label the furrows - this will allow us not to get confused where which variety is sown, if there are several varieties.
	We moisten the crops abundantly. In order not to blur them, we do this with a spray bottle.
	Cover the box with seeds with glass or plastic film– this will reduce the rate of water evaporation. We ventilate and water our future seedlings daily.

We care for seedlings

Developing strawberry seedlings need a lot of light.

Important note for owners growing seedlings indoors! Remember the following pattern: the warmer the room, the more abundant the lighting should be.

Water regularly and sparingly. As a rule, watering once a day is sufficient. For the rest, focus on the condition of the soil - its upper layer should not be dry or too wet.

After waiting for 2 true leaves to appear, we begin picking. At this stage, we will remove the final part of the tap roots of our seedlings (this will have a beneficial effect on the branching processes of the root system) and transplant the seedlings into individual containers.

We dig up each seedling as carefully as possible, and then carefully pinch off the long roots, as shown in the figure. You can simply pinch with your nails or with any device suitable for such an operation, for example, special tweezers.

We “relocate” the seedlings into individual pots or boxes. The recommended dimensions of individual containers are 90x90 mm. We maintain approximately 80 mm distance between seedlings.

Carefully water the transplanted seedlings with a weak stream of water. Otherwise, the watering recommendations are similar to those given earlier.

Growing strawberry seedlings in peat tablets

This option is also considered quite simple and is popular among gardeners.

First step. Spread the seeds in a thin layer between a pair of cotton pads. We place the resulting structure in a food container or other suitable dishes. The convenience of the container is that in most cases it comes with a lid. Close the container.

Important! First make several small holes in the lid for air circulation.

We leave the seeds for a couple of days in a room with a temperature of about +15-19 degrees and good lighting. Next, we put the container with the soaked seeds in the refrigerator and keep it there for a couple of weeks.

After the specified time has passed, we take the container with the seeds out of the refrigerator and send it to a well-lit place with an air temperature of about +18-20 degrees. Every 1-2 days we look at the condition of the seeds. We are waiting for them to sprout.

Second step. We proceed directly to sowing the “hatched” strawberry seeds. At this stage, we will need peat tablets, purchased in advance from a specialized store for gardeners and gardeners.

Place the tablets in our container and fill with water. Let the tablets grow to the point of “columns”. We continue to gradually add liquid until the tablets absorb it. Drain off excess water.

We place the seeds in the existing recesses in the tablets. For this we use tweezers or a moistened toothpick. We don’t sprinkle the seeds with soil - the better the lighting, the faster the seedlings sprout.

Third step. To prevent our seeds from drying out, we cover the container with a suitable transparent lid. We send the container with the crops to a warm (up to +18-20 degrees) and well-lit place.

Every day we wipe the lid from condensation and thoroughly ventilate the container with seeds, otherwise mold will appear.

Important! If you didn’t keep track and allowed mold to appear, the first time you detect it, get rid of the pest with a toothpick and carefully treat the affected areas with a fungicide, for example, a drug called Maxim.

Fourth step. After waiting for the first leaves, we remove the cover. If there are bare roots, sprinkle them with a small amount of soil to the level of the root collar.

Important! If the “columns” begin to settle, add water. Give it time to absorb. Carefully remove excess.

Rules for feeding seedlings

Every 10-14 days, water should be added in combination with fertilizing. Solutions of mineral fertilizers are perfect for feeding such home seedlings. Sold in specialized stores for gardeners.

If it is warm enough outside, from the first days of May you can begin gradually hardening off the seedlings on the glassed-in loggia. At first, seedlings should be protected from wind and sunlight. Make sure that at night the temperature does not drop to more than +5-6 degrees. If it is still colder at night, hardening off should be postponed until more favorable weather conditions.

Planting seedlings in the ground

As a rule, this stage begins 1.5-2 months after the first strawberry shoots appear. Most owners disembark after June 10th. Loose and fertile soil is suitable for planting.

First step. We first add rotted compost to the soil; humus also works well. We add the components taking into account the initial state of the bed. For example, in the case of a cultivated bed, half a bucket of humus and the same amount of peat per square meter will be enough. When disembarking at clay soil, the volume of the ingredients mentioned in the previous sentence should be doubled and an additional half bucket of coarse sand should be added to them.

Additionally included mineral fertilizer in an amount of about 40 grams per square meter. Before planting, we dig up the soil to the depth of a spade bayonet and carefully level the ground to eliminate slopes.

Second step. We first mark the future row with a small groove. To obtain more even rows, we stretch a cord along the bed.

Third step. We make holes in 30-centimeter increments. We transfer seedlings from individual containers or tablets with seedlings into them, depending on the chosen method of growing home seedlings.

Fourth step. Fill the free space in each hole with previously loosened soil. We do this so that the so-called. the heart (i.e., the growth point) and the soil surface level were located on the same line. Carefully compact the soil.

Fifth step. Carefully water the seedlings, trying to prevent the soil around the bushes from being washed away.

Helpful note! Small-fruited strawberries are better suited for home cultivation narrow beds. The maximum number of rows is limited to two. We arrange the beds with a distance of about 40 cm. When more rows, it will simply be more difficult for you to pick berries and process plants after the fruiting period.

Why don't the seedlings sprout?

Sometimes seedlings do not germinate completely, sometimes they do not germinate at all - both options are equally offensive. The situation may develop in such an unfavorable manner due to several reasons. The main thing is mistakes during care. To reduce risks, remember a few simple rules.

Firstly, as noted earlier, boxes with young strawberry crops should be covered with glass or film, regularly moistening the top of the soil. Until the first shoots appear, we keep the prepared boxes in dark place. We move the boxes to a warmer and brighter place only after the seedlings have “pecked”.

Secondly, at the stage of seed germination We maintain the room temperature at about +18 degrees. Exceeding this indicator will lead to a deterioration in the final result.

Third, don't panic if seedlings emerge at different rates. You will see some of them in a couple of weeks, others in a month, and others will not appear at all.

By following the above instructions and observing useful recommendations, you will get healthy and high-quality strawberry seedlings.