Strawberry seedlings from seeds: secrets of successful cultivation
Strawberries are a sweet berry that is not difficult to grow on your own plot. Despite the fact that novice gardeners prefer to buy seedlings, experienced ones grow seedlings themselves from seeds.
Content:
- How to choose strawberry seeds for seedlings?
- How to sow strawberry seeds for seedlings?
- Strawberry seedlings from seeds: care
- How to grow strawberries from seeds?
How to choose strawberry seeds for seedlings?
Remontant small-fruited strawberry varieties are grown from seeds. The small-fruited berry, unlike the large-fruited garden strawberry, has the ability to transmit parental characteristics through the seeds.
Marketing gimmicks (advertising and bright packaging) force people to buy garden seeds large-fruited strawberries (strawberries). People forget that propagating strawberries by seeds is the prerogative of breeders, but not summer residents.
Strawberries from seeds either do not grow or do not reproduce the parental qualities. All cultivation efforts will be in vain.
Small-fruited remontant (alpine) strawberries are grown from seeds, which bloom and bear fruit throughout the summer season.
To the beardless varieties remontant strawberries relate:
- Yellow miracle
- Alexandrina
- Mirage S1
- Baron Solemacher
- Alpine novelty
- Ali Baba
- Weiss Solemacher
- White soul
When you come across the last two names on the counter, keep in mind that these are white-fruited varieties.
Varieties of mustachioed remontant strawberries include:
- Milka
- Seasons
Experienced summer residents do not buy, but collect their own seeds. You should not collect seeds from hybrid varieties of strawberries (they are marked F1 on the packaging) - they do not reproduce the parental qualities.
How to sow strawberry seeds for seedlings?
The onset of the New Year for summer residents is marked by preparation for the summer season, which includes growing seedlings strawberries from seeds. The sowing time depends on your ability to provide additional light to the seedlings. If there are lamps for illumination, sow strawberries at the beginning of winter; if not, in March. Strawberry seeds will germinate only in light.
Having decided on the optimal timing, we move on to working with seeds. Should I soak them or not? If the seeds have expired, use an additional growth stimulator, following the instructions. In other cases, this procedure is skipped.
To grow seedlings, soil is made from sand, garden soil and humus in a ratio of 3:1:1. It must first be disinfected from microorganisms. Experienced summer residents recommend using peat tablets of minimal diameter. After soaking, they increase in height 10 times, turning into a peat column.
The container is plastic and transparent, since fungus does not spread in it. Use plastic containers from supermarkets. If there is no need to disinfect peat tablets, then wipe the container with a solution of potassium permanganate.
We move on to bringing the seeds out of hibernation, giving them an impetus for growth in the form of stratification. Procedure:
- Fill the container with soil, leaving 2 cm to the edge.
- We densely pour snow on top of the ground.
- We distribute the seeds evenly over the snow surface.
- Place in the refrigerator for 3 days.
The essence of the technique for stimulating seed growth is that melting snow draws the seeds into the soil to the required depth (when watered from a sprayer, the seeds will not move). Having completed the above steps step by step, proceed to caring for future strawberry seedlings.
Strawberry seedlings from seeds: care
Within 1-4 weeks you will expect the first shoots to appear. The container with seeds that have recently been in the refrigerator is placed in a warm, illuminated place. The seedlings should be covered with cling film or a plastic bag.
An airtight structure is created, the inside of which is humid and warm. A sufficient amount of moisture is indicated by the presence of drops on the “lid”. They need to be wiped periodically with a paper towel. Remove the cling film 1-2 times a day to ventilate the greenhouse.
If the temperature inside the greenhouse is 22-25 degrees, you will need additional watering. At low temperatures (less than 20 degrees) do not expect strawberry shoots, as the temperature conditions promote the growth of mold.
Remember the axiom: strawberry seeds germinate in the light. And in winter there is not enough daylight. It is advisable to illuminate the seedlings with a gas-discharge or fluorescent lamp. For convenience, a timer socket is purchased that automatically turns on the light at a set time.
You can turn on the lamp at 6 a.m. and turn it off at 11 p.m. This daylight hours will be enough for strawberries to produce the first leaves.
How to grow strawberries from seeds?
Picking begins after the strawberry seedlings have two leaves.They should not be round, but jagged.
Each plant is dug up and transplanted into a separate box, where it will grow until planted in open ground. You need to continue to illuminate and water the strawberries so that they feel comfortable and develop safely.
Before planting, seedlings need to be gradually hardened off. If you plant it in open ground without pre-hardening, the plant will die from drought and bright sun.
Greenhouse conditions alternate with stressful ones so that strawberries are mentally and physically ready to survive in harsh natural conditions. Take the seedlings out into the fresh air during the day for a couple of hours, and before planting, leave them for the whole day.
Plant in open ground after frost. After planting, monitor the plant for the first week: do not allow the soil to dry out, shade it from bright sun, cover it with film at low temperatures.
The distance between the bushes should be 30 cm. If there is a lot of nitrogen in the soil, you will wait a long time for the harvest. When there is a drought, be sure to water the strawberries. It will begin to bear fruit after 4-5 months.
Growing strawberries from seedlings is a fascinating process. Knowing important nuances will help you get not only aesthetic pleasure, but also a huge harvest!
Rules for sowing strawberries with seeds in the video:
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