Growing strawberries from seed at home 

Probably every summer resident is familiar with strawberries – everyone loves this berry, which is why they try to plant at least a few bushes on their site. It would seem that there is nothing complicated in breeding strawberries: everyone knows that garden culture reproduces with a mustache or by dividing a bush. However, it is far from always possible to use these methods of propagating garden strawberries (it is often called strawberries), sometimes you have to go the other way – to increase the number of bushes with seeds.

Is it possible to grow strawberries from seeds at home, what are the secrets of growing, how to care for seedlings, and what are the difficulties of this method – this is what this article is about.

How to grow strawberries from seed at home

The method of growing strawberries from seeds has always been considered very difficult and laborious. Of course, it is much easier to just root the mustache or split strong kuts into several parts, but this is not always possible. Buying seedlings in a nursery is quite expensive, especially if the gardener wants to plant a large area with strawberries.

In this case, you can try to grow strawberry seedlings on your own using the seeds of this crop.. Seeds can also be bought, but when the strawberry variety is elite, they will cost a lot, and are sold in 5-10 pieces per bag. As you know, the germination of strawberry seeds is low, so half of the purchased material may simply disappear.

For everything to work out, you need to follow the technology. You can get acquainted with it in this article, and see a good example in the video instructions from experienced gardeners.

To do this, leave the largest and most beautiful berries on the bushes, give them a little overripe. Then the skin is removed with a knife along with the seeds and the seeds are carefully separated under water. Dry the seeds on a cloth and store for 3-4 years.

What strawberries are propagated by seeds

The novice gardener should know that not all varieties of strawberries and strawberries can be propagated by seeds. Hybrid varieties are categorically not suitable for this method. Such strawberries may have seeds, they may even germinate and give good seedlings, but there is no guarantee about what the fruits will be and their taste characteristics.

Elite expensive varieties of large-fruited or exotic strawberries (unusual color, shape, with a taste or aroma not inherent in this berry) are difficult to propagate, it is especially difficult to increase the number of such bushes at the expense of seeds. Seeds germinate poorly, seedlings are weak and unviable.

Rђ RІRѕS, remontant small-fruited varieties, which are often called strawberries, on the contrary, reproduce perfectly by seeds.

Cross-pollination with other varieties should not be allowed, otherwise the purity of the variety will be violated, one can only guess about the quality of the seedlings.

Growing from seeds will be more effective if you choose one of these varieties of strawberries:

• “Diamond” is characterized by resistance to viruses and pests, as well as high yields (up to two kilograms per bush);
• “Dukat” is not afraid of spring frosts and also gives good harvests;
• “Olivia” is not so fruitful, but is not afraid of drought and heat;
• variety “Bagota” refers to late-ripening, strawberries are large and sweet;
• Lakomka, on the contrary, has an early harvest;
• wild strawberry “Sakhalinskaya” bears fruit all season, is characterized by increased resistance;
• “Geneva” is one of the large-fruited varieties that can be propagated by seeds.

When to plant strawberries for seedlings

In order for the seedlings to grow and be ready for planting in open ground, at least two months must pass from the moment the seeds are sown.. If it is customary to plant strawberries in most of Our Country at the end of May or in early June, and also taking into account 2-3 weeks allotted for seed stratification, it is possible to determine the optimal time for sowing seeds is the end of February or the beginning of March.

Later crops will not have time to get stronger, they will have to be planted in the ground later, when the heat is already on. If it is planned to grow strawberries in a greenhouse, you can sow the seeds earlier, starting in January.

Preparing the seeds for planting

Summer residents who are interested in the question of how to grow strawberries from seeds should understand that the process is not easy, requiring accuracy and time. But self-grown seedlings will make it possible to increase the number of strawberry bushes on the site at no extra cost.

First of all, strawberry seeds should be prepared for planting. This process can be roughly divided into three stages:

1. Soak. At this stage, strawberry seeds are laid out on cotton pads or cotton cloth. It is recommended to moisten the seeds only with melt or rain water, then the growth stimulation will be stronger, the seeds will germinate faster, the seedlings will be strong and of high quality.
2. Germination. Moistened cotton pads or a cloth with swollen seeds are covered with another layer (of discs or cotton cloth) and moistened well. It is very convenient to germinate strawberry seeds in a plastic container with a lid. Only in the lid you need to make small holes with a needle so that the seeds have access to air. The covered container is put in a warm place for a couple of days (temperature at the level of 20-22 degrees). During this time, small sprouts should appear.
3. Stratification. One of the summer tricks for growing strawberries from seeds is keeping the seeds that have already hatched at low temperatures. This will help harden the seedlings, because strawberry seedlings are very fragile and weak, they often die. For stratification, a container with hatched seeds and a moistened substrate is placed in a refrigerator. It is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the seeds and the level of humidity, if necessary, add water – cotton pads should not dry out. Stratification usually lasts two weeks, if necessary, this period can be extended, but for a maximum of a month.

After such preparation, strawberry seeds are ready for planting in the ground.

Sowing strawberry seeds for seedlings

Containers for strawberry seedlings are chosen shallow, but voluminous. Various pallets, food plastic containers or specially knocked down wooden boxes are well suited for these purposes – in such dishes the seedlings will feel best, the roots will develop correctly.

The soil for strawberry seedlings can be any. The only requirement is that the soil must be crumbly in order to be well saturated with oxygen. You should not choose too nutritious soil for strawberries, it is better to take ordinary garden soil and mix it with peat, turf or forest soil and part of the river sand. A few weeks before sowing, it is recommended to ignite the earth in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

The earth is poured into containers and tightly rammed. Make shallow grooves at a distance of 5-6 cm from each other. Wet the soil with a spray gun and lay out the hatched seeds with an interval of 2 cm. It is not necessary to cover strawberry seeds with earth; sunlight is enough for rooting.

If possible, the containers are not completely filled with soil (leave 2-3 cm to the upper edge), the remaining space is filled with well-compacted snow. Spread the hatched seeds on the snow and press them a little. Over time, the snow will melt, and the strawberry seeds will cling tightly to the ground.

All the time until a couple of true leaves appear on the seedlings, containers or trays with strawberries should be covered with a transparent lid, glass or film. This will create a special microclimate inside, and also helps to retain moisture.

Assessing the degree of soil moisture is quite simple: if there are drops of condensate on the lid, there is enough water for strawberries. If the lid is dry, it’s time to water the seedlings with a spray bottle. When there are too many drops, the seedlings are not even visible through the lid, you need to remove excess moisture with a cloth and open the container for ventilation.

Care for strawberry seedlings at this stage consists only in watering and airing. Air containers with strawberries should be carefully: gradually increasing the time. First, a larger hole is made in the lid, then the lid is slightly shifted, only after such preparation, the seedlings are left open. First for a few minutes, then for a day, eventually leaving the strawberries all night.

Dive seedlings of strawberries

It is necessary to dive strawberry seedlings only if the seeds were sown in common containers. When individual cups or peat tablets are used, dives can be avoided. But, due to the fact that the germination of strawberry seeds is low, they are often sown in common containers, and then I dive the strongest plants.

By this stage, strawberry seedlings should have at least four true leaves. You can dive seedlings with a match, a thin stick or tweezers. Pre-ground thoroughly moistened with a spray bottle. Prepare individual containers, filling them with the same soil as the one used for sowing the seeds.

A small depression is made in the ground and the seedling is carefully transferred along with the earthen clod. Lightly compact the soil near the stem and water the plants. It is necessary to water the seedlings after diving under the root, it is no longer possible to use a spray gun – water should not fall on strawberry leaves.

This will allow the development of a superficial root system, subsequently the seedlings will take root better, get stronger faster.

It remains to wait until the strawberry seedlings grow up, warm weather sets in, and you can transfer the seedlings to the ground.

You can learn more about this from the video:

Growing strawberries from seeds in peat tablets

Many gardeners prefer to grow strawberry seedlings in peat tablets. Not all cultures love peat, but strawberries are just one of the fans of such a substrate.

Pre-tablets are placed in a flat pan and poured with warm water – they should swell and increase in size. After that, you can plant hatched and stratified seeds as usual (the method was described above).

But there is another way: swollen strawberry seeds are placed in a peat tablet, cover the container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator in this form. After stratification, the container with peat tablets is placed in a warm place with a constant temperature of 20 degrees.

How to grow strawberry seedlings from seeds correctly

There are some secrets that help gardeners propagate their favorite strawberries with seeds:

• it is also necessary to accustom strawberry seedlings to the sun gradually. First, the containers are placed in a bright place, but not under direct sunlight. As the seedlings grow, increase the time it is under the sun. After diving, you can leave the strawberries on the windowsill.
• If the roots of seedlings are visible, you need to carefully sprinkle them with earth, as if spudding strawberries. If this is not done, the plants will lie down and disappear.
• There may be mold on the ground. In this case, the mold is removed with a match along with a thin layer of soil, and the container with strawberries is ventilated more often, the level of soil moisture is more carefully monitored.
• Before planting in a permanent place, strawberry seedlings need to be hardened off. Do this as usual, gradually increasing the time of “sessions”.
• Drip irrigation from a spray bottle is useful for seeds, but when green leaves appear, strawberries are watered only under the root. It is convenient to do this with a teaspoon. The condensate from the lid of the container must be wiped regularly so that drops do not fall on the tender strawberry leaves.
• In order for the strawberries to develop normally and the bushes to become strong, in the first year after planting the seedlings, all peduncles and mustaches should be removed.

Simple rules will help you grow healthy strawberry seedlings at home. Growing from seed can be a great alternative to propagating strawberries with whiskers or dividing the bush. The first failures should not stop gardeners – painstaking work, in the end, will give the result in the form of strong seedlings of the desired variety.

Another video about germinating strawberry seeds will help the novice gardener: