Cannot be grown from seed. Actually it is not. You just need to know that planting strawberries with seeds is successfully used for hairless varieties. On sale there are high-quality seeds of small-fruited alpine strawberries: "Baron Solemacher", "Weiss Solemacher", "Alexandria", "Yellow Miracle", "Ruyana". By choosing any of the listed varieties of remontant alpine strawberries and knowing the features of how to plant strawberries with seeds, you can easily grow seedlings of this popular fragrant berry. ON THE PICTURE: Variety of white-fruited strawberries "Weiss Solemacher". It is believed that berries without bright coloring pigments are the least allergenic.
How to sow strawberries with seeds?
Determine the sowing time
To obtain the first harvest of berries already at the end of the summer of this year, it is necessary to sow from the beginning of February to the end of March. Strawberries rise at good lighting, so with early sowing need to provide it.
Planting strawberries with seeds: preparing the soil and choosing a container for sowing
For growing strawberry seedlings, low (5-6 cm), but wide containers are used. It is convenient to use a ready-made plastic container with a lid. For the removal of excess water and better air circulation, punctures are made in the bottom and lid.
Neat holes in a plastic container are obtained using a hot awl or needle.
The container is filled with soil. Can be used soil mixture own production from sand, vermiculite and leaf humus (1:1:1). Ready-made soil for seedlings is also suitable (as we wrote earlier, soil for seedlings of the GreenWorld brand is ideal for this purpose). Before filling the container, the soil is sieved. Strawberries prefer loose, neutral soil, without excess nutrients.
It is useful to treat the soil with a preparation. This will help to avoid the defeat of young shoots. The solution of the drug strengthens the immune system, stimulates plant growth, and also suppresses diseases.
When sowing, strawberry seeds (photo) are distributed on the surface of compacted soil without deepening. For uniform sowing, a mixture of seeds with sand or ready-made seeds in granules is used. 
ON THE PICTURE: The easiest way is to plant strawberry seeds in separate peat tablets.
Seed germination can be improved by using soaking before sowing. To do this, the seeds are laid out on a napkin moistened with snow or rain water (water from a reverse osmosis filter is also suitable). Water is changed twice a day. After 2–3 days of soaking, germination inhibitors are destroyed in the seed coat.
Successful planting of strawberries with seeds for seedlings is possible using snow seeding techniques. To do this, a layer of snow is poured into a container with ready-made soil. It is compacted to a thickness of 1 cm and seeds are laid out on top. The container is closed with a lid or polyethylene and placed on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator, where it is kept for 3 days. The advantage of this method is that, as the snow melts, the seeds are evenly distributed over the surface and are slightly drawn into the soil by melt water. In parallel, they are stratified. 
ON THE PICTURE: This method of sowing allows you to evenly distribute planting material, as the seeds are more visible against the background of snow.
After the end of the stratification stage, the containers are placed in a warm place with a temperature of +20 to +25°C. On the windowsill you may need additional insulation from below (for example, a layer of foam). Planting strawberries with seeds will not be successful with a lack of light. Containers are placed in the most illuminated place or under fluorescent lamps. Daily care of crops consists in airing, removing condensate on the lid of the container.
It is necessary to moisten the crops from a spray bottle, and only if the condensate has ceased to form.
Strawberry seeds usually germinate 1-2 weeks after sowing.
How to properly care for seedlings?
It is necessary to take care of the sprouts very carefully at the first time, when strawberry seeds (garden strawberries) sprout. The sprouts are very tender and weak, so thin overgrown roots are sprinkled with soil gradually, in 3 stages. To do this, take the sifted soil and sprinkle it with a thin layer so that the seedlings do not lean to the side, but can reach for the light. This procedure repeat 3 days in a row. Water the seedlings from a pipette using water at room temperature (from +22 to +24 ° C).
Mistakes that are made when caring for strawberry seedlings
- waterlogging;
- low temperature;
- insufficient hydration;
- too tight fit.
Under these conditions, strawberries can get sick with a "black leg". As a preventive measure, you can spray the crops with a prepared solution.
It is necessary to provide additional illumination of seedlings. Until mid-March duration artificial lighting- up to 12 hours a day, then 6-8 hours a day in cloudy weather. Despite additional lighting and careful care, strawberry seedlings develop slowly at first.
Top dressing can be started after the appearance of true leaves. Apply special fertilizers for seedlings or fertilizers for garden strawberry at half dose.
A more complete picture of how to plant strawberry seeds can be obtained by looking at the process of planting strawberries with seeds on video.
Picking seedlings of strawberries
Picking is carried out when the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves. Sprouts are transplanted into separate small containers (50–100 ml each). For the successful development of the strawberry root system, it must be protected from light. Therefore, containers are taken opaque (dark plastic). You can use ordinary transparent water cups, but they should be installed in a dark tall tray. Drainage holes are made in the bottom of the containers. They should be large enough for the sprouts to absorb water from the pan. By watering the seedlings through the pan, the development of a powerful root system is accelerated.
How to pick seedlings of strawberries
In the soil where the plant is transplanted, make a recess with a stick or pencil. It should be deep enough so that the spine does not bend. A solution of "Kornevin" or another stimulant for root formation is dripped into the hole. The sprout is taken by the leaf and lowered into the prepared hole. The outlet from which the leaves grow should not be buried in the soil, but should not stick out of it either. On the first day after picking, it is advisable to cover the seedlings with a film. 
ON THE PICTURE: The main condition when choosing containers for picking is opaque walls that protect root system strawberries from the light.
Before planting in the ground, seedling care consists in periodic watering, spraying the leaves every 2-3 days, for which they use melt water. Top dressing is carried out once with a liquid complex fertilizer in a half dose 2 weeks before transplanting into the ground.
Planting seedlings of strawberries in the ground
Young plants are transplanted into the ground when they have at least 6 true leaves. In early - mid-May, when the landing is carried out, day and night frosts are still possible. Therefore, landings for protection from the cold cover nonwoven fabric(spunbond).
When transplanting, it is more correct to observe the integrity of the earthy coma around the roots of the seedlings. Planting depth should be such that the outlet is not buried in the soil. The best option is to place it flush with the soil surface. 
ON THE PICTURE: If, before planting seedlings in the garden, the soil in the container is allowed to dry slightly, it will be easier to maintain the integrity of the earthen clod, and hence the root system of the seedlings.
Caring for strawberries consists in periodically loosening the soil, watering and weeding.
Features of growing large-fruited varieties of garden strawberries (strawberries)
Gardeners have successfully used planting strawberries with seeds for seedlings in the case of remontant beardless varieties. For large-fruited varieties, growing from seeds is undesirable. Despite the similar technology of growing from seeds, the resulting plants do not inherit valuable maternal traits. In the first year of cultivation, the berries are similar to the variety described, but in subsequent seasons the fruits become tasteless, small and dry. On average, only 1 out of 1000 seeds carries the traits of a variety. So large-fruited varieties Garden strawberries are propagated vegetatively. From a trusted seller, young seedlings or mustaches are purchased, and then on own site reproduction is carried out by mustache or by dividing the bush.
New: Ornamental strawberry
Hybrids of ampelous strawberries from Holland, grown for decorative purposes, are presented on Russian market varieties: Gasana, Tuscany, Laurent, Milan, Tristan. These are potted and container plants. Technological methods for planting ornamental strawberry seeds are similar to the methods for growing alpine strawberry varieties. Seedlings of ornamental strawberries quickly turn into a compact bush with early term flowering. Main advantage ornamental varieties - crimson, pink or scarlet flowers
. Berries without a pronounced taste, instead of dense pulp, have a watery structure. It is the decorative properties that are fully reproduced when growing plants from professional seeds. 
ON THE PICTURE: The flowers of the ornamental hybrid strawberry impress with their shades of pink, which are sometimes as "flashy" as in the photo ("Lipstick" cultivar).
Tender and tasty garden strawberries, beloved by gardeners, can be seen on almost every country house or garden. personal plot. Often this berry is called a strawberry, although in fact, according to official science, strawberries are small wild berries. You can propagate strawberries with a mustache or by dividing a bush, but if you want to grow in your garden new variety fragrant berries, you should resort to the seed method of reproduction. To do this, the seeds are sown on seedlings in winter or spring. Planting dates depend on the climate of the region and when you want to harvest.
When to sow strawberries for seedlings in 2019? 
In order to get a harvest of berries this season, strawberry (strawberry) seeds should be planted in winter. You can sow until April, but the spring planting of the crop this year will not bring.
According to the lunar calendar, strawberry seeds should be planted on seedlings on the following days:
- January: the best days are 15 and 17, but you can start planting any day from the 7th to the 20th;
- February: 6th and 7th most auspicious days, 9, 11 and 12 numbers can also be sown;
- March: from 7 to 20, but the most best days sowing milk - 8, 14, 15;
- April: from 7 to 17;
- May: from the 6th to the 17th.
In early February and March (from the 1st to the 5th), it is better not to engage in planting, since, according to the lunar calendar, these days are not suitable for crops. Seedlings will be weak if strawberry seeds are sown for seedlings at the end of April after the 17th.
Growing strawberry seedlings at home 
The preparation of seeds and soil for planting garden strawberries (strawberries) should be taken care of about two weeks before the sowing date.
Seed preparation 
If the seeds are purchased in a store, then they may already be processed and do not require soaking. For seeds collected at the site and purchased planting material that has not been processed, the following procedures must be carried out:
- Soak for half an hour in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate and rinse well under running water.
- Wrap the seeds in several layers of damp gauze or cloth, which must be placed in a container with small holes or a plastic bag with holes.
- Keep the soaked planting material warm for 2 days first, and then 14 days in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
Seeds must be inspected every day and, if necessary, moisten the cloth.
Attention! Sow should be swollen seeds on which sprouts have not yet appeared. Otherwise, the sprouts may break off during planting and nothing will grow from the seeds!
Planting material can be stratified in another way:
- Sow the seeds swollen in heat in dry soil placed in a seedling container.
- Cover crops with 2 cm thick snow.
- Cover the container with foil or a lid.
- Put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, where the snow will slowly melt and moisten the planting material.
- After 14 days, place the container with the crops on the windowsill.
If the planting material is not pre-soaked and stratified, the seeds will germinate for a very long time. Shoots can appear only 30-40 days after sowing.
Soil preparation
For garden strawberries, not very fertile, loose and light soil is needed. From the store, a substrate for Violets, Begonias and Universal is suitable. You can independently prepare the soil mixture from the following components:
- sand - 2 parts;
- sod land - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part.
Suitable for strawberries and the following composition:
- coarse sand - 1 part;
- non-acidic peat - 3 parts;
- biohumus - 1 part.
The land bought in the store can be used immediately, and the ground prepared by yourself should be disinfected. To do this, you can use one of the following methods:
- warm in the oven at +150 degrees for 30 minutes;
- 5 minutes burn in the microwave;
- hold over a water bath;
- pour a dark solution of potassium permanganate.
The earth that has undergone the disinfection procedure is placed in a bag and placed in a warm place for two weeks, where during this time bacteria useful for plants will form and develop in it.
Preparing seed containers
For growing strawberry seedlings, it is recommended to use plastic containers or other similar, not very deep containers. They are treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, after which drainage holes are made in the containers, the bottom is covered with drainage and the containers are filled with soil.
Sowing strawberry seeds for seedlings
The compacted moist soil should be carefully loosened with a toothpick and seeds should be distributed over its surface. The distance between them should be at least 3-4 cm. The crops are carefully sprayed with a gentle stream of water from a spray bottle and covered with polyethylene. Planting material should germinate in a bright and warm place with an air temperature within +25 degrees. East and west windows are best suited for this, where there is light and no direct sunlight. 
Until seedlings appear, crops should be ventilated every day and check the soil moisture. In no case should it dry out. Once upper layer the soil begins to dry out, it is sprayed from a spray bottle with warm water. 
Care for strawberries at home
The swollen seeds will hatch in about 14-20 days, after which the seedlings will need to be placed in a well-lit, but cool place. So that the seedlings do not stretch out, they need an air temperature of about + 18 ... + 20 degrees. You do not need to remove the film from the container immediately. Seedlings ventilate daily and, if necessary, moisten the soil. The airing time is gradually increased every day, thus accustoming the seedlings to home growing conditions. When the first true leaves appear on the sprouts, the film will need to be removed completely. 
Strawberry pick
Densely sown seedlings are thinned out, and when 2-4 true leaves appear on them, the seedlings are seated in separate pots. Optimal dimensions containers for picking strawberries - about 10 cm deep and 8-10 cm in diameter. Cups with drainage holes are filled with drainage and soil, after which, together with a clod of earth, a strawberry seedling is transferred into them. Seedlings should be pulled out of the old container carefully so as not to damage the roots. If the roots of the plants are tangled, then you will have to get all the bushes, place them in warm water, and when the roots are freed from the ground, carefully separate the seedlings from each other. Before planting in a pot, seedlings should pinch the central root.
When planting strawberries, remember that the root neck of the plant should always remain at ground level!
The transplanted seedlings are watered, and for their better survival, you can drop a little Kornevin or another stimulating solution into the soil.
After picking, strawberry seedlings are grown at temperatures from +18 to +25 degrees.
Watering strawberries
Both a lack of moisture and waterlogging of the soil can lead to the death of seedlings, so watering seedlings should be taken with all responsibility.
While the seedlings are under the film, they are rarely watered or not watered at all, since moisture is retained in the "greenhouse". Condensation is removed from the film every day while airing the seedlings so that the tender seedlings do not get sick with a black leg and die. This is very dangerous disease for seedlings, which plants are affected by excessive waterlogging.
Watering should be regular, but moderate. It is necessary to moisten the soil with settled or melt water. So that the earth does not wash out, the soil under the bushes is moistened with a spray bottle. This must be done so that water does not fall on the leaves.
Additional lighting for strawberry seedlings
Plants planted in February or March will need additional lighting so that the seedlings receive light for 13-14 hours. However, when the seedlings begin to appear, the first three days of additional lighting should work around the clock.
Simple incandescent lamps are not suitable for this, because the wrong rays come from them and they exude warm air that the plants do not need. For illumination, you can use fluorescent or LED lights or phytolamps. They are installed so that there is a distance of 20-25 cm between them and the seedlings.
Feeding strawberry seedlings
Strawberries should be fed after 4 true leaves appear on the plants. For this, fertilizers are used, which include phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. These fertilizers are:
- Mortar;
- Aquarin;
- Kemira luxury.
They should not be used according to the instructions, but the solution should be made with a concentration half as much. Top dressing is introduced once every 10-14 days, alternating fertilizers.
Strawberry pests 
At home, with dry indoor air and a lack of moisture, spider mites can settle on plants. They feed on the juice of the leaves, as a result of which the foliage turns yellow and the seedlings weaken. Pests must be eradicated immediately as they are also vectors viral diseases. discover spider mites you can use a thin cobweb on plants or small dots on reverse side leaves. They are destroyed by spraying with special preparations: Aktara, Aktellik, Karbofos, Fitoverm.
Diseases and treatment of strawberry seedlings
What can seedlings hurt and how to cure it?
Blackleg
First of all, one should be wary of the “black leg” disease, the causes of which we wrote above. Grown at high humidity plants can be affected by fungi, as a result of which the stem becomes soft, which soon begins to turn black. After a few days, the bushes die, as the stems break. Such seedlings can no longer be saved, and not yet affected plants should be transplanted into new soil and watered with a fungicide solution.
seedlings rot
Stagnation of water in the roots can lead to their decay. After a while, the plant itself will begin to turn yellow, blacken and rot. This can happen not only because of frequent, abundant watering, but also if the drainage hole becomes clogged. In this case excess water will not be able to spill out of containers or pots and will stagnate in the roots, which will begin to rot.
To save the strawberries, the bushes should be taken out, their roots washed in a solution of potassium permanganate or Fitosporin and planted in a new land.
Seedlings of strawberries dry up
If you water the plants rarely or often, but little by little, only the top layer of the substrate will be wetted. As a result, the soil in the root area will be dry almost all the time, and the strawberry bushes will begin to dry out.
In this case, containers with seedlings are placed in a basin of water so that the soil is saturated with water through the drainage holes. After a few minutes, the plantings are put in their place and subsequently watered not too often, but plentifully.
If the color of the leaves has changed
Leaves on seedlings can change their color for several reasons:
- marble color appears due to lack of magnesium in the soil;
- chlorotic spots - due to lack of iron;
- the tips of the leaves turn yellow and twist if there is not enough potassium;
- the underside of the foliage turns purple due to a lack of phosphorus;
- pale green, small and thinned leaves signal a lack of nitrogen;
- leaves can change color even with an excess of fertilizers, therefore, when feeding seedlings, solutions with a lower concentration are used than for adult plants.
Strawberry seedlings are pulled out
So that the seedlings do not stretch out, they are provided with sufficient lighting and grown in a room where it is not hot. Seedlings planted in winter and early spring definitely need additional lighting and air temperature within +20 degrees.
Oversaturation of the soil with nitrogen can also lead to seedlings stretching. In this case, watering is reduced, top dressing is completely stopped, and the plants are placed in a well-lit place with a lower temperature.
If the seedlings are thick, they must be thinned out. Otherwise, the bushes will begin to obscure each other and stretch.
When to plant strawberries in the ground? 
The timing of planting seedlings of strawberries on the beds depends on the climatic conditions of the region. In any case, the soil on the site should warm up to +12 degrees. As soon as warm weather sets in and there is no sub-zero temperature even at night, it's time to plant strawberries in open ground.
About 10 days before this, seedlings should begin to harden off. It is taken out to the site or balcony and left for several hours for fresh air. By the date of planting, the plants should already be fully adapted and be on the street during the day.
Site preparation
The soil should be sandy or loamy, well fertilized and neutral. If the land in the place chosen for strawberries is acidic, then a year before planting the crop, it should be neutralized.
Prepare a bed for planting strawberries should be in the fall. To do this, they dig it up and fertilize every square meter:
- humus or compost - 3 kg;
- double superphosphate - 30 g;
- sulfate or potassium chloride - 20 g.
In the spring, the earth in the garden is loosened and the same amount of humus or compost is added. Loosening is done with a chopper to a depth of ten centimeters.
Planting strawberries
It is recommended to plant plants in open ground in cloudy weather or in the evening. Depending on the variety of strawberries, holes should be made on the site prepared for planting berries with a distance between rows of 40 to 70 cm. The distance between strawberry bushes should be from 20 to 40 cm.
In each hole, pour a nutritious soil mixture in a slide, after adding a couple of glasses to it wood ash. A seedling is placed on a hill from the ground and its roots are straightened, which must be covered with soil. To prevent air from remaining between the roots, the earth is poured in parts and immediately watered.
The bushes should be deepened so that the heart is flush with the ground. Correct fit strawberries you can see in the photo. If the heart is too high above the soil, then the roots will become bare and begin to dry, and if it is immersed in the ground, then the apical buds will dry out and die. 
Planted plants must be watered, and the soil around them should be sprinkled with mulch in the form of peat. Mulch with a layer of 3-5 cm will not allow moisture to evaporate quickly, and the soil will not be covered with a crust. 
Sowing strawberry seeds according to the lunar calendar, proper care for seedlings and well-made planting in open ground - these are the most necessary conditions for the growth and development of strawberries at the initial stage of growing a crop, which, if sown early, will yield a crop already in current year. You can find out how and when to plant correctly if you follow the highlighted links.
Most varieties of garden strawberries (as strawberries are also called) reproduce vegetatively - by means of a mustache, occasionally by dividing the bush. However, sooner or later, the effectiveness of these propagation methods approaches zero: along with vegetative planting material, young plants also receive “accumulated” diseases. As a result, seedlings are becoming smaller, and the taste of the fruit is changing for the worse. The only way out in this kind of situations is to buy healthy planting material. As such, both seeds and high-quality seedlings can serve. However, even "shop" strawberry seedlings do not live up to expectations in all cases.
If the affairs of strawberries are really sad (it is affected by diseases - viral, fungal), then optimal solution there will be a transition to an alternative method of reproduction - through seeds. Moreover, in order to be 100% sure that you are growing exactly the strawberry variety that you have chosen, it is recommended to do the preparation of the seeds and the cultivation of the seedlings themselves. Let's make a reservation right away that this process is very exciting, and after six months your efforts will be rewarded with extremely tasty fruits.
You can buy it or collect it from berries with your own hands. Each method has its own strengths and weaknesses.
Method number 1. We buy seeds
To date, there are about 2,500 varieties / hybrids of strawberries. When buying, it is advisable to take into account the size of the fruit, ripening time, height of the bushes, taste, as well as the method of reproduction (the so-called remontance).
As for the ripening time, from this point of view, strawberries can be:
- early;
- middle;
- late.
As a rule, it is grown for human consumption early views strawberries, while medium and late strawberries are used mainly for compotes, preparations for the winter, etc.
Each variety has its own unique properties, each needs certain growing conditions. Therefore, before buying, you should definitely clarify the following important points.
So where do you buy seeds? The answer is simple - only in specialized stores. At the same time, try to give preference to those seeds, the keeping quality of which is more than a year.
If you are a beginner gardener, you can purchase seeds of these varieties:
- Ali Baba;
- Alpine;
- Baron Solimacher.
These varieties are characterized by increased germination and intensive germination, so there should be no difficulties in obtaining seedlings, growing and picking seedlings.
As for other varieties that can give the first harvest in 4 months, the following can also be attributed to those:
- Queen Elizabeth;
- Temptation F1;
- Alexandria;
- Picnic;
- Moscow debut;
- Masha;
- Fragola;
- Albion;
- Desna, etc.
Method number 2. Extracting seeds from strawberries
As mentioned earlier, you can very well collect the seeds yourself. Get some large healthy berries for this. If you plan to grow several varieties, be sure to number the fruit bags, and in your garden diary indicate the names, as well as the date of selection.
After collecting the berries, take a sharp knife and cut off the top layer of pulp with it a little above the middle of the fruit. It is important that this layer is very thin, otherwise it will begin to rot, and the seeds in it will die. Next, take gauze, fold it in several layers, put cut strips on it (you can also use cotton wool). After that, transfer everything to a dry, warm place where the direct rays of the sun do not fall.
After a few days, when the pulp dries, fold the gauze with the seeds and rub it between your fingers. The seeds will come out of the dry husk. Next, go through them, arrange them in glass jars or paper bags, sign (if there are several varieties). Store prepared seed only in a dry place.
Stage two. Soil preparation
To obtain quality seedlings strawberries, you must use a special soil mixture (especially when it comes to small-seeded varieties).
What should be the composition?
The following are soil mix compositions that are best suited for strawberries.
- Mix sand, biohumus and high-moor peat in a ratio of 1:1:3.
- Mix sand with already mature humus in a ratio of 3:5.
- Mix peat, sand and earth (both turf and leaf can be used) in a ratio of 1:1:2. As an option, you can replace peat with biohumus or mature humus.
V Lately many people use so-called peat tablets instead of soil mixture (we will talk about them in more detail a little later) or buy universal substrates.
How to disinfect the soil mixture?
Regardless of which soil mixture you use, it will in any case contain various pests, pathogens of a viral, bacterial or fungal nature. For this reason, you must decontaminate the soil.
There are many ways to do this - so you can:
- water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate (1%);
- prepare the mixture in the fall and leave it in bags on the street (if the winters in your region are frosty);
- sprinkle the mixture on a tray and bake for several hours in the oven at a temperature of + 40-45 ° C.
How to revive the soil mixture?
After disinfection, the mixture needs to be filled with beneficial microflora. For this, use biological products that contain living microflora (for example, Baikal EM-1 or Emochki-Bokashi). You can use one drug or a mixture of several.
After moistening the soil mixture, keep it in this state for 7 to 10 days, then dry it at room temperature (until flowability). Add a small amount of mineral fertilizer intended for flower crops to the mixture.
Stage three. Seed preparation
7 days before the proposed sowing, carry out disinfection in a solution of potassium permanganate, placing gauze knots in which the seeds are located there for about 6-12 hours. Next, place the seeds in a growth stimulator solution (such as, for example, Kornevin or Novosil) for at least 3 more hours.
After that, squeeze the seeds and send them for hardening. To this end, take a bandage, fold it in 2 layers, moisten it, spread the seed on it, and then roll it up with a “sausage”. Place the latter in a vertical position in a container and put it in the refrigerator overnight. In the daytime, keep the workpiece already at room temperature. All this should last 3 days (no more, otherwise the seeds may die).
Note! Instead of hardening the seeds, you can immediately stratify them.
Stratification procedure
The seeds of all plants that need a period of "rest" need stratification. The duration of the procedure depends on what the requirements of a particular culture are.
Note! Stratification refers to the period of "artificial winter", during which the seeds have to go through several stages of development. As a result, the period of their rest is noticeably reduced, and the rate of ascent increases several times.
For example, it usually takes 35-40 days for strawberries to germinate, while after stratification, the first shoots may appear already after 5 days, and mass shoots after 2 weeks.
Stratification is more convenient to produce after sowing. To do this, take containers with seed and place them in the refrigerator (preferably on the lower shelf), where they keep at a temperature of 2-4 ° C during the entire period of stratification. Open containers from time to time to humidify and ventilate. The substrate must not dry out.
You can also stratify long before sowing. To do this, around November or January (it should be counted from the time of sowing), spread the seeds on moistened cotton swabs (round), cover them with the same ones on top and place them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator (the temperature should already be within 4-5 ° C). Moisten your tampons from time to time. When stratification is completed, dry the seeds and sow in prepared containers.
Stage four. Preparing containers for strawberry seedlings
Take a box or other container, lay a drainage layer there (thickness - 2-3 cm) from fine gravel, expanded clay or sand, and pour the previously prepared soil mixture on top with a layer of 5-10 cm. Do not reach the edge by about 1.5-2 cm. Slightly compact the mixture with the palm of your hand, then moisten.
If possible, fill in a 2-centimeter layer of snow or, alternatively, use frost from the freezer for this. On the snowy surface, use a ruler to make parallel furrows 2-3 mm deep in 3 cm increments. That's it, the containers are ready for sowing seeds.
Sowing petunias in the snow
Stage five. Choosing a place to grow
To get really high-quality strawberry seedlings, look for a well-lit and warm place, where, however, direct sunlight does not fall. Simply put, the light should be diffused, but bright. A great option is window sills on the east / west side. It is better not to use the northern ones, because the seedlings will grow poorly there due to a lack of light, and the seedlings themselves will turn out to be pale and weak.
Note! Do not place containers with seedlings in a draft, especially if you are doing this in the winter. Otherwise, the plants may simply freeze.
The optimum temperature for germination is about 18-20°C, humidity is high.
If you decide to grow several types of eggplant, then plant the seeds of each variety in separate containers. After all, the timing of seedlings, the height of the bushes and the requirements for temperature conditions they may be different. Read more.
Stage six. Sowing strawberry seeds
As noted earlier, hardening is not a mandatory procedure, therefore, below are instructions for planting seeds directly into the soil. The process consists of several stages, consider the features of each of them.
Table. Sowing seeds - step-by-step instruction.
| Steps, illustrations | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| Take the prepared box, lay the PET film on the bottom, having previously made drainage holes in it. As you might guess, the film in this case will perform the same functions as a layer of gravel or sand. |
| Next, fill the box with the prepared soil mixture (approximately 10 cm). |
| Place the crate on any pallet into which excess moisture will drain. You can use ordinary trays for this. |
| Thoroughly water the soil mixture with water. |
| Open the bag of seeds. If they are store-bought, do it with the utmost care - do not lose a single piece! |
| Spread the seeds over the soil, then lightly press down and cover with a layer of earth 0.5 cm thick. This is necessary so that the seeds do not blur when watering. Do not dig too deep, otherwise the grains will simply die. |
| If there are several varieties, sign them. Cover the container plastic wrap. You can press the film with a rubber band as shown in the image. |
| Place the containers in a warm place that fully meets the requirements described above. |
Strawberry seedlings in peat tablets
Application peat tablets can solve a number of problems. So, you will save time, because you will not need to carry out preliminary preparation. There is no need to prepare the soil mixture and containers for seedlings, and fertilizers can already be applied (this depends on the specific manufacturer of the tablets). Finally, the tablet keeps its shape perfectly, so the roots of the plants will not be injured during transplantation.
Note! For strawberry seedlings, tablets are ideal, the size of which is 2.4 cm.
First, soak the tablets in a tray of water until they are completely swollen.
Place a strawberry seed on each tablet without deepening.
Drain excess water. Water the tablets as they dry, otherwise the roots may rot.
The next step is immersing the tablets in pre-prepared containers for seedlings. Install the containers in a suitable place, placing foam under them.
Cover containers with lids for a greenhouse effect.
Sowing strawberries in peat tablets.
The appearance of the first leaves will indicate a sufficiently developed root system. Therefore, strawberry seedlings are already ready for transplanting.
Stage seven. Further care
So, the first leaves have appeared, so the cover can be gradually removed to accustom the seedlings to natural conditions. The temperature during this period should be 18-20 ° C, stop watering temporarily (otherwise the sprouts will rot). When each seedling has 1-2 true leaves, remove the cover completely and move the containers to a well-lit area (but not in direct sunlight). In this case, the air temperature should be reduced to 12-15 ° C heat.
Further care consists in watering, fertilizing and adding soil. At first, water the seedlings only under the root with a pipette (about once a week), you can also pour once with a solution of a biofungicide (for example, Trichodermin) to avoid the development of fungal infections.
And growing it from seeds at home. Learn how to germinate seed and get a strong healthy seedlings for diving into open ground.
planting material requirements
Let's start with the choice of the optimal planting material, from which we will get remontant strawberries that bear fruit all season. You need to choose only from small-fruited varieties, as they are more unpretentious and bear fruit better in open ground.
These include the following:
- Alexandrina;
- Ali Baba;
- white soul;
- Alpine novelty;
- Yellow wonder.
It is worth remembering that if in the future you want to collect seeds from already planted strawberries, then purchase varieties, not hybrids, since maternal qualities are not transferred to the seeds of hybrids (as is the case with the reproduction of many and in a generative way).
Important! Varieties "Milka" and "Seasons" refer to small-fruited mustachioed strawberries.
Soil and container for growing
Remontant strawberry when grown from seeds, it requires a certain substrate and an appropriate container in which a kind of microclimate can be maintained.
As a soil, any light, medium fertility paired with sand and (3: 1: 1 ratio) is suitable. A few soaked peat tablets can be placed in the substrate, which will help the seedlings at an early stage. It is strictly forbidden to use any heavy clay soils, as moisture stagnation occurs in them, which favorably affects the development of the fungus.
Speaking of protection against fungus, we smoothly move on to the choice of capacity. The best option any shallow transparent container with a lid. Such a container is best suited, since any light prevents the development of the fungus. You should not spend a lot of time looking for the perfect container, since an ordinary bowl from the supermarket is suitable for sowing.
Before planting, disinfect the container with alcohol or potassium permanganate, make several holes in the bottom to let excess moisture out.
Important! Do not buy the cheapest packaging option, as poor quality plastic can negatively affect young strawberries.
Sowing dates
Now let's talk about when to plant strawberry seeds for seedlings. There are several temporary options that depend on your desire to get tasty products as soon as possible, the regional location and the expected effort to grow strawberries.
The first option involves early sowing at the beginning of February so that in the same year you can enjoy delicious from young bushes. However, it should be understood that such sowing obliges you to carry out additional activities related to providing extended daylight hours and heating, and the seed germination itself will be slightly worse than in the second option.
The second option is spring planting. Sowing is carried out at the end of March - beginning of April. In this case, in the first year you will not receive finished products, however, the financial costs and time spent on caring for seedlings will be significantly reduced, as well as the percentage of non-germinated seeds.
Seed preparation
Before planting strawberry seeds for seedlings, you need to start preparing them to increase germination. The main process that will bring the seeds out of hibernation is (the effect of moisture and negative temperature on the protective layer of seeds).
Stratification is needed in order to naturally destroy the hard protective shell of the seed, which protects the kernel from moisture. That is, without stratification, seeds can lie in the ground for more than one year until the shell collapses. For this reason, it is impossible to do without additional preparation.
There are 2 options for stratification, which equally well bring the seed out of hibernation. Stratification with the help of snow (natural option). It’s worth saying right away that if you live in the southern regions, where snow falls every few years, then you don’t need to specifically look for it, since stratification methods do not differ much in terms of subsequent seed germination.
This option assumes sequencing:
- We take a transparent container and fill it with earthen mixture, leaving about 2-3 cm to the edge.
- We pour snow on top of the soil and lightly tamp it down to get a more or less even surface.
- We put all the seed on the snow, leaving equal intervals. Seeds do not need to be pressed or buried in the snow.
- We put the container in the refrigerator (not in freezer!) for three days.
"Technical" stratification using condensate. In this case, we will do without the use of snow, since it is not always possible to find it, especially when sowing in late March or early April.
We carry out such sequencing:
- Fill the container with soil, leaving about 2 cm to the edge.
- We spread the seeds on the surface of the soil at an equal distance from each other and press them a little into the soil. You can also mix the seeds with sand and simply scatter on the surface, but in this case it will be more difficult to control the density of crops.
- We cover the container with a lid or several layers of cling film and place it in the refrigerator for three days.
There is a third method that is not related to stratification. The seed can be soaked in melted snow water for two days. To do this, put the seeds in cotton wool, put in a small bowl and pour cold water with snow. Next, we cover it all with a film, put it in heat and follow the process in order to plant the germinated seeds in time. Be careful not to let the cotton dry out.
Important! Soaking is not subject to granular or pre-treated seeds.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
Above, we talked about the fact that the seeds are not buried in the ground, but placed on the surface, but it is worth discussing the sowing process in more detail. In addition to sowing on top of snow, paired with sand or on ordinary soils with subsequent pressing down, it is also possible to sow strawberries in prepared shallow furrows, which are located at a distance of 1.5-2 cm from each other.
Regardless of the method of sowing, you should always remember that covering planting material with soil is strictly prohibited. Even the strongest seeds will not be able to lift the ground to break through to the light. The soil in the container must be leveled and lightly moistened. Humidification is carried out with the help (using a syringe or fingers).
Crop care
After you have stratified the seeds, the container must be moved to a warm, bright place. The temperature in the room should not be lower than 20 ° C and higher than 25 ° C. There should be enough light, however, direct sunlight at noon should not fall on the container so that the soil does not dry out.
Since only daylight will not be enough, a fluorescent lamp is installed near the container, which should “work” from 6 am to 11 am. Cover must be removed daily(cover or film) to check the humidity and ventilate. Condensation must be wiped off during ventilation.
Important! The absence of condensation on the lid or film indicates a decrease in humidity. Accordingly, soil moisture is required.
Subject to all parameters, the first shoots will appear in 2-4 weeks, depending on the variety.
seedling care
Learn more about how to grow strong seedlings strawberries from germinated seeds. After our seedlings germinate, we need to make holes in the lid / film for air circulation. After 3-4 days, the shelter is completely removed, gradually accustoming the plants to the external environment.
In the process of seedling growth, it needs the same temperature (not lower than 20 ° C) and moistened soil. Watering should be done with extreme caution. using a syringe or pipette. The liquid must be "lowered" along the walls of the container so as not to wash the seeds out of the soil.
Also, do not forget about additional lighting. After the greens hatch from the ground, getting any (morning, noon or evening) direct sunlight is extremely dangerous, as the leaves will immediately get burned. Thus, caring for seedlings is not much different from caring for crops. Observe temperature regime and don't forget about daily inspection to keep the seedlings healthy.
Did you know? East Asia is considered the center of origin and initial development of strawberries.
Seedling dive
Picking is carried out after the formation of 2-3 leaves in a new place (in separate cups). This process is extremely complex, since it is very easy to damage young plants during transplantation. Any damage to the stem or roots will result in wilting.
The easiest way to transplant is to use plastic tweezers with cotton pads that will not concentrate pressure at one point. Each plant is carefully held during extraction from the ground, so as not to pull out fragile roots.