Every amateur gardener knows that strawberriespropagates by tendrils. Have you ever thought that growing strawberries from seeds is quite possible? Renowned experts point out that growing strawberries from seeds is more suitable for strawberry romantics than for its pragmatists. The famous American breeder Luther Burbank, who has been growing strawberries for forty years, is skeptical about this method of breeding strawberries, despite the fact that he has quite a lot of successful experience in this area. He claims that when growing strawberries from seeds, the "babies" do not repeat the characteristics of their parents. But the words of an American professor are not an order for a Russian person. Moreover, breeders have other tasks: they develop new varieties, and we are quite satisfied with growing existing good varieties for our own pleasure. Moreover, strawberry tendrils sold in autumn and spring are in great demand, and it is quite difficult to find seedlings of the desired variety. Nowadays, the number of nurseries that grow good varieties of strawberries has sharply decreased. But there are many charlatans selling seedlings unsuitable for planting. Not every gardener will be able to distinguish such seedlings from varietal strawberries. Therefore, on the one hand, if you do not want to run into dishonest traders, and on the other hand, you are ready to solve an interesting and difficult problem, then try to do a completely feasible business - growing garden strawberries from seeds. Seeds of this crop can be bought almost at any time. Of course, buying clean, varietal quality seeds increases the chance of growing high-yielding strawberries. On the other hand, mainly seeds of remontant varieties and hybrids are sold. Ordinary strawberries are not sold in shifts. Most of your strawberry "plantation" will continue to form runners of familiar varieties, but a couple of beds, depending on the needs of the family, can be allocated for remontant varieties and hybrids. On these beds, you can do home selection, delighting and surprising your loved ones. The fact is that many remontant varieties have both high yields and good aroma and taste. The issue of buying remontant varieties seedlings can be solved in the usual way - buy them in a specialized fruit nursery or in a garden center. However, during the planting season, it is quite difficult to buy good seedlings of large-fruited strawberries. The fact is that their distribution is greatly hindered by the high price of seeds. Growing them is simply not profitable for most farms, so such seedlings are in short supply even in the largest garden centers. But seed departments often offer up to ten to twelve names of such hybrids. Therefore, experts suggest that all lovers of interesting experiments and novelty grow strawberries from seeds themselves.
Well-considered choice
To avoid disappointment in the future in this matter, take the choice of seeds seriously. There are several simple rules for this:
What else is needed?
When preparing to sow strawberries, prepare everythingnecessary for sowing. First, buy soil. For these purposes, ordinary, so-called universal soil, recommended for growing flower and vegetable seedlings, is suitable. Do not forget to buy along with the soil the means for its treatment from pathogens of seedlings, such as "black leg". Since the shoots of the dugout are quite delicate, at least at first they need protection from the dry air of the apartment. Therefore, it would be nice to buy or make an indoor mini-greenhouse, which is a container for sowing with a transparent lid. To water the seedlings in the first month, buy a sprayer, and for subsequent picking - cups with a diameter of 5-8 cm. Do not forget to stock up on water-soluble complex mineral fertilizer, because high-quality seedlings cannot be grown on time without fertilizing.
Cleanliness is the key to health
The first thing you should do before sowingseeds, is to protect the seedlings by ridding the soil of pathogens that cause fungal diseases. Strawberry shoots are very delicate, so in the first weeks of life they can die from "black leg" - a very common plant disease. To save them from this at home, you need to water the soil generously with a hot saturated solution of potassium permanganate. You can also use special preparations for this. It is recommended to water it a couple of days before sowing. During this time, the soil will dry out slightly. If you sow immediately after moistening, there is a high risk that the seeds and shoots may rot. When the soil dries out, transfer it to prepared containers for sowing.
We are going to land
Since strawberry seeds are very small, theyno need to pre-soak. To plant them, compact the soil slightly with your fingers, then spread the seeds over the surface. Sprinkle them with a thin layer of clean sand or peat, no more than two millimeters thick, on top. To ensure better contact between the seeds and the soil, lightly spray the top layer of soil, being careful not to displace the seeds or wash away the mulch layer. After that, immediately close the seed box with a lid and place it near a radiator or any other heat source. For friendly and rapid emergence of seedlings, the optimal temperature is 25-27 ° C. The seeds do not need light for germination.
First days
The first shoots can be grown in such conditionssee in a week. As soon as you notice the first shoots, move the container with the crops, without removing the lid, to the brightest place. Strawberries usually sprout en masse in two to three weeks, although there are hybrid seeds that sprout only after 28-35 days. The first strawberry shoots appear when it is a relatively “dark” season outside. Strawberries are a very light-loving plant, so when growing seedlings, supplementary lighting - extending daylight hours to 12-13 hours - gives a wonderful result. Supplementary lighting will even help make up for lost time if for some reason you are a little late with sowing. The light should be turned on in the evening. The best option is fluorescent lamps. Even better - special lamps for plants, because they have ultraviolet radiation in their spectrum, which is so necessary for plants. But if you do not have such lamps, then an ordinary incandescent lamp will do just fine. There is another important and delicate point when growing any seedlings at home. The seedlings need to be ventilated and hardened. If you remove the protective cover immediately after the shoots appear, the tender sprouts can quickly dry out in the dry room air. Especially if you keep them under lamps. Neither spraying nor frequent watering will save you from this. If the container is not opened, the risk of rotting of the plants or the appearance of mold increases. Therefore, it is recommended to partially open the lid of the box or make several ventilation holes in it. Usually, the lid is finally removed a couple of weeks after the mass emergence of seeds. At first, strawberries are watered only by spraying from a spray bottle.
Nutrition and upbringing
A month and a half after the emergence of seedlingsstop providing additional lighting for the seedlings. By this time, the plants have already grown two or three leaves, which do not yet look very much like the trifoliate leaves of strawberries. At this time, it is time to pick the plants into prepared cups. For this purpose, also take universal soil for seedlings. Moreover, it is necessary to disinfect it a few days before transplanting. You need to dig up and pick the seedlings using a thin peg. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the long thin roots. When transplanting the plants, deepen them slightly to the cotyledon leaves. After finishing picking, spray the seedlings from a spray bottle. In the first two or even three days, you may notice some wilting of the leaves. Two or three weeks after picking, to speed up the growth of seedlings, do root feeding, for which use a complex liquid mineral fertilizer. It is advisable to make the feeding solution half as strong as recommended.
At will
Strawberry seedlings are planted in containers orinto the beds at the usual time - May 10-20, depending on weather conditions. By that time, your seedlings will have set their first flower stalks, which, unfortunately, need to be plucked. We told you how to grow strawberries from seeds. Now it's up to you! We recommend reading:
