Now on sale you can find a huge selection of garden strawberry seeds . These are new, promising varieties or hybrids of repaired species, which, as a rule, do not give a mustache. However, far from everyone knows how to sow strawberries so that a full-fledged fruiting bush is subsequently formed.
If you have experience in growing seedlings of vegetables, then the task is greatly simplified. Sowing strawberries with seeds you can do it yourself, because the agricultural technology of germinating strawberry seeds before the emergence of sprouts is largely similar to the agricultural technology of vegetables. But there are also features. For example, the seeds of this berry must first be kept at a low temperature (for example, in a refrigerator) in a humid environment. The aging time depends on the variety, but for large-fruited varieties it is about two months. This process is called stratification; it is necessary for thinning a sufficiently hard shell of the seed.
The day before stratification, the seeds must be treated with a potassium permanganate solution for disinfection (it should be strongly colored, but not dark). In addition to disinfection, this treatment will provide seeds with potassium for the initial period. Seeds must be kept in solution for about a day. Then they are laid out on a layer of clean sand and sprinkled on top of them. The container closes and is placed in the refrigerator. Seeds should be regularly monitored, watered and aired. The appearance of sprouts signals the need for planting.
January or February is the best time to sow strawberries with seeds. On the prepared soil the “sticking” seeds are laid out and ideally covered with a layer of snow, which, thawing, will provide them with the necessary moisture. If this is not possible, the soil is regularly gently moistened with spraying. The box should be covered with glass or film and put in a warm place (not necessarily light). If everything is done correctly, the shoots will appear in about three weeks.
After the first shoots appear, the box is installed in a warm and bright place. Sprouts at this time are very tender, and require a special relationship to themselves: watering through a pipette, regular, but short ventilation. During this period, gardeners need to be patient so that the sowing of strawberries with seeds does not go to waste. If you hurry up and open the seedlings completely ahead of schedule, they can die from the difference in humidity and temperature.
After about a month and a half, the young sprouts will grow stronger and when three or four of these leaves appear on them, it will be necessary to dive seedlings. A prerequisite - a transplant must be carried out with the ground, so that the roots are not exposed. After a dive, young plants need to be pruned for a while, because they are still very tender. Further care for them is regular watering, weeding and top dressing. Gradually, the seedlings will take on the usual strawberry appearance, and one can only wonder how you managed to sow strawberries with seeds yourself. After they take the size of ordinary strawberry seedlings, they should be transplanted to a permanent place.
The question of how to sow strawberries is completely solved. But the question is “why?” does not have such a clear answer, because biologists and breeders as a result of many years of research have found that individuals grown from seeds never repeat their parental traits, especially if the seeds were collected in a summer cottage. As before, buying healthy varietal seedlings or self-growing it from a mustache is the only way to get strawberries with desired properties and the required quality.