How to grow strawberry seedlings at home?

For home cultivation of strawberries, you can use a mustache with well-developed rosettes, purchased seedlings or seeds. We want to tell you in detail about the last option. The advantages of self-cultivation of seedlings are obvious: firstly, it is far from always possible to find ready-made seedlings of the desired variety on sale, secondly, the seedlings may not be of high quality, and thirdly, often unscrupulous sellers sell in fact not what is stated.

Strawberry seedlings

In the case of self-cultivation of seedlings, the whole process will proceed under your strict control. After reading the information below, you will learn all the secrets and tricks of this craft.

The subtleties of growing seedlings

Sowing timing and seed selection

Start growing seedlings from seeds between the last weeks of February and the first weeks of March. This will allow you to have time to transplant young seedlings into the soil before the onset of extreme heat.

Seeds of garden strawberries for seedlings

Seeds can be bought in specialized stores and over the Internet - do as you like. As for specific varieties, the hybrid large-fruited berry is very popular - it gives healthy plants, in many respects surpassing even seedlings of vegetative propagation. Own strawberry seeds are also a pretty good option. For the rest, the basic information on choosing a good strawberry variety can be found in the table.

Table. Popular strawberry varieties for home growing

Small-fruited strawberries and their hybrids	She is alpine. One of the most widely available varieties. Seeds are relatively cheap - a great choice for the budding gardener and horticulturist.
Own seeds	Option for the more experienced. If possible, collect seeds from the varieties - hybrids often do not produce offspring.
Large-fruited garden strawberry and its hybrids	Also known as pineapple. It is very popular, primarily due to its large and tasty fruits. The seeds are quite expensive, but the bottom line is well worth the investment.

What kind of soil is needed for planting seeds?

There are 2 main options available.

1. A mixture of non-acidic peat in the amount of three parts with one part of sand and one part of vermicompost.

   Biohumus

2. A mixture of two shares of sod land, as well as peat and sand (each with one share). In addition, it is recommended to add a small amount of wood ash, manure or any suitable mineral fertilizer to the mixture (check with the theme store).

   Mineral granular fertilizers for strawberries

If you wish, you can purchase the ingredients separately and mix them in the specified proportions, or you can buy a ready-made mixture - whichever is more convenient for you.

If the second option is preferred, the mixture will require additional preliminary preparation. The bottom line is that the earth, like manure, contains a huge variety of microorganisms, parasite eggs, etc. To cleanse the soil, steam it for about 30 minutes, for example, over boiling water in a saucepan. Leave the steamed soil for about 3 weeks - during this period it will restore its useful qualities and become suitable for further use. Be sure to take this point into account at the preparation stage in order to be in time for the sowing dates indicated at the beginning of the publication.

You can steam the soil for seedlings in the oven

Seeds are recommended to be grown at a temperature of about +18 degrees. In warmer conditions, germination slows down, and the "fertility" of seeds is markedly reduced - some of them, as a result, do not "hatch".

Recommendations for the preliminary preparation of seeds

About 2-3 days before planting, soak the seeds in rain or melted snow water - simply place them in a container and pour in enough liquid so that the seeds are covered.

Seed soaking

Change the water twice a day. Such preliminary preparation will contribute to the destruction of germination inhibitors, which will have a beneficial effect on the growth rate of embryos. At the same time, the seeds will swell somewhat.

Next, we do the following:

• carefully remove the seeds from the water;
• we put a layer of slightly moistened toilet paper on a saucer, lay our seeds on top;

  The photo shows an example of seeds laid out on paper

• we send the received structure in a plastic bag;
• we put the package in some warm and bright place. We do not put on direct sunlight - we will have to spend time on more frequent water addition.

  Seeds in bags

We are waiting for our seeds to hatch. After that, we disassemble the structure (the seeds themselves, at the same time, carefully take with tweezers or a moistened toothpick / sharpened match) and proceed to further steps.

It is strongly discouraged to ignore the above steps, since the implementation of these will allow you to get stronger and faster shoots.

Growing seedlings in a container

One of the most popular and widespread methods involves growing seedlings in a container. As such, a plastic or wooden box of sufficient size (depending on the number of seedlings grown) is perfect. We adhere to the sequence shown in the table.

Table. Instructions for growing strawberry seedlings in a container

Stage 1	Pour the selected potting mix into a drawer. We level the ground, compact it with a plank or other suitable device, and then make grooves several millimeters deep. You can assess the optimal parameters of the grooves and the distance between them in the photo.
Stage 2	Armed with tweezers or a moistened toothpick, fill the grooves with seeds, maintaining a 20 mm step between them.
Stage 3	For personal convenience, we sign the grooves - this will allow us not to get confused where which variety is sown, if there are several varieties.
Stage 4	We moisten the crops abundantly. In order not to blur them, we do it with a spray bottle.
Stage 5	We cover the box with seeds with glass or plastic wrap - this will reduce the rate of evaporation of water. We ventilate and water our future seedlings daily.

We take care of the seedlings

Developing strawberry seedlings need a lot of light.

Important note for indoor seedlings! Remember the following pattern: the warmer it is in the room, the more abundant the lighting should be.

Water regularly and in moderation. As a rule, watering once a day is sufficient.For the rest, focus on the condition of the soil - its top layer should not be either dry or too wet.

After waiting for the appearance of 2 real leaves, we proceed to the pick. At this stage, we will remove the final part of the taproots of our seedlings (this will have a beneficial effect on the branching processes of the root system) and transplant the seedlings into individual containers.

In the photo, sprouted shoots

As carefully as possible, we dig in each seedling, and then carefully pinch the long roots, as shown in the figure. You can pinch with just nails or any device suitable for such an operation, for example, special tweezers.

Pinching the roots

We move the seedlings into individual pots or boxes. The recommended dimensions for individual containers are 90x90 mm. We maintain an approximately 80 mm distance between the seedlings.

Transplanting seedlings

Carefully water the transplanted seedlings with a weak stream of water. Otherwise, the recommendations for watering are similar to those given earlier.

Watering

We grow strawberry seedlings in peat tablets

This option is also considered quite simple and is popular with gardeners.

Peat tablets for seedlings

First step. We spread the seeds in a thin layer between a pair of cotton pads. We place the resulting structure in a food container or other suitable utensil. The convenience of the container is that in most cases it comes immediately with a lid. We close the container.

Important! Pre-make several small holes in the lid for air circulation.

We leave the seeds for a couple of days in a room with a temperature of about + 15-19 degrees and good lighting. Next, we send the container with soaked seeds to the refrigerator and keep it there for a couple of weeks.

After the specified time, we take out the container with seeds from the refrigerator and send it to a well-lit place with an air temperature of about + 18-20 degrees. Every 1-2 days we look at the condition of the seeds. We are waiting for them to sprout.

Seeds in a container

Second step. We proceed directly to sowing the "hatched" strawberry seeds. At this stage, we need peat tablets, purchased in advance in a specialized store for gardeners and gardeners.

We lay out the tablets in our container and fill with water. Let the pills grow to the state of "columns". We continue to gradually add liquid until the tablets absorb it. We drain the excess water.

We put the seeds in the existing depressions in the tablets. We use tweezers or a moistened toothpick for this. We do not sprinkle the soil with the seeds - the better the lighting, the faster the seedlings sprout.

Sowing seeds into peat

Third step. To prevent our seeds from drying out, we cover the container with a transparent lid of a suitable size. We send the container with crops to a warm (up to + 18-20 degrees) and illuminated place.

Every day we wipe the lid from condensation and thoroughly ventilate the container with seeds, otherwise mold will appear.

We ventilate the container and wipe off the condensate daily

Important! If you have not kept track and allowed the appearance of mold, at the first detection of it, get rid of the pest with a toothpick and carefully treat the affected areas with a fungicide, for example, a drug called Maxim.

Fourth step. After waiting for the first leaves, we remove the shelter. In the presence of bare roots, sprinkle them with a small amount of earth to the level of the root collar.

Important! If the “columns” begin to settle, add water. Give it time to absorb. Remove excess carefully.

Rules for feeding seedlings

Every 10-14 days, water must be added in combination with feeding. Solutions of mineral fertilizers are perfect for feeding such home seedlings. Sold in specialized shops for gardeners.

Sprouted seedlings in the photo

If it is warm enough outside, from the first days of May you can begin to gradually harden the seedlings on the glazed loggia. At first, the seedlings should be protected from wind and sunlight. Make sure that at night the temperature does not drop more than + 5-6 degrees. If it is still colder at night, hardening should be postponed until more favorable weather conditions.

We plant seedlings in the ground

How to plant seedlings correctly

As a rule, this stage is started after 1.5-2 months after the first shoots of strawberries appear. Most owners will land after June 10th. Loose and fertile soil is suitable for planting.

First step. We first add rotted compost to the soil; humus is also good. We add the components taking into account the initial state of the garden. For example, in the case of a cultivated bed, half a bucket of humus and the same amount of peat for each square meter will be enough. When planting in clay soil, the volume of the ingredients mentioned in the previous sentence should be doubled and in addition half a bucket of coarse sand should be added to them.

Additionally, mineral fertilizer is applied in an amount of about 40 grams per square meter. Before planting, we dig up the soil to the depth of the shovel bayonet and carefully level the ground to exclude slopes.

We apply mineral fertilizer to the soil

Second step. We preliminary designate the future row with a small groove. To get smoother rows, pull the cord over the bed.

We pull the rope and make a groove

Third step. We make holes in 30 cm increments. In them we transfer seedlings from individual containers or tablets with seedlings, depending on the chosen method of growing home seedlings.

We plant seedlings in the holes

Fourth step. We fill the free space in each hole with previously loosened earth. We do this in such a way that the so-called. the heart (i.e. the point of growth) and the level of the soil surface were located on the same line. We carefully compact the soil.

We fill the hole and compact the soil

Fifth step... Water the seedlings carefully, trying to prevent erosion of the earth around the bushes.

Watering seedlings

Useful note! For home cultivation of small-fruited strawberries, narrow beds are better suited. The maximum number of rows, however, is limited to two. We equip the beds with a distance of about 40 cm. With a larger number of rows, it will simply be more difficult for you to pick berries and process plants after the fruiting period.

Why don't the seedlings sprout?

Sometimes the seedlings do not germinate completely, sometimes they do not germinate at all - both options are equally offensive. The situation can develop in such an unfavorable way due to several reasons. The main thing is mistakes during leaving. To reduce the risks, remember a few simple rules.

First, as noted earlier, boxes with young crops of strawberries should be covered with glass or foil, regularly moistening the top of the earth... Until the first shoots appear, keep the prepared boxes in a dark place. In a warmer and lighter place, we transfer the boxes only after "pecking" of the seedlings.

Example of a container with a lid for seedlings

Secondly, at the stage of seed germination we maintain the temperature in the room at a level of about +18 degrees. Exceeding this indicator will lead to a deterioration in the final result.

We maintain the temperature around 18 degrees

Thirdly, do not panic if seedlings break through at different speeds. Some of them you will observe in a couple of weeks, others - after a month, and still others will not appear at all.

Sprouts can spawn at different rates

By following the instructions above and following the useful recommendations, you will get healthy and high-quality strawberry seedlings.

Rich strawberry harvest

Good luck!

Video - How to grow strawberry seedlings at home

Growing strawberries at home is a laborious process. But only by planting the seedlings on their own, any summer resident can be sure of its quality and that the desired plant variety will grow. To obtain a large harvest of fragrant berries, you must familiarize yourself with the rules for choosing soil for planting and planting material, with preparing them for planting, with the conditions of keeping, care and transplanting seedlings to a permanent place.

Sowing dates

Sowing is necessary depending on the desired timing of the first harvest. If you plant strawberry seeds in February, then the bushes will bear fruit in the summer. When planting them in April, the bushes will only grow by autumn, but they will have time to get stronger and will delight with abundant fruiting next year.

In addition, the presence of additional illumination of the seedlings affects the time of planting the seeds of the plant. If the balcony is equipped with good lighting, then the sowing process can begin even in December. But in the absence of lamps, it is advisable to sow in March.

Seed selection

Strawberry kernels can be prepared by yourself or purchased at a gardening store. At home, from a large berry, you need to cut the pulp with seeds in strips and dry. Then put it in paper bags.

When buying seed, you should carefully study the information on the package.

• A well-known and proven manufacturer will not sell low-quality goods.
• The variety must be suitable for growing in the region.
• Must remain at least 1 year before the expiration date.
• The choice of variety depends on the purpose of the cultivation. If breeding for your own consumption is supposed, then it is better to prepare the seeds yourself. You can choose non-hybrid varieties: they have excellent taste properties. When growing strawberries for sale, you should pay attention to hybrid varieties. Their advantages include high yields and disease resistance.

It is interesting!

Some varieties have been bred that can bear fruit on the balcony all year round. However, they require proper care.

Soil preparation

The market for products for gardeners is quite wide: everyone can choose the substrate to their liking. Ready-made universal mixtures are sold that are suitable for the cultivation of any plants; you can purchase specialized soil suitable only for a certain culture.

Advice

Garden strawberries are capricious, so it is advisable to take special soil for growing seedlings from seeds.

Experienced gardeners, taking into account long-term observations, skillfully make the substrate on their own. It is important that it is light, crumbly and simple.

The most common formulations are:

• coarse sand and vermicompost in equal parts, 3 parts of non-acidic peat;
• sand - 2 parts, 1 part each of peat and sod land;
• sand - 3 parts, soil from the garden and humus - 1 part each.

It is recommended to add a little wood ash and manure to the second composition for growing on the balcony.

In the soil mixture from the garden, there may be pest larvae. To disinfect the earth, you can use one of the following methods:

• warm up in the microwave for 5 minutes;
• steam in a water bath;
• place in the oven for 30 minutes at 150 ° C;
• process with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

After the performed manipulations, the soil should be placed in a warm place for 15-10 days.

Selection of capacity

For growing seedlings on the balcony, containers can also be made independently or bought.

What can be used as a container for planting strawberry crops?

• Plastic cups, cardboard packaging for juices or glasses for sour cream - when choosing such a container, it is important to make small holes from the bottom so that the water from irrigation does not stagnate.
• Plastic boxes - a kind of mini-greenhouses are obtained. You can cut arcs from a plastic bottle, stretch plastic wrap over them.
• Peat tablets are very popular, convenient for growing strawberries from seeds, picking and planting in a permanent place.
• Food containers - it is advisable to select containers with a transparent top. So a container with such a lid will be used as a miniature greenhouse.

Before starting all the manipulations with planting strawberries, it is important to fill the container with a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. This will protect against the occurrence of fungal infections.

Preparing seeds for planting

Before sowing seeds on the balcony, they need to be prepared. For the prevention of diseases, the seed must be disinfected: soak in a weak (1%) solution of potassium permanganate. You can use solutions of boric acid, hydrogen peroxide, copper sulfate or aloe juice.

Strawberry seeds should be wrapped in a small piece of cloth, wrapped with thread and placed in a solution prepared in advance for 15 minutes. Then remove the bag and rinse it with clean water several times.

The next important stage in seed preparation is stratification. It can be done in two ways.

1. Sowing in the snow. Fill the container with a substrate, cover it with snow on top: a layer of 1-2 cm in a compacted form. Sow the seed on the snow, cover with foil and refrigerate. The snow will melt and the grains will sink into the ground.
2. Refrigerated stratification. Place the seeds on a damp cloth, wrap in a plastic bag, and leave in the refrigerator for 7 days. At temperatures from +4 to + 5 ° C, the process of awakening and preparation for further growth starts.

Stratification is needed to ensure quality and simultaneous emergence.

Sowing in a container

To grow strawberries on the balcony, you need to fill a suitable container with soil, level, slightly compact, moisten, make small grooves. Using a sharpened match, tweezers or a toothpick, it is necessary to spread the plant seeds at a distance of 2 cm from each other. They should be pressed a little against the substrate, but not covered with them from above.

Advice

For convenience, when planting different varieties of planting material in one container, you can attach the name of the variety in front of each groove.

After transferring the seeds to the ground, it must be moistened with a spray bottle, covered with plastic wrap or closed with a container lid. Make sure to make small holes on the surface of the container. It is advisable to place the container in a warm and lighted place, but not on the windowsill itself - the grains will dry on it before they germinate.

Landing in peat tablets

Cultivating strawberries on the balcony in peat tablets is considered the most convenient way. It is worth considering the process of planting material in special washers, inside which pressed peat enriched with fertilizers is placed.

1. Place washers in a container, pour well with water, let it swell.
2. Place 2-3 seeds in the recess in the tablet, do not sprinkle with soil.
3. Cover with foil, put in a lighted and warm place.

The first shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks.

Seedling care

When the first shoots appear, they should be ventilated daily and moistened with a spray bottle. After a month, the cover must be completely removed. After three leaves grow, the seedlings must be dived. The main thing for seedlings on the balcony is sufficient watering.

When the bushes of the plant consist of 6-7 leaves, the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground. The process must necessarily take place on a cloudy day.

Strawberries are a healthy and valuable berry. Growing plant bushes on the balcony is troublesome, but you can be sure of the quality of the resulting seedlings.

When breeding strawberries, it is important to follow the recommendations described above, and gradually adhere to the rules for planting the crop.

The success of growing any crop in the garden, in the garden or at home depends on the correctly selected and prepared planting material. This is especially important for strawberries, because it is very difficult to germinate seedlings from its seeds.Our article will tell you about how strawberries are grown from seeds at home.

Sowing dates

If you are going to grow strawberry bushes on your windowsill, you must at the very beginning decide on the timing of sowing. It should be noted that the timing of the sowing of the seed is determined by the plant variety. Today, strawberries and strawberries are represented by a wide variety of varieties, among which there are both remontant and large-fruited species.

The way they are planted is no different from each other. However, many people prefer to choose remontant varieties for the following reasons:

• during the growing season, the bushes are capable of producing crops several times;
• abundant fruiting;
• better seed germination;
• affordable cost of planting material.

Often, sowing seeds for home cultivation of strawberries is carried out in late February or early March. However, earlier sowing of the seed is also quite acceptable. But in this case, the planting will need to be additionally illuminated using phytolamps. With backlight, planting of seed at home can be carried out at any time of the year. Without backlighting, sowing seeds for seedlings before March does not make sense.

Growing Secrets Video

From the video you will learn how to properly grow a berry from seeds.

Seed preparation

After you have decided on the strawberry variety and the timing of planting seeds to obtain seedlings, you can proceed to the preparatory stage. Strawberry seeds, like most other crops, must be prepared for planting. Such preparation will allow to achieve significantly better germination.

It should be noted that the seed material of large-fruited varieties of strawberries and strawberries germinates very slowly. Therefore, in order to speed up the process of germination of seeds, a preparation procedure is carried out in order to accelerate the growth of sprouts. This procedure involves the following manipulations:

• first, the seeds should be soaked. For this, a plastic transparent container is used, which is equipped with a lid. But you will also need rags or cotton pads;
• make holes in the container lid with a needle. They are needed for plant respiration;
• then moisten the discs with water and place them in one layer at the bottom of the container. When all the seeds are laid out, cover them on top with a second layer of wet cotton pads or a cloth moistened with water;
• if you plan to plant different varieties of strawberries, then they will need to be signed so as not to get confused in the future;
• the container with seeds is closed with a lid with holes and placed in a warm place. The seeds must stay here for two days;
• then the container for carrying out the stratification process is sent to the refrigerator for two weeks. The seeds need to be moistened periodically. Ventilation of the container should be carried out every day.

However, such an algorithm for preparing strawberry seeds for planting can hardly be called universal. There are several preparation options. For example, some experts advise soaking the seed for three days in natural (snow or rain) water. After that, the seeds are laid out on a layer of filter paper and slightly moistened. They are then transferred to a plastic bag. For convenience, the seeds can be laid out first on a plate, and only then placed in a bag with it. Further, the planting material is exposed to a warm place. However, do not place them in direct sunlight. When the first shoots hatch, it is recommended to transfer them to a container with soil. To do this, use matches or toothpicks.

Many experts advise be sure to carry out stratification, since thanks to it you can achieve simultaneous and high-quality germination.

Some budding gardeners often wonder how to collect seeds for strawberry seedlings.The easiest way is to buy planting material from a garden store. Neighbors or friends can share the necessary seeds. In addition, they can be collected by hand in the process of growing crops in the open field.

Land preparation

The second stage of preparation for growing seedlings from strawberry seeds is soil preparation. For this berry crop, a soil with the following characteristics is suitable:

• crumbly;
• easy;
• simple;
• without fertilizers.

According to experts, the best solution in this case would be a soil mixture prepared from forest and vegetable garden land. Be sure to add sand to it.

There are the following potting mix options suitable for growing strawberry bushes:

• The first version of the soil contains the following components: coarse sand, vermicompost and non-acidic peat. Components should be taken in a ratio of 1: 1: 3;
• the soil of the second option should contain such components as peat, sand and sod land. Here the components are taken in a 1: 1: 2 ratio.

Some experienced gardeners recommend adding some wood ash and rotted manure to the soil.

Do-it-yourself soil must be warmed up. For this, the soil is placed in the oven for 15-20 minutes. You can do with the usual steaming of the earth with hot steam. For this, a saucepan is suitable in which water is boiling. This procedure is carried out because young strawberry seedlings are very vulnerable. And at the same time they like to parasitize various insect pests, the larvae of which can be found in the taken garden or forest land. For the appearance of beneficial microorganisms in the prepared soil, the calcined earth should be allowed to lie down for two to three weeks. During this time period, the seeds selected for planting will just have time to go through the stratification process.

Sowing in a container

After the soil has been properly prepared, it is poured into a container. This is one of the most effective ways to grow strawberry bushes at home. Using this container, seeds from the refrigerator can be planted in the soil after two weeks. Landing in containers looks like this:

• the selected container should be filled with earth. The soil must be slightly compacted and well watered. For watering, it is better to use a spray bottle;
• then you should carefully spread the seeds on the ground. It is recommended to lay them out with tweezers, a sharpened match or a toothpick. Seeds need to be pressed a little to the ground, but you should not cover them with earth, since they germinate well under the influence of light;
• then close the container with a lid with holes and place it in a bright and warm place. Do not place the container on a sunny windowsill. Otherwise, the seed will dry out quickly and will not have time to germinate.

The first time, until the first shoots appear, it is better not to open the lid. This will create a warm and humid microclimate in which water will condense on the lid and drip back into the ground, thereby watering the plantings.

Please note that you need to close the container with a transparent lid. Through it, it will be easier for light to penetrate into the container. In addition, the transparent lid will allow you to control the processes taking place inside the container.

It should be noted that in this case, seed stratification can be carried out directly in the soil. For this, the container is not completely filled with wet soil. 2-3 free centimeters should remain on top. Put snow on top of the ground and press it. Put the previously soaked seeds on the snow and close the lid. In this form, the container is sent to the refrigerator for two weeks.

Instead of a container, strawberries can be grown at home in wooden crates. In this case, a small box is filled with soil. Then it is leveled and small furrows are formed. We plant seeds in them in increments of 2 centimeters.When planting seeds of different varieties, you need to sow them in such a way that one variety is in the same furrow. In this case, it is necessary to make a beacon opposite each such furrow, where to indicate the name of the variety.

After planting the seeds in wooden boxes, they are moistened with a spray bottle and then covered with foil. It should be noted that the optimum temperature for germinating seed is +18 degrees. At higher temperatures, germination of the sprouts slows down.

Dive seedlings into separate cups

When cultivating strawberry seedlings at home, you must remember that a pick should be carried out for it. This process is carried out when three true leaves are formed in young seedlings. After their appearance, the plants should be transplanted into separate cups. The diameter of the new container should not be less than 5x5 centimeters. Interestingly, strawberry seedlings will grow worse in such a familiar container as a juice bag than in a plastic cup.

Carrying out a dive into separate cups, before planting the plants, holes should be made in their bottom, as well as drainage should be put. River sand, nutshells or pebbles can act as drainage. After that, only the earth is filled up and young plants are planted. Then we moisten the soil with water and form a small hole in it. We plant young plants in it. At the same time, remember that the heart with leaves must remain above the ground.

It is worth noting that remontant strawberry varieties can be sown 2-3 seeds at a time and not pick.

Sowing in peat tablets

There is a technique by which the strawberry seed can be planted in peat tablets. In this case, one seed is planted in one tablet. But due to the fact that the seeds of this culture do not germinate well, it is recommended to germinate them in a container, and then transplant them into peat tablets. Peat tablets must be filled with water before use. The moisture should be well absorbed.

Peat tablets should be placed in a tray. Any cardboard box can be used. Place the hatched seed into special recesses on the tablet and press it. We put on an oilcloth or a cardboard lid on a box or pallet. The entire structure should be placed in a bright and warm place. After that, it remains only to monitor the humidity in the kind of beds. When pills are poured, they are moistened by watering. Do not flood the plantings too much.

Landing in open ground

When the seedlings grow and get stronger, they are transplanted into open ground. Usually, a grown bush can be replanted about 6-7 weeks after the start of growing seedlings. However, in order to increase the adaptive properties of young plants, they must first be hardened. For hardening, the seedlings are taken outside for several hours every day. Plant containers should be placed in the shade.

It is interesting that seedlings grown in early spring, some time after planting in open ground, can form a small crop. You can pick it immediately after the berries turn red.

When growing seedlings in the summer, transplanting into open soil should be carried out at the end of August. From these plants, the harvest can only be obtained next year. But for this, young strawberry bushes must be insulated for the cold season.

Usually, seedlings begin to be planted in a garden or vegetable garden in late spring (in the second half of May) or early summer (throughout June). Planting strawberries in open ground follows the standard scheme. To increase the productivity of plants, experts recommend picking off the first flowers. This will allow young bushes to get stronger, grow leaves, and also lay a bountiful harvest for next year.

To obtain a high-quality harvest for planting strawberry bushes, proper and timely care is required. Without it, plants can suffer from a lack of moisture, various diseases and pests, as well as from an incorrect ratio in the soil of nutrients necessary for the growth and development of bushes.

As you can see, it is not so difficult to grow strawberry seedlings at home. The main thing is to adhere to a step-by-step process, as well as follow all the recommendations of professionals. As a result, you will get healthy and strong bushes, which will give a tasty and bountiful berry harvest next year.

Video "Growing seedlings"

From the video you will learn how to grow strawberry seedlings.

Tired of buying strawberry seedlings every season or want to tame a new variety that is not yet available in stores? Then you need to know how to grow strawberries from seeds at home and what to do with seedlings before planting in the ground.

Seedlings of garden strawberries from seeds are grown for many reasons. For example, this is the only way to propagate varieties whose bushes do not give a mustache. In addition, this way you can do without buying seedlings of new varieties or get a variety of berries that your neighbors have treated you to.

How to choose strawberry seeds for sowing

There are so many varieties and hybrids of strawberries on the market now that choosing the right one is rather difficult, because each manufacturer promises large, sweet berries, quick ripening and resistance to diseases.

If you are still an inexperienced gardener and do not know what you want, take a look at the following large-fruited varieties garden strawberries (strawberries): Alyonushka, Vima, Kokinskaya early, Ksima, Lord, Moscow delicacy, Fireworks, Festivalnaya, Holiday, Honey.

If you want to grow repair strawberries from seeds, then you will suit: Ali Baba, Baron Solemakher, Seasons, Garland, Yellow miracle, Queen Elizabeth 2, Crimean early.

Pollination is also of great importance in the quality of seedlings. Blooming strawberries should not be allowed to be pollinated with berries of a different variety, since the resulting plant will partially or completely lose the initial characteristics of the parent.

Remember that garden strawberry seeds remain viable for 4 years.

You can prepare strawberry seeds for sowing yourself. To do this, you will need to take one of the earliest and largest berries from the bush of the variety you like and carry out a number of manipulations with it.

1. Cut off the top of it and peel off the top layer of seeds with a knife or blade.
2. Place this layer on paper or thick cloth and leave to dry in a warm place for 2-3 days.
3. Grind the dried mass in the palms of your hands to separate the seeds.
4. Put the resulting seeds in a small jar or bag and sign. On a piece of paper, indicate the variety (if you know) and the date of collection.

How to sow strawberries for seedlings

Delicate tiny strawberry seeds cannot be sown in ordinary soil taken from the ridges, and not every container will suit them. Therefore, you need to prepare for planting strawberries for seedlings.

You will need transparent containers (they will allow you to monitor the degree of soil moisture throughout its entire thickness) and a soil mixture consisting of 2 parts of sod land, 1 part of sand and 1 part of low-lying peat. However, with the substrate, you can not be too smart and buy ready-made, for example, for violets or begonias.

Strawberries do not tolerate picking well, so if the size of the window sill or the seedling rack allows it, it is advisable to immediately sow the seeds in separate containers, for example, plastic cups.

Not sure when to sow strawberries for seedlings? You can focus on the dates indicated on the seed bag, or you can sow in late February - early March.

Some gardeners lay a paper napkin on the ground and spray crops through it before the entrances appear.

Sowing strawberry seeds itself is within the power of everyone and takes no more than half an hour.It is enough to spill the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, after drying, pour it into containers, spread strawberry seeds on top with tweezers and spray with warm water from a spray bottle. The distance between the seeds should be left about 2 cm, and the container itself should be covered from above with a film or a transparent lid.

From the first days, strawberry seedlings need a long (at least 10 hours) daylight hours and an air temperature of 18-20 ° С

Do not forget about daily supplementary lighting of seedlings with special phytolamps. Otherwise, the plants will be very elongated, pale and weak.

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Growing strawberry seedlings

The first shoots of garden strawberries do not need to be watered too often - this can contribute to the appearance of a black leg on the plants or mold on the walls of the container, which is also detrimental to seedlings. Only with the appearance of real leaves will strawberries need water. Then you need to gradually remove the film (lid) from the containers.

Do not remove the film (lid) immediately, but gradually, starting from 15-30 minutes a day, thus hardening the seedlings

1-2 weeks after the plants began to constantly be in room conditions without additional shelter, you can start picking.

Tiny bushes are transplanted together with a lump of earth, so as not to damage the root, in a container measuring 9 × 9 cm

After the appearance of the second pair of true leaves, strawberry seedlings are fed every 7-10 days with the preparations of Kemira Lux, Aquarin, Solution or any other complex mineral fertilizer according to the instructions.

Watering strawberry seedlings differs at different stages of their cultivation. In the first days after sowing, it is enough to lightly spray the soil with seeds from a spray bottle once a day so that a crust does not form on it. After emergence, watering is reduced to 1 time per week. With the appearance of true leaves in strawberries, watering is carried out every 3 days, and the water must penetrate to the entire depth of the soil.

For irrigation, use unboiled, settled water at room temperature. Rainwater or melt water is ideal for seedlings, but you can use it only if you live away from the city, large highways and industrial facilities.

Planting strawberry seedlings

If the planting of strawberries for seedlings was successful, and the bushes have grown, in mid-late April, you can start hardening. To do this, in warm weather, pots with plants are exposed outside, avoiding direct sunlight.

At first, in the fresh air, the seedlings should spend only 5-7 minutes, but every day this time needs to be increased.

Around mid-May, when the soil warms up to 15 ° C, strawberries can be transplanted to a permanent place, on regular or high ridges. However, it is not enough to know how to grow strawberry seedlings, you also need to plant it correctly, and then take care of it, observing agricultural techniques, otherwise this capricious culture will be ill and will not yield a harvest.

Firstly, only fertile soils are suitable for strawberries, so planting them on poor land is pointless - the bushes that you have grown with such difficulty will die. Secondly, although the culture loves lighted areas, young leaves can get burns from direct sunlight, therefore, in the first 2 weeks after planting, it is advisable to organize a shelter or partial shade for strawberries. And finally, you need to plant seedlings at a distance of 30 cm from each other, and do not skimp on watering both immediately after planting and in the following days.

• Planting strawberries in spring: step by step instructions for beginners

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• Strawberry care calendar from spring to autumn

  A complete list of works when growing strawberries for the whole season.

You can make sure that growing strawberries from seeds is not at all difficult in the upcoming season. Choose the variety you like and don't be afraid to experiment. And you can always ask your questions in our Club of amateur gardeners.