If they ever get aphids, control them immediately because aphids transmit viruses. Use soapy water or pyrethrum spray to control them. And if you're starting from scratch, make sure you buy your plants as seed or certified disease-free stock. But to do that, I'm going to need lots of healthy young plants.
Of course I could buy them, but where's the fun in that? I'm going to grow my own from seed and from my own runners. Growing strawberries from seed is easy. The one thing that you don't economise on is propagating mix.
I buy a fresh seed raising mix specifically for this purpose. Strawberries, and all seedlings really, dislike anything like pests or diseases that might be present in garden soil. Now I'm just going to make sure this is nice and level and flat before I sow them directly onto the surface. And this is important with strawberry seed. They like to see the sunlight as they germinate. By gently watering the surface, I bring the seed into intimate contact with the propagating mix.
It really helps with germination. I've probably got about seed in this tray - potentially plants - which shows you how economical seed propagation is. Cover the seed tray with a plastic dome to keep the mix moist. I'm putting it in a sheltered spot with morning sunshine. The other way of propagating strawberries is by runners and runners are a natural way that they reproduce.
The third phase is the sprouting phase. It is after the sprouting phase that the strawberry plants are strong enough to be planted into the garden. Dormant seeds typically won't awaken until they have experienced a period of two weeks of freezing temperatures.
In the wild, strawberry dormancy is activated once the ripe berries are eaten by an animal when fruit develops following winter, explains Garden Guides.
The stomach fluids break down the outside of the strawberry seed enough that it can begin to grow. Gardeners replicate this process by breaking through the tough outer part of the strawberry seed by rubbing it with sandpaper or by soaking the seeds in warm water for a couple of days. Strawberry germination takes between seven and 21 days. Most seedlings are considered viable once two sets of true leaves have formed on the stem.
Strawberry plants like to be between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit for germination. When the sprouted strawberries are planted outdoors in the garden, they will begin bearing fruit and then seeds the following year.
Seeds sowed on the soil surface as shown:. Water from bottom-up rather than top-down. Once the seeds are buried in soil, it may not germinate or germinate at a slower pace more than 10 days.
Watering from the bottom lets the soil takes only the amount of water it needs and the excess water is drained away through the holes we cut at the bottom. If you have time for only top-down watering, just make sure that the seeds are not dragged into the soil.
I have germinated different varieties of strawberries with these 3 easy steps , and they work the best. Cylinder or cone-shaped pot yields different results. For example, white strawberry varieties did not germinate in this pot but red strawberries did.
Flat surface container germination work for all strawberry seeds I tried. I can only reason that its the uneven absorption of water as the cause. The moisture needs to be relatively even for the soil, and thus, a flat surface container works best for germination.
Some seeds instructions recommended a certain range of temperatures to germinate seeds. For example, most white strawberry varieties instructed 16C — 21C be maintained for successful germination. I had a lot of difficulties germinating Heirloom Pineapple strawberry seeds with the chilled soil in my self-watering pot above. Finally, I gave up and returned to my 3 easy steps method, and the seeds germinated …finally!
Read more on hybrid and other observations in our Tropical Strawberries post. Our experience from USA strawberries had been all seedlings did not survive more than three months. Six weeks after the seeds germinate, transplant them into bigger, individual pots. In another six weeks, your strawberry seedlings are ready to plant outside.
Harden off your strawberry seedlings by placing them outdoors in protected areas for half hour increments. Gradually increase the time the plants spend outside.
Once they are hardened off, transplant the seedlings into the garden. Space them two feet apart and be sure to plant them in well-drained and acidic soil. Strawberries require full sun to grow. Water the strawberries at least 1 inch a week during their growing season.
In addition to growing in a strawberry patch in the garden, strawberry plants also can grow in pots, strawberry towers, raised beds and more. Once the growing season is over, cut the foliage back to 1 inch. Mulch over the plants with 4 inches worth of straw, pine needles or another type of organic material. Remove the mulch in the spring. Strawberries are ready to harvest as soon as they turn red.
They should be slightly firm to the touch, but if strawberries are too mushy, they can be used to make jellies and jams. This allows the strawberry plant to direct all of its energy to its roots and leaves, which will need to be strong to produce fruit in the second year of growth. When they are ready to harvest, cut the berry off at the stem. Do not pull the berry from the stem to harvest it. Unwashed strawberries can be stored in the refrigerator for three to five days.
Begin the fertilizing process when seedlings are still indoors. Start fertilizing with liquid kelp every two weeks for the first month of growth.
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