How to plant strawberry seeds?

Now on sale you can find a huge selection of seeds of strawberry. These are new, promising varieties or hybrids of repaired species, which, as a rule, do not give a mustache. However, it is not known to everyone how to plant strawberries to form a full-fledged fruit-bearing bush later.

If you have experience in growing vegetable seedlings, the task is much simpler. Planting strawberries with seeds, you can do it yourself, because the agrotechnics of germinating strawberry seeds before the appearance of sprouts are in many respects similar to the agrotechnics of vegetables. But there are also some peculiarities. For example, the seeds of this berry must be pre-conditioned 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 fairly hard shell of the seed.

The day before stratification, the seeds must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection (it must be strongly colored, but not dark). In addition to disinfection, this treatment will provide the seeds with potassium for the initial period. Seeds need to be kept in the solution for about a day. Then they lay out on a layer of clean sand and sprinkled them on top. The container closes and it is put in the refrigerator. The seeds must be regularly observed, watered and ventilated. The appearance of sprouts signals the need for planting.

January or February is the optimal time to plant strawberries with seeds. The prepared seeds are laid out "naklyuvuvshiesya" seeds and ideally covered with a layer of snow, which, mashing, will provide them with the necessary moisture. If this is not possible, the soil is regularly gently moistened with a spray. The box should be covered with a glass or a film and put in a warm place (not necessarily light). If everything is done correctly, then the shoots will appear in about three weeks.

After the appearance of the first shoots, the box is installed in a warm and bright place. Sprouts at this time are very tender, and require special treatment: watering through a pipette, regular, but a short airing. During this period, gardeners need to be patient, so that the planting of strawberries with seeds does not go to waste. If you hurry and open the seedlings completely ahead of time, they can die from a drop in humidity and temperature.

After about a month and a half, the young shoots will grow stronger, and when they have three or four real leaflets, it will be necessary to dive the seedlings. Mandatory condition - the transplant must be carried out necessarily with the earth, so that the roots are not denuded. After picking, young plants need to be shaded for a while, because they are still very tender. Further care for them consists in regular watering, weeding and feeding. Gradually, the saplings will adopt the usual strawberry form, and it will be only to be surprised how you managed to plant the strawberries with seeds by 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 "why?" Does not have such an unambiguous answer, because biologists and breeders, as a result of many years of research, have established that individuals grown from seeds never repeat parental traits, especially if the seeds were collected in a suburban area. Still buying a variety of healthy seedlings or growing it from a mustache is the only way to get strawberries with specified properties and the required quality.