Many summer residents wonder whether it is possible to get good garden strawberry seedlings from seeds and how advisable it is to grow them from scratch.
After all, you can buy ready-made seedlings at a garden center, skipping the sowing stage.
Pros and cons of sowing
Each method has its pros and cons. The main advantage of buying a seedling is that you get a plant ready for transplanting and fruiting.
The disadvantage is that a new disease or pest can be brought to the site with the bush. Most often, a nematode “arrives” in the garden, which is impossible to get rid of completely when growing strawberries in a nursery.
As for sowing seeds, they will definitely not bring nematodes to the site, and it is easier to disinfect them from diseases. It is enough to soak them for a couple of hours in Fitosporin or another fungicide, diluting it according to the instructions.
Another advantage of sowing seeds is that you are guaranteed to get a young plant that is adapted to your conditions.
For example, an unscrupulous seller can sell a newbie an old bush that will bear fruit poorly. Or the strawberries in the nursery were grown in the most favorable conditions, but in your garden they are worse. Then the bush will take a long time to get used to the new conditions.
Note: strawberries can be small-fruited (similar to wild strawberries) and large-fruited, which are popularly called strawberries. There is no difference in the technology of growing these two types from seeds.
The disadvantages of growing strawberries from seeds include extra work (sowing, stratification, lighting, germination) and poor seed germination.
How to Grow Strawberries from Seeds
If you decide to sow strawberries yourself, you should take into account several important details.
1. The seeds must be fresh. Germination becomes worse every year.
2. Stratification is a must. Some people skip this step, but it is important for seed germination and quality of shoots. Stratification can be done in different ways. The easiest way is to sow and place the closed tray in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. You can bury it in a snowdrift.
3. The seeds should be laid out on top, without being buried in the soil. It is most convenient to do this on a thin napkin, spreading it on top of the soil.
4. After stratification, the container with the seeding is taken out of the refrigerator and placed in a warm, light place for germination. When the strawberries sprout, it is advisable to place them in a cool place, as this is a cold-resistant plant and develops better in cool conditions (no higher than 15 degrees).
Growing strawberries yourself is not that difficult. This gives you the opportunity to get strong healthy seedlings that will give you a rich harvest.
