Hey all,
I'm wondering if anyone has experience growing strawberry plants from seeds? I've done a bit of reading online before buying some varieties of alpine berries; they don't really sell strawberry plants at the nurseries here so I thought, what the heck, I'll try myself.
I've read that germination can be tricky and I've tried a few of the tips given, including placing the seeds in the freezer for a while to replicate dormancy. So, I've planted 80 seeds in Jiffy moss pellets and been keeping the seeds moist but not wet per the instructions. Kept the pellet tray at about 70F on the kitchen counter. 30 days later, I have maybe 9 itsy-bitsy tiny shoots that have germinated.
What am I doing wrong? Can I expect to see more seeds germinating or is that it?
I tried the same a few years ago...same results.
Poor germination rate, long germination time.
What I did get, the cat ended up eating.
I will try again with nursery plants and rooting the shoots...maybe next year.
I'm used to using shoots for new plants, but pretty much had to start from scratch here. Hopefully, I can maybe get 7-8 plants to start with. My goal is to use window box planters arranged on a rack of sort off the ground, to keep some of the bugs away. I have 3 very large window boxes and thought about using a set of old patio stair risers to build something to lean against the house or fence. Will take pictures once this is all done... If it ever works.
ok, so I have grown strawberries from seed a number of times, I have done the alpine strawberries, and I did them in a flat, way over seed it.. and I started them in a greenhouse as a winter sown seed.. so in jan or early feb, I make my tray following winter sowing rules and I put it in a unheated greenhouse and let it freeze, they should get at least a month.. then I let them do their thing.. as the sun got warmer, I did make sure the greenhouse did not overheat and I had a whole tray of them
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
ok, so I have grown strawberries from seed a number of times, I have done the alpine strawberries, and I did them in a flat, way over seed it.. and I started them in a greenhouse as a winter sown seed.. so in jan or early feb, I make my tray following winter sowing rules and I put it in a unheated greenhouse and let it freeze, they should get at least a month.. then I let them do their thing.. as the sun got warmer, I did make sure the greenhouse did not overheat and I had a whole tray of them
Wow! At what stage, roughly, was that picture taken? Do you add or spray any fertilizer before or during germination?
not sure, six to eight weeks give or take.. they were ready for transplanting out, nothing added, it was seed starting potting soil, and well water was used, if you are already planting garden, not sure how you will get your 4 weeks of cold min for the seed.. other then fridge or freezer.. let me check with a friend and see what she recommends
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
not sure, six to eight weeks give or take.. they were ready for transplanting out, nothing added, it was seed starting potting soil, and well water was used, if you are already planting garden, not sure how you will get your 4 weeks of cold min for the seed.. other then fridge or freezer.. let me check with a friend and see what she recommends
I did put the seeds in the freezer for a couple of weeks before planting them. Did using those Jiffy pods in a tray vs seed starting soil could have made such a difference or did I simply get old seeds?
I am thinking its a combo, I wondered about old seeds myself, I think, the freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw that happens with winter sowing must be the difference, I have never had good luck with the little jiffy pots but I know others have.. and I really did over seed, I had bought one of the vacoom sealed packages from ritchies and I seeded the whole package on the tray in one go
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
ok, talked to my plant guru, she is amazing! she says, old seed at those results.. need good seed to soil contact, no covering of seed needed, just flat gentle surface contact to good seed starting soil.. hope that helps a bit
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
Had bought the seeds on Amazon and the vendor confirmed, yesterday, that they sent me season-old seeds. I got a refund but I'm now too late to get my strawberry plants started from seeds for this year, so I'll have to look for plants somewhere or see if a nursery would bring some in for us.
Thank you Farmgal
glad you got it sorted, best of lucj tracking down some plants yet
http://livingmydreamlifeonthefarm.wordpress.com/
ok, so I have grown strawberries from seed a number of times, I have done the alpine strawberries, and I did them in a flat, way over seed it.. and I started them in a greenhouse as a winter sown seed.. so in jan or early feb, I make my tray following winter sowing rules and I put it in a unheated greenhouse and let it freeze, they should get at least a month.. then I let them do their thing.. as the sun got warmer, I did make sure the greenhouse did not overheat and I had a whole tray of them
Been meaning to ask. Did the alpine strawberries produce for you and did you need to keep starting new plants over the years or did they set enough runners to reproduce themselves? Wild strawberries are not the best producers of runners that I have seen. I have lots of wild strawberries growing naturally on my place but they don't ever seem to fruit. I want to do a cultivated bed with plants from elsewhere. The alpine looked like a good bet.
