How do you plant strawberry seeds? How long do they generally take to germinate?
Strawberries are surely familiar to everyone; they are a very common fruit in daily life. Strawberries have high edible value and sell very well on the market, so many people want to grow them to increase their income. But before planting strawberries, surely everyone wants a comprehensive understanding of its planting methods and germination time.
How to plant strawberry seeds
1. Seed collection. When strawberries are harvested from May to June, select well-developed, fully mature fruits for seed collection. Cut off the skin, put it in water, wash away the pulp, scoop it out and dry it. Or dry the cut skin directly, then rub it to break it up, and the skin and seeds can be separated.
2. Seed treatment. Pour the strawberry seeds into warm water at 60-70°C and soak and wash them while stirring constantly until the water temperature drops to about 25°C and then stop. Continue soaking for 2-3 hours, then scoop them out and rub them with your hands until the seed coat is clean and glossy. Then rinse them clean with water and cover them with several layers of wet gauze. Place them at 25-30°C for germination. Wet the gauze with warm water three times a day (morning, noon and evening) to keep the seeds in a moist environment. Once 60-70% of the seeds have broken white, they can be sown.
3. Sowing method. Before sowing strawberry seeds, first irrigate the seedbed with a small amount of water, then level the bed surface with a rake. When the water in the bed has seeped down, the seeds can be sown. Strawberry seeds are small, so broadcasting is best. The sowing rate is suitably 2.5-4.5 grams per sq m. After broadcasting, immediately spread the prepared covering soil evenly over the bed surface. The covering thickness is suitably 0.3-0.5 cm, and use straw mats for shade, removing them after the seedlings emerge evenly.
How long do strawberry seeds take to germinate
Growing strawberries from strawberry seeds has a relatively low germination rate, and the time needed for germination is relatively long; under suitable temperatures it is about three weeks.
How to fertilize strawberries properly
1. Base fertilizer: Before planting strawberries, plow the soil deeply 25-35 cm, and together with the plowing apply 450-500 kg of commercial organic fertilizer or 3500-4000 kg of high-quality farmyard manure, 5-6 kg of urea, 15-20 kg of diammonium phosphate, and 5-6 kg of potassium sulfate per mu.
2. Topdressing: After strawberries begin to grow and before the flowering stage, apply 9-10 kg of urea and 4-6 kg of potassium sulfate per mu; during the berry swelling stage, apply 11-13 kg of urea and 7-8 kg of potassium sulfate per mu; after heavy fruiting, topdress as needed.
3. Foliar fertilizer: Spraying humic acid organic-inorganic liquid compound fertilizer on the leaves before and after the flowering stage of strawberries can increase the fruit-setting rate, improve fruit quality and increase single fruit weight. Spraying 0.2% calcium sulfate plus 0.05% manganese sulfate at the early flowering and full flowering stages can increase yield and fruit storage performance.
Common strawberry pests and diseases and their control
1. Aphids: Use yellow sticky boards to trap and kill them; remove old leaves in time; spray with 15 grams of 50% pirimicarb mixed with water.
2. Red spider mites: Use 30 ml of 10% Uranus emulsifiable concentrate and 7.5 ml of 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate per mu.
3. White grubs, cutworms and mole crickets: Drench the roots with 30 ml of 90% trichlorfon per mu.
4. Gray mold: Use 30 grams of 50% procymidone wettable powder or 30 grams of 50% iprodione, or 300 ml of 2% wuyimycin aqueous solution per mu; procymidone smoke agent or Shenyang Agricultural University Smoke Agent No. 2 can also be used.
5. Powdery mildew: Spray with 70 grams of 47% kasugamycin-copper wettable powder, or 70 grams of 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder, or 30 grams of 45% thiabendazole per mu.
6. Leaf spot: Use Bordeaux mixture once every 7-10 days, spraying 2-3 times in succession. After the disease occurs, spray 30 grams of 70% thiophanate-methyl, or 70 grams of 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder.
When planting strawberries, you must do a good job of selecting seeds, then treat the seeds, and after treatment the seeds can be planted. Generally, they will germinate about three weeks after planting. During this period, management must not be relaxed either!