Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Question of the day: How long does it take a strawberry seed to germinate?

This is actually a question I had a couple weeks ago myself and was able to do some research on the subject.

As you probably know, strawberry seeds are tiny. They are on the fruit itself and we them along with the fruit. Now, because of their size they are rather delicate and need some extra care to allow them to grow.

You can plant these in growing containers, 1 inch pots, plastic containers, and in the ground only if you are in ideal climate and have lots of seeds.

You want to place the seeds on top of the soil. You may create a small indentation in the soil and place the seed there exposed to light/fresh air.

Once you have planted the seed in the ground dampen it with some watering.

If you are planting this in a tray, or container it would be advantageous to pre-soak the soil.

Try to make sure the soil and seed get a good amount of sunlight. It is probably a better idea to do the germination indoors as bugs, birds and even heavy winds won't have a chance to ruin them or move them about.

These seeds take a very long time to germinate and grow under normal conditions. Please be patient with them and give them up to 2 months to germinate. Lightly water only when the soil is dry and give them some sunlight.

Once the seed has started to sprout 2 full leafs, then you will be able to transplant them to the ground or a slightly larger pot.

Make sure to grow these about half an inch apart when trying to germinate them and the more seeds the better. This will help increase your chances of growing a nice strawberry plant or more.

Most important factors to remember:
Pre-moisten soil if in a tray or small container
Water slightly once planted on top of soil
Give at least a couple hours of direct sunlight on plant
Water only when dry
Be very patient as it could take several weeks for the seeds to sprout
Plant a lot of seeds to increase your chances

Average time to germination : 4 weeks to 6 weeks. (Depending on variety and conditions)

But, I'll know first hand in probably a week when I get my own seeds and start the journey of tryng to germinate my own seeds. Follow me on my blog as I will document my results.

Now grow some yourself and good luck!

4 comments:

  1. Most strawberry seeds will only take 21 days to sprout and they prefer cool conditions to do so. Strawberry seeds can be collected easier with tweezers when used to pluck them from the berries.

    When seeds are sown on top of the soil, extra care needs to be taken to ensure they stay consistently moist until germination occurs. Using a mist bottle is a great way to provide this moisture.

    I enjoyed reading your information and think it's pretty accurate, Tommy. I've been growing strawberries from seed for years!

    Looking forward to seeing your plants grow...


    : )

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  2. Thanks for the info. I do have a mist bottle which seems to be really doing good things to my plants. Except for my strawberry leafs. I make sure not to spray them as there isn't much breeze in my room and they can grow mold.
    21 days sounds much better to me than 7 or 8 weeks. Great news!

    Thanks again!

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  3. Yes its usually around 21 days thats how long mine took. But i dont see it growing much. I guess you have to be patient.

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  4. We just did this recently. Had some store bought strawberries and my kids will only eat the reddest part of them. I took the leftover parts and shaved them with a razor blade and planted
    the seeds and very thin piece of fruit on top of some good potting soil and lightly dusted some soil over it all. 2-3 weeks later I had plants sprouting and now 3 weeks later I have 14 healthy but tiny plants. Some of them even have 4 leaves already. I may not start making the shortcake just yet though.

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