For ambitious hobby gardeners, it is a matter of honor to propagate their strawberry plants themselves. Familiarize yourself with how to do this easily by sowing seeds and cuttings.
How to propagate strawberries?
Strawberries can be propagated by sowing or with cuttings. When sowing, fresh seeds are sown in a nutrient-poor substrate and require 2-6 weeks to germinate. Offshoots from high-yielding mother plants can be rooted in clay pots with potting soil from July onwards and transplanted later.
Successful breeding of strawberries by sowing
As a collective fruit, each individual strawberry provides plenty of seeds for propagation. A ripe fruit is halved, dried and the seeds fall in abundance. Sowing should begin without a long delay because fresh strawberry seeds germinate better. Follow these steps:
- The ideal period is from mid-February to the beginning of March
- Soak the seeds in water for 4-6 hours
- fill a seed container with nutrient-poor substrate
- scatter the seeds and press them lightly
- sieve the light germinators thinly with seed soil
- moisten with room temperature water from the spray bottle
- cover with foil or place in the indoor greenhouse
At a germination temperature of ideal 18 degrees Celsius on the partially shaded windowsill, you can look forward to the first seedlings within 2-6 weeks. The time until germination is significantly influenced by the strawberry variety you choose.
Prick perfectly
If the strawberry youngsters present themselves with 4-5 leaves, pricking out is on the agenda. To do this, small pots are half filled with potting soil and you make a small depression in them. Use the pricking stick to carefully lift the strawberry seedling out of the ground and plant it in your own growing pot. The heart bud must be above the substrate. Pour on and place in a warm, bright place.
Uncomplicated propagation with offshoots
The runners of the most productive strawberry plants are much too good to simply cut off in autumn. Select the most vital specimens and, starting in July, grow a new plant from them using simple means. How to do it right:
- The best offshoots are close to the mother plant, not too firmly rooted and completely he althy
- lift it out of the ground using a hand shovel and set it aside
- Dig in an unglazed clay pot at this point and fill it with potting soil up to 2 cm below the edge
- place the runner in the middle of the pot, press down and water
The clay pot is now buried in such a way that continuous contact with the ground is guaranteed. Shorten the unnecessary part of the shoot. While the mother plant supplies the offshoot with nutrients, it is watered regularly.
Transplanting at the right time
By late summer, a self-sufficient root system has developed on the young plant. Now cut off the offshoot with a sharp knife and dig out the pot. Planting at the new location or in the flower box is now very easy.
Tips & Tricks
Don't have your own garden with a compost heap? You can still pamper your strawberry plants on the balcony with organic fertilizer. A vermicompost can fit anywhere, doesn't smell, absorbs kitchen waste and turns it into nutritious humus. At the same time, he regularly supplies worm tea, the ideal liquid fertilizer for strawberries in the flower box.