I am trying to grow some strawberries from seed (Sarian hybrid). The package gives few details but recommends a 2 week cold treatment prior to planting. I don’t know if they had in mind refrig temps or freezer temps, and whether the seeds should be wet or dry.
Anyone here know what sort of cold treatment strawberries want?
I would try slightly damp paper towel in the fridge (your mimicking winter).
Yeah that should do it. I used to just keep my seeds frozen till I used them. Some still in there from 5 years ago. Alpine types.
I grew strawberries from seed from this breeder a couple years ago. I think that I put them in refrigerator in the dump towel in Ziploc bag for a week or two. The most important thing for the sprouted seeds is to keep them in warm slightly moist soil. If the soil is too heavy and wet they will rot.
This year I grow alpine strawberries and they did not need any stratification. They sprouted very uniformly. Now it is backbreaking task (literally) to divide and transplant them.
Yes, moistened in the refrigerator. When you ready to seed, do not bury seeds in the soil, just spread them on top, after that you can use very fine sand and cover them loosely very, very thin, use you fingers, like you do when you salt food. If no such sand you may use vermiculite, but sift it first through a fine household strainer. Use clear cover on top of your pot to keep moister in, do not place it in direct sun or in the dark room. Kitchen counter will work. And be patient. It take up to 4 weeks for seeds to germinate. If you see the top getting dry water the pot from the bottom, let it take water in through the holes in the bottom. I started strawberries this way several times. Just do not expect very high germination rate, for me it was about 20-30%. And I think it is natural way of strawberries to reproduce. I have alpine strawberries that seeds them self from berries that I didn’t pick. Each berry has a lot of seeds, but usually, I can find 2-3 youngsters under each plant in midsummer.
I do not cover my seeds just through them on the top of the soil and keep them moist. Heating mat speeds germination quite a bit.
