A peculiar botanical phenomenon is the way strawberries are reproduced by cuttings appearing on long shoots. At the ends of these shoots - runners (tendrils), tiny seedlings form already in the first half of summer.Young plants, having contact with the soil, sprout roots and grow to the right size at the turn of summer and autumn.
Grown seedlings with a few leaves and well-developed roots are a signal for us that the time has come to start a new plantation. And now it is enough to cut the mustache connecting the mother plant with a spade and gently dig up the seedling. From that moment on, she will begin to live her own life.Until recently, the deadline for establishing new plantations was in the fall.Currently, however, we can plant strawberries throughout the growing season, i.e. from early spring to late autumn, thanks to the availability of different types of seedlings.
The most widespread are the so-called green cuttings, which are usually dug out of the field from late August or early September until late autumn.It is a good time to plant, because autumn rainfall and moderate temperatures favor the adoption of young plants.By this time, the plants already have well-developed leaves (hence their name - green cuttings) and roots, and flower buds are also tied, from which aromatic fruit will develop in the next season. Immediately after digging, we plant them in a new position.
Another type of seedlings are frigo seedlings. They are excavated from the field in late autumn and winter, i.e. during the dormant period of the plants.After the leaves are stripped off and the roots are cleared of soil, they are stored in cold stores for many months. At any time, these seedlings can be taken from the cold store and planted in the field.The valuable advantage of frigo seedlings is used here, which takes only 8-10 weeks from planting to fruiting.
These seedlings can be planted in the garden at any time, even in the first half of summer, when there are no green seedlings yet. The third option to establish a new plantation is to use potted seedlings. Many nurseries offer cuttings in small pots or in multipliers.These are cuttings rooted in the substrate, which we plant permanently together with the entire root ball, which guarantees almost 100% acceptance of the material.These seedlings are usually available from August to the end of autumn.
The sooner the better!
When deciding on new plantings, we should not delay the planting time of strawberries. The sooner new seedlings are planted, the higher yields we can expect in the next year.It has been proven that plantations established at the beginning of August can harvest three or even four times more fruit than those established in late autumn.
