Eight years ago, at the beginning of her "country career", I really wanted to have a real forest strawberry. It was the one that was present in children's fairy tales: small, bright red, sweet, fragrant. For the whole of the guise, I tried it only a couple of times, but it left forever in my soul. There was a question where you can get the planting material of this beauty. In the first year, when we purchased a cottage, I rang all my neighbors and acquaintances, climbed our market along and across, but the seedlings did not find, since we have practical seedlings: the larger the berry is better. And small berries, well, do not fall under this category.
Seeds from the Alps
But somehow in early February, on one of the trays where the seeds were sold, I saw a bag, on which a robust bush was blocked with bright berries. Real strawberry! Alpine variety. It is necessary, the same berries grow not somewhere, but in the Alps themselves! I was extremely surprised: how much I remember, the strawberries spread up with the help of children who grew from the mustache. And here, hello-please, - seeds! First of all, I carefully read the instructions on growing. It was just necessary to start in February-March, the temptation was great. "Be what happens," I decided and bought.
Chest for sowing
Seeds were even smaller than the ordinary garden strawberries. There were about 80 of them. As a capacity for growing, I took a plastic transparent chest package, where usually in stores are facing cookies and cakes. Below made a few holes and put drainage on the bottom. As a mixture, used humus (but it is still better to take the purchase of potted land, as it is displaced in advance). From above embanked the seeds and poured them with a layer of land: somewhere with three millimeters. Watering a weak solution of manganese and topped with a plastic lid, in which there were also a lot of holes for ventilation. The cover closed is not tight, so that the mixture is not prohibited. Put on the windowsill, far from the battery, and when the sun shone very much, set them away from the window to the table standing nearby.
Long-awaited shoots
Passed a month. Shoot all was not. I have already started thinking that either the seeds were defective, or I did something wrong. For some time, I even forgot about my seedlings, and if it were not for the lid that kept moisture, my experiment would end, and without starting. In short, I found the shoots somewhere on the 45th day from the day of sowing. It must be said that less than 50% of the seeds rose, and of those who climbed in the first week another third - they were very small and gentle (height and diameter they were about 2 mm).
On three weeks later, my seedlings have a first real leaf with a diameter of 4 mm, the plant itself has already grew up to 1, see In the future, the whole care was in timely watering, sampled (I did it carefully with the toothpicks, so as not to hurt the root system) and the ventilation of my pets. By the end of May, the sprouts already had three real
Sheet and relatively small for planting size - 5 cm. But it was already nowhere to pull, since I live in the south of Ukraine and after three weeks we had to start the sun. Then the plant would not stand adaptation and died. By the way, I have only seven seedlings left for landing, the rest died.
Cherry nursery
To plant on the open sun, I was afraid and set up a nursery under cherries with a not very thick crown, and strawberry bushes were in a half. The soil tried to keep wet and compressed. But despite our efforts, only three seedlings began. But by the middle of August, they acquired their normal look and even gave flowers and side chains (the alpine strawberry breeding is not multiplied by the toasts, but the division of the bush). At the end of August, we dug these three bushes, we divided everyone at least three bushes and landed at a permanent place. By the end of next year, we had a fully filled strawster.
By the way, I repeated the same experiment after two years, but already with a yellow strawberry. The result was the same - finally survived about three bushes. So, if someone wants to repeat my experience, plan the whole pack, as the percentage of exit is very small.
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