Strawberries are popular with adults and children alike. They can be planted in almost any garden, following a few tips and advice. However, some people are a little confused when the question arises whether the tasty red fruit is not rather a nut?
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Fruit or nut?
From a botanical point of view, strawberries belong to the so-called aggregate nut fruits. The yellow-green “dots” found on a strawberry are actually small nuts, i.e. seeds. These seeds are enclosed in woody fruit walls. The actual red pulp that tastes so aromatic is, in the true sense of the word, the high-domed flower base. This is generally mistaken for a fruit. Because of this, many experts also dub the delicious strawberry a pseudo-fruit.
Sowing the seeds
To successfully grow strawberries, you need:
- Strawberry seeds
- Sowing trays
- Seeding soil
- Possibly some labels
- Propagator
- Pricking out stick
- Pots made of organic material
First, put enough sowing soil in the sowing trays provided. Then, carefully spread the strawberry seeds on the soil, gently pressing them and very carefully covering them with just a little soil. This should also be lightly pressed down, making sure that the seeds remain in the soil. As needed, the seed trays can now be labeled and carefully watered. It is best to place the seed trays in a greenhouse on the windowsill now. Ideally, the temperature there should be 16 to 18 degrees Celsius. To avoid possible mold growth, the ventilation slits must be opened for some time on sunny days. Then you need to exercise patience, because strawberries by nature germinate very slowly. After about six to eight weeks, the seedlings are usually about two centimeters high. At this point, they can be very gently released with the help of a pricking rod. It is best to then place the plants individually in one pot each made of organic material. This way, no repotting is necessary later when planting out, as the pots decompose themselves.
The right location
Before you plant your seedlings in the garden, you need to find an ideal location for them.
- must be found for them. This should ideally have the following attributes:
- Neutral to slightly acidic garden soil.
- Nutrient-rich, well-drained garden soil
- Full sun, without shade
Transplanting the plants
Planting out into the garden is done as soon as the young strawberry plants have several, larger leaves, show strong growth and the weather permits. So, ideally, there should be a warm, sunny climate. As a rule, planting is done from May to August. However, this varies depending on the variety. When planting in the garden soil, care should be taken to ensure that the soil in the organic pots is evenly moist. After that, you put the “tots” in a previously dug hole, gently push them in and put soil on top. Then the soil around the plant is pressed firmly and watered well. At the same time, planting distance in the row should be 20-30 centimeters. The delicious fruits can be harvested from about June, depending on the variety.
Optimal care
Strawberry plants should generally be kept weed-free. If there are longer periods of drought in the summer, or if the soil dries out, watering is necessary. Ideally, the soil should be kept generally moist. When watering, make sure that neither the fruit, nor the foliage or the “heart” of the plants come into contact with water. It is also recommended to remove the tendrils early.
Fertilizing
For strawberries is recommended to use an organic fertilizer. It should be fertilized generally emphasized potassium and phosphorus. The first
fertilization starts at the beginning of budding, about three weeks after planting. A second fertilization takes place in August or September. This should be done after the harvest but before the buds are formed for the next year. Here, about 50 to 70 grams per square meter of organic berry fertilizer is carefully incorporated.
Propagate your own plants
Strawberries can be easily self-propagated. For this purpose, only the shoots need to be cultivated. These are initially not removed after harvesting. If they are then about 40 centimeters long, they can be inserted individually and thus grow.
Easy wintering
In preparation for the winter, all leaves are first removed so that no pathogens or fungi form. The heart of the plant should not be damaged. When the soil has been loosened and fertilized, you can put a blanket of spruce trips or protective fleece over the plants.
Possible diseases
Strawberry plants can suffer from a whole range of diseases, these include, for example:
- Rhizome rot
- Burn spot disease
- Red root rot
- Gray mold rot
- Powdery mildew
- Purple spot disease
- Mildew
Some diseases, such as the formation of mold, can be prevented by not watering the plants too often. It is always helpful to keep a close eye on the strawberries and to use a specialty store in case of emergency. There you will be offered some products to remedy a variety of diseases.
Pests: danger for the strawberry plants
In addition to various diseases, animal pests often harm strawberry plants. These include:
- Slugs
- Earthworms
- Wireworms
- Aphids
- Strawberry blossom weevils (beetles)
- Strawberry blossom beetle
If it is not possible to remove the pests, a visit to a specialized store is also recommended. There you will find a wide variety of pesticides against unwanted pests.
With a little patience to your own harvest
With proper care and a little patience, it is quite possible to grow strong and healthy strawberry plants that produce a variety of flowers. However, you should keep a close eye on the plants so that you can act quickly in case of disease or pest infestation.
The Latin name for the strawberry is Fragaria vesca, which means edible fragrance.
Berries are fruits whose seeds are embedded in the juicy flesh of a fruit. As in the case of the grape berry, for example. But in the strawberry, the fruits are recognized as small yellow-brown seeds on the outer skin of the fruit. They are nutlets, each of which has arisen from its own ovary or ovule. In this way, the strawberry is a collection of many individual nutlets. These aggregations are called aggregate fruits. Raspberries and blackberries are also included. When you bite down on the nutlets, it also cracks a bit.
What is the red strawberry for us, which we eat with abandon, is nothing more than the fleshy fully grown flower axis of the strawberry plant. It is the white pith of the flower base, which is colored by vegetable red pigments from the edge as it ripens. The small green wreath of five leaves on the strawberry fruit is nothing more than the sepals of the original strawberry flower.
No strawberries and no peanuts
That the strawberry is a nut also explains why people who have nut allergies are often allergic to strawberries as well. Speaking of nuts, the language confusion goes even further! Just as strawberries are not berries, peanuts are also not nuts from a botanical point of view, but legumes and therefore related to peas and beans.