My Strawberry Seed Won't Germinate

Achenes

• Strawberry seeds are not true seeds; instead, they are the plant's true fruit. The berry is an aggregate that houses the small, seed-like strawberry fruit. These fruits are called achenes. Within these dry fruit are tiny seeds that never emerge from their outer covering. Planting an achene, even if the growing medium is moist and warm, will not yield a strawberry plant. The seed will not germinate.

Propagation

• Strawberry plants propagate vegetatively through either buds or runners. Runners, also called stolons, are found on the root portion of the strawberry plant. Strawberry plants have shallow root systems. When the plant matures, the roots send out shoots that penetrate the surface and form new plants. These daughter plants will eventually break from the parent plant. They are also clipped from the parent plant and transplanted to another location.

  Bud propagation occurs from branch growths extending from the strawberry plant's crown. The crown is the central stem portion of the plant. The daughter plants that arise from strawberry buds lack a root system but are in all other ways identical to runner daughter plants.

Life Cycle

• Strawberry plants start as daughter plants, usually taken from the root, as they are easiest to transplant, and are interred into a garden or pot. Within two to three weeks the daughter plant has a full root system. The root system provides the growing plant with nutrients and water. The plant takes these nutrients and combines them with the carbohydrates produced through its leaves and continues to grow and mature. Some strawberry plants are early blooming and will produce berries by early spring. Other varieties bloom later and produce harvests in mid-summer and early fall. Other cultivars produce more than one harvest. After berries are produced, strawberry plants go dormant for the winter. They are herbaceous perennials and will return in spring when protected from freezing temperatures.

Considerations

• Strawberry plants become less productive the more bud daughters they produce. Continual reproduction drains a strawberry plant's resources and will diminish harvests. When crown daughter plants become abundant, it is time to plant new strawberries. Avoid planting strawberries from existing garden plants. These plants may carry diseases or may be unproductive. Instead, purchase new starts from a nursery or reputable garden catalog.