Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo) | 20+ seeds

Please find for sale 20+ Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo) seeds. Actually unrelated to Strawberries, this attractive shrub gets its name for its strawberry-like fruits. The national plant of Italy, the fruits are used in jams, cakes, wine etc as well as herbal uses.  

PLEASE NOTE: All orders received before 8pm (Mon-Fri) will be dispatched same day

SAVE PACKAGING MATERIALS  - SEE OTHER INTERESTING & UNUSUAL SEEDS & PLANTS IN MY SHOP

INSTRUCTIONS - TO SAVE PAPER I NO LONGER SEND OUT WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS TO CUSTOMERS. INSTRUCTIONS ARE BELOW SO PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. 

Germination Guide

Strawberry Tree seeds have inbuilt dormacy to prevent them germinating in winter to require a period of cold stratification for maximum germination rates.

• Soak the seeds in water for 5 days, changing water occasion to keep it fresh
• Get a handful or two of vermiculite, perlite or sterile compost (microwave compost in a plastic bowl for 3 minutes) then allow to cool.
• Add a little water to the mix. Should be moist but not wet
• Place in small ziplock bag
• Place in bottom fridge or in cold shed/outbuilding for 6-8 weeks 
• Spread bag contents on a tray of moist compost.
• Cover very lightly with compost or vermiculite
• Keep in a warm place 15-25c
• Seedlings should appear after 20-30 days
• Keep moist - best to place seed tray inside a waterproof container and water from the bottom
• Pot on as required

Alternatively, you can do it the natural way....Sow under glass in Autumn and allow the cold of winter to do its work and the seedlings should appear in mid spring.

Olly's General Guide to Seed Sowing!

I love sowing seeds and it runs in the family - dad, granddad and finally my great-granddad for whom the hobby helped him get over his experiences in the Great War. I still get a big kick when I see the first seedling poking through from a new plant that I have never sown before or been successful at. However, even the most experienced gardeners draw "blanks" from time to time. Whilst I sow all the seeds that I sell so I know that they are viable, some are trickier than others and problems can arise so here are some tips to make "blanks" few and far between:

1) Don’t Rush! Tempting though it is when that packet arrives in the post to simply bung the seeds in some compost!

2) Google and YouTube are your friends! Take some time so see the methods other people use to germinate the seed. 

3) Think Nature! What conditions do seeds face? For example a seed from a tropical plant will fall to the warm, wet and dark jungle floor. A seed from the mountains of Europe will fall to the floor in Autumn, then have to endure months of freezing temperatures before germinating in the spring. So as growers, what we are trying to do is to simulate the conditions that the seeds will naturally experience and there are plenty of tricks that can be done to short cut the processes somewhat.

4) Good compost pays dividends. The best investment you can make is to purchase three bags - one of potting compost, one of vermiculite and one of horticultural sand. With these three bags I can make up whatever soil type a particular seed likes (although for most seeds I find a 50/50 mix of compost and vermiculite works just fine) 

5) Rot is your enemy. The single biggest danger to seed germination is rot - either before or after "damping off" the seeds germinate. To reduce the risk, ensure you have good free draining soil mix and that it is moist but not wet. Unless the seed variety absolutely requires it I prefer NOT to cover my seeds trays with plastic bags, Whilst germination is often faster this way, it greatly increases the risk of rot. I prefer to place my seed trans inside a watertight plastic tray and water from the bottom - airflow over the surface reduces the risk.