Fragaria (vesca)

Lee Riley Horticulturist USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center 34963 Shoreview Road Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424 541-915-7324 541-767-5709 (fax) lee.riley@usda.gov

---

Family Scientific Name:	Rosaceae
Family Common Name:	Rose
Scientific Name:	Fragaria vesca
Common Name:	Wood strawberry
Species Code:	FRVE
Ecotype:	Umpqua National Forest, Oregon
General Distribution:	It is found in northwestern California, the Cascade Ranges, the Sierra Nevada, central-western California, San Bernardino Mountains, Peninsular Ranges, to eastern North America, and south to Baja California and also Europe. This plant is found below 2000 m in partial shade of closed-cone pine, evergreen, mixed conifer forests, and chaparral and has a very wide distribution.
Propagation Goal:	Plants
Propagation Method:	Seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	262 ml (16 in3) container
Time To Grow:	16 weeks
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling, runners pruned. Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	Berries should be collected in early summer when ripe and stored in a plastic bag at ~4 °C until extraction, within two weeks or so to prevent mold growth.
Propagule Processing:	Macerate berries thoroughly while still in plastic bag. Add water to bag to mix, and pour mixture in beaker. Add sufficient water. Water to berry mixture should be 3:1. Add pectinase (approximately 1 table spoon per liter) to volume and stir. Leave mixture at room temperature for 24 hours. Most seed should sink to bottom if filled and properly macerated initially. Pour off top layer of while gently mixing, or adding water from a faucet. Do not mix so violently that seed rises in the water column, but just enough that berry skin begins to float and pour off the non-seed debris. When seed is as clean as possible, pour wet seed onto paper towel and allow to dry. Pick out debris with tweezers. Dry to <38% RH. Store at 4 °C.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Due to small seed size, the easiest method is to sow seed into trays filled with stabilized medium plugs (Q-plugs). Trays are sealed inside plastic bags and placed into refrigeration at 1 to 3 °C for 30 days. Trays are checked weekly and kept moist throughout the stratification period. If mold is evident, trays should be treated with 1% hydrogen peroxide.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse growing facility. Q-plugs are lightly covered with nursery grit. Seedlings are transplanted to target containers 3 to 4 weeks following removal from stratification. Growing medium used is 40:20:20:20 peat:composted fir bark:perlite:pumice with Nutricote controlled release fertilizer (18N:6P2O5:8K2O with minors; 180-d release rate at 21C) at the rate of 1.5 gram Nutricote per 262 ml container.
Establishment Phase:	Germination is fairly uniform and is usually complete in 2 weeks. Following germination (while still in Q-plugs), plants are fertilized with soluble 12-2-14-6Ca-3Mg at 75 to 100 ppm for 2 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2 to 3 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings grow fairly quickly during the active growth phase, and runners are present within 6 weeks following transplant into the target containers. Care must be taken to prune runners throughout the growing season to avoid plant growth into neighboring containers and other crops grown in the vicinity. During the growing season, fertilization depends on weather. Soluble 20-9-20 NPK, 20-18-18 NPK, or 17-5-24 NPK at 100 ppm is applied weekly throughout the growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	12 to 14 weeks
Hardening Phase:	No dry-down is done to induce dormancy. Seedlings are moved to an outdoor growing area in early-September.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 to 3 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Early October Storage Conditions: Seedlings are usually outplanted in fall. No storage except in outdoor growing area. Plants are well irrigated prior to shipping and shipped in containers.
Outplanting performance on typical sites:	Plant the seedlings outdoors in the ground in the fall or winter after the rains have started. They should be planted in full sun in a light, loose soil, about ten inches apart.
Other Comments:	Wetand classification: FACU Due to the density of plant material when grown in a greenhouse, F. vesca is extremely susceptible to aphids and whiteflies. Care must be taken to prune back extra vegetation and treat pests early in the growing season.
References:	Dorena Genetic Resource Center Propagation Records, unpublished. USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center. 2006. Wood strawberry Fragaria vesca L. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_frve.pdf (accessed 10 Oct 2018).

Citation:

Riley, Lee E.; Smith, Haley S.; Klocke, Allison. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Fragaria vesca Plants 262 ml (16 in3) container; USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center Cottage Grove, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.