Treating seeds before planting is the key to healthy and strong plants. Most diseases are transmitted with seed, so it is necessary to properly prepare the seeds for sowing.
Let us consider in detail how to prepare seeds before sowing.
Before sowing, seeds must be disinfected, except for encrusted and pelleted seeds.
F1 hybrid seeds– undergo processing before hitting the store counter. Treatment is carried out against pests and diseases. Hybrid seeds completely ready for sowing. They are sown dry directly into the ground or pre-treated with growth stimulants if desired.
Sorting seeds before sowing
Before sowing, the collected seeds from your garden must be sorted out, leaving large and healthy ones. To select empty seeds we need a solution table salt(2 grams dissolved in 100 ml of water).
Dip the seeds into the solution, stir and after 10 minutes the empty seeds will float to the surface, throw them away, they are not suitable. Wash the remaining seeds in running water and dry.
How to treat seeds?
Varietal seeds, purchased and collected from the garden, must be treated against diseases and pests. Flower seeds are also treated before sowing.
Video - Treating seeds before sowing
The seeds are placed in a bag and placed in a thermos with hot water for 20-30 minutes. After this, rinse immediately cold water within 1 minute. Follow the heat treatment regime, otherwise most seeds will become unsuitable.
Temperature and processing time are indicated in the table.
Attention: During heat treatment of seeds, about 30% may lose germination. Everything is fine, non-viable seeds die.
To combat viral diseases soak the seeds in a weak solution of Immunocytophyte (1 tablet per 100 ml of water) for 3 to 12 hours. You can also keep it in Fitosporin solution according to the instructions.
A solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) works well. To do this, preheat the seeds in hot water(45-50 degrees) for 2 hours. It is better to use a thermos for this procedure. After warming up, place the seeds for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1-2% solution).
For processing crops such as onion, radish, tomato, physalis, lettuce, legumes, corn- pickle in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 45 minutes.
Carrots, eggplant, peppers, dill, cabbage and pumpkin- use a 2% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.
Also use special preparations for treating seeds - Bunker, Commander, Winner, Baitan, Fundazol and others.
Attention- after processing chemicals Be sure to rinse the seeds with water at room temperature.
Treating seeds with hydrogen peroxide
An effective way to treat seeds before sowing is to disinfect and prepare the seeds. You will need 10% hydrogen peroxide. Seeds spread out on gauze are soaked in a bowl, or you can put the seeds in a bag and dip them in peroxide. Soak for 12 hours, no more.
For rapid growth seeds, they are soaked in any growth stimulant or warm water (it is better to soak in melt or rain water).
Pre-freeze the water, then place the ice in a bowl and let it melt completely, then lower the seeds, they should be completely in the water. Cucumbers and tomatoes are soaked for 19 hours, legumes for 7 hours, celery and onions for 35 hours.
Biological products stimulate seed germination more strongly.
You can prepare growth stimulants at home like this:
1 spoon wood ash dilute in 100 ml of water, leave for a day (solution temperature 17-20 degrees), in this way the seeds are enriched with microelements;
-- Dilute 20-25 drops of liquid peat potassium humate in 100 ml of water, soak for 12 hours;
-- With Epin (2 drops per 100 ml of water), soak for 18 hours;
-- Fertilizer New Ideal or Signor Tomato (20 grams per 1 liter of water), soak for 30 minutes.
There is also a verified old way: soak the seeds in aloe juice for a day. Then dry the seeds on paper.
Attention: when soaking seeds for more than 10 hours, change the water every 3-4 hours to enrich it with oxygen and to prevent the water from spoiling.
After the soaking procedure, dry the seeds a little and immediately sow them in the ground.
Video - Super way to soak seeds
To increase the cold resistance of crops, it is necessary to first harden them. Place the seeds in bags and soak in water for 12 hours. After soaking, keep at a temperature of 15-20 degrees for 12 hours, then place in the refrigerator at a temperature of 3 degrees for 12 hours.
Vernalization of seeds
Cooling or vernalization of seeds accelerates the germination of cold-resistant crops. This method is used for parsley, carrots, and parsnips. Pre-soak the seeds at room temperature until completely swollen, germinate in damp gauze until 10-15% of the seeds hatch. Then place the seeds for two weeks in a room with a temperature of 0 to 1 degrees.
Attention: beet seeds, spinach, lettuce It is not recommended to prepare it this way.
Video - Super product for soaking and germinating seeds
To ensure rapid germination of seeds, they are saturated with oxygen. You will need a regular aquarium compressor or a special bubbler.
Seeds need stratification perennial crops With expressed period peace. These seeds require cold to germinate. The container is filled with sand and the seeds are placed in it.
The container with the seeds is placed in the refrigerator; it can be buried in the snow for a period of 2 weeks to six months, it all depends on the type of crop.
Scarification of seeds
Seeds of perennials with a dense shell are scarified. The dense shell prevents the appearance of sprouts, so the seeds are ground with sand or between sheets of sandpaper.
Stratification and scarification This is not carried out for all crops, so it is not necessary to treat all seeds in this way.
Looks red, yellow and of blue color. Such seeds are treated with polymers, which ensures germination and reliable protection from pests.
There is no need to further process these seeds. They are sown dry in moist, ready soil.
The seeds are covered with a peat-mineral mixture. The mixture creates a nutritious and protective shell; the processed seeds are larger in size and round in shape.
It is economically profitable to sow pelleted seeds; the seed consumption during sowing is small, and thinning is not necessary.
Seeds are sown dry, laid out in prepared holes or furrows. Water the soil well before sowing.
Video - Three ways to soak seeds
You have learned all the ways to prepare seeds before sowing in the ground. The main types of processing are sorting, pickling and soaking, without them you will not be able to get healthy and strong plants and accordingly a good harvest.
In order for the planned harvest to please us, we need to know how to choose seed material and how to properly prepare the seeds for planting. Experienced gardeners for a long time We chose ways to improve. The most successful methods are still used today. Here are some of them:
- The simplest, but sufficient important method - calibration. Calibration is a choice quality seeds, i.e. the largest. In seed production this is done in industrial scale, however, if you harvest the seeds yourself, this method works. To begin with, it is necessary to mark the largest and most mature one while the fruit is growing and leave it for further breeding. After it is completely ripe, the seeds should be washed in a manganese solution and then thoroughly dried in the sun. It is recommended to store seeds in a paper or cloth bag at room temperature and low air humidity. For sowing, select the largest specimens, without visible signs of deformation, not empty. They check it this way: soak it in a 3-5% salt solution, and throw away those that float. Seeds that do not float are washed and dried. Seeds that have been stored for more than two years cannot be checked in this way. By the way, the germination of seeds after two years of storage drops noticeably.
- Disinfection in manganese solution necessary to destroy pathogens from the surface of seeds. To do this, take a one percent solution of manganese, into which the seeds are immersed for half an hour. You can also disinfect seeds with bacterial preparations that destroy infections not only outside, but also inside the seeds.
- Warming up . At industrial production The seeds are heated for 24 hours. The temperature should not exceed 80 degrees. At home, you can warm it up in the sun. It is important not to overheat the seeds. Because it's too heat destroys the rudiments of the plant.
- Soak - this is quite effective method seed germination. Such specimens are guaranteed to germinate faster than those that did not undergo such treatment. As a rule, the seeds are soaked in warm water for 24 hours until they swell. Paper napkins are very helpful as they retain moisture longer. You need to make sure that the seeds are wet while soaking.
- Bubbling - the essence of this method is to enrich the seeds with oxygen. This method is used for old seeds.
- Hardening - from such seeds more healthy seedlings, its productivity and frost resistance increases. To do this, you need to soak the seeds in water and put them, for example, in the refrigerator for several days. This method is also called. However, it is necessary to stratify the seeds in wet sand for about 4 weeks. There are plants that natural conditions undergo stratification. For example, .
- Pelleting - method of attaching fertilizers to seeds for better germination. This method is used on an industrial scale.
- Deformation- damage to the shell. The method is used for hard seeds to speed up their germination. They can be ground with gravel or sand, or dipped in boiling water and cold water one by one.
Now you know how to do it right prepare the seeds . Can be used immediately several methods to speed up seed germination . And if you follow all the rules, you can get brilliant results.
If you have something to add, please be sure to leave a comment.
Every year in January-February-March comes this period that worries every gardener - sowing seeds for seedlings. We sow tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, white cabbage to obtain seedlings 55-60 days old for planting in a greenhouse or open ground. But before you sow, you need to prepare seed material. What should you do first? Firstly, buy seeds or review old stocks, clarify shelf life and seeding rates. And only then start preparing them directly. Preparing seed material for sowing includes the following steps: soaking, bubbling, heating, hardening, disinfection or dressing.
Seedlings of early vegetables are grown in pots or without pots. The first option promotes better conservation root system, earlier harvest.
Seedlings can be grown with or without picking. When grown with picking, the seeds are sown more densely with a row spacing of 4-5 cm, and when the phase of 1-2 true leaves is reached, the seedlings are picked (transplanted) into separate pots with an area of 7x8, 8x8 cm. When grown without picking, the seeds are sown with the distance between rows is 8 cm, between grains in a row - 7-8 cm.
What containers can be used, what to plant seeds for seedlings in
Now stores for gardeners offer many products for:
- peat or plastic pots of different sizes;
- plastic cassettes with trays with drainage holes, open or made like small greenhouses with transparent lids;
- peat tablets of various diameters.
You can choose any type of containers, pots or peat tablets as long as they are at least 5-8 cm in diameter and have drainage holes. If the size of the container cells is smaller, then the seedlings should be transplanted into a larger container after 2-3 true leaves appear.
Eggplant shoots When growing seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, I use peat tablets, and then, after 2-3 true leaves appear, I transplant them into large containers. Peat pots or plastic cups should be at least 7-8 cm in diameter. You can use plastic cups or paper yogurt, dairy or juice containers with the top and lid cut off and drainage holes at the bottom.
Square or rectangular containers use space more efficiently and provide Better conditions for the development of the root system of plants than round ones.
Newspaper pots When growing, you can use pots you made from several layers of newsprint. It will cost you little and requires little labor. Another good thing about this method is that you can plant seedlings without removing them from homemade newspaper cups. The only drawback is that the soil dries out quickly. But this is how I solve the problem. I add vermiculite, perlite, sphagnum moss or hydrogel (I buy what is on sale) or cover the bottom of the pan with a capillary mat.
I usually use an earthen mixture. You can buy it or prepare it yourself. A soil mixture of varying composition is prepared. Its composition depends on the type vegetable crops.
Most best soil for seedlings - soil under birch trees. But safety measures for stretchers still need to be taken. Place the soil in a wide container, for example a basin, and pour boiling water over it so that the water passes through the soil to the bottom. Before watering, throw a few granules of potassium permanganate into a kettle or watering can with boiling water so that the solution becomes Pink colour. You can add peat and ash. Let the soil sit like this for 3-4 days, and then you can sow seeds, plant seedlings or indoor plants.
For example, for cabbage, take the same amount of humus and turf soil. For 10-12 kg soil mixture, which you want to prepare yourself for growing seedlings, add 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrogen, 2-3 tbsp. l. phosphorus, 1/2 tsp. potash fertilizers and mix thoroughly.
Regular garden soil is not good choice as it often contains seeds weeds, harmful fungi, and also compacts too quickly.
The soil for growing seedlings should be well moist, but not wet. It should be crumbly. Before sowing, it is necessary to fill containers, containers, and cups with soil one finger below the rim.
Seeds are very finicky when it comes to sowing depth. Some require complete darkness to germinate, while some prefer light. This information is usually written on the packages. If the packaging does not contain any information, the rule is that the seeds are planted two to three times deeper than their length.
Seeds must have high germination capacity, germination energy, and purity (the percentage of seeds of the main crop in the seed material is for those that are sold in large packages to wholesalers). These properties of seed material depend on growing conditions, cultivation technology, and shelf life. When purchasing, you must specify the shelf life, which should not exceed acceptable standards.
Caring for seedlings - keeping temperature
One of the main recommendations for the conditions for keeping seedlings is to lower the temperature of the room where you grow them at night. In addition, the temperature should be reduced not only at night, but also when it is cloudy. That is, maximum temperature(within optimal norm for each plant species) are maintained on a sunny day. On cloudy days it is slightly reduced (by 4-5 degrees). And in dark time day the temperature is maintained at the minimum permissible for of this plant. For example, cucumber seedlings for open ground best temperature on a sunny day it is 25-26ºС, on a cloudy day - 18-22ºС, at night - 16-18ºС; for tomatoes, respectively 20-26ºС, 18-20ºС, 12-16ºС; for early white cabbage- 14-18ºС, 12-16ºС, 8-10ºС.
Each plant species has its own temperature regime for growth and development. When growing seedlings in a room on a windowsill, it is quite difficult to maintain the optimal temperature for different types plants. Therefore, whenever possible, the pots are placed in different places, at night I move more cold-resistant ones (for example, cabbage, celery) to where it is cooler (closer to balcony door, on the veranda, etc.).
Why are plants recommended to reduce air temperature when light energy decreases?
Cell formation process organic matter with the participation of light energy is called photosynthesis. Through photosynthesis, plants obtain carbon and oxygen from the air. That is, during the day, when it is light, plants breathe and simultaneously carry out photosynthesis. In the process of respiration, cells consume part of the products formed during photosynthesis. In the dark (cloudy weather, at night) in natural conditions force solar energy(light) decreases, photosynthesis is inhibited or stops completely, the temperature of the environment decreases and, as a consequence, the intensity of respiration (oxidation) slows down. Therefore, only part of the substance received per day is oxidized in the plant, and the rest is used for accumulation.
If in a greenhouse or on a windowsill, with a reduction in light intake, the ambient temperature does not decrease, then the intensity of breathing does not decrease, but there is an increased consumption of accumulated organic materials(starch, glucose, etc.). Plants weaken, seedlings turn out frail.
Unfortunately, very often novice gardeners do not pay due attention to compliance temperature regime when growing seedlings, especially when there is not enough sunlight and at night.
Tomatoes - sowing seeds for seedlings - timing
When calculating the time for sowing tomato seeds for seedlings, you need to know the time of the beginning of flowering and fruit ripening. At optimal temperature soil (24-26 degrees) and sufficient moisture good seeds tomatoes sprout on the 4-5th day. From germination to the beginning of flowering it usually takes 50-60 days.
The first inflorescence is already beginning to grow and develop (this depends on the variety and external conditions) approximately on the 15-20th day after germination, when the second and third leaves appear on the plant.
Flowering begins gradually, from the bottom up from the first inflorescence.
From the beginning of flowering to ripening, 47-60 days pass.
The optimal picking time is the appearance of 1-2 true leaves. This usually happens on the 10-14th day after germination.
Mistakes when sowing seeds and seedlings
The video “Garden and vegetable garden. Mistakes when planting seeds and seedlings."
Additional Information:
. When to plant seedlings or sow seeds in open ground? Lunar calendar for gardeners Krasnodar region for 2018.
. When do shoots appear? When to plant seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse? How to calculate the sowing date? What to grow it in? How many plants to plant per 1 sq. meter?
The exact timing of sowing tomato seeds for seedlings and planting seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground is extremely important to us. When to sow tomatoes? Timing for planting tomato seeds for seedlings. Timing for planting tomato seedlings in open ground and greenhouses.
To speed up the emergence of seedlings, increase the yield, and reduce the incidence of plant diseases, before sowing, seeds are heated, disinfected, treated with microelements, soaked, germinated, hardened, cooled, and plated.
The sequence of seed preparation techniques varies depending on the crop. Many diseases of vegetable crops, especially bacterial, fungal and viral, are transmitted through seeds. To protect plants from diseases, seeds are disinfected before sowing.
Warming up disinfects the seeds, promotes the appearance of fast and vigorous shoots, and increases the yield of early harvest. Heat dry full-bodied cucumber and tomato seeds in a dryer or oven at 60°C for 3 hours. They are scattered in a thin layer on a wire mesh or baking sheet (with paper placed under them), mixed several times and the temperature is monitored throughout the heating time.
Cucumber seeds can be heated even more in an accessible way, hanging them in a gauze bag near the stove or heating battery. But this needs to be done one and a half to two months before sowing, the temperature in the room should be above 20°C. It is especially necessary to warm cucumber seeds if they are one-year old (from the previous year's harvest), as well as seeds grown and sown in more northern regions.
Disinfection of vegetable seeds
Heated cucumber and tomato seeds are disinfected. The easiest way to do this is in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of the drug in half a glass of water) for 20 minutes, followed by thorough rinsing in clean water. The seeds of zucchini, squash, and pumpkin are also disinfected.
You can disinfect tomato seeds in undiluted aloe juice (24 hours). The seeds are not washed. Before releasing the juice, aloe leaves are kept in dark room 5-6 days at 2°C. As a result of this treatment, plants develop faster, do not get sick, the fruits are larger, and the yield is higher.
Another recipe is to disinfect tomato seeds in a solution of: potassium permanganate 10 g, boric acid 2 g, copper sulfate 1 g per 10 liters of water for 15 minutes, followed by mandatory rinsing in clean water. Tomato plants are not affected by diseases after this seed treatment.
After disinfection, the seeds are treated with microelements or soaked in water.
Treatment of vegetable seeds with microelements
This technique also increases and speeds up the harvest. To do this, heated, disinfected and washed seeds of cucumbers and tomatoes are soaked in a solution of several or only one of the microelements. The concentration of solutions (Table 10) and the duration of treatment are not the same and depend on the culture. Dissolve fertilizers containing microelements in water at a temperature of 40-45°C. The seeds are immersed in the solution while it is warm. Cucumber seeds are kept in any solution for 12 hours, other crops - 24 hours.
Science recommends that after disinfection in potassium permanganate, amateurs should soak the seeds for 24 hours in a solution of a mixture of microelements (0.2 g of boric acid and 0.5 g of zinc sulfate and copper sulfate are dissolved in 1 liter).
Those who do not have microfertilizers can use wood ash, which contains over 30 nutrients, needed by plants, including many microelements. For this purpose in 1 l warm water dissolve 2 tablespoons of ash and leave for 24 hours, stirring occasionally. Seeds in a gauze bag are immersed in a strained infusion and kept: onions and carrots - 6, other crops - 3 hours.
Soaking Vegetable Seeds
The seeds of most vegetable crops are soaked before sowing. They do it in clean dishes, filling them with water so that it covers the seeds. The duration of soaking varies: the seeds of carrots, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and beets are kept in water for up to two days; peas, cabbage, radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce - 10-12 hours. During the day, the water is changed 2-3 times. During soaking, the seeds should just swell. The swollen seeds are either sown or germinated under the same conditions as when determining their germination. The germination of nigella onion seeds can be accelerated by keeping them in water heated to 40°C for 8 hours. To keep the water from cooling, hot water is periodically added to it. Soaked, swollen seeds are sown only in moist soil.
Hardening of vegetable seeds
Many hobbyists also harden the seeds of cucumbers and tomatoes to increase the cold resistance of plants and obtain an early harvest. To do this, heated, disinfected seeds, soaked in water or treated with one of the microelements, are kept in damp (pre-scalded with boiling water) sawdust or sand at 20-25°C until completely swollen (single pecking). Approximate time for cucumbers - one day, for tomatoes - three. After this, the tomato seeds are kept for three days at -1-3°C in a refrigerator, icebox, or you can bury the seeds in the snow. top scores obtained by hardening swollen cucumber seeds at variable positive temperatures - 6 hours at 18-20°C and 18 hours at 0-2°C for 5-7 days only for seeds of low germination.
Seeds that have undergone hardening can be sown under film shelters and in open ground several days earlier than usual, without fear of a short-term drop in temperature. This applies to seedlings grown from hardened seeds. But you need to know that when growing seedlings, seed hardening alone is not enough. To increase the resistance of plants to low temperatures, you need to harden the seedlings during the entire growing period before planting them in the ground.
Cooling is one of the ways to prepare seeds, accelerating the yield and increasing the yield of carrots, parsley, onions, and beets. To do this, for example, 2 weeks before sowing, carrot seeds are soaked in water taken in an amount equal to the dry weight of the seeds, left in a room with a temperature of 15-22°C and stirred after 4 hours. When the seeds dry, they are sprayed with water. When about 5% of the seeds have sprouted, which is observed in carrots on the fourth or fifth day, they are taken out into the glacier or buried in the snow so that the seeds are at 0°C before sowing.
Every 2-3 days they are mixed, and before sowing they are slightly dried for flowability. With this preparation of seeds, seedlings appear faster and more friendly, which allows you to start weeding earlier by 3-4 days, and picking carrots per bunch - by 10-15 days.
Vegetable seed pelleting
Pelleting consists of enveloping the seeds with a nutrient mixture, which creates a protective and nutritious shell, increases their size and gives them an oval or round shape. Seeds of all crops can be pelleted, but more often the seeds of carrots, parsley, onions, and beets are pelleted, that is, those crops that are sown directly into the ground in early spring, as well as before winter. To do this, sorted, calibrated, tested for germination, disinfected seeds are moistened in a solution of mullein, diluted with water (1 part mullein to 10 parts water) and strained through a sieve. The seeds are slightly moistened so that when mixed they are easily separated from each other and placed for panning to any glass jar. A nutrient mixture for enveloping seeds is prepared from 600 g of aerated lowland non-acidic (pH 6.5) sifted peat, 300 g of humus, 100 g of finely crushed dry mullein.
For 1 kg of such a mixture add no more than 15 g of powdered superphosphate. The prepared mixture is added in small portions to the jar with seeds and shaken. As a result, the particles of the mixture stick to the seeds, forming a dragee shape. Depending on the crop, the dragees are adjusted to a certain size: for carrots and parsley - 2.5-3 mm in diameter, for onions, beets - 4-5 mm. Larger size delays germination and reduces seed germination. If the seeds are plated in advance (in winter), they are dried for 2-3 hours at 30-35°C. This is done to prevent the seeds from germinating during storage. Before sowing, coated seeds are stored as usual (see page 61). Before sowing, they are lightly sprayed and kept under damp burlap for 1-3 days at 20-25°C, and then sown. Seeds pelleted in the spring are not dried before sowing, but are kept under burlap in the same way as in the first case.
Pelleting reduces seed consumption, allows you to maintain the required distances when sowing, which eliminates the need to thin out plants. Pelleting of seeds is of particular importance when sowing before winter, as well as in more early dates in spring (the risk of seed death decreases). In addition, sprouted seeds immediately receive accessible form necessary nutrients from the shell and moisture, which creates better conditions for the growth and development of plants, and therefore increases the yield.
To some extent panning can be replaced by more in a simple way- mixing moistened seeds with dried and well-crushed mullein (4 parts mullein to 1 part seeds).
Bubbling is a fairly new effective technique pre-sowing treatment seeds, developed at the Vegetable Experimental Station of the TSHA. The essence of the technique is that the seeds are soaked in water saturated with oxygen or air. This disinfects the seeds, ensures their smooth germination, increases field germination, and in some crops accelerates ripening.
But none of the methods of pre-sowing seed treatment can replace basic agrotechnical methods when growing vegetables - good preparation soil, best predecessors, optimal timing sowing and planting, plant care.
Sowing vegetable seeds on paper
This simple and accessible technique deserves special attention. It significantly reduces seed consumption and allows cold-resistant crops to be sown much earlier in the spring, which makes it possible to more fully utilize soil moisture and, therefore, obtain quick, vigorous seedlings. You can sow such seeds before winter. In this case, from the first day of appearance, the plants do not interfere with each other, grow and develop faster, and such labor-intensive work as the first thinning of crops is eliminated. It is also valuable that sowing seeds on paper can be done in the winter without rushing.
The essence of sowing on paper is that calibrated, full-bodied, germination-tested, disinfected seeds are glued onto a tape made of any easily wet paper. Best suited for this toilet paper. On such paper (in order to save it), three rows of seeds are placed (along the length), at a distance of 4 cm from one another. The technique of gluing seeds is simple. Strips of paste made from wheat or potato flour are applied to the paper (stationery and casein glue are also suitable) and the seeds are laid out on them using a thin wooden stick or matches. The distance between seeds in rows depends on the crop, seed germination and nutritional area, which is necessary for the formation of a root crop or bulb standard size: for carrots, parsley, radishes - 5 cm; for turnips, beets - 8-10; for summer radish - 6, and for winter varieties- 13; head lettuce - 20, leaf lettuce - 2; for dill - 1; spinach, nigella onions - 3 for greens, and for turnips ( spicy varieties) - 5, sweet and semi-sharp - 8 cm. When laying out the seeds on paper in rows, thicken them twice so that you can subsequently pull the plants through one and get early greens and products.
The ribbons with the seeds glued on are allowed to dry, the name of the crop and variety is written on them, rolled into a loose roll and tied with thread. Before sowing, they should be stored in a dry place, protected from mice.
In principle, seeds on paper (tape seeds) are now sold in abundance in stores, but doing it yourself is more reliable.
The quality of seed preparation determines the vigor of seedlings and the strength of sprouts, so I advise you to pay close attention to this issue. There are six main stages pre-sowing preparation seeds, which I would like to talk about in the article.
To plant on your site, buy seeds of zoned varieties and hybrids of vegetables. They are more adapted to the climate of your area and give stable yields even in unfavorable years.
So, you have stocked up on first-class seeds, and now you are faced with the task of awakening them to life. This is done in a few simple steps.
Seed sorting
Have you noticed that in one packet the seeds vary in size and density? If you want to get a rich harvest, select large and full-bodied seeds for sowing. From such seed material The shoots are strong and uniform, and the plants quickly enter the fruiting phase.
Seed sorting is carried out using a 3-5% solution of table salt. Detailed instructions And alternative method you will find in the article "".
Seed disinfection
The next concern of the summer resident is to clean the seed shell from pathogens of fungal, bacterial and other diseases. To do this, they are subjected to disinfection. Classic version- this is heating in hot water at a temperature of +48...50 degrees for 20 minutes, followed by rapid cooling. I usually use a thermos and cold tap water.
The seeds are also disinfected using sunlight, garlic and potassium permanganate. All these recipes and more are described in the article “”.
Treatment of seeds with nutrient solutions
The procedure is designed to improve the germination of seeds and charge them with energy for faster germination. Nutrient solutions are prepared both independently and using purchased preparations - for example,.
An excellent result is obtained by keeping the seeds for 6-8 hours in ash solution. To prepare a solution ½ matchbox sifted wood ash is stirred into 2.5 liters of water.
You can find 13 more recipes for seed soaking compositions.
This year I plan to treat the seeds in Borogum-M solution. In addition to humates, this natural fertilizer contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and 11 microelements.
Soaking the seeds until they swell
And one more subtle one, but important point. It is advisable to soak the seed material in melt water, which needs to be changed every 2-3 hours. In this case, the liquid should only lightly cover the seeds, otherwise they will simply suffocate.
An interesting technique for reviving seeds is. It gives a stronger effect than simple soaking and significantly speeds up the germination of seeds.
Hardening of seeds
For seeds of heat-loving crops - tomato, eggplant - a technique such as hardening is useful. Thanks to hardening vegetable plants give more early harvest and bear fruit better in unfavorable summers.
However, processing low temperatures not indicated for seeds of all crops - I explained why this is so. Sometimes it is better to use, which is also excellent for awakening seeds.
Germination of seeds
Well, in order to get super fast shoots, the seeds are germinated. This stage is also required if you are not sure of the quality of the seed.
For successful germination, three factors are equally important: water - its quantity and quality, temperature and time.
I have already talked about water, but the temperature and duration of the procedure should be adjusted depending on the culture and some other points. You can read about this in the article “”.
To make the process of preparing seeds for sowing more convenient, I made a table for myself in Excel. It can be downloaded.
It's easy to use:
- By Lunar calendar choose a favorable date for sowing the desired crop.
- In the “Sowing date” column, enter the date, for example, 03/01/2017 10:00:00. If desired, the numbers in the Micronutrient Treatment column can be changed depending on what nutrient solution you will be using.
- After this, dates will appear in the columns “Treatment of microelements”, “Soaking” and “Hardening” indicating the exact time when one or another stage of seed preparation should begin. All you have to do is set reminders on your phone or other gadget.
I have not included the germination stage in the table because its duration is largely determined by the quality of the seeds and cannot be standardized.
And in order to avoid annoying mistakes when sowing seeds for seedlings, I advise you to take a minute to study.