Preparing seeds for sowing - useful tips. Preparing seeds for sowing: an overview of the complex of all necessary preliminary procedures How to prepare seeds for planting in spring

To sow seeds for seedlings, they need to be properly prepared - as practice shows, spending very little effort on pre-processing planting material, the period of emergence of seedlings will be reduced, the seedlings will sprout more amicably and will actively develop. Moreover, each experienced gardener has his own personal secret of how to get high-quality seedlings.

Preparation of seeds for sowing for seedlings includes sorting, disinfection, heating, and methods aimed at increasing germination and vigor of seed germination.

How to properly prepare the seeds for planting on seedlings, using each of the above methods, is described in detail in this material.

Seed sorting before sowing

The purpose of sorting seeds in preparation for planting seedlings is to isolate small, damaged seeds and leave the largest, full-fledged ones. Of all sorting methods at home and for small batches, I prefer the dry sorting method. Can be sorted out manually before sowing planting material, sort by their appearance. Full-fledged seeds are selected by sifting them through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 1.25-1.3 mm.

For most cultures effective method is the preparation for planting seedlings by sorting the seed with an ebonite or plastic handle rubbed with a woolen cloth. The seeds spread thin layer and hold it with a pen at a height of 1-2 cm. From friction, plastic attracts small seeds to itself, like an iron shavings magnet. The operation is repeated twice. However, be careful, because full-fledged seeds are also attracted, but after small ones.

How to properly prepare seeds for planting seedlings: disinfection

Many vegetable crops diseases are transmitted through planting material. Therefore, before preparing the seeds for sowing seedlings, they must be thoroughly disinfected.

To increase the resistance of cabbage seedlings against fungal diseases, the seeds are heated for 20 minutes in water at a temperature of 50 ° C, followed by cooling (for 3 minutes in cold water) and drying. This method of preparing seed for sowing seedlings is used for seeds of carrots, beets and black onions. To destroy a viral and fungal infection on the surface of the seeds of cucumber, tomato, zucchini, squash, they are kept for 20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 100 g of water), followed by washing and drying. For this purpose, the seeds can be disinfected in 20% hydrochloric acid for 30 minutes followed by rinsing with water.

To prepare the seeds for planting seedlings in the way that proper agricultural technology suggests, some gardeners treat the seed with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate with the addition boric acid(0.02 g per 100 g) and copper sulfate (0.01 g per 100 g), increasing the resistance of tomatoes to diseases. This method of disinfection can also be considered as a treatment with physiologically active substances.

Stimulation of seeds before planting seedlings

To prepare seeds before planting seedlings at home. Treatment is carried out with macro- and microelements, as well as growth stimulants.

This method significantly increases germination, increases yield and durability, especially in adverse growing conditions. To increase the productivity of the plant, I soak the seeds for 12-16 hours at a temperature of 20 ° C in a fertilizer solution: for 1 liter of water I take 10 g of superphosphate and potassium nitrate, 0.2 g of manganese sulfate, zinc, copper.

Before preparing the seeds for planting seedlings, it must be remembered that when using superphosphate, it is always soaked for a day in hot water.

Seed soaking followed by foliar top dressing the following composition: ammonium molybdate - 10 mg / l, blue vitriol- 10 mg/l, boric acid - 100 mg/l, zinc sulfate - 100 mg/l, iron citrate - 200 mg/l, calcium nitrate - 100 mg/l, sodium humate - 200 mg/l. It is possible to process seeds only with microelements purchased in specialized stores, or only with sodium humate. Sodium humate is poured with warm water the day before use, stirring it periodically. At large volumes First prepare the mother liquor. In vegetable growing, soaking seeds in a solution of ash is practiced. Take 20 g wood ash per 1 liter of water, insist, mix and keep the seeds in this infusion for 12-16 hours. Gardeners have long soaked seeds in the urine of animals (concentration 20-25%), in an aqueous solution of mullein (1 part per 7-10 parts of water), followed by rinsing with water and drying. good stimulant seed germination is melt water.

Recently, to prepare seeds for planting seedlings, the method of stimulating the germination of seedlings, the drug Azotofit, as well as complex organomineral fertilizers containing humic salts, fulvic acid and a complex of microelements in a chelated form, has gained popularity.

When you are testing any seed germination agent, use water-soaked rather than dry seeds as a control. Water in itself helps to speed up germination.

Soaking seeds in water is carried out in order to accelerate their germination. The method is effective only when the seeds fall into moist and sufficiently warm soil, according to the biological requirements of the culture. In unfavorable conditions for seed germination (dryness, coolness), it is better to sow dry seeds, since germinated ones can die from lack of moisture or the development of pathogenic microflora.

Seeds that germinate slowly are soaked for 1-2 days, and seeds that germinate quickly - for 8-12 hours. Water is changed 2-3 times. Seed germination inhibitors are excreted with water. Sprout the seeds between two damp pieces of cloth. To ensure good aeration, the thickness of the seed layer should not exceed 1 cm. To increase the energy of seed germination and partially disinfect them, seed bubbling is used - soaking in oxygen-saturated water for 12-24 hours. At home, you can use compressors used in aquariums to prepare seeds before planting in seedlings.

Germinated seeds are usually used when growing seedlings, especially when there is a small amount of it. Seedlings are placed in pots with a given feeding area, since it is guaranteed that seedlings are obtained from each sprout. If the sprouts are large, you can pinch the root for more active plant development.

How to properly prepare seeds for sowing seedlings: warming up

Another effective method of how to properly prepare the seeds for sowing seedlings is warming up.

Seeds of cucumber, watermelon, melon, pumpkin are heated in the sun, in a thermostat, under an incandescent lamp. This applies especially to annual seeds. Two- and three-year-old seeds of these crops, as a rule, give more high yields than annuals.

Warming up the seeds by 20-30% increases the yield. In a thermostat, the seeds are heated for 3 hours, first at 25-20 ° C, then the temperature is adjusted to 50-60 ° C. Seeds in the room cucurbits 1.5-2 months before sowing, they are hung in bags near the batteries.

AT Central Asia where the most delicious watermelon and melons, the most best seeds peasants wear all winter near the body on the belt.

Hardening of seeds is carried out to increase the resistance of plants to low temperatures. But this is a very delicate matter and can lead to a decrease in germination. seeds early cabbage hardening is not recommended, as this can cause flowering. the best way hardening of tomato seeds for early dates planting is the placement of seeds in a snow pile or on ice at a temperature of 0 to -3 ° C for 3 days. Do this after 5% of the seeds have hatched.

Coating of seeds - an increase in their size by introducing nutrients into the shell, possibly growth substances, fungicides - makes sense only when using seeders precision seeding seeds. It is not advisable for gardeners to use such seeds, since in a number of cases this can delay the emergence of seedlings.

And now watch the video on preparing seeds for planting seedlings, which shows the most effective methods:

And choose the most favorable days for planting seedlings.

Checking seeds for germination

First of all, we check the seeds for germination. First, we sort the seeds: for this we fill them with water. Floated - we remove, drowned - we send for germination. To do this, the latter are washed and dried, laid out on a sheet of paper. To find out how safe the seeds are, try germinating them. Paper or thin cloth is moistened and seeds are distributed over the entire surface. You can take 20 large ones, about 50 medium ones, and about 100 small ones, if you can count them. They leave everything for a few days. When the seeds germinate, the seedlings are counted, focusing on the number of 100 pieces. If 50% sprouted, then plant 2 times more seeds. Seeds that have germinated by 10% should not be planted at all.

Large seeds (melon, cucumber, pumpkin) are sorted into clean water. Small seeds (radishes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage) are soaked in a solution of table salt (2-5%). Keep the seeds in the liquid for 10-15 minutes.

Seed sorting

The seeds are sorted out, leaving the largest, whole and undeformed. You can use a sieve with suitable mesh sizes.

Warming seeds before planting

Warming up the seeds significantly accelerates and increases their germination. This procedure can be carried out carefully by placing the seeds on the battery for several hours. However, experienced gardeners advise seeds with a hard shell (cannes or spinach) to pour boiling water. At this moment, you can hear a characteristic crackle - this is the bursting of the skin of the seeds. Hot water must be immediately drained, rinsed seeds in cold water and planted without delay.

Seed disinfection

It is known that many plant diseases are transmitted through seeds. Therefore, they are disinfected before planting. There are several ways:

• 15 minutes soak the seeds in strong solution potassium permanganate, rinse before planting;
• put planting material in aloe juice for 1 hour;
• for 1 hour, place the seeds in a garlic gruel (30 g of garlic per 100 ml of water). Before planting - be sure to rinse;
• intensive heating also contributes to the disinfection of seeds.

seed soaking

• peas, beans, legumes - at least 4 hours;
• cabbage, zucchini, pumpkins, cucumbers - up to 12 hours;
• beet, bell pepper, tomatoes, eggplants - 24 hours;
• dill, parsley, carrots - 48 hours.

In this case, biological growth stimulants can be used, but their effect should not last longer than two hours. After that, the seeds must be transferred to plain water room temperature. After soaking, the seeds are laid out on flat surface thin layer and dry.

seed hardening

Keeping the seeds of heat-loving plants in cool conditions allows them to harden. The experience of many summer residents says that after hardening, the seeds germinate more amicably, and the plants do not get sick afterwards. After soaking and drying, the seeds are placed in a refrigerator in a compartment where the temperature is kept at about +1 ° C.

However, gardeners who are not afraid to experiment can try placing seeds, such as tomatoes, in freezer for a week. Even unexpected frosts and cold summers will not be terrible for such tomatoes.

Seed sparging

There are cases when soaking does not help the seeds to give friendly shoots. But this can be avoided. If you arrange planting material bubbling, that is, soaking in oxygen-enriched water. It's not that hard to do this at home. You just need to use an aquarium compressor. Seeds are tied in a spacious gauze bag (for each variety) and immersed in a container of water at room temperature, in which the compressor is already running. The duration of exposure is the same as for soaking.

Unfortunately, despite the colorful pictures on the bags, the planting material is not always of good quality. What operations should be done with the seeds in order to increase their germination?

1. Sorting seeds Tips from Pavel Trannua

Seeds follow the 80/20 rule, which means that only one in five will give us a productive plant that provides 80% of the crop. And they need to be known. Or sow everything at once and, as they grow, discard the weak ones and leave the strong ones. When buying seeds (in any store, from any agricultural company), the same rule applies: if there are 10 seeds in a bag, this means that IN REALITY there are only 2 (by force 3) future plants that will give 80% of the crop, 2 more medium ones, which will give the remaining 19%, and the rest can simply be thrown away. That is, in fact, who understands the laws of statistics, in his calculations, out of 10 purchased seeds, he bets only on two (because on a small area of ​​\u200b\u200busual garden plot it is better to deal only with the "top twenty"). It's in best case if there are no diseases and good weather helps. How to find out from 10 seeds the strongest and most productive. First of all, the size of the seeds is proportional to their future size: small seeds will give only small bushes - there is no way you can make normal plants out of them, so a trifle can be thrown away immediately. The world of biology is harsh! Who knows this in advance, he taxis. Because he plants generously and with surpluses, so that there is plenty to choose from. And he does not worry about losses - they should be according to statistics. And he never plants back to back. It is believed that the number of seeds needed for sowing should be three times the number of plants that you want to have in the garden. For example. If you want to grow 30 peppers, then you need to plant 90 seeds.
Presowing sorting of tomato seeds. Attention! Seeds can be in a saline solution for no more than 3 minutes, otherwise they will lose their germination.

2. Seed treatment (disinfection).

I remind you. that branded seeds and seeds of hybrids (F1) are not subjected to any treatment, but are sown dry in the soil! Heat treatment, as they say, is the most reliable way. Seeds are heated to combat external and internal infection. Heating can stimulate the germination of seeds of heat-loving crops. Heating gives an almost 100% guarantee of the release of seeds from pathogenic agents. Seeds for planting seedlings are heated twice: “dry” heating for 1-2 months at a temperature of about 40 ° C and “wet” heating of seeds (after their usual soaking during the day) 1-2 hours in hot water at a temperature of about 50 C.
Heating adjusts plants to strong growth, friendly germination, for the best laying of flowers and fruits. Dry heating contributes to a more complete ripening of the seeds and their preparation for germination. To do this, the seeds can be placed directly in bags, as they were stored, without cutting, on a stool near the battery - and so let them lie until the day of soaking. Wet heating can be carried out in different ways. Usually plants need 15-30 minutes of warming up, for nightshade it can be longer. You can warm up in a thermos or in a large saucepan with heated water (50 C). Seed dressing with potassium permanganate. The simplest, most common and effective method seed surface disinfection. Of all the treaters, potassium permanganate has the widest spectrum of action. Etching is carried out in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. 1 gram of potassium permanganate is diluted in 100 ml of warm water. You get a black solution. Weaker concentrations are practically useless. If seeds are suspected to be infected, the concentration of the solution is doubled. It should be ensured that there are no sticky seeds, for example, tomato seeds stick together and may not be pickled. Seeds are placed in a bag and kept in solution for 20 minutes. Then, without removing from the bag, washed in cold boiled water.

3. Increasing the energy of germination and seed germination.

One of the methods of influencing seeds to accelerate their germination is treatment with solutions of growth hormones: auxins, heteroauxins and other substances. By the way, hormone treatment is an ancient method. In folk practice, the seeds were soaked in a 30–50% solution of the urine of a large cattle containing auxin and heteroauxin. Now artificially obtained preparations "Epin" and "Zircon" have an excellent stimulating effect on seed germination. Seeds that have lost their germination can be reanimated. For this, preparations based on natural phytohormones are used. These include Ovary, Pollen, Bud, as well as Epin-Extra, which is popular with gardeners. These drugs are able to increase the germination energy and germination of seeds, awakening their dormant embryos. Keep in mind that the drugs cannot stand long storage in room conditions and become ineffective. Solutions for seed treatment prepared according to the instructions "live" even less, only a few days, and even then in the refrigerator! Epin-Extra is considered especially effective. It not only promotes the awakening of the sleeping embryo, but also the destruction of the seed coat and increases the energy of germination, i.e. provides fast and friendly germination of seeds and their germination. But, we repeat, the preparation must be fresh, and not sunk in heat and in the light, it is not known how long! Humic preparations also bring certain benefits. They are able to increase the growth energy of old seeds, which is noticeably reduced in them. I would like to remind our gardeners about the growth-stimulating effect on seeds of a simple yeast infusion. ordinary yeast produce a lot for plants useful substances, including phytohormones. When the soil is spilled with yeast extract, the activity of microorganisms sharply increases, the release of carbon dioxide increases, and rapid mineralization of organic matter occurs with the release of nitrogen and phosphorus. Applying a 1% yeast infusion to the soil is equivalent to applying a standard seasonal dose of a full complex fertilizer. This yeast extract is prepared at the rate of 10 g of yeast per 1 liter of water. The main causes of germination problems. Lack of moisture. If the soil and seeds are not sufficiently moistened, the seedlings stop developing. Acidic soil. For sowing, use only mixtures with a neutral reaction. Violation temperature regime. For example, at a soil temperature of 22–25°C, seedlings of peppers appear on the 7th–9th day, and at 15–17°C, only on the 15th–20th day. At temperatures above 28–30ºС, the seeds will steam due to a lack of oxygen in the soil. I wish you friendly seedlings and no problems!

The friendliness of seedlings and the strength of sprouts depend on the quality of seed preparation, so I advise you to pay close attention to this issue. At the same time, there are six main stages of pre-sowing seed preparation, which I would like to talk about in the article.

For planting on the 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 your task is to awaken them to life. This is done in a few simple steps.

Seed sorting

Have you noticed that in one pack the seeds are different in size and density? If you want to get a rich harvest, select large and full-weight seeds for sowing. From such seedlings, seedlings are strong and uniform, and plants enter the fruiting phase faster.

Seed sorting is carried out using a 3-5% sodium chloride solution. 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 coat from pathogens of fungal, bacterial and other diseases. To do this, they are subjected to disinfection. Classic variant- this is heating in hot water with a temperature of +48 ... 50 degrees for 20 minutes, followed by rapid cooling. I usually use a thermos and cold tap water.

Seeds are also disinfected with sunlight, garlic and potassium permanganate. All these recipes and not only 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 early germination. Nutrient solutions are prepared both independently and used purchased drugs- For example, .

Excellent result gives keeping the seeds for 6-8 hours in the ash solution. To prepare a solution ½ matchbox sifted wood ash is stirred into 2.5 liters of water.

Another 13 recipes for soaking seeds can be found.

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 trace elements.

Soaking seeds to swell

And one more thin, but important point. It is advisable to soak the seed in melt water, which must be changed every 2-3 hours. In this case, the liquid should only slightly 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 spitting of seeds.

seed hardening

For seeds of heat-loving crops - tomato, eggplant - such a technique as hardening is useful. Thanks to hardening vegetable plants give more early harvest and bear fruit better in an unfavorable summer.

However, processing low temperatures shown for seeds of far from all crops - why this is so, I explained. Sometimes it is better to use, which is also great for awakening seeds.

seed germination

Well, to get just super fast shoots the seeds germinate. This step is also required if you are not sure about the quality of the seed.

Three factors are equally important for successful germination: 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 in Excel for myself. It can be downloaded.

It's easy to use:

1. By Lunar calendar choose a favorable date for sowing the desired crop.
2. In the column "Date of sowing" set the date, for example, 03/01/2017 10:00:00. If desired, the numbers in the Trace Element Treatment column can be changed depending on which nutrient solution you will be using.
3. After that, in the columns "Processing trace elements", "Soaking" and "Hardening", dates will appear 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, since 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.

To obtain healthy seedlings, it is necessary to do the preparation of seeds for sowing. In this case, one should take into account the fact that each garden crop requires individual approach. Technology preparatory work at home consists of several stages, including sorting and calibration, disinfection, heating, germination, hardening, vernalization and many other activities.

Sorting and sizing

For sowing, seeds are always selected according to specific gravity, since only whole dense seeds with a large mass give friendly and strong shoots.

Sorting seeds allows you to select the healthiest specimens from available stocks, which will ensure in the future good seedlings. Therefore, the preparation of seeds for sowing should begin with their sorting, separating and removing small, broken, empty and deformed specimens. This procedure can be carried out manually.

If it is planned to sow several varieties of one vegetable crop, then when sorting, it is best to tie each variety separately in a piece of gauze, providing it with a label.

Sizing is a way of selecting seeds for planting by size. Each vegetable crop has its own unique seed size. Even within the same culture between varieties, there is a repeated difference in length, width and thickness. In particular, the seeds of early cabbage have a diameter of 1.5 mm, middle and late - 2 mm. Therefore, for calibration, it is convenient to use various sieves or sieves with opening diameters that correspond to a particular vegetable crop.

Seeds can be calibrated by immersing them in a 3-5% sodium chloride solution at room temperature (18-22°C) at the rate of 30-50 g of salt per 1 liter of water. It is most convenient to treat seeds in saline using glass vessel with a wide throat. To prepare the solution, 0.5 tsp is enough. dilute salt in 100 ml of water.

The seeds that have passed manual sorting should be poured in small portions into a saline solution, mixed so that air comes out, and kept in it for several minutes. Healthy and dense full-fledged seeds with a large mass will always settle to the bottom of the dish in about 10 minutes. Such specimens are needed for sowing - they will give good seedlings. Floated small and light grains are to be discarded, they must be removed. Then it is necessary to carefully drain the solution (it is possible through a sieve or a colander), after which the seeds that have settled to the bottom are washed many times in clean water and dried.

Seeds of any vegetable crop that have been calibrated, as a rule, give friendly and strong seedlings.

Checking seeds for germination

Old seeds of any garden crop should be checked for germination approximately 15-20 days before sowing. To do this, always select the number of copies of the account: from 10 to 100 pieces.

Large seeds selected after sizing can be placed on a damp substrate from any dense material and place them for germination in a warm place where the temperature is maintained at least 20-25 ° C. It is more convenient to put relatively small specimens in a bag of fabric or gauze, also in a row, and lower them for 24 hours in warm water (25-30 ° C). After a day, you need to remove the bags from the water, put on a plate and put in a warm place (30 ° C).

Seed bags, like seeds on a substrate, must be kept moist at all times, but not wet. After about 3-6 days (each crop has its own germination period), the seeds usually hatch. If up to 80-90% of specimens have sprouted, then they can be considered benign. If the actual germination is lower (about 50%), then such seeds are suitable for sowing, but the sowing rate will have to be increased. If the actual germination is below 50%, then it is better to refuse to use these seeds.

Seed germination horticultural crops largely depends on the variety, manufacturer and expiration date.

warming up

Warming up is another effective remedy protecting seeds from viral diseases. After treatment in potassium permanganate, the seeds must be heated in a thermos, pouring water into it at a temperature of 40-50 ° C (the accuracy must be checked with a thermometer).

Fabric bags with seeds are lowered into a thermos, hermetically sealed with a lid and heated for a strictly defined time, individual for each garden crop. For the accuracy of the time during which the seeds are heated, you need to follow the clock in order to take them out on time. Overheating is not good.

In the absence of a thermos, the seeds can withstand exactly the same time in water of the same temperature, but in ordinary dishes. In this case, to maintain the desired temperature, you will have to add hot water all the time. After heating, the seed material is cooled in cold water for 2-3 minutes.

Warming up the seeds warm water significantly increases their germination, it works especially well on stale and slightly dried grains. It is advisable to wrap the heated seeds in damp cloth and leave for a day. Those garden crops, whose seeds usually germinate for a long time, after such preparation, sprout faster.

❧ Seed material from well-known firms, purchased in a specialized retail network, you can not check for germination - it has already passed such a test. Seeds from your garden should always be checked for germination, especially after long storage.

You can often find such advice: seeds can be warmed up near a heating battery or stove, but such an event is only very effective. experienced gardeners with many years of experience. It is better for everyone else to abandon this procedure, since under these conditions, with the slightest overheating, the seeds can dry out and lose their germination.

Seed disinfection

Before sowing, it is necessary to carry out antifungal treatment of seeds. The seeds, sorted and prepared for sowing, are poured into a gauze bag and dipped in hot water (temperature 48-50 ° C) for about 15-20 minutes.

At the end of the set period, the seeds must be quickly cooled by immersing them in cold water for 2-3 minutes. After that, they are laid out on a napkin to dry.

To protect the seeds of garden crops from viral diseases, they must be disinfected by pickling for 20-30 minutes in a 1% slightly warm solution of potassium permanganate. After disinfection, the seeds are washed in running cold water until traces of potassium permanganate are completely removed. This procedure is required if seedlings are grown from their seeds, as it cleans the grains of harmful and pathogenic microorganisms that sometimes accumulate on them when storage conditions are not up to standard.

In addition, for the disinfection of seeds of some crops, in particular cabbage, you can use preparations from specialized stores (Albit, Baktofit, Fitosporin-M, etc.). The term for processing seeds of garden crops lasts 8-18 hours - it depends on the preparation used. After treatment with preparations, the seeds should be washed in a clean running water and let dry a bit so they don't stick together. In principle, these seeds are already ready for planting.

In some cases, such strong chemicals like hydrogen peroxide solution or boric acid. A solution (2-3%) of hydrogen peroxide is heated to 38-40°C and the seeds are kept in it for 7-8 minutes. Boric acid (0.5 tsp per 1 glass of water) is diluted in warm water (25-30 ° C) and the seeds are soaked in this solution for 2-3 hours. After treatment, they must be thoroughly rinsed under running water. Only absolutely whole specimens are subject to etching with acids. If they have even slight damage to the skin, then the energy of their germination is sharply reduced. After disinfection, the seeds must be germinated or used for sowing.

Seeds purchased from well-known companies are already disinfected, so they do not need such treatment.

Seed treatment in mineral solution

Although after heating the seeds are already ready for sowing, it is possible to further enhance their germination energy by saturating them with microelements. To prepare a saturating solution in 1 liter of hot (up to 50 ° C) water, dilute 1 tbsp. l. sifted wood ash and boric acid on the tip of a knife. Then, seeds are placed in the cooled solution and left for 12-24 hours. The holding time is individual for each garden crop. It is convenient to immerse the seeds in a saturating solution with microelements by pouring them into fabric bags.

Instead of ash for a given volume of solution, you can take half a tablet of trace elements (they are usually sold in specialized stores) or liquid potassium humate at the rate of 1 tsp. for 1 liter of water. In a solution of trace elements at a temperature of 17-20 ° C, vegetable seeds should be kept for about 4 hours. When preparing a solution, it must be borne in mind that its volume should be 10 times the volume of the treated seeds. In addition, it is not recommended to use metal utensils for the preparation of an ash solution or a solution of trace elements.

Thanks to the treatment in a solution with microelements, vegetable seeds germinate quickly, ripen faster and give good harvest. At the end of the daily soak in the saturating solution, the seed bags should be lightly sprinkled. clean water and hold on a saucer for 24-48 hours at a temperature of 25°C. After such preparation, you can get seedlings from sown seeds already on the 5-6th day.

seed hardening

During the preparation of seeds for sowing seedlings, hardening is usually carried out, which increases their endurance and cold resistance. It is especially useful for heat-loving garden crops. Hardening is carried out through exposure to seeds with variable temperatures (sometimes cold, sometimes heat) for 4-6 days. Usually this event is carried out after the seeds have been enriched with microelements.

For hardening, the seeds must be placed in cloth bags and soaked in water:

Seeds of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes - for 12 hours;

Seeds of pumpkin plants - for 6 hours.

Then it is necessary to place them for 12-48 hours in a cold place (not higher than 3-5°C). Seeds of heat-loving crops require different temperatures and different term exposure to a particular temperature during hardening. After keeping the seeds for the prescribed time in a cold place, they must be moved to a room where the air temperature is 15-20 ° C for 24 hours. Then send them back to the cold for 12-48 hours.

For the convenience of carrying out the hardening procedure, if the seed aging period at certain temperature is 12 hours, you can keep them warm during the day (18-20 ° C), and send them to the refrigerator at night (3-5 ° C).

During the hardening procedure, the seeds should always be kept in slightly damp cloth bags. In the sowing boxes, the hardened grains are sown chilled after exposure to the cold.

To harden the seeds of some crops, it is enough to put them on a bowl after soaking, cover with a napkin on top and put them on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for about 12 hours. Increasing cold resistance, hardening at the same time contributes to a significant acceleration of seed germination, allows you to get a better return on early harvest.

Soaking and sprouting

Soaking speeds up the seed germination process. It is carried out before sowing.

Usually, seeds of slowly germinating crops are soaked: onions, carrots, peppers, parsley, celery and some other plants. The duration of soaking the seeds of various vegetable crops is always individual. Tomato seeds are soaked for 48 hours; for seeds of cucumbers, cabbage, and lettuce, 8-12 hours is enough.

Seeds need to be soaked in warm water (25-30 ° C) - each culture has its own time - just before sowing. After that, put on a damp substrate or saucer (you can cover it with two layers of damp gauze on top) and place in a warm place at a temperature of 25 ° C. It is advisable to stir them periodically so that they are enriched with oxygen. On a damp substrate, the seeds should be kept until they hatch. Seeds of some crops (cabbages) need to be soaked only until they swell. But in any case, it is necessary to constantly ensure that the substrate is moistened all the time. You can lay out the seeds, evenly distributing them, between layers of damp matter and leave it on right time making sure that the fabric stays damp but not wet.

The constant moisture of the seeds subjected to soaking can be ensured by scattering them on a damp cloth laid on a saucer. After that, a saucer with seeds is placed in plastic bag- they won't dry out. In this state, it is easy to withstand the seeds for the allotted time.

Seeds are recommended to be planted as soon as they swell, or sprouts appear. And in this case, each vegetable should have its own approach. (By the way, the seeds of many root crops are not soaked at all, so as not to reduce their germination.)

Sanding

Small seeds (such as lettuce) can be mixed with moistened sand in a ratio of 1:3 and kept at room temperature until they begin to hatch. After that, the seeds can be sown in a seedling box or pots.

Sprouting with sawdust

The seedling box is half filled with wet sawdust, previously scalded with boiling water. A sheet of filter paper or a piece of cloth is placed on top of the sawdust. Moistened seeds are poured onto the substrate with a layer of 1-1.5 cm, covering them first with a piece of cloth or paper, and then with a layer of wet sawdust. The seedling box should be placed in a room where the temperature can be maintained at 20-25 ° C.

The seeds are mixed daily, preventing the sawdust from drying out, moistened if necessary. They are germinated until sprouts begin to appear, then sown in a pre-prepared place.

Sprouting in moss

In this way, you can germinate the seeds of cucumbers. 2-3 days before sowing, they need to be buried in clean moss. After moistening the moss with seeds with plenty of water, place it in a bag and put it on the windowsill.

Usually, after 2-3 days, the seeds hatch, after which they can be planted in a seed box, greenhouse or greenhouse. Seeds germinated in moss always give good germination.

Sprouting by periodic soaking

Before soaking, the seeds are poured into a cloth bag and immersed for 1 hour in a container with clean warm water (25-35°C). After an hour, the bag must be removed, put on a sieve and let the water drain. Then the seeds are scattered in a thin layer and aired. After 4-6 hours, soaking must be repeated, each time changing the water for slow-growing crops. Lettuce seeds can be germinated in a similar way, but they need to be soaked once.

With repeated soaking of seeds after each session, they must be dried to the level of initial moisture content (9-11%). Repeated soaking should be completed if 2-5% of the seeds begin to peck.

Seeds that have undergone such treatment germinate faster and acquire drought resistance for future plants.

Vernalization

The vernalization of seeds gives good effect, this technique is especially effective for sowing seedlings of early cabbage seeds. It consists in cooling already hatched seeds at a temperature of 0-3°C for 10-15 days. As a result, seedlings appear earlier, plant development is accelerated, resistance to cold is increased, and their growth is enhanced, which makes it possible to obtain an early harvest in large volumes. Reception increases the yield of other varieties of cabbage. For vernalization, seeds that have already hatched after soaking should be placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator, where the temperature is -2-0 ° C.

❧ Seeds of some horticultural crops already washed in cold running water after soaking in a saturating solution should be rinsed in hot water to rinse essential oil making it difficult for them to grow.

You can do it even easier: first soak the seeds in water at a temperature of 18-20 ° C, and then place them on a glacier or bury them in the snow. The seeds of each garden crop are subjected to cooling at a certain temperature and for their individual period. So, cabbage seeds are vernalized at 0-1°C for 10-15 days. After vernalization, they are immediately sown in the ground.

During vernalization, you can shift the seeds with sand, which increases aeration and prevents them from rotting. Then the seeds are sown with sand. However, this method of seed preparation is not recommended for lettuce or spinach, as they form flower stalks ahead of time.

Barbation

This method consists in saturating the seeds with oxygen or air while they are in aquatic environment. It provides fast seed germination.

For seed treatment, you can use electric compressor for aquariums. Seeds are poured into a strainer, lowered into a funnel, and a hose from the compressor is attached to it. Having lowered the assembled device into a jar of water, air is passed through the seeds in the water.

The processing time is individual for each garden crop: pepper seeds need to be barbated for 24-36 hours; spinach, parsley, dill - 18-24 hours; lettuce and radish - 12-18 hours. If the seeds begin to germinate ahead of time, then the process should be stopped and planted in the intended place.

Coating

Usually when planting small seeds difficult to comply exact rate. Violation of the sowing norm leads to overspending seed material expensive crops, thickening of crops, additional material costs and extra physical effort for thinning. To facilitate sowing, small seeds of garden crops are subjected to panning, i.e. they are coated with a mixture of peat with humus, sawdust, sand, and loam. The composition for drageeing from peat and humus (ratio 2: 1) must be prepared by sifting the mixture through a sieve. Seeds are recommended to be wrapped in gelatin dissolved in water or fresh manure diluted in water (1 part of manure to 5-7 parts of water). Microfertilizers can be added to the coating solution at the rate of: 40 g of manganese sulfate and boric acid, 200 g of zinc sulfate and 10 g of copper sulfate per 1 liter of enveloping substance.

Seed coating is always carried out right before sowing. The seeds are laid out in a container, moistened with an adhesive, and a loose mixture is added in small portions, so that it slides along the walls of the container. After that, they begin to intensively rotate the container in their hands, while the mixture will stick to the seeds. Then the coated seeds should be spread out in a thin layer on a plank or tray and dried.

After treatment, the seeds form a shell, which increases their mass and size, improves their flowability. This technique allows you to reduce the consumption of seeds by 1.5-2 times. Germinating seedlings will receive additional area nutrition, which will increase the yield of garden crops.

Dried seeds can be stored in the same way as regular seeds. 1-2 days before sowing, they must be placed under wet wipe and keep at a temperature of 20-23°C. If the coated seeds are not moistened before sowing, then the groove prepared for them should be watered abundantly.

Landing on paper beds

Sticking on paper unusual way preparation of seeds for sowing allows you to do without thinning seedlings. To do this, small seeds of garden crops, such as lettuce seeds, are glued at the right distance on soft paper (toilet paper is most often used).

The paper is cut into strips 5 cm wide and up to 100 cm long. To stick the seeds, you need to brew a starch or flour paste (1-2 tsp per 1 glass of water), resembling sour cream in consistency.

For greater efficiency, the paste can be prepared in solution complex fertilizers with micronutrients. Starch is first diluted in a small volume cold water then add boiling water. The mixture is well stirred and, continuing to stir, heat until it thickens (never boil). The finished paste is cooled to room temperature, then applied in drops to paper strips. In this case, it is necessary to maintain the distance between the drops, which is recommended for planting certain crops. Place a seed on each drop using tweezers. You can get by with a match by wetting its head in a paste. A match alternately pry the seeds scattered on a sheet of paper and press them to the paper. When the paste, together with the glued seeds, dries, you need to roll up the beds with a roll, providing them with an inscription with information.

When the time for sowing comes, it is necessary to water abundantly the grooves prepared in the soil, hot water, put strips of paper in them and sprinkle loose earth on top, as with normal sowing.