Seed preparation for sowing: an overview of the complex of all necessary preliminary procedures

Seed preparation is a vital procedure when growing all types of vegetables. It is almost impossible to get a good harvest without seed preparation. The seeds can be infected with some kind of fungal infection. And therefore, young plants, immediately after germination, are already sick and require treatment.

And in order to avoid this, you need to take a responsible approach to this, and spare no time for seed processing. But, calibration alone is not enough here. Seed preparation includes many stages, after passing which (or the most basic), we get a guarantee for the health of our seedlings.

Strong and healthy plant, grows well and is not afraid of diseases and pests. And if, nevertheless, this happens, then health will help us to easily cope with the trouble. Next, we will analyze everything point by point. Let's start?

Why are seeds prepared for planting

Special treatment of seeds is carried out before planting for a number of reasons:

• prepared seeds have the best germination;
• they germinate faster and become ready for transplant;
• immunity is enhanced, they tolerate diseases better;
• the number of barren flowers decreases.

Thus, the seedlings obtained after preparatory work with seeds significantly improve their condition and health. The seedlings themselves are stronger, stronger, adapted to growing in the open field. You do not need to prepare seeds that have been specially trained by the manufacturer. These are granulated and coated. If there is no casing, they must be processed.

Container for sprouting seedlings.

Increased germination energy

Germination is the number of germinated seeds in relation to the total. This indicator is measured as a percentage, if the germination rate is 80%, it means that out of 100 sown, 80 have sprung up, and 20 simply died or turned out to be empty. The sprouted ones include those that have given a root with a length of at least the length of itself. Germination energy - the number of germinated seeds for a certain period of time, usually 3-4 days. This indicator is determined similarly to the germination parameter and is also measured as a percentage. The strength of growth is the number of healthy shoots in percent that hatch 10 days after sowing. These indicators indicate on the packaging by the manufacturer himself, the higher these figures, the better they are.

Protection of future plants from pests

To increase plant protection, the seeds must be treated with an antiseptic. On their surface, there can be dangerous pathogenic microorganisms, which, when seeds germinate, can harm a young plant. It is for this purpose that such disinfection is carried out. Usually, for this, they are soaked in potassium permanganate for several hours.

Preventing mold damage

To prevent mold from appearing, you need to take some preventive measures. Ventilate regularly. Until the first shoots appear, the seeds must be kept in greenhouse conditions. Every day it needs to be ventilated so that excess moisture evaporates. To do this, open the greenhouse in the evening for 30-60 minutes. If there are drops of condensation on the inside of the lid before closing, wipe it off. An important measure is adherence to the watering regime. When sowing, you need to moderately moisten the soil, it is better to do this from a spray bottle.The humidity level must be kept at a moderate level, and the water itself must be settled and at room temperature. Mold is afraid of lighting. With a sufficient level of it, the risk of getting this phenomenon is significantly reduced.

Related material: How to germinate seedlings at home: all methods and methods

Scarification

The only case, perhaps, when seeds must be scarified in preparation for sowing is growing from seeds of indoor palms (date, peach, chamerops, etc. dry-loving). Their seedling develops for a long time, up to a year or more, and in middle latitudes, without accelerating its development, it often does not survive the winter in a heated apartment.

To accelerate the germination of palm seeds, mechanical and thermal scarification is used. First, the seed ("bone") is scratched with a needle from the sides, without touching the scar and lid of the micropile - the canaliculus for the emergence of the seedling; on palm seeds, it looks well in the middle on the side opposite from the hilum. Then the seeds are poured with boiling water, allowed to cool in it for a day and immediately sown. Such barbaric treatment does not harm palm seeds: in their native lands, the summer sun sometimes heats the soil to the point that it is possible to bake bird and turtle eggs in it.

Note, just in case: palm seedlings for a very long time, up to 3 years, retain their connection with the seed, receiving nutrients and growth substances from it, (see Fig.) of the Seychelles palm - up to 20 years. Therefore, the transplantation and picking of young palms must be carried out extremely carefully so as not to tear off the seed, otherwise the plant will disappear.

Sprouting palm trees

Seed soaking

The water should be clean, preferably filtered, the classic option is to use melt water or from a source. If the seed has a shell, it will be more difficult for it to hatch. These include:

• pumpkin;
• pepper (sweet and bitter);
• tomatoes;
• zucchini;
• watermelons;
• carrot.

For better germination, it is recommended to pre-soak the seeds before planting. It is better to do this just before landing. In the case of a long process, the water in which they are located should be changed every four hours. Before soaking, it is necessary to remove the shell of essential oils from the surface of the seeds, which protects it.

What to soak seeds before planting

The question arises - how to soak the seeds before sowing? Every gardener will answer this differently. There are four solutions in which you can do this:

• In chlorhexidine. This drug can be purchased at any pharmacy at a reasonable price. The seeds can be left in this solution for only 30 minutes, and then rinsed thoroughly.
• In aloe juice. This substance is also sold in pharmacies, but you can make your own. To do this, you need to cut off a leaf of the plant, finely chop it. Pour the resulting mass into a container and leave in the refrigerator for a week. In 7-8 days the juice will acquire the necessary properties. They are soaked for 18 hours.
• In soda. You need to take two grams of baking soda per glass of water.
• In phytosporin. This is a specialty drug that can be found in the general store or gardening departments in supermarkets. It is sold in containers of different sizes. It is especially recommended to soak vegetable seeds.
• In vodka. Many gardeners practice this particular method of seed soaking. Alcohol has a disinfecting effect, the same as potassium permanganate. It also softens the outer shell, making it easier for the sprout to germinate. Do not stand for more than thirty minutes. In vodka, namely in alcohol, they can be damaged.
• In succinic acid. This substance stabilizes the natural microflora, destroys pathogens, and prevents the formation of toxins.
• In milk. Such soaking should take place only in natural milk, preferably unboiled. You can not use dry, from this you will not have the desired result.
• In honey water. This method has certain tricks and features.It is necessary to prepare a solution of one teaspoon of honey and 150 ml of water. Pour this mixture into a saucer and put a napkin in it, pour the seeds onto it. After that, it is poured with five tablespoons of dissolved honey and left in this state for 3-5 hours.
• At the root. This is a special solution well known to many gardeners. It can also be used to soak seeds for seedlings. The soaking time is about 30-40 minutes.
• In the energy. You will need 15 drops of this product and 50 ml of water. They are soaked for 6-20 hours, after which you can immediately start sowing them.
• In epin. The main thing is to observe the dosage of this drug. For vegetables - 100 ml of water and a few drops of epin, soak for 4-6 hours. For flowers, it is necessary to dilute 4 drops of the drug and leave for 8-10 hours.
• In potassium humate. A solution must be prepared from the powder. For this, 1 gram of powder is diluted in a liter of water and kept for about an hour.
• In zircon. It is hydroxycinnamic acid, which is obtained from the processing of echinacea and is diluted in alcohol. It is necessary to soak in its solution for no more than 40 minutes.

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The oldest method is soaking - in milk. This technique has come down to us from our ancestors and is still one of the most popular. When using ready-made commercial solutions, it is important to comply with the requirements specified in the instructions for use.

Why the seeds didn't germinate after soaking

All seeds have their own germination rate and in any package there will be those that will not sprout, or in other words, they are sterile. This phenomenon occurs without relatively anything to soak the seeds before planting, but this process itself is important, since it reduces this indicator to a minimum. So even weak seeds can hatch and with proper care they will turn out to be quite suitable and healthy seedlings.

Stimulation

To stimulate seed germination and seedling development, growth preparations Zircon, Epin, etc. are used. The Seedling works well on cucumber seeds, see video:

Video: processing cucumber seeds with a Sprout

There is also a home method for biostimulating germinating seeds - aloe vera juice or arborescens (aloe tree, agave). 1-2 leaves of aloe are cut off and kept in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for a day - this is how a leaf fighting for life will produce much more phytohormones. Then the leaf is cut into thin slices, placed in a cloth bag (do not remove the skin!) And the juice is twisted into a clean glass dish. The juice is diluted with water 1: 1 by volume and the seeds are kept in it for half an hour before sowing.

Note: all stimulants of seed development (including aloe juice) increase their immunity and, in addition, contain fungicides. Therefore, if biostimulation of seed material is assumed, then in more or less favorable conditions for plant pathogens, there is no need to pickle seeds. The less pesticide needed, the better. For plants, too.

Seed treatment with hydrogen peroxide

Many gardeners treat their seeds with hydrogen peroxide before sowing. It can be done in different ways. The first one is soaking in hydrogen peroxide in an undiluted 3% solution. This procedure is carried out within 15-20 minutes, but not more. This option is better suited for tomato, pepper, pumpkin, eggplant. This substance in a short time destroys the shell, thereby accelerating the germination of the culture. In order to carry out long-term treatment, you need to use a less concentrated solution. It can be made by diluting two tablespoons of 3% peroxide in one liter of water. The seeds are immersed in such a solution for several hours. This method also has a stimulating effect.

Pelleting

This concept refers to the preparation of seeds for planting by enveloping them with a special substance.For pelleting, a mixture of neutralized peat, potash and nitrogen fertilizers is taken. Mullein, polyacrylamide, as well as boric acid, trace elements, growth vitamins and other nutrients are added to the dry composition.

Dragee seeds

Preparing seeds for sowing by pelleting has many advantages:

1. The protective film keeps the seeds in place during the winter. Germination after pelleting increases up to 25%.
2. Convenient form for sowing. The smooth shell makes it easier to sow small seeds or grains of an uncomfortable shape, such as beets or carrots.
3. Protection against fungus, bacteria and other parasites.
4. Enrichment with vitamins and microelements, increasing the immunity of the future plant.

Hardening the seeds before sowing

Hardening is one of the widely used methods of preparing seeds for seedlings. The disinfected are warmed up a little, soaked, disinfected, and then exposed to cold. This is used for already swollen, but not yet released sprouts. Otherwise, you can provoke the development of rot. The easiest way to harden is to plant them in a box or as winter seeds. Tomato seeds can be frozen for three days or stored at 1- degrees. You can only freeze dry, prepared by soaking may die.

Vernalization of seeds

This is how cold-resistant crops are prepared that have a long germination period. Such varieties are especially in our climate realities. They are cereals, vegetables, herbs. Their vernalization makes it possible to obtain early harvests by reducing their vegetative period. ITS can be done at home. To do this, the seeds must be soaked, germinated and let the new shoots cool in the refrigerator, but at temperatures above zero. At the same time, it should not be allowed to dry. Some summer residents use snow water for this or bury it under the snow. The cooling time depends on the variety and when the seeds are sown. For cabbage, the optimum temperature is 0 +3 for a period of 10-15 days. For beets -1 +1 for 8-10 days.

Related material: When to sow cucumbers according to the lunar calendar in 2020

Stratification

Seed material stratification is carried out at a temperature of + (4-6) degrees. It is possible at + (6-10), but in no case higher than +12, otherwise the seeds will wake up prematurely. Diffuse lighting is desirable, but direct sunlight is contraindicated. Air access to the seeds is also necessary, therefore, it is impossible to stratify them in the refrigerator - the germination rate will fall. The season is a turning point from winter to spring (not calendar, climatic).

It is best to stratify seeds on a glassed-in balcony or veranda. If it is still too cold outside, you need to take the oil heater with a regulator into the room for vernalization of seeds (see next step) and set the required temperature during the day; in this case, the actual stratification begins the next day.

For stratification, seeds are spread in even layers on separate bedding for each species / variety. Then it is sprayed from a spray bottle and left for 2-3 days; spraying with water is repeated daily.

After stratification, the seeds are dried in the same room at the same temperature and, if prepared directly for sowing, it is too early to be stored again. It's okay - after the first sighs of spring, the cold hit again, the plants are no stranger to it.

Sparging seeds before planting

This is a special way to revive the seeds. During this process, they are saturated with oxygen, the film is washed off from them, and the sprouts themselves appear about a week earlier. This is especially useful if the deadline for planting seeds for seedlings was missed. Sparging is used for accelerated germination, as well as to improve the germination of hard-to-germinate specimens. The seeds are placed in water saturated with air bubbles. This treatment helps to get rid of essential oils.Thanks to these actions, they can rise up to ten days earlier than without such treatment. You can not soak in carbonated water, there is no oxygen in it, but carbon dioxide.

Disinfection of seeds

Before planting, it is necessary to carry out one more procedure - to disinfect them, the main thing is how to disinfect the seeds before planting. To do this, you can use a solution of potassium permanganate, alcohol, peroxide. These substances perfectly destroy all pathogenic flora and fauna that are harmful to seedlings, reduce their immunity, resistance to negative environmental factors.

How to deal with fungal infections

How to treat the seeds before planting from the appearance of fungi? To do this, gardeners are armed with a number of effective ways.