I am preparing cucumber seeds for growing seedlings - I tell you in detail

Some gardeners plant cucumbers with unsprouted seeds. But with such sowing, the germination rate can be very low due to the poor quality of the planting material. Plants develop more slowly and grow weak. Therefore, seeds need preliminary preparation. How to do it right, I will tell in this article.

Cucumber seeds. The illustration for the article is used under the standard license ©ofazende.com

Preparing seeds for planting

To get friendly shoots, you need to prepare the seeds. The preparatory stage includes the following manipulations:

• culling;
• warming up;
• disinfection;
• treatment with growth stimulants;
• hardening.

culling

If the seeds are store-bought, then they do not need to be sorted. Collected independently or purchased from the hands of the market must be sorted.

Damaged ones are rejected immediately. I then select the empty seeds by soaking the seeds in a saline solution (1 tsp. spoon to a glass of water). I put the seeds in the solution for 15 minutes. Those that float to the surface, I delete.

warming up

If the seeds have been stored for more than 3 years, the yield will be higher than from last year. There is a way to "aging" the planting material - warming up.

You can warm up in several ways:

1. In hot water at a temperature of 50-60 degrees - 5 hours.
2. Under the rays of the sun - 1 week.
3. Near the stove - 1 month.
4. Near the heating battery - 1 month.

Disinfection

Seeds can be disinfected in two ways:

1. Wet. For processing, I immerse the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. The solution should be maroon in color. Then I wash the planting material. This procedure kills all microorganisms that were on the seed coat.
2. Dry. For disinfection, drugs are used: granosan NIUIF-2 or TMTD. The seeds are placed in a jar with one of the preparations and shaken for several minutes.

When using dry processing, care must be taken in handling substances, observing safety precautions. Cover your nose and mouth with a bandage. It is also advisable to wear glasses.

To destroy the pathogens inside the seed, you need to soak the seed material in the Baksis or Fitosporin preparation. I soak the seeds for 2 hours, after which I dry them thoroughly. These drugs prevent the disease of the culture with tracheomycosis, bacteriosis and root rot.

Growth stimulants

I use one of the following drugs:

• "Bigus";
• "Ambiol";
• "Agat 25K";
• "Baikal M1".

I make the solution in accordance with the instructions on the package. I soak the seeds overnight.

Those gardeners who do not want to use chemicals can use folk remedies:

1. Nettle infusion. A few leaves should be poured with warm water and kept in a dark place for a week.
2. Baking soda. Prepare a solution: for 1 liter of water you need to take 1 tsp. l. soda.
3. Honey. Dissolve one teaspoon of honey in 250 ml of water. The tool must be used immediately.
4. Yeast. Mix 25 g of dry yeast in 250 ml of warm water and infuse for 3 days.
5. Potato juice. First freeze the tubers, then defrost and squeeze the juice.
6. Aloe juice. Squeeze out the juice and mix with water in a ratio of 1 to 1.

In any means, keep the planting material for a day. Seeds treated in this way germinate much faster and form shoots more actively.

hardening

Hardening is necessary in order to adapt the culture to adverse weather conditions and temperature changes. This procedure contributes to the accumulation of sugars and growth inhibitors, which increases the plant's resistance to cold.

For hardening, I put the seed material in the refrigerator under the freezer. The temperature should be around 0 degrees. Under such conditions, the seeds should lie for 4-5 days, after which I immediately plant them in the prepared soil.

Following the above recommendations, you can achieve maximum seed germination and get full-fledged seedlings. Plants will be healthy, strong and resistant to adverse conditions.

And what methods do you use to prepare cucumber seeds for planting and what result do you get? Write about it in the comments.

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#cucumber seeds#seedling cultivation#garden and garden