A good time to start sowing is the period a month before the establishment of stable warm weather. Additionally, individual terms are determined for each region:
- The central region, the Moscow region and the middle lane start planting beet seedlings indoors in the first half of April. Transplantation of shoots in open ground occurs in early May.
- The Urals are late, and seedlings should be sown there in the second half of April. Beets move to a permanent place of growth by the end of May.
- In Siberia, beets for seedlings are also planted in April, towards the end, and they are transferred to the beds at the beginning of summer.
seed
I always carefully select beet seeds for planting.
My step by step process is as follows:
- I pour the grains into a container with warm water and leave for 10-15 minutes;
- after time, I select only sunken seeds;
- I soak the planting material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes for disinfection;
- after the procedure, the seeds are transferred to a container with clean warm water for 5 hours;
- I dry the grains on a paper towel;
- I spread the prepared material on a damp cloth and put it in a dark, warm place for germination.
The fabric must be kept damp, periodically spraying it.
I note that the seeds purchased in the store do not need disinfection and primary selection, they can be soaked immediately.
The soil
Beetroot seedlings require slightly acidic soil, loose and breathable.
The ideal composition looks like this:
- peat land - 2 parts;
- humus - 1 part;
- soddy soil - 1 part;
- wood ash - 1 part;
- coarse sand - 1/2 part.
When mixing the substrate with your own hands, the finished mixture should be disinfected and ignited. To do this, the soil is placed in an oven for 20 minutes at 200 ° C, and then it is abundantly spilled with Fitosporin. If it is impossible to use the oven, I advise you to spill the soil mixture with boiling water a couple of times - it will help get rid of most parasites and pathogens.
Capacity
Both plastic and organic containers are suitable for seedlings. I often use improvised materials and recyclables:
- sour cream jars;
- yogurt cups;
- cut bottles;
- disposable tableware;
- toilet paper rolls;
- prepared food containers.
Homemade containers must be thoroughly cleaned, rinsed and disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. It is advisable to trim the high edges, the most convenient height of the pots is 10 cm. Be sure to have drainage holes in the bottom.
From professional containers, I usually use flower pots, seedling trays and peat cups.
I do not advise using wooden boxes, for pathogens and fungus, wood is an excellent environment for development.
Landing
The most popular way to grow seedlings at home is by individual planting. It is easy to perform, care for sprouts and is the least traumatic when transplanted to permanent beds.
Algorithm:
- the prepared soil mixture is poured into the processed cups, not reaching 1 cm to the edge;
- the soil is plentifully irrigated with warm, settled water;
- in the center of each pot make a hole 4 cm deep;
- up to 3 seeds are placed in the hole and sprinkled with soil;
- seedlings are sprayed.
Care
The main rules are:
- constant moderate moistening with warm water;
- top dressing - when a second leaf appears (nitrogen supplements) and during a dive (potassium and phosphorus);
- hardening.
Subject to the rules, the sprouts will grow strong and easily transfer to the open ground.
Do you plant beets for seedlings?
Read also: Let's see if it is worth leaving a polycarbonate greenhouse open in winter or not.
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