Pre-sowing treatment of seeds with pesticides. seed quality

How to treat seeds before sowing? This question is often asked by people who have already "processed" the seeds and did not wait for the shoots. AT full version the question sounds something like this: - “I froze the seeds for a month in the freezer, then scalded them with boiling water and buried them in the snow for three days, then soaked them in thick potassium permanganate for 24 hours, washed them with fresh urine, warmed them up on a battery and in a thermos, followed a few more tips from a neighbor and a popular TV presenter ... but the seeds did not sprout! What else do they need?"

Unfortunately, an attempt to answer that “You must have overdone it” is thwarted by a categorical statement that “I am a gardener with a hundred years of experience, regularly watch all TV shows, read everything that is written on the topic, implement everything I see and hear, so I don’t teach me, and confirm what I already know - the seeds are bad! Such people have nothing to say. But for those who, when asking this question, really wanted to hear an answer to it, we will try to briefly tell what can be done with the seeds, and what is better to refrain from.

Pre-sowing seed treatment is a necessary and effective technique if it is carried out competently and an experienced specialist. For example, a good agronomist in the village - x. enterprise: hardening, pickling, treatment with microelements, stimulants, bubbling ... At home, only a few methods can be recommended, provided they are carefully applied. Of course, it is impossible to give universal recommendations on seed treatment for the whole variety of crops cultivated by man and for all occasions. We do not set ourselves such a task. Let's try to do short review the most frequently recommended techniques, and you will draw your own conclusions.

The whole variety of methods of presowing seed treatment can be divided (conditionally) into the following groups:

1. Methods for disinfecting seeds (disinfection).
2. Ways to bring seeds out of dormancy (acceleration of germination).
3. Ways to increase plant immunity (biostimulants, hardening, etc.)
4. Others; including those that do not have a reasonable basis - useless and harmful.

Seed disinfection methods.

Etching (treatment with chemical preparations). The most common method of seed disinfection is treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate. This drug is publicly available, "always at hand" and is recommended by many authors of special literature as an effective disinfectant. It is usually recommended to soak for 15-20 minutes in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g of the drug per 100 ml of water). After soaking, the seeds must be washed in running water and dried. It is important not to make a mistake in the concentration of the solution and not to keep the seeds in it for longer than the allotted time, they can die or significantly reduce viability. This technique will help cure the seeds from a fungal infection if they are sick. And if they are healthy, such treatment is completely useless and even harmful.

If a healthy person unnecessarily uses strong drugs, it is clear that this will only harm him. So for seeds, treatment with such a far from harmless substance as potassium permanganate is a strong stress. In addition, it should be borne in mind that not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also a variety of beneficial microflora can be found on the surface of the seeds. After processing, such "sterile" seeds will fall completely defenseless into the soil, which is not at all sterile.

In the literature, you can find recommendations for the treatment of seeds and other pesticides, even more aggressive than "potassium permanganate", but, fortunately, they are rarely found in home medicine cabinets.
In case of a real need for seed disinfection, it is better to use special preparations, for example, Maxim, strictly following the instructions.

Thermal methods seed disinfection at home is not applicable. Seeds can be boiled or roasted, after such treatment they will be unsuitable for sowing.

In seed farms, as a rule, all necessary measures seed treatment, including disinfection. Therefore, at home, only seeds of dubious origin or with obvious signs of disease should be processed. But it is better to just refuse to sow them.

Ways to bring seeds out of dormancy.

There are quite a few ways to remove seeds from dormancy (scarification, stratification, washing, soaking in water or in special solutions, heating, cooling, etc.). The choice of processing method depends on the morphological and biological characteristics of the seeds, on their physiological state associated with the conditions of cultivation, processing, storage.

Seeds are complex living organisms. During storage, they continue to develop invisible to the eye. Within 3-6 months after collection, the seeds are in the stage of "deep dormancy" and at this time their germination is difficult or impossible without the use of processing methods specific for each crop. These methods have been developed for laboratories involved in determining the sowing qualities of seeds, including freshly harvested seeds, before storage or sale. For summer residents there is no such problem - by the time of sowing for seedlings and, moreover, in the ground, more than 6 months pass even for seeds of the last harvest year.

Stratification. There are crops that require mandatory stratification of seeds before sowing, regardless of the timing of collection. Stratification is a long-term cooling from 15 days to 3 months, depending on the culture, at a temperature of 0 to 5°C. These are some medicinal, decorative and many tree crops. Usually on packages with seeds of such plants there is a warning about the need for stratification. For such crops, it is recommended winter sowing into the ground so that the stratification process takes place in the natural environment. With spring sowing, the germination period can stretch for a long time. Sometimes the seeds may sprout the next spring after overwintering in the soil, or not sprout at all if their viability is short - one year after collection, as, for example, in a perennial delphinium. Among the familiar to us vegetable crops and there are no such fastidious flowers, but some methods of “awakening” seeds can also be useful to them.

pre-cooling. This technique differs from stratification in that the cooling is less deep and less prolonged. Seeds are cooled at a temperature of 5-10°C for 3-15 days. To do this, the seeds are placed in a moistened cloth, paper or sand and placed in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator or in some cool place. This technique is applicable only to those cold-resistant crops, the seeds of which germinate at low positive temperatures and are usually sown in early spring timeline, in cases where it is not possible to sow them on time. Many go to their dachas only in May, when optimal timing sowing of parsley, cumin, carrot, lettuce, watercress, celery, hyssop, spinach, sorrel, onion, radish, cosmos, gypsophila, sea alyssum, lavatera, phlox drummmond, mignonette, forget-me-nots, mustard, sweet clover, clover, lupine, alfalfa , rapeseed and other plants have already passed. If you sow the seeds of these crops on warm May days without prior cooling, the seedlings may be unfriendly, stretch for 3-4 weeks; and in radishes, lettuce, onions, increased shooting is possible.

Preheating and warming + cooling. Heating seeds in hot water at 50-60°C or "dry" heating at 40-60°C, sometimes in combination with subsequent cooling, is used to bring some types of seeds out of dormancy. Methods for influencing seeds at high and variable temperatures have been developed for laboratories to determine the germination of seeds and are used when necessary. At home, it is better to refrain from such experiments.
In farms, before sowing, insufficiently ripened seeds of watermelons and other pumpkin crops are sometimes warmed up (in dry form) for "ripening". For normally formed seeds, heating is not necessary.

Soaking and germination. This is the most common way to prepare seeds for sowing. It was also used by our grandmothers to accelerate the germination of seeds. Seeds are wrapped in a soft (moisture-absorbing) cloth, moistened and placed in a warm place (but not on a hot battery). At an optimum temperature of 25-28°C, the seeds begin to "peck". They are gently dried to give flowability. It is important not to miss the moment so that the seedlings do not outgrow and do not “tangle into a ball”.

But even this simple trick can be harmful. In the days of our grandmothers and our youth, seed producers did not treat them with pesticides. And now the seeds domestic production intended for sale to the public, as a rule, are not processed. But our seeds are getting smaller every year, thanks that "foreign countries help us." A significant part of the seeds on the Russian market is imported. Varieties and hybrids of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and other crops, including those with beautiful Russian names or names well known from childhood, are often grown abroad and treated with thiram (a highly toxic broad-spectrum pesticide) or other similar drug. Moreover, outwardly, they may not differ from untreated ones (some manufacturers dye the treated seeds in bright colors, but not all and not always).

When such seeds are soaked, a microscopic seedling that has barely appeared will be under the influence of a concentrated pesticide solution, which will destroy it before you can see it. Soaking can speed up seed germination by only a few days, but it can kill them completely. Is it worth the risk?

In addition, it should be borne in mind that germinated seeds sown in open ground, are more vulnerable if they hit favorable conditions(temperature drop below the optimum, lack of moisture in the soil), they do not have the opportunity to “pause” and wait out these troubles.

Washing with water. This approach is rarely used. The seeds of some crops contain a high amount essential oils that inhibit the germination process. These are some vegetable, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants(carrot, coriander, dill, fennel, tansy, etc.). The seeds are placed in a bag of loose fabric and washed for 20-30 minutes under running warm (20-25°C) water. Too much rinsing is undesirable, because essential oils are part of the spare seeds needed. nutrients. After washing, the seeds are dried.

Soaking in water. Used for hard-to-sprout seeds (beets, carrots, fragrant ranks, onions, peas, beans, etc.). Seeds are placed in a cloth bag and immersed in warm water (20-25°C) from several hours to a day. The water is changed several times. Seeds are dried, scattering thin layer on fabric. Soaking is also used to hydrate seeds that have been stored for a long time in very dry conditions. But not all seeds tolerate such a “dive”, for example, cucumber seeds can “suffocate” from lack of oxygen and die. Soaking cucumber seeds, if they are very dry and really need it, is carried out very carefully: a moisture-absorbing cloth folded in several layers, spilled with water, is placed on the bottom of a shallow container and the seeds are scattered in one layer, so that the upper side of the seeds remains dry, by no means flooding them with a “head”. Soaked seeds can only be sown in well-warmed, moist soil; if the soil temperature drops or there is a lack of moisture, they will quickly rot.

soaking in solutions. Seeds are soaked not just in water, but in nutrient solutions: fertilizers, organic and mineral, containing the main nutrients and a complex of microelements; in solutions of salts of humic acids; in wood ash; infusions medicinal plants etc. Sometimes complex recipes for the preparation of "super-solutions" are offered, supposedly increasing the germination of seeds and plant yields at times. The effectiveness of such "top dressing" of seeds that are at the dormant stage, i.e., with a very low activity of metabolic processes, is exaggerated. Seeds use their own supply of nutrients to germinate. And when they germinate, they will begin to grow and develop - then use all of the above.

Barbation. Soaking seeds in oxygenated water. This technique is used on farms to improve the viability of seeds with low germination vigor. At home, you can oxygenate the water with an aquarium compressor and soak the seeds in it. Such a need rarely happens: for example, if seeds that are very valuable to you have significantly lost their germination capacity and it is worth trying to reanimate them.

Scarification. The seeds of some crops have a very dense shell (marshmallow officinalis, large plantain, castor bean). mechanically(make cuts with a sharp instrument, rub sandpaper etc.) or treated with weak solutions of nitric acid salts to facilitate swelling and germination.

Ways to increase plant immunity

Treatment with growth stimulants. Seed treatment with growth stimulants is used to activate immunity and increase the resistance of seedlings to adverse factors. Seeds are soaked for 0.5-1.0 hours in a chemical solution. the drug "Epin-Extra", "Zircon" or preparations of natural origin ("Prorostok", "Amulet", "NV-101", etc.) These drugs are safe for seeds and for humans, but the instructions should be followed. This treatment is effective for weakened seeds with low germination energy (shelf life has long passed, and the variety is valuable or rare). There is no need to treat fresh seeds.

In the event that you have not treated the seeds with biostimulants before sowing, there is no reason to be upset. It is possible and necessary to treat them with plants at the seedling stage, during budding, setting and crop formation. Treatment of vegetative plants gives a more obvious positive effect.

hardening. In the popular literature for gardeners, you can find recommendations for hardening heat-loving crops by treating their seeds with cold. The positive effect of such treatments is rather controversial, serious Scientific research we are not aware of on this topic. Practice shows that no matter how much the seeds do not freeze, cucumber, pepper or watermelon will not become a frost-resistant plant. It is better to apply hardening methods to seedlings.

Other methods of pre-sowing seed treatment

Selection of seeds for sowing by weight. This technique - seed calibration - is used by various methods in farms for greater evenness of crops. For a summer resident, he is of little importance and there would be no need to talk about him. But, unfortunately, the method of separating seeds into fractions by weight is widely advertised and “introduced” into consciousness and practice, which is mistakenly presented as a method for determining the germination of seeds. Seeds are soaked in water or in a salt solution and wait until they are divided into sunken (they are considered viable) and floating (they are considered unsimilar).

Such a division can only separate small (less completed) seeds from large (more completed) seeds. This division has nothing to do with germination. The germination of seeds in both fractions is the same or differs within the statistical error. Seeds cannot be completely homogeneous, their mass (fulfillment) depends on the conditions of formation, weather and agrotechnical, on the location in the fruit or in the inflorescence. Under unfavorable conditions (hot dry summer) all seeds obtained, for example, tomato or cucumber, can be small and float on the surface, while having 100% germination. In addition, the “feeling” of seeds can be a characteristic varietal trait, for example, this is characteristic of the seeds of the Malysh cucumber, and the “lightness” of the seeds does not affect their germination in any way. Small seeds have a smaller supply of nutrients, but in favorable conditions, their seedlings will quickly catch up with their comrades and you will not see the difference.

At the same time, the complete absence of germination will not prevent large seeds from drowning if their mass is sufficient for this. The ability to "swim" does not depend on germination, but only on the mass of seeds and their morphological features. The seeds of many crops will not drown at all (gazania, dimorphoteca, etc.), there are even more crops whose seeds will drown in any case, even very poorly formed ones (peas, beans, radishes, etc.). Please don't "drown the seeds in glasses" by dividing them into fractions, sow them all. If you have a lot of seeds, and you decide to use only the largest ones for sowing, you can simply sort them out and discard the damaged and small ones.

Do not rush to do everything helpful tips”, which you hear from acquaintances and new acquaintances or from the TV screen. Do not forget that the goal of any TV star, even in the form of a "knowledgeable avid summer resident" is to entertain you with an amusing spectacle, and not boringly teach something simply useful. What kind of "techniques for increasing germination and productivity" you will not hear from our customers, enlightened by such stars. There are also funny ones, for example: “before sowing, wear seeds on the cheek so that smart seeds absorb information about the host’s diseases and the fruits that grow from them heal his illnesses.” Before putting seeds by the cheeks, make sure they are not treated with thiram or other pesticide.

In the literature for gardeners, the topic of seed treatment is given a lot of space in the literal sense. Sometimes several pages are devoted to listing various recipes. If a conscientious, inexperienced gardener, in a good intention to “do the best”, decides to complete them all, then the seeds will most likely fall off the middle of the race. The authors of such books probably not only did not do what they write about in such detail, but also never grew anything themselves.

An experienced gardener-practitioner, Yury Nikolayevich Ushakov, the author of many articles in the journal Homestead Farming and popular books: “For a Beginning Farmer”, “All About Tomatoes”, “All About Cucumbers”, etc., writes on this issue: “With seeds I don’t shaman, I don’t freeze and defrost, I don’t tell fortunes and I don’t barbat, but I sow dry and a little more than planned for planting in the ground, so that after germination, leave the strongest.”

Our buyers ask the seeds of our company:

• do not soak
• do not pickle
• do not freeze
• do not warm up
• do nothing to process

Simply sow them dry in well-drained soil.
The right choice of sowing dates and good care- more important than all pre-sowing treatments.
Crops whose seeds require stratification are best sown before winter; cold-resistant crops germinating at low positive temperatures - in early spring; heat-loving - not earlier than the second half of May in well-warmed moistened soil.

LLC "Agrofirma "Alena Lux"

Kuzmicheva Svetlana Vyacheslavovna

The purpose of this treatment is to free the seeds from pathogens, increase their immunity and germination energy.

Previously, I did not burden myself with pre-sowing seed treatment, because. used inlaid seeds of foreign hybrids for sowing.

Surely you paid attention to the colored seeds in bags. They do not need to be treated with anything, the seed producers did it for us. Last year

I almost completely switched to varieties, because. hybrids are tasteless and in this case you have to process the seeds yourself - cheap seeds of varieties are not processed in any way.

Be sure to do pre-sowing seed treatment in the case when you harvest own seeds.

1. Select full-fledged seeds - the largest, full-weight ones.

2. Decontaminate them. Keep in mind that 80% of all vegetable diseases are seed-borne and only 20% are soil-borne.

Sometimes black spots, stripes are visible on the seeds (this is especially common in the seeds of zucchini, cucumbers, melons) - such seeds are known to be carriers of dangerous infections. It's best to throw them away.

Do not disinfect the seeds in two cases: if the seeds are encrusted, or if the seeds are coated.

Etching with potassium permanganate - most affordable way disinfection of seeds, but it does not kill the infection inside the seed, but only on its surface. Many summer residents make a mistake: they make a weak solution of potassium permanganate, but they need 1% or 2% black.

The processing mode for different crops is different.

In a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, we soak for 45 minutes seeds of crops such as: celery, onions, tomatoes, physalis, lettuce, radishes, corn, beans, peas, beans.

We keep in a 2% solution 20 minutes seeds: peppers, eggplant, cabbage, parsnips, carrots, dill, pumpkins, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, melons, watermelons.

Seed treatment is carried out at room temperature followed by rinsing them under running water.

Advice to beginner summer residents - how to prepare an accurate solution of potassium permanganate.

1% solution: dilute one teaspoon (without top) in 600 ml

(3 cups) water.

2% solution: put two teaspoons in 600 ml of water.

Make sure the crystals are well dissolved.

But I neutralize tomatoes in a more effective way - by heating in hot water. True, in this case, some of the seeds die - the weakest, but this is good, because. natural selection takes place.

Warming up seeds in hot water:

Cabbage - 52-54 about C, 20 minutes

Tomatoes - 50-52 about C, 30 minutes

Eggplant - 50-52 about C, 25 minutes

Beet– 48-50 about C, 25 minutes

After warming upseeds are needed immediately.place under cold running water.

In this method, the accuracy of measurements is important, which means that you need a good thermometer and a watch with a second hand.

I put the seeds in a cloth and put them in a thermos.

The third way is the easiest. Sow the seeds in peat tablets pre-soaked in a solution of some microbial preparation, for example, Vostok EM-1. Constantly, as the tablets dry up, pour such a solution into the pan where the tablets are. Microbes will disinfect and tablets,

and seeds. Very comfortably! You can stimulate the seeds at the same time by adding EM-1, HB-101 or Zircon, or Albit, or trace elements to the Vostok solution

ReaCom, etc. The only drawback is that viruses are not destroyed, and in this case, warming up in hot water is better.

So, if viruses are “naughty” on your site, then try to master the heat treatment method as the most effective.

Start with your seeds, there are usually a lot of them, and if some of the seeds die, then the rest will suffice.

seed soaking

It is carried out after disinfection of seeds.

It is best to soak the seeds in clean, structured water.

I used to make such water by partially freezing water:

put a bottle of water in the freezer, or on the loggia and when the water is half frozen, pour it out dirty water and melt the remaining ice. For example, I put a bottle of ice on the battery and get warm, structured water. Such water easily penetrates into the seed, accelerating its germination. Biologically active substances can be added to this water, dozens of types are now offered, but I would not recommend adding ash or fertilizers, because. highly concentrated saline solutions inhibit seedlings.

Soaking seeds in Epin's solution

2 drops of the drug are added to half a glasswarm water . Processing time 12-24 hours with occasional stirring. It is important that the solution always remains warm, so I place it on a bedding on a radiator. After the specified time, we take out the seeds and sow.

Soaking seeds in potassium humate solution

Dilute half a teaspoon of humate in half a glass of warm water (27-28 about C) and lower the seeds in a cloth for a day with occasional stirring.

Soaking seeds in Zircon solution

I really like Zircon peppers. We soak them for 16-18 hours at a temperature of 23-25 about C and when diluting 1 drop of Zircon in 1.5 cups of water.

For seeds of corn, cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini, melons - 2 drops per 1.5 cups of water and infused for 10 hours.

Soaking seeds in aloe juice

Use undiluted juice. Leaves are broken off from aloe and placed in the refrigerator for a week, after which they take out, squeeze the juice out of them and place tomato seeds in it for 24 hours, after which they are immediately sown without washing them from the juice.

seed germination n

This isone of the most dangerous moments in pre-sowing seed treatment,

therefore, I rarely use it, and most often I sow it with dry seeds and then carefully monitor the soil moisture and its temperature. To do this, I close the boxes with crops with a film, which is pierced in several places with a fork - for a little air access, and put them on top kitchen cabinets, or, if the boxes are small, then on the radiator, after laying a thick rag under them.

I want to warn gardenersfrom germinating seeds in water, or in a plastic bag - without air access, they will suffocate and rot.

If you already really want to tinker with seeds once again, for example,

in order to make sure that the seeds are good, not expired, then do this in the following way: put sawdust, or sphagnum moss, or wet vermiculite on a saucer, pour boiling water over them to warm them up. Then cover this loose, moisture-retaining substance with a cloth on which to sprinkle the seeds. Cover them with a damp cloth too. Put the saucer on the battery, placing it in a plastic bag, into which you take a few exhalations and carefully tie it. Twice a day - in the morning and in the evening, moisten the rag in which the seeds are wrapped, turn the bag over reverse side and blow it up again. Carbon dioxide inside the bag will promote the germination of the seed.

Korobeinik stores sell special napkins for germinating seeds. I tried them last year and really liked them.

Be sure now, before the start of the sowing season, check your own seeds and those that you have from last year for germination and germination energy.

I planned to sow nightshade crops on February 23rd (may the men forgive me).

I invite all summer residents who have greenhouses to join me.

I bought the seeds back in November. If you are interested, I can name what and how much I will sow.

tomatoes

I will sow 5 varieties:Southern Tan,Italian Spaghetti, Scarlet Candles, Favorite Holiday and Golden Domes. I will sow them in 2 terms, because. in the second half of summer, they reduce their yield (except for the Italian spaghetti variety, which can please with a rich harvest until late autumn).

On February 23rd I will sow 5 seeds of the above varieties, and on March 22nd the same number of seeds of these varieties (second batch of seedlings).

In addition to varieties, the first batch of tomatoes will include 9 more hybrids of foreign selection. These are novelties of the leading agricultural firms in Israel, the USA, Spain, Holland and Japan. Vladimir Alexandrovich Komyakov contributed to the appearance of these hybrids in Samara, many of you know him, he sells drip irrigation tapes.

Last year he gave me some seeds of tomatoes, peppers, watermelons

and melons from their range. I showed you amazingly beautiful vegetables from these plants in the summer. And what harvests they gave! Particularly pleasedIsraeli watermelons, melons, peppers.

Therefore, this year I collected from Vladimir Aleksandrovich 8 new hybrids of tomatoes, two hybrids of watermelons, nine (!) hybrids of melons, seven hybrids of peppers, one Japanese cucumber hybrid UranusF 1 .

Right now I'm scratching my head where to attach this horde of melons and watermelons. I have a plot - “the cat cried”, and these cultures need space. I decided - I will put them on fences, stacks of firewood, on greenhouses and in a greenhouse. I have a lot of experience in growing hybrids on trellises, so if the weather is good, we can grow them. "In crowded but not mad!". After all, you can put wigwams.

Does not give power to the earth - let's go up, for air until the bribe is collected.

seedsvarieties tomatoes must be disinfected before sowing. I warm them up for 30 minutes in hot water (48 about C), and the seeds of hybrids of foreign selection do not need to be treated with anything, they are already pickled, i.e. free from infection

and treated with a growth stimulator. That these seeds highest quality visible to the naked eye: they are calibrated, i.e. all the same size, not dry, fresh. Here, look at our melon seeds, or zucchini, pumpkin, or cucumber seeds and compare them with foreigners.

Attention!

When found in a bag of seeds with dark spots, dots, dashes -

destroy them immediately. If you bring an infection into your garden, you won’t be able to get it out.

Know that 80% of the infection in our garden is a "gift" from store

seeds and seedlings. And only 20% of infection plants receive from the soil.

So, my friends, everything that you bought in the store: onion sets, potatoes, varietal seeds, seedlings, flower bulbs - everything is neededpickle . On everything - infection, viruses and ticks!

That is why it is so pleasant to work with professional seeds from foreign manufacturers.

“Here every seed is a personality!” A. Leonidovich Samsonov once told me. One disadvantage of foreigners is that they lose to our taste. But here you can choose for yourself what is more important to you: taste or beauty. I sow half seedlings of varieties and half hybrids. Until September, we eat varieties, and when they turn off fruiting, we switch to hybrids. Nowhere to go - let's go!

I will plant hybrids by two seeds, there will be 18 bushes in total.

The result is:

• Ibatch of tomatoes (sowing on February 23rd)

— 25 varieties and 18 hybrids.

• IIbatch of tomatoes (sowing on March 23rd)
• - 25 mid-season varieties.

In total, I have 68 bushes of tomatoes, which is half a ton of tomatoes.

Why so many?

Firstly, I grow part of the seedlings for a relative. She plants seedlings in her garden at the end of May, so half of the tomatoes and peppers fromIIparty (sowing March 23) I will give it to her. I plant 50 bushes for myself.

I have many relatives in Samara, so every week, starting

from July 10 until frost, I send 6 buckets of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants there.

I remind you that I have three greenhouses. Each greenhouse has three beds 60 cm wide.

One greenhouse has emergency heating in the form of two infrared heaters.

Attention!

IR heaters on sale for greenhouses . Unlike models IR heaters like Mister X, they do not rust . It is very important. I bought them from Atmosfera.

First batch of seedlingsFebruary I planned to plant the seeds in this greenhouse on April 20th. If there are night frosts, the infrared heaters will automatically turn on and maintain the air temperature that you set on the temperature sensor. I install+ 10 about C. At the same time, it “winds” a little on the electric meter, and such air temperature is not dangerous for planted plants at night. The main thing is that the soil does not cool down below+ 14 about WITH.

During the day in the greenhouse at the end of April it is very warm, above 25 about C. During the day, the earth accumulates heat, and at night I will cover it and everything that grows on the beds with two layers of spunbond, then the heat from the soil will not be quickly lost.

Helps keep the greenhouse warm and horse dung with which I scoredcentral garden bed. A layer of earth is laid on a layer of manure 20 cm thick

at 20cm. On this bed on April 20th I will plant seedlings of cucumbers. Six plants will occupy the entire garden. It will be a hybrid RhythmF 1 .

For onelateral I will plant 16 bushes of tomato seedlings in 2 rows. I will arrange the bushes in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 35 cm from each other. Why so often? Because the varieties Southern Sunburn, Favorite Holiday, Italian Spaghetti have low leafy bushes and can be planted denser.

On the second side bed I will plant two rows of Russian early ripening peppers: Swallow and Tenderness. With such an early planting, these varieties give the first harvest in early June.

The second greenhouse I will begin to populate with seedlings on May 1st. Hybrids of tomatoes and peppers, the best representatives of the world selection, will be planted here. Don't hesitate to go to the store Drip irrigation and buy these seeds. See what crops giveprofessional seeds.

In the third greenhouse I will plant seedlingsMarch sowing on May 9th, and possibly later, when I harvest the radishes sown here before winter.

This entire greenhouse is filled with seedlings that have been living here since mid-April. Here it undergoes hardening for at least a week. Here I process it before planting it in the garden with milk with iodine (from viruses), I spill pots with eggplant seedlings with a solution of Aktara (protection against the Colorado potato beetle for 2 months), etc.

Seedlings of marigolds (100 plants!) and petunias (100 bushes!) linger in this greenhouse the longest. Although these flowers are not whimsical, they are very afraid of frost, so you have to keep them warm for a long time.

Cucumbers will be planted in the third greenhouse in the central bed. This is the second batch sown in peat tablets on May 28th, in the amount of 6 pieces Japanese hybrid UranusF 1 . It gives very small cucumbers - pickles.

Just in time for August, I will start collecting them for pickling.

Along the edges of the greenhouse, on the side beds, I plan to plant 2 rows of pepper hybrids. I will arrange them in a checkerboard pattern, I will lead only one or two heads. Let them grow up, forcing the entire volume of the greenhouse to work.

It won't be long before these hybrids start to feed me, because they are best kept in the garden until they are biologically ripe, until they turn into their final color.

So, from the first greenhouse, peppers will go for stuffing and salads, starting

from June, and from the third greenhouse - in August for lecho, freezing and, of course, eating raw. After all, they are very juicy and sweet when they reach theirbiological ripeness.

ADVICE. Peppers for the first time after planting seedlings grow very slowly, so you can compact them by sowing radishes or lettuce.

And in general, try in the spring, as early as possible, to plant and sow every piece of land in the greenhouse bed. What kind of cultures I did not plant to the main plants:

- strawberries (she, however, she crawled into the greenhouse herself, in this case a dish of large, ripe, fragrant berries you will collect already on Trinity, and not at the end of June);

- plant seedlings of some watermelon hybrid, each plant will give

3 large fetus. I plant two bushes at the ends of the beds on the south side. I don’t tie plants on trellises because of laziness, and they occupy all the aisles. Only in time remove those shoots on which there are no ovaries. In greenhouses, watermelons grow twice as large.

Early in spring, I plant seedlings of parsley, basil, cilantro, and beets in greenhouses. Seedlings grown in peat tablets, which I plant in small holes in free places.

Make sure that each tablet contains no more than two or three sprouts.

green crops. Excess seedlings - cut with scissors.

I want to warn you about this: by the time the fruits appear on the peppers, no other cultures should remain between its bushes, otherwise it

“sit down” and will not give a good harvest. Therefore, planting pepper seedlings and sowing radishes on the same day. Radishes takeprecocious . In a month, there should be no radishes in the garden.

I wish the greenhouse to become your own breadwinner. Good luck!

Before moving on to specific recommendations regarding seedbed preparation for dormant seeds different types and methods of stimulating their germination, we should dwell on a more detailed description of the methods used in this case. They are quite diverse, and the effectiveness of their action depends primarily on the type of dormancy and the species characteristics of the seeds. Along with the great importance has the care to comply with the necessary processing conditions.

A number of methods have been developed to eliminate the inhibitory effect of integuments in the case of exogenous dormancy. These include scarification, impaction, various types of heat treatments, as well as the treatment of seeds and fruits with alkalis, acids, and some other substances that contribute to the destruction of the integument.

There are various influences directly or indirectly aimed at changing the physiological state of the embryo, which is characteristic of the types of endogenous dormancy. Direct effects on the embryo include keeping under certain temperature conditions, a certain light mode, in an atmosphere enriched with 02, etc., as well as treatment with various substances that stimulate germination. These factors "work" in a biologically active range and, as a rule, are effective only if seeds containing sufficient moisture are treated. A number of methods of pre-sowing preparation (dry storage, short-term heating, etc.) contribute to an increase in the permeability of the covers for 02 and thereby also leads to the activation of the embryo.
One of the most widespread ways of overcoming physical rest (Aph) is scarification. It is a mechanical damage to waterproof covers.

Small batches of hard seeds are processed by hand: in large seeds, the covers are filed or cut, and small seeds are ground with emery or sand. Large batches of seeds are processed using special machines. It should be noted that the machine method, unfortunately, often gives a large percentage of damage that leads to the death of part of the seeds, thereby reducing the overall germination. The duration of processing in each case is set experimentally.
Impact is more soft method elimination of hardness. It is based on the impact of seeds on each other or on the walls of the vessel in which they are enclosed. Such an impact leads to damage to the peel in a special part of it, near the hilum, and is not accompanied by injury to the seed itself. Under laboratory conditions, impaction is usually carried out by repeatedly shaking the seeds in bottles or other glass vessels, in some cases with the addition of sand. The method gives good results not in all cases. It is most successfully used when working with seeds of various species from the moth family. At present, devices have been designed that allow large batches of seeds to be impacted.

A very effective way to eliminate the physical dormancy of seeds is heat treatment. In practice, apply various modes warming and freezing, as well as a sharp change in temperature. Especially good results are obtained by heating dry or wet seeds. The conditions for heating seeds of different species and even different reproductions of the same species have to be established empirically. According to A. V. Poptsov, heating dry rope seeds for 3 or 6 hours at 60 or 40 °, respectively, leads to a complete loss of seed hardness. For red clover (Trifolium sativum) one minute warming at 88 - 98°C is enough for the number of swollen seeds to reach 85%.

Soaking in hot water is an effective way to increase the swelling capacity of hard seeds. For example, G. E. Misnik recommends soaking the seeds of honey locust (Gleditsia) and white acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) in hot water at a temperature of 80-85 ° for 10 minutes or leaving the seeds in it until it cools. Especially hard seeds are scalded with boiling water for several minutes, and more often for several seconds. So, the yemen of honey locust can be left in boiling water for 15 seconds, and the seeds of white acacia - no more than 5 seconds. Freezing has a beneficial effect on hard seeds. The intensity and duration of it is also established empirically. Seed hardness can be eliminated, moreover, under the influence of various periodic temperature changes (from 20 - 25 / 80-35 to 5/30 ° and even -10-20 / 15-20 °).

Along with physical methods, chemical treatment is often used to overcome seed hardness. Various substances were tested: alkali, acids and organic solvents. Satisfactory results in most cases are given only by concentrated sulfuric acid(H2SO4), the duration of soaking in it can vary from 15 minutes to 24 hours, but always followed by 5-6 times washing the seeds in water. After the treatment is finished, the sulfuric acid is drained off and the seeds are immediately immersed in a large amount of water to avoid overheating associated with the gradual dilution of the acid. When working with sulfuric acid, there are some important points: not long enough keeping in it leaves a lot of hard seeds, on the other hand, the acid damages the easily swelling seeds contained in the sample. When working with a small amount of seeds, it can be recommended to separate the swelling seeds by pre-soaking in water, and treat only the remaining hard ones with sulfuric acid. In addition, great care is required in the work, as it is unsafe for the person performing the processing. The temperature at which the treatment is carried out is of considerable importance: in lupine (Lupinus), 80-minute soaking of seeds in sulfuric acid at 10°C caused only 16% germination in 4 days, while soaking at 20°C increased their germination to 76%, and at 35° - up to 100%.

In some cases, nitric acid is used. Crocker, for example, recommends the following method for treating linden (Tilia) seeds: the fruitlets are briefly immersed in concentrated nitric acid to soften the pericarp, then the latter is washed with water, and the seeds are soaked in sulfuric acid to eliminate seed hardness. The seeds treated in this way are stratified after thorough washing. In some species, in particular, according to A. V. Poptsov, in the seeds of the lotus (Nelumbo), the elimination of seed hardness is successfully achieved by treatment with alcohol.

To accelerate the cracking of the bones, there are several methods. According to the method of M. G. Gurgenidze, bones fruit plants several times they undergo the following operation: soaking in water for a day, then drying the decomposed bones under a canopy heated by the sun (40-60 °) with moistening them 2 times a day for 1-2 weeks. The method gives good results for cherries, plums and some other stone fruits, as well as nut plants. Bones with a firmly overgrown suture, such as Cornus, Crataegus, are less responsive to such treatment. Drying recommends that seeds enclosed in a hard endocarp or peel (Prunus, Aesculus, etc.) be subjected to a two-week stratification in sand or peat before the start of cold stratification. elevated temperature(20-30°). However, it should be pointed out that this method, judging by the author's own data, often does not produce a very significant effect.

If inhibition of germination is caused by the presence of germination inhibitors in the pericarp, it is removed before germination or the seeds in the pericarp are washed for several days in running water. Good results are also obtained by keeping such seeds in plentifully watered vessels and sand or peat; release from inhibitors occurs due to the fact that these substances are actively adsorbed by the substrate.

The most widely used technique for disturbing endogenous or combined seed dormancy is stratification. The term "stratification" means interlayering, and it arose because initially seedbed preparation seeds or seeds of fruit plants consisted in the fact that they were interbedded with wet sand and placed in the cellar for the winter. At present, stratification is understood much more broadly, and the rooted term no longer fully corresponds to the essence of the impacts produced. They lie in the fact that the swollen seeds are kept in a humid and fairly well aerated environment under certain temperature conditions. In the case of morphological dormancy (B), the seeds undergo warm stratification, which is necessary for the further development of the embryo. Optimum temperature warm stratification ranges from 10 to 35°, depending on the species specificity of the seeds.

Physiological dormancy is eliminated under the influence of cold stratification: the temperature range at which this process can occur is rather small: from 0 to 7 °, less often 10 °, and the optimum temperature ranges from 1 to 5 °. The duration of stratification depends on the depth of physiological dormancy and the presence of additional factors inhibiting germination. Seeds that are in shallow dormancy successfully germinate after 1-15 days of exposure to low temperatures. Meanwhile, a 2-4-month cold stratification is necessary to disturb deep physiological dormancy. This period can be significantly extended if sufficiently favorable conditions for pre-sowing preparation are not observed or if the seeds are in combined dormancy.
In the case of simple morphophysiological dormancy, the seeds are first subjected to warm stratification for 1-4 months, and then placed in the cold.

To overcome combined dormancy, complex pre-sowing preparation is necessary, in which stratification is preceded by different methods. pre-treatment. This is absolutely necessary in cases where physiological dormancy is combined with physical dormancy (Aph-B2-3), since stratification changes cannot take place in unswollen seeds. In most other cases, overcoming the combined dormancy can occur during stratification without preliminary additional influences. However, under these conditions, the process of disturbance of rest proceeds very slowly.

The efficiency of stratification is higher, the more precisely the temperature regime and the more carefully it is maintained. It should be noted here that we are not talking about the complete elimination of temperature fluctuations. Experience shows that strictly stable temperature conditions turn out to be less effective than conditions in which some temperature fluctuation occurs. It is usually recommended to maintain the stratification temperature within fluctuations of no more than ±1°. Having factorostat chambers, commercial or room refrigerators, or at least a simple cellar (glacier), it is not difficult to regulate the temperature conditions of cold stratification. In refrigerators, this is achieved by separating the shelves with some kind of insulating material (styrofoam, plastic, glass, in extreme cases, cardboard), in the cellar, the temperature is regulated by placing vessels with seeds at different heights.

Stratification is carried out depending on the number of seeds in boxes, flower pots or even plastic bags. Used as a substrate river sand or gravel, calcined to remove organic impurities and washed from the fine fraction. Good stratification media are granulated peat and sphagnum moss. A small amount of seeds can be stratified in nylon bags placed in sphagnum moss, or simply in Petri dishes on wet filter paper.

A necessary condition for successful stratification is the maintenance of sufficient, but not excessive moisture content of the substrate (60% of the total moisture capacity). Protection from excess moisture allows you to maintain good aeration in the environment, which is also very important. The use of peat or sphagnum contributes to the creation of an acidic environment favorable for the passage of stratification changes (pH 5-6). In addition, it protects the seeds from microbiological contamination. When working with sand, infection can be prevented by observing certain proportions when mixing volumes of sand and seeds (2: 1, and preferably 3: 1). In all cases, maintaining good aeration and protecting seeds from infection is facilitated by periodic mixing, viewing, and washing the contents of boxes and vessels. Good disinfectants are KMn04 solution (intense pink) and 1% bromine water (faint yellow).

Light is an important factor contributing to the disruption of the shallow physiological dormancy of the seeds of many species, as well as to the growth of isolated embryos. In order for light-sensitive seeds to acquire the ability to germinate, it is sufficient to subject them to short-term illumination in a swollen state with white or, better, red light. The duration of illumination is inversely proportional to its intensity. With a sufficiently high brightness, seeds can be illuminated for several minutes. However, the conversion of phytochrome can take place, although much more slowly, at very low light intensity, on the order of 2000-5000 lux.

In addition to the generally accepted methods of pre-sowing treatment of dormant seeds mentioned above, in last years a number of new ones have appeared. In particular, our study of the effect of aeration conditions showed that in seeds of some species characterized by not very deep dormancy, positive results are obtained by keeping them at an elevated temperature under water. In this case, the optimum temperature varies from species to species and ranges from 25 to 35°C, while the time varies from several hours to 5–20 days. Small portions of seeds can be placed in jars for heating at a depth of 5-10 cm from the surface of the water. In the case of a large number of seeds, they are poured in buckets or vats with heated water and placed in a well-heated room. After 18 days of heating under water at 25-30°C, the seeds of green ash (Fraxinus viridis) and walnut (Juglans regia) germinated well at the same temperature, but under normal aeration.

To stimulate the germination of dormant seeds, seed treatment with gibberellic acid is currently usually used; other gibberellins (GK4, GK7, etc.) are less available, although often much more effective. Kinetin, benzylaminopurine are often used, phenylurea, thiourea, potassium nitrate (KNO3) and some others are sometimes used. Solutions of stimulants are prepared as follows. The initial solution of gibberellin (no more than 2 g/l) is obtained by dissolving a sample in water when heated in a water bath to 80°. In the case of using the preparation of the Kurgan plant of medical preparations, when taking a sample, an amendment is introduced, taking into account the percentage of activity indicated on the label. For seeds, GKs is usually used at a concentration of 100 to 2000 mg/l, to stimulate the germination of isolated embryos - 50-100 ml/l. Solutions of gibberellins are often recommended to be prepared in buffers (phosphate with pH 4-7 or citrate with pH 3.6). Cytokinin solutions, including kinetics, are used at a concentration of 10 to 500 mg/l or up to 100 mg/l in the case of germinating embryos. The procedure for preparing the solution is as follows: add to a sample of the substance a small amount of distilled water and 5 ml of 0.1 n. HC1, stir, heat in a water bath until completely dissolved, cool the solution at room temperature, then bring its reaction with a few drops of alkali to pH 5 and add distilled water to the desired volume.

It should be remembered that if the range of stimulating concentrations of GA3 is quite wide, then in order to obtain the stimulating effect of cytokinins, it is necessary to select exact concentrations for the seeds of the species under study. Exceeding the required concentration may have the opposite, suppressive effect or cause abnormal growth. Phenylurea, thiourea and KNO3 are used in concentrations from 0.1 to 1 and even 5%. These preparations are readily soluble in water. Initial solutions of all listed substances are stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1-2 months. When processing, one should take into account not only the concentration, but also the volume of the solution, since this determines the amount of substance per seed. For the success of processing, the condition of the covers and temperature conditions are of considerable importance. Seed treatment with stimulants is carried out within 1-5 days. However, there are indications that a two-hour soak is sufficient. It should be remembered that seeds with waterproof covers must first be scarified. It is possible that in some cases the lack of effect after treatment may be due to the poor permeability of the peel or endosperm for stimulating substances. Combined treatments are usually carried out by successive soaking in different solutions. Processing with a mixture of substances is possible only in cases where the concentration of the components differs by an order of magnitude or more.

The use of stimulants, even not very strong ones, such as KNO3, usually gives good results in seeds that are in shallow dormancy. The situation is much more complicated with respect to seeds characterized by deep physiological and morphophysiological dormancy. A positive effect from treatment with various stimulants can be obtained by no means in all species and not with all substances (see Chap. 1).

Seeds of many species do not have pronounced dormancy, but their germination energy is low due to their heterogeneity, primarily in terms of maturity. In wild plants, the prolongation of the germination period is especially pronounced. It is also observed in a number of cultural, in particular garden plants. To increase the germination energy, seed treatment with an osmotically active substance: polyethylene glycol with a molecular weight of 6000 (PEG 6000) gives good results. 3. V. Redkina et al. recommend the following treatment method: the seeds are washed with a weak solution of KMnO4 and soaked in a PEG 6000 solution for several days. Osmotic potential (in bars), volume of solution, temperature and duration of treatment vary depending on the type of seed. Solutions are prepared from next calculation:

Treated seeds are best sown immediately, but can be dried after washing with water and stored until sowing. The treatment effect is especially significant when germinating seeds, such as asparagus, at low temperatures (10°).

The new gardening season begins as always with the choice and preparing seeds for sowing seedlings. The most sought-after vegetables and annual flowers are grown through seedlings to get results as early as possible. Strong plants are the main condition for a good harvest or lush flowering, and you will receive seedlings of healthy and developed plants only from quality seeds passed all stages of pre-sowing treatment.

If you buy branded seeds, which, according to modern technologies, have gone through all the stages of preparation for sowing from calibration, to disinfection and treatment with growth stimulants, then they are sown immediately from the pack dry. Usually these seeds are colored in bright color or enclosed in a shell, they should not be soaked or germinated, as this can provoke a reverse reaction - the death of the embryos in the seeds and the absence of seedlings. Treated seeds are sown dry, after watering, the substances applied to them dissolve in moist soil and begin to awaken the seed. Usually, pesticides and growth stimulants are applied to the seeds.

If you collect flower or vegetable seeds yourself, or buy seeds that have passed only the initial processing - calibration, then they are carried out for them.

You can determine whether it is necessary to soak or germinate purchased seeds by their appearance and instructions on the packaging. If the seeds are coated or tinted, it means that they have been applied to nourish or stimulate the growth of seedlings, when soaked, they will dissolve in water and wash out, without bringing any benefit to the seeds.

Self-collected seeds before sowing must go through all the stages of preparation for sowing , otherwise you will get unfriendly, late or rare shoots, miss the time for plant development before planting on permanent place and accordingly the plants will show their result later.

The first step is to check the germination yourself harvested seeds , with poor results, it makes no sense to carry out the rest of the work. Take about 10 seeds, place them in a piece of gauze or between two cotton pads, wet and place in any resealable container or bag. Keep the seeds moist but not in water. For each crop, the time for seed germination is different, but if after the due date not a single seed hatches or their percentage is very small, then it is better to buy seeds from best performance germination.

Vegetable Seed Germination Chart:

The first stage of seedbed preparation is calibration or seed sorting. Seeds of the same size, without damage, of the same color and without spots on the shell are selected. Small seeds will give weak sprouts, they will take longer to develop and are more susceptible to diseases than seedlings obtained from strong embryos.

A quick way to calibrate seeds, separating healthy from empty seeds, is to soak the seeds in salt water. This procedure takes no more than 5 minutes, 1 teaspoon of salt is diluted in 1 liter of water and seeds are poured out. Those seeds that have sunk to the bottom in the salty soda are full, and those that have surfaced are empty. The seeds floating on top are thrown away, and the sunken ones are washed and dried.

The second stage of pre-sowing treatment - disinfection. Often, pathogenic bacteria, spores, remain on the seeds, which, when they enter a favorable environment, into moist soil, begin to develop along with seedlings, so seedlings become ill. To disinfect the seed coats, they are pickled in solutions with any fungicidal preparation. The most popular methods are soaking seeds for 15-20 minutes in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide (1 part of 3% peroxide is diluted in 3 parts of water). Seeds pre-soaked for an hour are lowered into the solution, since when processed dry, they can suffer a chemical burn. After the disinfection procedure, the seeds are washed.

Effective means of disinfection are drugs - "Fitosporin", "Maxim", "Fundazol", they are bred according to the instructions on the package. In addition to seeds, you need to disinfect the soil prepared for sowing.

But all these agents kill pathogens only on the seed coat. To destroy the infection inside, the seeds are heated at a temperature at which the pathogens under the shell die, but not the embryos. To warm up, dry seeds are placed in the oven and the temperature is set at 50-55 degrees, but not higher, otherwise germination is significantly reduced. Warming up should last 3 hours. You can place the seeds on the battery for heating.

The next stage of pre-sowing seed preparation are to accelerate their growth., after which the seeds are immediately sown.

Under the shell is an embryo with a small supply of nutrients, so that it wakes up to life, it needs moisture. Water washes away the substances that put the embryo into sleep from the seeds, and they begin to grow. Since we awaken seeds in artificial conditions, it is necessary to create conditions for them that are most favorable for development.

tomato seeds hatch best when maintaining a temperature of + 25 ... + 28 degrees for 1-2 days during humid environment. After that, the swollen tomato seeds can be sown on seedlings, they will quickly sprout.

To get friendly fast shoots of pepper, the seeds are soaked and kept at a temperature of + 22 ... + 25 degrees until hatching.

eggplant seeds they will quickly wake up if they are soaked for a day, kept at a temperature of +50 degrees, for example, on a battery, and then moved to a warm place at a temperature of +25 ... +28 degrees until hatching.

cucumber seeds they also like warming up in hot water before sowing at temperatures up to 50 degrees for 1-2 hours, after which they are dried and sown, seedlings will appear quickly.

cabbage seeds for sowing seedlings, hold in hot water for an hour, but not in boiling water. After heat treatment, dry the seeds and sow, hot water will awaken the germs of the seeds and accelerate their germination.

Accelerates seed germination various preparations- growth stimulants, these are Epin, Epin-Extra, Zircon, Ecogel, Novosil. To soak the seeds, dilute the preparations in water strictly according to the instructions, exceeding the dose may have the opposite result. Seed germination stimulants have additional properties, they increase plant immunity, resistance to adverse conditions and diseases.

Of the natural stimulants for seed germination, aloe juice is used..

In order for the embryos to have more nutrients for the first push for growth, it is useful to add a little fertilizer containing all the necessary trace elements to the water when soaking the seeds, for example, Ideal liquid fertilizer.

A folk remedy is soaking the seeds before sowing in a decoction of onion peel or an infusion of wood ash..

Rules for sowing seeds:

Most seeds are soaked for no more than a day before sowing.. Some seeds swell in 3-6 hours - these are the seeds of radishes, peas, beans, beans. Tight-similar seeds, in which the shell contains a large amount of essential oils, require long-term soaking for up to three days - these are the seeds of dill, celery, onions, and carrots.

When a few seeds have hatched, you can start sowing, you do not need to wait for all the seeds to wake up during soaking.

When sowing seeds, it is important to incorporate their soil to the correct depth., otherwise the sprouts will spend too much strength to make their way to the light and weaken.

Seeding depth for large seeds- pumpkins, beans and others should be up to 4-6 of their thickness, not length. Medium seeds (tomato, pepper, etc.) are sown to a depth of 2.5-3 times their size. Small seeds are never covered with earth from above, as they need light to germinate.

Seeds need moisture during germination. make sure that the surface of the soil does not dry out. Keep crops warm at about 25 degrees. Every day, air the crops in greenhouses so that they receive enough oxygen.

To activate the processes of germination, improve the germination of seeds of vegetable crops, stimulate the immune system of plants, as well as to prevent damage to plants by fungi and viral diseases before sowing, the seeds are soaked in various solutions of physiologically active substances. There are many ways to pre-sow seed treatment.

The action of microelements in such seed treatment is much more effective than the introduction of the same microelements into the soil, even if their amount is increased.

To do this, disinfected and washed seeds are soaked in a solution of one or more trace elements. This treatment is especially effective in tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers. The concentration of the solution and the duration of treatment are not the same and depend on the culture, as is usually indicated in the instructions for use of the drug.

Microfertilizers are dissolved in warm (+40°C) water. Seeds are immersed in a solution at a temperature of 20-22°C. After soaking, the seeds, without washing, are dried to a state of flowability and sown.

seedlings from treated and untreated old seeds

Pre-sowing seed treatment

• The simplest pre-sowing treatment- this is the soaking of seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 100 ml of water). The duration of treatment is 20 minutes, after which the seeds are intensively washed in running water, then they are dried.
• Gardeners with experience use and have long been proven, effective method soaking seeds in an infusion of wood ash, which contains more than 30 nutrients needed by plants, incl. most micronutrients. To do this, put 2 tablespoons of ash in a liter jar, fill it completely warm water and insist two days, stirring occasionally. Then the resulting infusion is carefully drained so as not to disturb the sediment that has fallen to the bottom, the seeds are immersed in the infusion in a gauze bag and the seeds of onion and carrot are kept in it for 8-10 hours, and other crops for 4-5 hours. Some gardeners add 1 tablespoon of liquid mullein to this solution.
• A good result is obtained by soaking the seeds in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Pharmacies sell a solution of 4%. For 50 ml of water, you need to take 10 drops of such a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Thanks to peroxide in the seeds, oxygen exchange improves, which speeds up the germination process. Before sowing, the seeds are tied in gauze and immersed in water with peroxide for one day. Then the seeds are washed, dried and immediately sown in the garden. After such a procedure, the seeds germinate much faster, and the germination itself noticeably increases.
• You can also soak in solutions of trace elements. in solution boric acid soak the seeds of beets, carrots, radishes, rutabaga, tomatoes, cabbage. In a solution of copper sulfate - seeds of crops, which are then grown on peat bogs.
• It is effective and convenient to soak the seeds in a solution of complex fertilizers such as Kemira-universal, in extreme cases, nitrophoska. To do this, 1 teaspoon of fertilizer is diluted in 1 liter of water and the seeds are kept in this solution for 12 hours.
• Many gardeners process vegetable seeds with a solution of aloe juice, Kalanchoe or green mass of root marin. And this is no coincidence. After all, the juice from the leaves of aloe and Kalanchoe stimulates growth, and the juice from the green mass of Maryina root has a very strong antibacterial activity, suppresses pathogens.
• It is simple and effective to use Epin's solution for pre-sowing seed preparation. For this on a glass boiled water take 2 drops of the drug, immerse the seeds in this solution and incubate for 8-10 hours at room temperature. Then they are washed with cold water.
• Very often, for these purposes, gardeners use reliable Potassium Humate, Plantu, Senior Tomato, Novosil, Juno, Zircon, Mikrassa, Biostim, Rizoplan, Gibbersib, Black Yeast, Heteroauxin, Immunocytophyte, Stimulus, Ideal, Zaslon, Bud, etc.
• An excellent result is obtained by soaking the seeds in the Energen growth stimulator. This is natural stimulant growth and development of plants. It contains salts of humic and silicic acids and trace elements. In order to speed up the germination of seeds before sowing, you can soak the seeds in Energen growth stimulator solution at the rate of 5 drops of liquid "energen" per glass of water or 1 capsule per 5 liters of non-cold water. You need to soak the seeds in a cloth bag, which is placed in the solution. The drug increases the energy of germination and germination of seeds, stimulates the growth and development of plants, protects them from adverse factors, frost, drought and improves plant survival during seedling transplantation, thereby accelerating fruit ripening by 7-10 days and increasing yield by 30-40 percent.

All these drugs cause a quick awakening to life of the seed embryo, well stimulate the processes of seed germination, flowering and fruit formation in plants during the growing season, help reduce the level of disease development and the harmful effects of adverse factors external environment, simplify the process of preparing seeds for sowing and make it more efficient. And many of them also significantly improve the survival rate of seedlings during transplantation.

Seed treatment methods, video

• Many gardeners soak vegetable seeds in an aqueous solution of an immunocytophyte. One tablet of this drug is enough to treat 5 g of seeds. To do this, one tablet must be dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water. Seeds are soaked and kept in this concentrate for 3 to 24 hours, depending on the crop and seed size.

But if you are not familiar with the action of the newly acquired drug, then you need to be very careful and careful. First of all, you need to study the instructions attached to the drug. And it is necessary to apply the novelty only on those cultures and in those doses that are indicated in the attached instructions.

• Well, to improve the germination of seeds, our grandmothers soaked them in a biologically active solution, which is easy to make at home. To do this, take 1 tablespoon of manure and soak in 1 liter of warm water. The solution should be infused for a day and you can soak the seeds in it

Now remember well! Even the most effective biostimulant will be able to give the promised yield increase of 25-30% only if you provide normal care for the plants. Therefore, in addition to seed treatment, it is necessary to provide plants with timely sowing, thinning, top dressing, watering, weeding, loosening and much more ...

V. G. Shafransky