Soaking cucumber seeds in hydrogen peroxide before planting

Pre-sowing seed treatment is a mandatory event that affects the germination of cucumbers, prevents infection of seedlings with viral or fungal diseases. At home, cucumber seeds are treated with hydrogen peroxide. This procedure is quite simple, and in terms of efficiency it is comparable to a number of agricultural practices included in pre-sowing preparation.

Why treat seeds with peroxide?

In its natural environment, the cucumber seed germinates under certain conditions. These include increased temperature and humidity, light intensity, increased oxygen supply. These factors suppress the action of substances that hinder the awakening of the embryo during the dormant period and affect the increase in growth stimulants in the seed storage tissue.

To force the seed to leave the state of natural dormancy in conditions when the temperature is below freezing and there is snow, they resort to techniques that imitate the natural environment. Seeds are frozen, heated, soaked in a solution with micronutrient fertilizers, bubbling (oxygenated) and disinfected with fungicides.

Many of these techniques require a careful approach, adherence to strict temperature and time conditions. To simplify the process of preparing seeds, they are treated with hydrogen peroxide before sowing, combining several preparatory procedures at once.

Peroxide affects the seed coat. As a result of the oxidative reaction under the action of oxygen, the amount of inhibitors that inhibit germination decreases. The embryo wakes up, starting a new plant life cycle.

Important! Hydrogen peroxide acts as an effective antiseptic and growth promoter at the same time.

How does hydrogen peroxide affect seeds?

Hydrogen peroxide, sold in pharmacies, has a concentration of 3%. A slightly acidic environment has a complex effect on cucumber seeds:

• affects the strong peel and contributes to its destruction;
• as a result of oxidative processes, the amount of substances that limit the germination of the embryo decreases;
• saturating the endosperm with oxygen, enhances the effect of growth stimulants;
• hydrogen peroxide disinfects the surface of the shell and the hatched seedling, destroying pathogenic microflora.

Soaking cucumber seeds in hydrogen peroxide before planting, one-time effect of disinfection and saturation of the planting material with a dose of active oxygen is obtained.Peroxide activates the germinating energy of the germ, which ensures friendly seedlings. Processing with peroxide does not take much time and is very simple in everyday life.

How to soak cucumber seeds?

Planting material is calibrated before the procedure, trying to cull at the initial stage. Do this by placing the seeds in saline or plain water for 20-30 minutes. Floated seeds are removed, and settled to the bottom, full-weighted ones are washed and prepared for further processing:

1. To soak the seeds, you will need 3% hydrogen peroxide, which can be purchased at any pharmacy in glass or plastic bottles with a volume of 50 ml or more. If, in addition to soaking the seed, you intend to treat the soil or spray the plants with an antiseptic, then it is more profitable to purchase peroxide in liter containers in chemical stores.
2. You will need a glass saucer or glass in which you can safely pour the drug. Select the volume of dishes depending on the amount of seeds to be soaked. If you have to process several different varieties at the same time, then separate dishes are needed for each. The dishes are washed and dried.
3. Prepare small pieces of cloth that are needed to absorb excess liquid and maintain constant moisture around the seeds. It is undesirable to use too thinned fabric, among the fibers of which the seed can get stuck and damaged. Gauze or bandage should be rolled up in 4-5 layers.
4. Put a cloth on the bottom of a glass container and moisten it with a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Lay the seeds on its surface, evenly distributing them over the surface. Top with a second piece of woven fabric. Moisten this layer so that the seeds are completely covered with the soaked cloth.
5. If a large amount of planting material of the same variety is soaked, you can put them in a glass container and pour peroxide solution without using fabric protection. In this case, the drug is poured just enough so that it covers the top layer by 2-3 mm.

The soaked seed material is kept in solution at normal room temperature for 12 hours. Then it is washed in boiled water and dried.

What to look out for?

Of course, pre-sowing preparation is directly related to the method of cultivation:

1. If cucumbers are grown in seedlings, the seeds are planted in peat pots immediately after processing. In this case, it is not at all necessary to wait until they hatch. Heat and light settings are much easier to create at home.
2. In the event that it is planned to grow cucumbers by direct planting in the ground, then additionally the seeds are allowed to swell to the state of seedlings. To increase immunity, germinated seed material is placed overnight in the refrigerator. After that, the seeds can be planted in a permanent place with full confidence that friendly shoots will appear in a few days.
3. In addition, the quality of seed material that has undergone such processing is much higher. It is known that pathogens are often transmitted with planting material. They can be introduced not only into the outer shell, but also into the endosperm. The antimicrobial and antiseptic action of hydrogen peroxide prevents these dangerous processes.

If you are confident in the quality, or have purchased encrusted, coated, laser or plasma seeds, then it is pointless to reprocess them. Yes, and ordinary seeds in bags that do not have a protective coating are disinfected by the manufacturer.

Processing is subjected to planting material purchased from the hands in the markets. It is advisable to disinfect your own seeds, or those obtained by exchange through friends. Be careful and at the slightest doubt about the quality of planting material, use an affordable and cheap way to protect plants with hydrogen peroxide.

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