Preparing cucumber seeds for sowing in open ground and greenhouse: how to plant

Surely there is no such person who would not like cucumbers. Nowadays, in order to obtain an environmentally friendly product, an increasing number of people prefer to grow plants on their own. But to get the best possible harvest, you need to have information on how to prepare cucumber seeds for planting.

How to properly collect material for sowing yourself

Remember that only from certain varieties of cucumbers you can collect seeds for sowing. To do this, the fruits must be on the bushes until fully ripe - they are also called seed. Cucumber is picked only when its color turns yellow.After the fruit is recommended to be placed in a warm place for about a week - this time is enough for the cucumber to become soft. Then, after cutting the vegetable, the seeds are thrown into water (give preference to a glass container) and left for several days.

Please note that the situation where a film or mold forms is normal. This is due to the fermentation process.

When the material for sowing sinks to the bottom, the film is removed and the container is shaken, which will separate the empty seeds that will float. The rest are washed and dried. It is recommended to spread them out on gauze or a tray.

Do not dry with ordinary paper, which can stick to them. When pre-sowing treatment of cucumber seeds, do not speed up their drying by artificial heating.

If the prepared cucumber seeds for sowing are well dried, they are placed in a paper envelope and signed, indicating the variety and time of collection. In order for the seeds to be stored properly, the bag is placed in a dry place.

The shelf life of seeds harvested in this way is three years. Two-year and three-year-old specimens have a higher germination rate, in the future, the shelf life decreases. To improve the quality of young seeds, special conditions are created: they are stored in a dry place, protected from direct sunlight, at temperatures up to 20 °C.

Fruits of varieties marked F1 are not suitable for preparing cucumber seeds for sowing for seedlings - this is the designation of hybrids that are fruitless.

Preparation process

To get a high level of yield, you need to know how to properly prepare the seeds.

The following actions are recommended as seed preparation:

• determine germination;
• disinfect;
• stimulate germination;
• perform seed hardening.

To grow seedlings, cucumber seeds are being prepared for planting in a greenhouse.

How to determine germination

On the shelves of agricultural stores and kiosks, you can find seeds of various varieties of cucumbers, but even there the seeds may be of poor quality, unprocessed and unsuitable for growth. Let's figure out how to properly prepare cucumber seeds from a bag.

To select he althy specimens, it is recommended to place them in a solution that can be prepared by dissolving 50 g of s alt in a liter of water. Those that do come up can be considered unusable and discarded.

Processed cucumber seeds are recommended to be sorted by size, because those that are larger should be planted deeper in the soil. This is best done a month before the scheduled sowing.

It should be remembered that the shelf life of seeds should not exceed three years.

Warming up

When preparing cucumber seeds for sowing in open ground, warming should be used. The best option is to place the material for sowing on the stove or near the battery in a suspended state. As for the temperature, the indicators should not exceed 35 ° C or fall below 23 ° C. This is explained by the fact that otherwise the seeds will be overdried or steamed.

You can warm them up using the thermostat. It is enough to place the seed in it for a period of time, the duration of which is 2 - 3.5 hours - everything will depend on the temperature.

Such measures will improve germination and yield, stimulate the formation of female color, which will make it possible to get ripe cucumbers as early as possible.

When preparing seeds for planting in open ground, they are fed by soaking them in a certain composition for several hours.The mixture may include ash, sodium humate or Nitroammophoska. A considerable number of studies indicate that the necessary properties are characteristic of melt water. After the material for inoculation is washed, placed on a damp cloth and left for 24 hours in a dark place.

Hardening

It is necessary to harden cucumber seeds before planting so that their subsequent presence in a dark, cool place after planting seedlings does not affect the quality.

Hardening is carried out by gradually lowering the temperature of the environment where the seed material is stored. You can ventilate the room or keep the seeds in the refrigerator for a day.

Decontamination

It is imperative to disinfect. Please note that after dressing, not only will the risk of developing diseases decrease, but the level of resistance of the vegetable crop to the negative effects of environmental factors will also increase.To carry out the procedure, it is necessary to treat the seed material with a strong solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid.

You can irradiate the seeds with ultraviolet for 3 - 5 minutes. After that, you need to make sure that no light falls on the material for sowing until it enters the soil. It is recommended to place the seeds in a light-tight bag.

What to do with the seeds from the factory packaging? Store-bought seed marked F1 does not need to be hardened or fertilized. All that is needed is to determine the percentage of germination by germination before sowing in the ground.

Growing seedlings correctly

Before planting cucumbers in the ground, you need to grow seedlings. Putting into practice information on how cucumber seeds are prepared for planting seedlings will help you get the most favorable results:

• bushes grow fast;
• cucumbers will bear fruit for a long time, until the first frost;
• there will be a good harvest.

Before you plant seeds, they need to germinate. A cotton cloth soaked in water and aloe juice is placed in a bowl or tray, and the seeds are laid out on it. Cover with gauze and irrigate with the same water.

The first roots will appear after 1.5 days from the moment of soaking. After that, the planting material is immediately placed in the soil, even before the first shoots. Each seed must be planted separately.

Better if the soil is prepared. This can be done by combining peat, humus and sawdust. The mixture is scalded with boiling water. Sow the seeds to a depth not exceeding 1.5 - 2 cm, irrigate with warm water and cover.

The first three days of seedling containers should be warm. Immediately after the appearance of the first sprouts, the film must be removed, and the seedlings placed in a well-lit place.Particular attention should be paid to temperature - during the day the indicator should not be higher than 20 degrees, and at night - 15.

For better growth and development of seedlings, it is necessary to provide lighting for 10 - 11 hours a day. You can use a fluorescent lamp.

As for watering, it should be carried out after the appearance of the first leaves. You need to be very careful, paying attention to the fact that water does not fall on the stems, but only wets the soil. Reviews say that it is more convenient to water with a teaspoon.

The readiness of greenhouse seedlings for planting in open ground will be indicated by a strong stem with green leaves and a powerful root.

The soil should be warmed up to 15 degrees, and the air temperature should be below 18 degrees. Before planting seedlings, you can take the bushes outside for several days so that the plants adapt to the environment.

It is necessary to focus on the fact that preparing cucumber seeds for sowing is not an easy task. This is a laborious task that requires a lot of time, effort and patience. If you follow all the recommendations about collecting, staying in a greenhouse and planting seedlings in the soil, the result will be impressive. A high level of yield for a long time will please the gardener and will be a kind of gratitude for cucumbers.

Many positive emotions appear when you get excellent results of your work and understand that your efforts were not wasted in vain. In addition, cucumbers can be enjoyed not only during their fruiting period, but also in winter. Of course, if you take care of it in advance.

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