Shelf life of tomato seeds: how many years they remain viable, how to store

Tomato seeds, their expiration date is the time specified in the legislation, during which it is possible to sell them. So, in order No. 707 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, adopted on October 18, 1999, it is mentioned that the expiration date (realization) should be affixed to paper bags.

What is the shelf life of tomato seeds? This period is a year from the date they were found in paper bags. If they are placed in double packaging, use foil or other materials that pass air well, then instead of 1 year, the shelf life becomes 2 years. That is, for example, if the material for sowing is placed in bags in June 2022-2023., then put down the date of the implementation period until July 2022-2023. If it lies in the warehouse until September 2022-2023, and only then it is packed, then it is already necessary to put a date on the packages that the seed is valid until October 2022-2023, although in fact the seeds are the same.

What does germination mean

Germination of seeds - the possibility of sprouts from them with proper germination. This is a period of time that depends on which crop the seeds belong to and is different from the expiration date.

How many years can you store tomato seeds on average? So, it is believed that the shelf life of tomato seeds is 4-5 years - during this period the seeds germinate quietly.

How long can you store tomato seeds as much as possible? Up to 7 years, tomato seeds remain viable, but they need to be checked. You can not look at the date of packaging, but do a test yourself at home, determine the germination of the material.

How to check the material for germination? Take a plate, put on it in 2 - 3 layers of a napkin or 2 - 3 layers of toilet paper. Dampen the paper with water. Pour the seeds under the layers of the napkin. Put a cellophane bag on a plate. Put the plate in heat so that the air temperature in the house is not lower than 25 degrees. If you see the paper dry out, moisten it.

In 4 - 5 days the first sprouts should appear.

If less than 30% of tomato seeds hatch, you can throw them away. If sprouts appear in more than 30%, then they are suitable for planting, they should be left, sown for seedlings or planted in the ground. But take more seed than is required by the standards, given what percentage of them have risen. Then place in bags, write down what percentage has risen after the test. When you decide to plant seeds, sort the labeled bags.

How to collect and save seeds from your tomato bushes

Some vegetable growers plant material collected from the bushes. This method has two advantages: you do not need to spend money on the purchase and the bushes that grow will better adapt to the given climate and planting site. But do not forget that you cannot collect seeds from tomato hybrids, as it is not known what will grow from them.

Tomato is a self-pollinating crop, so you can easily collect seeds from varietal tomato bushes.

To collect high-quality seeds, the largest, most beautiful fruits are selected. Harvest them from the fruits that ripen first, in the greenhouse, remove the tomatoes from the second bunch, and in the field - from the first, since the first bunches bloom first, when the pollinating insects are not yet very active, the risk of cross-pollination is lower.

Besides this, the largest tomatoes grow on the first brushes. Another reason is that if you delay picking fruits and take them not from the first or second hand, then the risk of various diseases increases.

It is better to shoot brown tomatoes or tomatoes that are already colored in the color characteristic of the variety, but not yet fully ripe. Overripe tomatoes are not suitable for this, as they contain embryos that are ready to germinate and will not germinate after drying. Only harvest tomatoes from he althy plants.

Rinse brown tomatoes thoroughly, dry, place in heat to ripen. Just make sure the tomatoes don't overripe. On the jar, glue the paper on which write the grade.

Then cut the rafts across, squeeze the seeds into a glass jar. Pour in water and leave them to ferment to separate the pulp. Terms of finding of parts of a tomato in water - 2 - 4 days. Then rinse and dry the material.

Better conditions for saving seeds

Tomato seeds are poured into cloth bags and rubbed with hands to remove debris. After they are poured out of the bags, placed in a weak saline solution, left - then all the garbage floats up. Then they are washed and dried.

Seeds are stored in paper bags, where they write the name of the variety, the date of collection. Germination is preserved when the bags are placed in a room with an air temperature of +6 - 12 ° C and a humidity of 55%. Many gardeners write that they kept tomato seeds at the bottom of the refrigerator or on the veranda. But remember that the seed deteriorates with sudden changes in temperature and humidity. In winter, the seed is looked through, sorted out, the rotten ones are thrown away, and the remaining ones are then planted.

Preparing for landing

In the spring, before planting, make a s alt solution. Pour 1 teaspoon of s alt into a glass of clean water, mix thoroughly. Sprinkle seeds. The duration of their presence in the s alt solution is 10 minutes. After this time, the lightest seeds that are not suitable for planting float up, they are thrown away, and those that have sunk to the bottom are collected. These are seeds suitable for sowing, they are washed and planted on seedlings.

If you purchased material for seedlings in the store, then it is already pickled and does not need to be further processed, otherwise the seeds will lose their germination. If the seeds are collected on the site, then they must be treated for diseases before planting. Place them in a cloth bag and soak in 1% potassium permanganate solution for 15 minutes. You can not keep more minutes or make a more concentrated solution, otherwise you will destroy the material for sowing.

Instead of potassium permanganate, use a 2 - 3% hydrogen peroxide solution heated to a temperature of 40 - 45 ° C, place the material for inoculation in the solution for 7 - 8 minutes, and then be sure to rinse.

You can still use phytosporin. Drop 4 drops of phytosporin into a glass of water and place the seeds there for 15 minutes, then rinse. Fitosporin-M is a biofungicide that contains spores and cells of bacteria living in the ground.

In the spring, before planting, seeds are germinated. To do this, they are soaked in aloe juice, in a solution with the addition of trace elements, in a solution of Epin-Extra, Zircon, Virtan-Micro, Immunocytophyte.

Zircon - the composition accelerates the growth of culture, the formation of roots, the bush blooms more profusely and more fruits are tied. Refers to phytohormones, increases the culture's immunity to diseases.

Immunocytophyte - a natural composition that stimulates growth, the appearance of the root system, the active development of the culture, which reduces the risk of disease under stress. In addition, the composition increases the yield by 1/3, reduces losses from decay during storage. Helps faster healing of wounds in plants that are caused by insects or weather conditions (hail).

Drip 1 - 2 drops of Epin-Extra in half a glass of clean water. Place the seeds in a bag of gauze and dip into the solution for 18 - 20 hours at a water temperature of +20 ° C. If the seeds lie in the solution for a longer period of time, they will suffocate. Then they are sown in boxes filled with soil.

Epin-Extra - herbal composition that stimulates the growth of crops and makes it more adapted to weather conditions. Tomatoes better tolerate sharp fluctuations in lighting, air temperature, humidity, and become more resistant to adverse weather (heat and drought, heavy rains).

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