PREPARATION OF SEEDS FOR SOWING - WE CHECK THE TIME WITHOUT LOSS OF GERMINATION AND READ THE MARKING

By the beginning of the season, each gardener can find a stock of all kinds of seeds. Some of them are assembled independently, others are bought at sales, others are received as a gift from friends. The problem is that over time, the seeds age and lose their germination capacity, their supply of nutrients decreases. Therefore, it is important to monitor the shelf life of planting material.

If for purchased seeds it is enough to look at the packaging and throw away the expired ones, then with the leftovers and collected on your own, everything is more difficult.

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The best time to do "natural selection" is in January. To do this, lay a soft cloth moistened with a pink solution of potassium permanganate on a saucer. Lay out doubtful seeds - 10-50 pieces each (the smaller the seeds, the more they need). From above, cover the saucer with a piece of glass or film, put in heat (at least +20 degrees). When the seeds hatch, count the percentage of germinated.

Do not forget about the timing of pipping - they are different for different plants. The fastest - cabbage - 3-4 days, tomatoes and eggplants - 5-7 days, the slowest - dill, parsley, carrots - 10-14 days. If the seeds lie for 20 days or longer without signs of life, mold appears on them - they will no longer sprout.

Shelf life of seeds without loss of germination:

tomato, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, beans - 5-8 years;
sorrel, onion, rhubarb - up to 3 years;
celery, parsley, carrots, dill - 1 - 2 years.
white and cauliflower, turnip, radish, radish, beetroot, lettuce - 3-4 years;
eggplant, pepper, peas, beans - up to 5 years;

Preparation of seeds for sowing. Secrets of high germination and abundant harvests.

SMALL SEEDS ON A TAPE

In January-February, I try to prepare as well as possible for the sowing campaign. One of the mandatory items on the to-do list is the distribution of small seeds of carrots, turnips, parsley, dill, sorrel on paper tapes.

I cut long strips of toilet paper 1–3 cm wide. I stick seeds on them using starch paste (1 tablespoon of starch per 100 ml of warm water), I place them with tweezers, 2 pieces at a distance of 3–5 cm. After the paste dries I roll the strips into a roll and store until sowing at room temperature. When sowing, I put the strip in a groove 1-2 cm deep, abundantly spilled with water.

Last year, on the advice of friends, I added Agricola to the paste (5 g per 1 liter of paste). According to them, powdered nitrophoska can be added in the same amount. I did not notice any changes in parsley and dill plants, they always grow well with me. But the carrot grew really large, sweet, and it was kept perfectly!

Preparation of seeds for sowing (schemes of pre-sowing treatment of seeds of all crops)

SATURATE THE SEEDS WITH USEFUL ELEMENTS BEFORE SOWING

In January, about a month before sowing, I soak the seeds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, leeks in melted water for 1 to 2 hours. After that, I fill it with a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. I rinse it under running water, wrap it in a damp gauze cloth, put it in a plastic bag and put it on the top shelf of the refrigerator. 2-3 days before sowing, I take out the seeds, dip them in a napkin into a honey solution (1 tsp of honey per 1 tbsp of water) for 5-6 hours, then lightly wring out and leave in a warm place. I make sure the cloth doesn't dry out.

LETTERS ON THE PACKAGING WITH SEEDS: HOW TO DECODE THEM

I advise you to study the information on the bags with seeds very carefully. After all, the abbreviations and symbols on them can tell you which variety will please you with a rich harvest and will be resistant to diseases. For convenience, I compiled a list of designations indicating that plants are resistant:

А - to Alternariosis (black spotting of tomatoes, cucumbers);
С - to cladosporiosis (brown spotting of tomatoes);
Tm - to tomato mosaic virus;
V - to verticillium wilt of tomatoes, cucumbers;
F - to fusarium wilt of tomatoes, cucumbers;
N - to damage by a nematode;
Р - to late blight;
CTV to the cucumber mosaic virus.

The numbers next to the letter indicate the races to which the hybrid is resistant. For example, R1 means that the hybrid is resistant to the 1st race of late blight. And do not forget that resistance to a particular disease only helps to save plants, but does not guarantee this in an unfavorable season.

SEEDS FOR SOWING - DATE, STORAGE AND PREPARATION - ADVICE AND FEEDBACK

FROM GOOD SEED FRIENDLY SEEDS

Buying seeds is one of the most important steps in preparing for the new season. It is best to purchase them before the start of the spring hype, without haste. After all, among the many factors that affect the yield, the quality of the seeds is crucial.

WE START WITH ACCOUNTING AND CALCULATION

Every year, seeds and all planting material grow in price. Judging by the current situation, the upcoming season promises to be a record one in this regard. It is all the more important to get the maximum effect from literally every seed. Consider together possible ways to save.

The first step is to check the seed stocks. The ability to maintain germination in seeds of different crops is not the same. It depends not only on the type, but also on the conditions of ripening, preparation for storage and storage itself. At constant temperature and humidity, in well-ripened and dried seeds, all metabolic processes are greatly inhibited, and the so-called dormant stage begins. The embryo under such conditions can remain alive for a long time. The age of the seeds is calculated from the date of collection, and their durability is divided into economic and biological. After the new Seed Labeling Procedure came into force in 2017, it became easier to calculate the age of seeds, as their producers and packers were required to indicate the year of harvest and the date of packaging of seeds.

The average indicators of economic longevity of vegetable seeds are as follows:

cucumbers, zucchini, squash, watermelons - 6-8 years;
tomatoes, pumpkins, cabbage (different types), basil - 4-5 years;
beans, peas, beans, radishes, swedes, turnips - 3-5 years;
carrots, beets, chard, peppers, turnips, eggplant, physalis, lettuce, spinach, lovage, catnip, hyssop, oat root - 3-4 years;
black onion, parsley, dill, sorrel, cumin - 2-3 years;
celery (root, leaf, petiole), parsnip, slime onion - 1-2 years.

If the time of collection of seeds is unknown, then their germination must be checked. This is easy to do, just send them for germination in warm and humid conditions. If the seeds for such a procedure for some crops are not enough, you need to send them first for germination on a damp napkin a little earlier than the usual sowing dates. In viable seeds, for example, tomatoes, sprouts will appear in 3-4 days. Sprouted seeds can be sown in the soil and continue to grow further for seedlings. And those who did not show sprouts on the 7-10th day, if they sprout later, then their plants, after they get to the garden, will always be lagging behind.

It should be borne in mind that each culture has its own special time frame. So, for eggplant, seedlings may appear on the 8-10th day, for sweet pepper - on the 8-15th, for root celery - on the 15-18th, for pumpkin crops - on the 10-17th, for black onion - on the 10th day.

Before you go seeding, sketch out a planting plan. And already based on it and the available stock of seeds, decide on the list of those crops that need to be bought for the new season. Set yourself up right away that you can’t expand the list, you can only change one variety for another.

INTERNET FOR HELP

With the purchase of seeds is better not to delay. Fresh seeds have already begun to go on sale, in addition, leftovers from last year are available. It also makes sense to acquire them, for example, in cases where a variety or hybrid showed an excellent result on your site last season. In fresh receipts, these may no longer be, and they are cheaper. This is especially true for all pumpkin crops, tomatoes, eggplant, beets, cabbage. It is likely that you will be able to purchase them from the same batch and the same quality. Just be aware of the expiration dates.

The main source of quality products is, of course, specialized stores. Today, this also includes online stores belonging to the main trading network. They are distinguished by increased quality control of products, as well as suitable conditions for its storage. In addition, when buying seeds in online stores, it is possible to save not only time, but also money. There are long queues in ordinary stores. Since each buyer purchases many different seeds, often asking the seller in detail about varieties, comparing and choosing for a long time, you can not count on a quick purchase. There are no queues in online stores, which means that the vegetable grower has the opportunity to compare prices for the same products from different companies. Plus, the seeds are cheaper. And there is an explanation for this: online stores do not need to spend money on maintaining a large number of staff, renting a spacious room, they have significantly lower costs, hence the lower prices for seeds.

DO NOT LOSE VIEW

Once in front of the counter, ask the price. Pay attention to the ratio of the number of seeds in the package and the price. Sometimes seeds of the same variety, but from different companies, are adjacent to the stands of the store, and on one package the price is indicated per piece, and on the other - per gram. Feel free to feel them with your hands. As practice shows, in those bags where the seeds are poured with a more generous hand, they turn out to be much better in quality.

The situation is worse if the quality is lowered. The consumer can notice this only after two or three months, when the seeds do not sprout. And even if he tries to make a claim, then there is only one answer: they ruined it themselves, soaked it in the wrong place or sowed it in the wrong way. In this case, it remains to rely only on the reputation of the company.

Do not be afraid to buy seeds in simple white bags. They are inexpensive, but in quality they are not inferior to those in gloss and with pictures. Simply due to automated packaging, the manufacturer reduces the cost of goods, and it becomes more affordable.

STUDY SEVEN TIMES - BUY ONCE

It is advisable to study the characteristics of varieties long before going to the store, and try to find exactly objective information. Alas, available in advertising catalogs produced by sellers, you can not always trust. Judging by their descriptions and pictures, you need to take everything without even thinking. However, often even a novice vegetable grower is already alarmed by the very abundance of enthusiastic words of the company literally about each of its new products: “the best hybrid in the world”, “a unique combination of quality and lying-bone”, “a harmonious combination of quality and precocity”, “the most delicious tomato”, "50-60 fruits in each inflorescence" ...

So, for example, when choosing tomatoes, proceed from the fact that their average yield in unheated greenhouses in the middle lane is 4-6 kg per 1 sq.m, and in open ground - 2-3 kg per 1 sq.m. The larger the fruits, the less they are on the bushes. Varieties that are advertised as not requiring pinching tend to have mostly small fruits that lose in flavor to cherry tomatoes.

Reference by topic: Varieties and hybrids. F1 or F2 - which is better. Seed marking - what kind of letters?