Carrots are an unpretentious vegetable, but when growing this crop, especially, inexperienced gardeners, there may be some problems.
In order to get a rich harvest, not only the soil is prepared, but also the seeds. The best way to prepare the seeds for planting is soaking. Soaked sunflower seeds sprout faster and produce better yields.
In this article, we will consider in detail the various ways of soaking carrot seeds before sowing.
How much time before sowing to do soaking so that they quickly ascend?
Important. Soaking seeds directly depends on the time of their planting.
Carrot seeds can be dried or not dried depending on the method of soaking.. If the chosen method does not involve drying the seeds, then it is worth planting immediately after soaking. As a result of this procedure, the sprouts can slip, and therefore it is impossible to delay in planting. Sprouts can dry out.
As a rule, seeds are soaked for no longer than a day. So you can carry out the soaking procedure a day before the planned landing.
How to prepare seeds for germination?
When compared with other root vegetables, carrots grow relatively poorly. The probability of the progress of carrots is about 55-75%. Therefore, carrots are prepared not only for sowing, but also for soaking. Preparation of carrot seeds for soaking takes place in two stages:
- selection;
- disinfection.
Selection
Selection implies identifying non-fruitful seeds that will not yield. During the selection, the seed is soaked in a glass of water, with the addition of one teaspoon of salt and infused for fifteen minutes.
After time, empty seeds float and are removed. The remaining seeds are removed from the glass, washed and dried.
Also, the selection excludes seeds that have been stored for more than one year. When planting old seeds, the chances of germination are extremely small.
Disinfection
Disinfection is carried out in order to protect the seed from infection. There are several disinfection methods.:
- One method is to soak the seeds in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
- Root seeds are also soaked in boric acid solution. One gram of boric acid is diluted in five liters of water.
- When disinfecting, you can use hydrogen peroxide. To do this, in a 2% peroxide solution, the seeds are aged ten minutes.
How to properly and what to do soaking for quicker germination?
The process of soaking is quite simple, does not require special efforts and knowledge. This procedure will require such an inventory as:
- soaking tank;
- gauze;
- kitchen thermometer.
Procedure:
- Before soaking the seeds, you must first sprinkle.
- On a small piece of gauze, a thin layer of seeds are laid out and covered with another piece of gauze.
- Next, the gauze is placed in a saucer or container, depending on the size of the gauze. The size of the gauze depends on the number of seeds.
- A bag of seeds is filled with water so that the gauze is completely immersed in water. For soaking the seed product you need high-quality water, preferably spring water. If this is not the case, the separated water from the tap will do, and its temperature should be 40 degrees.
Important! The tank in which the seeds are soaked should be kept in a dark, cool, but not cold room.
Soaking process lasts 2 days. This process is good because it accelerates the germination of seeds, filling them with liquid. Allows a day after soaking to determine the quality of the seed, by the number of germinated product.
Folk remedies
In addition to the classic methods of soaking seeds, there are also folk. These methods are born by experiment and are passed between gardeners. There are a lot of such methods and each of them differs from each other.
In potassium permanganate
For soaking carrots it is better to use a 2% solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, do the following:
- take one teaspoon of potassium permanganate and dilute in two glasses of warm water;
- the seeds are poured into a gauze bag and placed in the solution for 20 minutes, then the seeds are taken and dried on canvas.
Learn more about how to soak the seeds in potassium permanganate, you can learn from the video:
In hydrogen peroxide
- In 500 ml of water, add 1 tablespoon of peroxide and mix thoroughly. As a rule, seeds are soaked in gauze or cloth bags. In this case, you can use a paper towel or napkin.
- Seeds are laid out in a saucer or plate and poured with a solution for 12 hours.
- In order for the seed to not deteriorate, water should be changed every 4 hours.
Soaking in a peroxide solution helps the root crop to develop immunity to various diseases, and the planting material grows faster.
Ash solution
In this case, the preparation requires the solution itself. To prepare the solution will require:
- Dissolve 2 tablespoons of ash in one liter of water at room temperature, then the solution is infused for 24 hours.
- During the day, the solution is periodically stirred.
- After one day, the solution with ash is filtered and poured into a suitable container.
A bag of seeds is placed in the filtered solution and kept in it for three hours.
Ash has a very good effect on the root of the root.
Aloe Vera Solution
To prepare this solution, only the lower leaves of the aloe flower are cut off.:
- Dense and fresh plates of the plant are selected, then they are placed in the refrigerator for a week.
- After seven days, the leaves are wrung out.
- Aloe juice is diluted with water in equal shares.
Carrot seeds are soaked for a day.
Aloe is not only a disinfectant: it significantly accelerates all metabolic processes in the cells of seeds.
Is it possible in boiling water (hot water)?
For this procedure, you need to heat the water to 60 degrees and dip a gauze bag of seeds into it for thirty minutes. Soaking carrot seeds in boiling water promotes accelerated germination, as early as the tenth minute you can see small seedlings.
How to accelerate germination with dietary supplements?
Biologically active additives every year become more popular among vegetable growers and not only. Growth stimulants provide an opportunity to get a rich harvest and improve the quality of grown vegetables and fruits. The most common among dietary supplements are Epin, Humat and Zircon.
Epin
Carrot seeds are soaked for 24 hours in one hundred milliliters of boiled water with the addition of 4-6 drops of Appin.
Important! A strongly concentrated solution may result in the death of the sprouts.
This drug not only stimulates germination, it also stimulates the development of the root system, increases the volume of the crop, affects the growth of the root crop.
Humate
To prepare the solution will need to dissolve a third teaspoon of the drug in one liter of warm boiled water. Seed soaked for days. This mineral fertilizer, which speeds up the ripening process, greatly enhances the root immunity to negative factors.
Zircon
To prepare a solution with Zircon, you will need to dissolve two drops of the active substance in 300 milliliters of water. Carrot seeds are soaked for 8 to 18 hours in a dark room at room temperature.
The process of preparing such a solution has its own nuances.:
- When mixing the solution, do not use galvanized dishes.
- To begin with, a third of the required amount of water is poured into the container, the drug is added, then everything is mixed, and only then the rest of the water is poured.
- The composition of the water used should not be alkali, so a couple of drops of lemon juice are added to the water.
- The prepared solution is active only during the first day.
Zircon is a broad spectrum drug. It helps plants to recover from frosts, hypothermia, helps fight pests, fungal infections, protects plants from stress while not inhibiting the growth of the root.
Errors
- Use plain water. As part of the flow of water a lot of harmful elements, soaking the seeds in this water, the expected effect will be difficult to achieve. It is better to use spring or thawed snow. Even if there is none, you can boil running water and let it settle.
- Overdue seed usage. Seeds with expired shelf life simply do not germinate, high-quality material plays the most important role. Therefore, track deadlines just need.
- Soaking dry seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate. Before soaking the seeds in potassium permanganate, they must be prepared by soaking them in water beforehand. If the dried seeds are soaked, they absorb manganese and the germs just die. In such a solution, only prepared seeds are soaked for disinfection from the outside and then thoroughly washed.
- Overheating of seeds during boiling water treatment. This procedure is necessary in order to heat the seed and push it to germination. High temperatures will kill the fetus. To determine the set temperature, a special kitchen thermometer is used; if there is none, then it is better to apply another method of soaking.
- Soaking too long. When soaked for a long time, the seeds, after swelling, need oxygen; if oxygen has not been obtained, the seeds can “suffocate”. In order not to overdo the seed, you need to know exactly the time limit for soaking.
There are many ways to prepare seeds for planting. And each of the way gives a good result. Determine for yourself the most suitable only by experiment. Each of them is different and good in its own way. Also, each has its own subtleties and nuances.