Do I need to germinate carrot seeds before planting? How to do it quickly?

Almost every gardener in his garden plots annually breaks a garden or two under one of the popular root crops - carrots. But, unfortunately, many people know firsthand the problems with the germination of vegetables, some gardeners manage to replant carrots several times a season.

The fact is that carrot seeds in a large percentage contain essential oils that prevent the penetration of moisture inside, which is the reason for their slow germination. A competent solution to this problem is the preliminary preparation of carrot seeds for sowing, and even better, sprouting them.

What is sprouting?

Sprouting is a multi-step process that includes seed moistening, constant monitoring of their condition, as a result of which the seeds should sprout. It is not necessary to subject planting material to germination., it can be buried in the ground and in a dry form, but in this case the percentage of germination of the culture will be quite low.

Germination differs from other methods of preparing seeds for sowing (for example, soaking) by the technology and the result: in addition to the seed, it should be properly fed with moisture, which is the catalyst for the division and growth of the seed, each seed germ should appear in its infancy.

How much time before planting need to carry out the procedure?

Seeds with germinated sprouts are recommended to be planted immediately in the ground., as fragile shoots can simply dry out, being under the influence of air for a long time. And then a high percentage of germination can be forgotten. Seeds of carrots usually begin to germinate for as many days as necessary for the emergence of sprouts. And the amount of time required depends on the germination method chosen.

If the seeds have already germinated, and the weather, for example, has not yet been established, then they can be saved from drying out as follows:

  1. wrap in a moistened cloth;
  2. after - in a plastic bag;
  3. which should be sent to the fruit compartment in the refrigerator.

There they will calmly wait out the bad weather for several days.

How is the procedure?

Inventory preparation

Depending on which method of germinating seeds will be chosen, the inventory will change.

  • For film method useful wide and shallow dishes, thick cloth, plastic film.
  • For sprouting by bubbling will need a deep tank (you can three-liter jar), aquarium compressor.
  • For seed germination in the bag You will need a cloth bag of a small size, ties to it (it will be firmly tied up later) and an ordinary snow shovel.
  • For seed germination in growth promoters these drugs will be needed (Zircon, Appin, Vympel, Kemira-Universal) and wide shallow containers.
And, of course, no matter what method of germination will be chosen, the gardener will need seed and water (it is better if it is settled or thawed as an option).

Seed preparation

In order to initially select only high-quality seeds for sowing that can sprout, it is necessary to germinate a kind of "testing" before germination:

  1. Seed material to fill in a shallow container, which should be filled with water at room temperature and leave for several hours.
  2. As a result, high-quality specimens will sink to the bottom of the tank, while the bad ones will float on the surface. They also need to be collected and thrown away: they will never germinate.

Germination

Under the film

  1. At the bottom of a low and wide container should be placed a layer of dense tissue, over which it is necessary to scatter the seeds with a thin layer.
  2. Next - the seeds are covered with another layer of dense material, which is thoroughly moistened with water. Water should not be poured: an excess of moisture can provoke seed rot.
  3. The container must be tightly tightened with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place, the temperature of which varies between + 22C - + 27C.
  4. We should not forget that the seeds should be turned over 2 times a day in order to ensure full access to oxygen and prevent rotting. The first shoots should appear already after 3-4 days, provided that all requirements are met.

Seeds can be germinated directly on the garden:

  1. To do this, you must prepare the bed according to all the rules.
  2. Seed material should be placed on the ground surface. It should not be buried, but it must be covered with plastic wrap (the height of the gap between the soil surface and polyethylene should be about 12 centimeters): this creates favorable greenhouse conditions necessary for quick and effective germination of seeds. The first shoots should appear within 6 days.

Also, instead of water, it is possible to use hydrogel for seed germination. - transparent synthetic material capable of absorbing water, greatly increasing in size:

  1. On a moistened layer of hydrogel placed carrot seeds.
  2. Above - another layer of synthetic substance. In such an environment, the seed gets everything needed for swelling, but at the same time, the risk of covering it with mold or rotting is significantly reduced. Usually, after a few days, the first shoots begin to appear in the jar.

In the pouch

  1. When the snow starts to thaw in places, a cloth bag with seeds can be stuck on the bare ground.
  2. This place must be marked and covered with snow. Such a measure will help not only to start the process of growth in seeds, but also subject them to hardening. Subsequently, the seeds will not be afraid of temperature drops or any bad weather. As a rule, sprouts will start to peek after 11 - 13 days.

In aerated water (bubbling)

Sparging is a method of accelerating the germination of seeds, based on their treatment with air or oxygen, which leads to the activation of growth processes. The germination technology in aerated water is as follows:

  1. Seeds are placed at the bottom of the tank, the bottle is filled with water.
  2. The hose of the aquarium compressor should be lowered inside the tank, submerging the end in water, and put the device into action. Oxygen entering through the apparatus in the water, will contribute to the rapid germination of seeds.
  3. As an option: the seeds can be collected in a linen bag, which must be firmly tied. The bag must be hung directly under the nozzle of the aerator, which injects oxygen into the water.
  4. Twice a day, the water in the tank must be changed, otherwise the desired result will not be achieved.
  5. At the first signs of germination (after 2 - 3 days), the aerator is turned off, and the seeds are carefully removed by straining through several layers of light-colored fabric.

In stimulants

Good results are also obtained by the method of germinating carrot seeds in growth stimulant solutions. For this you need:

  1. Place a linen cloth into a wide shallow container, in which the seed is laid out in a free order.
  2. On top of the seeds cover with another cloth, which must be pre-moistened with a solution of growth stimulant (method of dilution with water and dosage - strictly according to instructions).
  3. Tare with seeds tightened with polyethylene. As a rule, the duration of such a soak is 10 to 12 hours.

What is the fastest way?

After analyzing all the methods of germination, it can be concluded that the fastest way to ensure the sprouting of sprouts is film (soaking is done in water or in an aqueous solution of growth stimulant).

The longest will have to wait for signs of germination - a method in the bag. And this is not surprising: the temperature regime affecting the planting material is relatively low. It is possible to speed up the process of germinating seeds for 1 - 3 days by resorting to simple and fast folk methods:

  • Pour seeds with hot water (+ 43С - + 50С). Seed can be placed in a thermos or glass container, pour water (jar should be tightly wrapped with a towel or any other material to maintain the required temperature) for 30 minutes.
  • Soak in vodka. In the fabric bag you need to fill the seeds, tie it and put it in a container with vodka purchased in the store for 10 - 15 minutes. After extraction from alcohol, the bag must be placed under a stream of running water.
  • Steam. Having built something like a double boiler (wire frame on legs, covered with nylon, placed in a plastic bucket), seed material is placed in a container, hot water is poured in there too (it should not reach the seeds) and cover all with a lid, leaving everything at night.
  • Soak in water. Many gardeners have resorted to this method of accelerating the germination of carrot seeds. To do this, planting material is poured with warm water (it is better to place it in a linen bag) and leave overnight.
  • Soak in hydrogen peroxide. The method is identical to the previous one, but instead of water the saucer must be filled with hydrogen peroxide (0.5%), and the soaking time is reduced to 15 - 20 minutes.

We offer to see a visual video with another way to germinate carrot seeds:

Providing a good percentage of germination of carrot seeds can be a simple and effective way - their preliminary germination. Having spent a little time and effort, the gardener will receive a worthy reward: friendly and uniform seedlings of the root crop on the garden. Therefore, in order not to suffer from the "capriciousness" of carrots, it is better to take the preliminary preparation of its seeds for planting and germinating them.

Watch the video: Improved paper towel and baggy method for germinating seeds fast (April 2024).