Is it possible to soak processed cucumber seeds before planting and why do it?

Choosing the seeds correctly

To reap a good harvest of cucumbers, you need to choose the right seeds:

First of all, it is necessary to consider where the crop is supposed to be grown, in open ground or in a greenhouse. For the greenhouse, it is better to choose parthenocarpic varieties (they do not require pollination). For open beds, bee-pollinated varieties are chosen.
It is necessary to decide whether hybrid or varietal cucumbers will be grown.
Be sure to get acquainted with the characteristics of the selected variety. At what time does it ripen, yield, shade tolerance, drought resistance, level of resistance to diseases and pests, taste.

On the packaging of seeds, you need to pay attention not only to the picture, but also to the description. Basic information about the variety, planting dates, and purpose should be posted. You cannot buy seedlings that have expired.

Optimal timing

When interested in how to properly prepare seed, it is useful to pay close attention not only to existing germination methods, but also to recommendations regarding the optimal timing of such an important agrotechnical procedure

The soaking time and timing of its organization depend on the conditions under which the cucumbers are planned to be grown. In particular, if there is a greenhouse in which it is planned to organize beds for cucumbers, they begin to germinate the seeds at the end of April.

If there is no opportunity to grow greens in greenhouse conditions, the seeds are sown in open ground. In such cases, the timing of the procedure depends on the climatic characteristics of the region and weather conditions.

It is important to prevent the occurrence of frosts, which the seeds and subsequently young shoots will not be able to withstand.

For this reason, seed processing begins when the air temperature remains above five degrees. Such conditions are met mainly in late spring or early summer.

Seed storage

When choosing seeds, you need to look at how old they are. If you plant fresh grains, a lot of barren flowers will appear. For planting, select seeds that are 2–3 years old. Moreover, storage conditions play a big role in the quality of the future harvest.

Dried seedlings are best stored in paper bags or fabric bags. A label with the name of the variety and the date of collection must be affixed to the packaging. The package with the possessed person is placed in a dry, dark place. It should be stored at a temperature of 15–20 degrees.

The seeds are glued onto paper tapes using a special adhesive at some distance from each other. The grains are glued on a couple of months before sowing, after which the tape is rolled up and left in a cool, dark place.

Preparation

Before soaking, cucumber seeds need to be prepared. Sprinkle them on something and examine them carefully. Material of excellent quality will be large and dense. Need to throw it away:

soft;
small;
broken off;
incomprehensible shape.

To make sure that the selected grains are of high quality, you need to immerse them in water and discard any soaked seeds that float to the surface. Knowledgeable people advise warming them up before planting seeds in the ground. Pour onto a sheet and place on the radiator. At a temperature of 25°C they should remain there for a month, and above 35°C - 7 days.

Attention! After this procedure, you need to immerse them in cool water for a couple of minutes. If this is not done, they are not subject to further storage.. https://www.youtube.com/embed/pNLmoVRE4r0

If left untreated, there is a danger that the plant will get sick and not produce the expected yield. One of the most effective methods of disinfection is heat treatment, which kills pathogenic microflora. At home, disinfection can only be done using boiling water. They are poured with seed material placed in gauze. All this is put into a thermos. Cucumbers love heat very much and after warming up they sprout quickly.

A manganese solution can be used as an etching composition: 1 g is diluted in 100 ml of water. The liquid will become almost black; a lighter liquid will not have a significant effect. To achieve a positive result, you should separate all the stuck together ones, otherwise they will not be etched. Place the seeds in cheesecloth and soak them in the prepared solution for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm boiled water.

Seed material is disinfected with a solution of boric acid: 200 ml of water at a temperature of at least 25°C per half teaspoon. Soak cucumber seeds in it for 2 hours, then rinse thoroughly. Some people use 2-3% hydrogen peroxide for etching, preheated to 40 degrees. The etching time is 8 minutes.

Attention! If there is damage on the surface of the seeds and after treating them with chemicals, a significant decrease in germination is observed.

Selection of the best specimens

Only dense, evenly colored, undamaged seeds are suitable for sowing. If there are a lot of them, then you can sort them using a salt solution (50 g of salt is dissolved in a liter of water). Planting material is immersed in water with salt for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Only those seeds that remain at the bottom are left for planting. Empty, damaged seedlings remain on the surface. They need to be thrown away. The remaining grains are washed and dried.

Folk recipes

Natural solutions in which seeds swell increase the speed of seed hatching, vigorous germination of crops, and resistance to disease.

Infusions prepared from available means soften the hard skin of the planting material due to its liquid, easily digestible form, and also transfer beneficial substances to the seed. Natural components accelerate physical and chemical reactions in cells and are environmentally friendly.

Aloe juice

To properly soak seeds, follow the order of steps. Cucumbers grow faster, get sick less often, and tolerate temperature changes well after treatment with aloe juice - a natural biostimulant and natural antiseptic.

Instructions:

do not water the agave for 12-14 days;
cut off aloe leaves that have been growing on a home flower for more than 3 years;
wrap the prepared leaves in a dark cloth and place in the refrigerator for 1 week;
grind the pulp of the plant;
squeeze out the juice through cheesecloth;
prepare a solution with water in a ratio of 1 to 1;
heat the liquid to 30-35 degrees;
fill the material so that the filling is hidden by the solution;
remove the container, covered with polyethylene or glass, in a warm place for 1 day.

According to reviews from summer residents, the folk recipe awakens active germination even in stale seeds. For expired seeds, prepare concentrated raw material from agave.

Ash

One of the ways to effectively soften the shell, saturate the seed with useful components, and speed up germination is soaking with ash. An infusion with wood ash acts as a natural biostimulant and natural disinfectant. To soak cucumber seedlings according to a folk recipe, follow the algorithm:

pour the selected seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 1 l) for 10 minutes and remove the floating elements, then rinse and dry;
3 days before the procedure, prepare a working solution - dissolve 1 teaspoon of wood ash in 500 ml of boiling water, leave the liquid in a dark place;
Place the prepared seed in cloth or gauze and place in the prepared infusion for 12 hours.

After soaking in a natural ash solution, the seeds noticeably increase in size, the skin softens, and germination occurs 2 times faster than when soaked in water.

Mushroom decoction

A decoction of dried mushrooms is rich in valuable microelements, which are in an easily digestible form. To quickly infuse cucumber seeds into mushroom infusion, proceed in the following order:

pour 200 g of dried mushrooms into 1 liter of boiling water;
cover the container with a lid and leave to infuse until the liquid cools to 35 degrees;
drain and strain the infusion;
Place selected seeds in a gauze or fabric bag and immerse in the prepared infusion for 6 hours.

Soaking according to a folk recipe - accelerated pre-sowing preparation. After processing, the seed can be embedded in the soil.

Potato juice

Processing cucumber seedlings in potato juice eliminates the need to soak the raw materials for a long time. To sprout before planting in potato infusion, proceed as follows:

Wash and dry 3-4 large tubers;
put the potatoes in the freezer for 48 hours;
grate the thawed potatoes or chop them in a blender;
Squeeze the juice out of the potato pulp;
place the seed in a warmed potato solution for 10-12 hours.

Important! Freezing potato tubers will produce more working liquid than juicing raw potatoes.

Soaking the seeds in potato juice will quickly prepare the raw material for planting. Within 2-3 days, the swollen elements in the soil will sprout friendly shoots that form healthy, hardened seedlings.

Vodka

Treatment of cucumber seed material in vodka is an effective disinfection of seeds for crops. Carry out pre-sowing treatment with vodka according to the following algorithm:

prepare a working solution from 100 ml of filtered water and 50 ml of vodka;
place the selected raw materials in gauze or fabric bags;
immerse the bookmarks in the liquid for 20 minutes;
rinse the treated seeds, dry the material.

The event will eliminate essential oils and microorganisms from the surface of the seed coat. If the seedlings do not sprout, it means that the preparation was not carried out properly

It is more advisable to pay attention to pre-sowing treatment in order to get a rich harvest of vegetables

Do seeds need to be treated before planting?

If the product is purchased from a well-known company, then the cucumber seeds may not be treated before sowing. But most experienced agronomists do not bypass this preparatory stage.

Soaking ensures the germination of most planted seeds and speeds up germination. But this procedure will be useless if the weather outside is good, the grains will germinate on their own.
When roots appear during soaking, the risk of damage increases; in addition, seedlings become susceptible to cold and high humidity.
It is necessary to disinfect planting material, since pathogenic microorganisms may be present on the surface of the peel.
There is no need to treat hybrid seeds, as they are already treated with fungicides and other drugs.

Pre-sowing treatment may include several points, so you can decide for yourself which of them are worth doing and which will not be needed.

Hybrid seeds

Hybrid seeds are obtained by crossing plants of different varieties to obtain better characteristics. Hybrid cucumbers are easier to care for and are more resistant to adverse factors and diseases. But their grains are not recommended for planting next year, since the bushes grow weak, the yield is reduced, and the fruits are formed with low taste.

Varietal seeds

Varietal seeds are obtained by crossing plants of the same species. Such cucumbers require careful care; they are less resistant to disease, heat, and cold, but their grains can be used as planting material next year.

Encrusted Seeds

The encrusted seeds are covered with a special shell that easily dissolves in water. The color of the outer shell may vary. The shell contains components that protect against various infections and pests, stimulate plant growth, and also contains a large number of microelements.

The size of the seeds does not change during processing. They must be sown in well-moistened soil. And in the future, frequent and abundant watering is required. It is impossible to soak such grains before sowing, otherwise the protective shell will immediately dissolve and there will be no benefit.

Dried seeds

Pelleted planting material differs from ordinary seeds in that the surface is covered with a protective, nutritious film. It contains components that stimulate plant growth, as well as fertilizers.

Dried grains are large, so they are easier to plant. A distinctive feature of care is frequent and abundant watering. Moisture is necessary for the protective shell to become wet and dissolve. If the soil is dry, the seeds will not germinate.

The shoots appear together, the growth of cucumber vines is active, and at the end of the growing season, juicy, sweet fruits ripen.

Why carry out pre-sowing preparation of cucumber seeds

In order to subsequently obtain fast, strong and healthy seedlings (future cucumber plants), the main goals of seed treatment are to test them for viability, increase and accelerate germination, and disinfection.

By the way! Cucumber seeds remain highly viable for 5-6 years (up to 7-8), but it is better to sow them after they have been sitting for 3-4 years (if you collected and prepared them yourself ).

In what cases is seed treatment not required?

There is no need to prepare cucumber seeds that have an unusual shell color (usually green), since they are already pre- treated by the manufacturer. They are also called panned or granulated , sometimes glazed. Such seeds must be sown dry so as not to wash off the special shell.

However, if desired, they can be sprouted .

Preheating

When preparing planting material, heating is carried out. The procedure significantly accelerates germination, activates plant growth, reduces the appearance of barren flowers and accelerates the ripening period of fruits.

Disinfection and disinfection

During seed calibration, not only empty but also diseased seeds are selected. To prevent diseases and pests, the remaining grains must be disinfected. A large number of harmful microorganisms remain on the surface of the grains, which will damage young shoots.

Treatment of planting material against diseases can be carried out in two ways. A simple option is to warm the seedlings for a week in direct sunlight. The sun stimulates development and destroys pathogenic microorganisms. You can use an ultraviolet lamp indoors. For wet processing, solutions based on potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, acetic or boric acid, and copper sulfate are used.

Thermal methods

Before planting in open ground, it is recommended to warm cucumber seedlings at a temperature of +58 degrees for 2.5 hours. You can warm it up on the stove, in the oven, near heating devices. If the air temperature is below +52 degrees, then the warming up time increases.

Warming up at high air temperatures before planting in a greenhouse allows you to destroy the causative agents of the virus, which may persist inside.

Chemical methods, etching

There is another way to treat cucumber seeds before planting - simple dressing. The protective film covers the entire surface of the grains and increases the weight by 2%.

To treat planting material, fungicides such as Premix, Vincit, Dividend, and Raxil are used. The active components of the drugs, produced in the form of liquid and powder, are capable of killing the causative agents of many diseases.

Cucumbers have small seeds and vegetable growers recommend choosing less toxic preparations. During the pickling process, it is important not so much to destroy pathogenic microorganisms on the surface of the grains, but to form stable immunity.

How to soak seeds?

Whether the seeds need to be soaked depends on the pre-treatment they have undergone. If during the preparation process a nutritious, protective film is created, then soaking is not carried out.

To carry out the procedure, you will need cucumber seeds, water (melt water or water from a source would be ideal), gauze cloth and a plate. Selected seedlings are distributed on a damp fabric surface and covered with another layer of damp gauze, then filled with hot water (+33 degrees).

If the water becomes dark during soaking, it must be changed periodically until the color becomes clear. The container is moved to a dark place where the air temperature is +23 degrees.

Optimal conditions for growing cucumbers

The success of growing cucumbers in the garden almost entirely depends on weather conditions. Seeds sown in poorly warmed soil will not sprout; they begin to hatch at temperatures above +14 degrees.

Night spring frosts also have a negative effect on the harvest of cucumbers. For this reason, to get an early harvest, it is best to germinate the seeds in advance and grow this heat-loving garden crop in seedlings.

Sowing cucumbers in warm soil

Important! If in the first days after sowing the seeds the air temperature drops to +8 degrees and remains at this level for several days, you will have to sow the cucumbers again. Young cucumber shoots die at this temperature

With the seedling method of growing, the seedlings are kept in a warm room for at least 25 days. Only after the threat of night frosts has passed can the plants be planted in the garden bed.

Young shoots are attacked by harmful insects and pathogens. It is very difficult to treat plants at the germination stage, so manufacturers apply protective agents to the seed shell during pre-sale preparation. This is very convenient for the consumer, since an inexperienced gardener, trying to independently process the seed, often only destroys it.

One of the important factors influencing the quality of germination and germination of seeds is their proper processing. To enhance the disinfectant effect on microorganisms, some novice vegetable growers soak the seeds in an overly concentrated solution of manganese, then keep them in the freezer and pour boiling water over them. It is clear that after such manipulations one cannot expect a good result.

Soaking cucumber seeds in hydrogen peroxide

Harm or benefit?

When preparing seeds for planting, many vegetable growers have a question: do they need to be soaked?

If the cucumber grains are of good quality, then there is no need for soaking. In good, warm weather, they begin to germinate within three days. In this case, soaking will only harm the processed grains, since the protective film is washed off from the surface.

If soaked planting material produces sprouts larger than 5 mm, this will greatly reduce resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions. Cold weather or heavy rains can lead to death.

Soaking is useful for seeds with insufficient moisture inside due to non-compliance with storage rules or for grains that are intended to be sown as seedlings. In these cases, soaking will be useful: the growth and development of the vegetable crop will accelerate, and disease resistance will increase.

Know all the features of the process

Before germinating cucumber seeds, they need to be properly processed and all low-quality seeds must be discarded.
Proper preparation has a number of advantages:

All low-quality seeds are removed. As a result, almost all of the sown seeds grow, since preliminary culling is carried out and bad planting material is thrown away immediately. You save time and effort, because if you sow bad seeds, you will have to wait about a week for germination before it becomes clear that you need to purchase others.
Shoots appear much faster. If you sow ordinary dry seeds, they can sprout in 23 days; I had such a case. But if you carry out the correct preliminary preparation, then at home, sprouts appear within 2-3 days, and when sowing in open ground, the period increases by a day. Due to this, plants develop faster and begin to bear fruit earlier.
Productivity increases by an order of magnitude. This is due to the fact that low-quality seeds are discarded, and due to the early emergence of seedlings, the fruits ripen earlier and the plant produces a much larger harvest before the onset of cold weather. In addition, the use of growth stimulants makes plants much more resistant to unfavorable conditions, so productivity does not suffer even with temperature changes.

If you immediately check germination, then most of the low-quality planting material will be rejected

Plants get sick much less often. If you treat the seeds with hydrogen peroxide or pre-soak them in potassium permanganate, then all viral infections, which often overwinter on the seed coat, are destroyed. Disinfection significantly increases immunity.
Seedlings are much less likely to be damaged by soil parasites. The most dangerous period when growing cucumbers is the moment when the sprout makes its way out of the ground to the surface. It is often damaged by various insects. When preparing seeds and planting them sprouted, seedlings appear many times faster and the likelihood of their damage is greatly reduced.
Soaking of seed material can be carried out in any conditions. All you need is any available utensils, a piece of fabric and room temperature. No expensive devices are needed. You can make do with what you have on hand.

To carry out the procedure for preparing seed material, it is enough to have a saucer and a piece of bandage

Is it possible to soak treated cucumber seeds before planting?

Experienced gardeners do not recommend treating cucumber seeds that have been treated before planting. When soaking, water washes away the protective film from the grains.

It is recommended to soak only those seeds that have been disinfected in potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. Before soaking, it is recommended to soak the seedlings in growth stimulants.

Effect of hydrogen peroxide on seeds

Most often, peroxide is sold in pharmacies in a concentration of 3%. The environment it creates has the following effect:

Affects hard skin and leads to its destruction.
Under the influence of oxidizing substances, the component that inhibits the growth of the embryo decreases.
The endosperm, saturated with oxygen, enhances the stimulation function.
Soaking cucumber seeds in hydrogen peroxide before planting disinfects the shell and seedling, ridding the tissues of harmful and pathogenic bacteria.

Summer residents should keep in mind that when soaking, they can simultaneously achieve disinfection and oxygen saturation. Peroxide will accelerate growth and enable crops to ripen and seedlings to grow at the same time. There are crops that require longer processing. For example, tomato or watermelon seeds are soaked in undiluted hydrogen peroxide and left for several hours. To make soaking easier and faster, it is recommended to leave the seeds in plain water for 20 minutes. This will allow the grains to soften and become more “pliable” to contact with peroxide.

If treated with peroxide, do not be alarmed if it “boils” and bubbles. This indicates the release of oxygen, but this process will not harm the seeds themselves. Simultaneously with disinfection, the planting material can be immediately germinated by wrapping it in gauze and dipping it in a solution of ash diluted in a bucket of water. The procedure should last no longer than 15 minutes.

The benefits of potassium permanganate when growing cucumbers When growing cucumbers, various preparations and means are used to protect and fertilize plants

One of them...

Please note! At the final stage, the seeds are washed and dried so that they become completely dry and free-flowing. A similar effect can be achieved if the grains are soaked not in peroxide, but in potassium permanganate.

Soaking time

The soaking time depends on how the cucumber seeds are treated before planting. In some solutions it is necessary to keep it for 24 hours, in others it is enough to keep it for 4–5 hours.

On average, the soaking procedure lasts three days.

If you plan to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse, then soaking is carried out in early May. Planting grains in open ground should be postponed until the end of May, when the threat of frost has decreased and the soil has warmed up well enough. Soaking is carried out three days before sowing.

Saline solution

Liquid with salt allows you to determine seeds suitable for planting. There is nothing difficult about how to properly prepare the liquid. Dissolve 8 g of table salt in a glass of warm water. The prepared solution is poured into the planting material.

After 8–10 minutes, the seedlings that have surfaced are removed, and the remaining seed material is washed and dried at a temperature of +21 degrees.

Soda solutions

Before sowing, it is useful to treat the grains with soda solution. Soda-based solutions can have an antimicrobial effect and prolong the fruiting period. To prepare the composition, you will need to dissolve 5 g of baking soda in a liter of water. Seeds are poured with this mixture for a day. In addition, thanks to the soda composition, the top layer of grains softens, and moisture penetrates inside without obstacles.

Biologically active drugs

It is useful and effective to soak the seed material in biological products, such as Zircon, Epin, Ivin, Potassium or sodium humate.

All drugs are aimed at stimulating growth, increasing resistance to infections and adverse external conditions.

Zircon stimulates the germination of seedlings and strengthens the immune system. A working solution based on Zircon is prepared at the rate of 3 drops of the drug per 320 ml of water. The grains are kept in the solution for up to 17 hours. During this time, the first shoots hatch.

In the ash

At home, you can prepare an ash solution to soak seedlings. Ash contains many micronutrients that promote better plant growth.

To soak the seeds in the solution, first make an infusion. 60 g of wood ash are infused in a liter of boiled water for two days. Then the grains are kept in the finished crust for 6–7 hours.

Aloe juice

Aloe juice can not only activate plant growth, but also strengthen the immune system. Young sprouts treated with juice rarely get sick and are not attacked by pests.

Manganese solution

To disinfect the surface of seeds, a solution of potassium permanganate is often used. To prepare a 1% solution, you will need to dissolve 3 g of potassium permanganate in 250 ml of water. The water should turn bright purple. A weak solution does not cope with the infection.

Prepared seedlings are immersed in the solution for 25 minutes, after which they are washed with water. Manganese solution protects against infections that are located on the surface of the grains. The effectiveness of the procedure decreases if the seeds stick to each other.

Extracts from young seedlings

Soaking cucumber grains in extracts of young sprouts of any grain crops is effective. The seeds of the selected grain crop are ground to a powder, poured with water and left to infuse for a day. The prepared solution is filtered and poured into the seedlings prepared for planting.

Epin

The active components of the drug Epin promote rapid seed germination, increase resistance to diseases and pests, and allow you to withstand a humid environment due to rain or flooding of the area.

To prepare an effective composition, you need to dissolve two drops of the drug in 90 ml of water. The seedlings are kept in the biostimulator for 19 hours. The room temperature should be +22 degrees.

Properly prepare planting material

Let's look at how to speed up germination and discard bad seeds:

Most often, damaged and deformed seeds are immediately visible. It’s best to remove it manually and look at the rest at the same time. It is also worth discarding seeds with signs of damage or disease - dark spots, growths, etc.

Also remove empty and too thin seeds. They also differ in weight, as they are much lighter than high-quality full-weight seeds

Prepare saline solution. To do this, pour about half a teaspoon of salt into 200 ml of water. Stir until it is completely dissolved.

Place the seeds in the solution. Mix well so that they get wet and do not float on the surface. Leave the container for about half an hour, you can stir 1-2 more times.

Carefully remove all seeds from the surface. Throw them away as they will not sprout. The rest should be carefully removed and washed with clean warm water.

Prepare a solution of potassium permanganate of raspberry color, as in the photo

It shouldn't be too rich, that's important. It is important to know how long to soak the seeds; they should be kept for no more than half an hour, otherwise germination will deteriorate.

After soaking, be sure to rinse the seeds. You can simply throw them in warm water and rinse, or you can gently rinse them under running water.

Seeds can also be soaked in hydrogen peroxide. To do this, make a solution of a tablespoon of peroxide and a glass of water; the seeds can be kept in it for about an hour.

Epin. The most popular remedy that increases resistance to disease and reduces sensitivity to adverse conditions. Add 1-2 drops of the drug to a glass of water; you can keep it in Epin for 2-4 hours.

Zircon. Root formation stimulator, helping sprouts to take root better. Take no more than 2 drops of product per 200 g of water. You need to stand for about 3 hours.

Fitosporin. A preparation with biologically active additives and nutrient solutions. Use according to instructions, soak the seeds for a long time, but no more than 6 hours

You can also use folk remedies for soaking - aloe juice, chamomile or valerian infusion. These are natural growth stimulants.

Germination

If there are doubts about the germination of seeds, it is better to germinate them first. The disadvantage of the procedure is that such seedlings need to be looked after especially carefully. They are watered more often and protected from the cold. In addition, if the seeds are planted too deeply or their shell dries out, the sprouts will not be able to get rid of the seed coat on their own.

The most popular method of germinating seedlings for planting in open ground is using toilet paper. Toilet paper is folded in several layers, placed on strips of polyethylene and moistened with water using a spray bottle. Cucumber seeds are placed on damp paper at a distance of 4 cm from each other. Then they are rolled up and placed in a glass of water.

There are other ways to germinate seeds at home for planting in open ground. The grains can be placed in a damp cotton strip of cloth and wrapped in a plastic bag.

You can germinate seeds in sawdust. A small container is filled with sawdust and poured with hot water. After cooling, the seedlings are laid out, lightly sprinkled with sawdust on top and compacted. The container is covered with a plastic bag. Sprouted grains can be easily pulled out, or you can leave them to grow cucumber seedlings.

Popular methods

Study in the attached videos the sequence of actions of the most popular methods of germinating cucumber crops. In addition to traditional methods of soaking seed in water, various natural growth accelerators are used - seedlings are soaked in salted water, mushroom broth, vodka, using various substrates.

Methods that have proven effectiveness have been approved by agricultural technicians from different countries - this is germination in clean water and soaking the seed in ready-made growth activators. The main goals of the activities are to create a favorable environment for sprouting and prepare raw materials for new conditions.

Soaking on fabric

The method is convenient because the fibers retain moisture longer and do not allow the seeds to overheat, dry out, or mix. To make bookmarks, use a pharmaceutical bandage, ordinary medical gauze, calico non-fading fabric, cotton.

Recommendations:

prepare flat containers for placing fabric bookmarks in them;
use filtered or melted water heated to 30-35 degrees;
fill the germination dish with 1-1.5 cm of water;
cut the fabric into strips to a length equal to 2 diameters of the soaking container;
Place one edge of the material in a flat container or plate, place the seeds evenly over its surface;
cover the bookmark with an overlap with the other end;
fill the contents with warm filtered water so that the liquid abundantly moistens the material and covers it.

Important! If the water pouring into the seeds becomes cloudy, it should be changed. Change the fluid constantly until it becomes clear.

Place the soaked planting material in a warm place out of direct sunlight

You can cover the container with glass or cling film to create a greenhouse effect. When using a bandage or medical gauze, cut the pieces so that you can fold the bookmark in 3-4 layers

Place the soaked planting material in a warm place out of direct sunlight. You can cover the container with glass or cling film to create a greenhouse effect. When using a bandage or medical gauze, cut the pieces so that you can fold the bookmark into 3-4 layers.

Soaking in water

Pre-treatment not only allows you to reject low-quality elements, but also makes it possible to obtain strong, hardened, healthy seedlings.

The easiest way to prepare planting material for cucumber seedlings is to soak them in water:

select small flat containers (containers, saucers, plates);
treat the seeds with an antiseptic;
without stirring the variety, place the seed in the prepared container;
fill the contents with filtered tap, melt or purified rain water up to half the contents;
cover containers with polyethylene or glass;
put the material in a warm, dark place;
Constantly monitor the water level and add it.

If a favorable level of moisture and heat is maintained, sprouts should emerge from the planting material already on the 4th-5th day. The seeds are ready to be buried in the ground as soon as the size of the emerging shoots has reached 3-5 mm.

Biologically active drugs

Soaking cucumber seeds in Epin, Gumat, and zircon received positive feedback. The products are made on the basis of natural raw materials; vegetables after processing are safe for health. Germination in a biological product is carried out similarly to soaking in water or a damp cloth. The advantages of preparing seed material using growth stimulants are:

good seed absorption;
activation of natural reactions in cells;
awakening of resources inside the seed;
strengthening the plant’s own immunity;
uniform germination of sprouts;
the ability of the crop to fully develop in depleted soils and with a lack of light;
reduction of germination time;
stimulation of bush growth in the future;
resistance of cucumber crop to temperature changes, climatic conditions, most fungal infections and diseases;
prolonged effect of using the product.

If the seeds do not germinate when soaked in water, use biological products. Maintain constant moisture in the planting material and keep the germinated seed warm.

Increasing plant immunity

There are many ways to increase the resistance of cucumber bushes to viral, bacterial and fungal infections.

Treatment with growth stimulants

Treatment of seeds with growth stimulants is carried out not only to enhance plant development, but also to improve immunity and increase the resistance of planting material to adverse environmental factors. The grains are soaked for an hour in preparations such as Epin, Zircon, Prorostok, Amulet. These products are safe for humans and plants, but the dosage must be observed when preparing the solution.

Hardening or stratification

Hardening helps plants better tolerate temperature changes and develop resistance to other adverse environmental factors. Seeds that have undergone the hardening procedure feel better in cold soil and rarely suffer from rot.

The grains are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for two days. The best storage place is the refrigerator door, where the temperature is +3 degrees. After hardening, the grains can be treated in nutrient formulations and planting can begin.

Sparging - oxygen treatment

Bubbling is carried out to saturate the planting material with oxygen. It is advisable to carry out the procedure with cucumber grains that are more than 5 years old. Bubbling activates energy and promotes better growth.

The seeds are placed in a fabric bag and placed in a jar of warm water. After this, air is supplied using an aquarium compressor. The compressor tube is placed close to the bag so that air bubbles evenly surround its contents. The procedure lasts throughout the day.

...other than potassium permanganate, what should you soak the seeds in before sowing?

Vladimir Flakov

There are other options for treating seeds before sowing. I arrange the seeds by variety and immerse them in a thermos with warm water (about 25°) for two days. To increase germination, I first soak the parsley in milk for 4 hours.

With this pre-sowing treatment, even parsley and carrot seeds sprout on the tenth day.

I'll tell you how to treat the seeds of cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers before planting. I also soak them in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour, rinse them under running water for the same amount of time, and then soak them for a day in an ash solution. After such preliminary preparation for planting, I germinate the seeds in a damp cloth in a warm place at a temperature of 30°.

It disinfects well seeds prepared for planting by heating them in water at a temperature of 45° for 12 hours. And their germination is simulated by subsequent soaking in a solution of boric acid and copper sulfate (0.2 g/1 l each), aloe juice, and simply water bubbled with air bubbles.

I process watermelon and melon seeds differently before sowing. First I soak it in potassium permanganate, then for 3 days I put it in a warm place during the day, and at night in the refrigerator. At the end, I dip the seeds in hot, sweetened wine and keep them there for at least a day so that the fruits are sweet.

For the same purpose, I soak radish seeds, which I sow no earlier than mid-June, in water with honey.

I also never plant seeds within three days of a new or full moon. Vegetables that produce tops should be sown or planted correctly on the waxing moon, and those that have a harvest in the ground - on the waning moon.

Thus, vegetable seeds must be processed before sowing.”

Luda Vysotskaya

I personally use aloe juice and heating with microwave currents. Speeds up germination.

For the same purpose, I soak radish seeds, which I sow no earlier than mid-June, in water with honey.

Bin

If against fungi that may be on the seeds themselves... vodka, hydrogen peroxide... but it's all fast... do not soak. And to increase germination, it depends on what kind of seeds are stratified, etc.. . Destroyers of inhibitors - different ones are needed, starting with the banal - time. Up to treatment with gastric juice (or hydrochloric acid), filing, freezing, heating, etc., etc., etc.

Planting seedlings

In order for young seedling bushes to feel good in a new place, they need to be transplanted correctly. If the planting material was processed correctly, and the seedlings were watered on time and correctly, fertilizers were applied and other important care items were carried out, then adaptation will be quick and easy.

To the greenhouse

The seedlings are ready to be transplanted into the greenhouse when two pairs of true leaves unfurl on the stem and two tendrils appear. If the greenhouse is not heated, then you need to wait for the air temperature to be +23 degrees during the day and at least +16 at night. The soil should warm up to +15 degrees. This time approximately coincides with the first days of May; seedlings are planted a month before transplantation.

In open ground

Cucumber seedlings can be planted in open ground when the soil warms up to +13 degrees. The area intended for planting is first dug up, loosened and fertilized. Cucumbers love light, loose soil.

When acidity is high, wood ash is added to the soil. Two weeks before transplanting, ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to the soil.

The distance between the sprouts in the bed should be 13 cm. Humus or compost is placed at the bottom of the hole. After this, the sprout is planted together with a lump of earth. It is good if the seedlings were grown in separate peat pots. In this case, the sprout along with the glass is placed in the hole. Then water generously and sprinkle with earth.

Seeds for cucumber seedlings: preparation and sowing

By sowing seeds for cucumber seedlings in a timely manner, you can treat yourself and your household with fresh salads from juicy, crispy fruits already in the first half of June.

However, even at the stage of preparing seed, novice summer residents have many conflicting doubts related to the features of pre-sowing treatment and the actual implementation of sowing techniques.

In this publication we will provide answers to the most common questions from gardeners starting to grow cucumber seedlings.

Seeds for cucumber seedlings: preparation and processing

1. Do I need to soak cucumber seeds before planting seedlings?

Before carrying out any procedures to prepare planting material for sowing, you should carefully read the information provided on its packaging. If the bag contains the inscription “Do not soak!” - this indicates that the seeds inside have already been treated with special preparations and do not need pre-soaking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bz9qyyHtM4

If there is no such inscription on the packaging (or, for example, you are preparing personally obtained planting material from a harvest two, three or four years ago), it is recommended to disinfect dry seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate, rinse them with clean water, and keep them in a nutrient solution for 12 hours and only after that place it in a damp cloth for 1-2 days. These and other pre-sowing procedures are described in more detail in the publication “How to sow cucumbers correctly?”

2. What does the inscription “Do not require pre-sowing treatment” mean on the package?

Often on bags with modern hybrids of cucumbers and tomatoes you can find an indication emphasizing that this planting material does not require pre-sowing treatment (soaking, disinfection, heating, etc.

) The above inscription indicates that these seeds are capable of producing excellent healthy seedlings when sown in a disinfected and highly moistened substrate without any preliminary preparation or treatment.

Soaking them is not prohibited, but, according to experts, it is simply impractical - after all, this procedure will not affect the final result in any way, and time will be wasted.

3. Do I need to warm up cucumber seeds before sowing them for seedlings?

Warming up is a procedure that promotes disinfection of planting material, the appearance of healthy, strong and fast seedlings and early harvests. By heating, you can further increase the number of female flowers on plants and at the same time reduce the number of barren flowers - male flowers that do not form ovaries and fruits.

It is important to note that only varietal cucumbers (!) are heated, since hybrids are distinguished by a predominantly female type of flowering and do not need this procedure. With all this, modern hybrids do not require not only heating, but also any other pre-sowing treatment.

4. How to prepare cucumber seeds for sowing as seedlings?

If planting material requires pre-sowing preparation, it is usually carried out in 4 stages, including:

– selection of full-bodied large seeds;
– warming up selected specimens near a battery (2-3 weeks) or in a thermos with hot water (1.5 hours);
– disinfection in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and mandatory rinsing with running water;
– soaking and germination of treated planting material.

In addition, many vegetable growers use other methods of pre-sowing preparation - in particular, such as: hardening, treatment with microelements, etc.

But even if you decide to resort to their help, you should take into account that none of the additional processing methods can replace the basic agricultural techniques used in growing vegetable crops.

Here, first of all, we are talking about such agrotechnical techniques as:

– high-quality soil preparation;
– selection of the best predecessors;
– compliance with sowing deadlines;
- competent care.

Sowing cucumber seeds for seedlings: timing and features of planting

1. When to start sowing seedlings?

Approximately, it is recommended to start sowing work approximately 25-30 days before the planned date of transplanting the seedlings into a greenhouse, under film or into open ground.

Approximate sowing dates (may vary depending on climate and weather conditions):

April 10-15 – for planting seedlings in greenhouses on May 10-15;
April 20-25 – for planting in the ground under film on May 15-20;
May 20-25 - for planting in the ground without film on June 7-10.

Since cucumbers react negatively to transplants, it is advisable to sow planting material in peat pots or cups filled with nutritious soil mixture. When planting, the pots are usually filled to 2/3 of the height, in no case burying the seedlings, because this can cause stem rotting

2. At what depth should I plant cucumber seeds?

When planting in peat pots, make a small hole about 1.5-2 cm deep in the center of the container, then place one seed there, sprinkle with soil mixture and cover with a thin film. When sowing in the ground (for example, in a greenhouse or in an insulated bed), each seed is buried in the soil approximately to the length of the nail phalanx of the index finger (approximately no deeper than 2 cm).

A smaller backfill depth is undesirable, since it can ultimately cause the so-called. “overwhelming” of seedlings - a condition in which fragile seedlings, under the weight of their own weight, begin to creep along the ground. It is natural that in the future it is pointless to expect a good harvest from such plants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWbcCvPxZHk

You should not make the planting depth more than recommended - otherwise, the seedlings will be late and quite weak, and, consequently, the cucumbers themselves will begin to grow more slowly and bear fruit worse.

3. Which side should I plant cucumber seeds on?

Typically, gardeners use the following technique: during sowing, each seed is grabbed with the index finger and thumb, after which it is buried about 2 cm into the ground so that it stands on its edge. According to experienced gardeners, it is precisely this position (and not, for example, vertical or flat) that can ensure faster and more friendly shoots.

Growing cucumber seedlings allows you to get an early harvest of greens that are many times superior in taste to store-bought counterparts. By adhering to the above recommendations and following the advice of experienced summer residents, even a novice vegetable grower will be able to cope with this task.

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Source: https://moja-dacha.com/ogorod/98-semena-na-rassadu-ogurtsov-podgotovka-i-posev