How to soak cucumber seeds before planting: the need for soaking, rules and methods of procedure at home

Cucumbers fill the body with fresh pulp and moisture, which are rich in vitamins. Also, whole cucumbers have a crunch when biting into them, which cannot but please the target audience. However, the greens can be cut and added to the salad. And if you pickle them and preserve them, then there will certainly not be a shortage of vitamin C for the winter.

But before undertaking the corresponding “experiments,” cucumbers must be grown. And here farmers, gardeners and summer residents come to the rescue. Somebody knows the value of a green vegetable. Moreover, this value is not limited to taste qualities alone.

The thing is that cucumbers grow quickly: 35-50 days pass from the moment of germination to the ripening of the first full-fledged greens. The main thing is that the seedlings are healthy and germinate early. After all, cucumber seeds are initially covered with a film and have oils that prevent the roots from quickly hatching through the hard seed coat. However, the corresponding problem can be corrected by applying soaking.

Brief overview of the article

Purpose of soaking
What water to use
Seed hardening
Maximum germination acceleration
Seed mineralization
Seed dressing
Seed soaking technique
Optimal fertilizers for mineralization
Optimal pickling agents
Additional Tips
Photo of cucumber seeds before planting

Purpose of soaking

Dry cucumber seeds, even after watering, sprout only after 5-6 days. If the soil is good, then this period becomes shorter by 1-2 days. You can also use soaking cucumber seeds before planting, which allows you to:

Preliminarily identify defective seeds;
Accelerate germination;
Harden the mass for planting;
Increase germination percentage;
Treat seed material against various diseases;
Mineralize the seeds.

Although you will definitely have to use water for soaking, you should not exclude other means that completely promote seed germination, as well as the development of the root system and sprouts in the soil and above the soil, respectively.

Traditional recipes for processing seedling material

Since ancient times, seeds have also been germinated before planting to obtain quick shoots. Many years of proven folk recipes, which are still used today, are passed down from generation to generation. Carrots, pumpkin, beets, radishes, and squash are just some of the plants whose seeds can be soaked in these solutions before planting. Here are some simple and effective options.

Recipe No. 1 - allows you to germinate in 6 hours

Honey dissolved in water is considered an excellent stimulant. To prepare, use a glass of warm water and a teaspoon of the sweet ingredient. The procedure is performed by filling a bowl with honey solution and immersing the seed material in it for 6 hours.

Recipe No. 2 - will bring the landing closer

Cucumber seeds germinate well in pure potato juice. To obtain it, you need to select several root vegetables and put them in the freezer to freeze. Once removed from the refrigerator, the potatoes should thaw. You need to squeeze the juice manually, it's not difficult at all. Soaked seeds in juice are left to sit for at least 8 hours.

Recipe No. 3 - soak in ash

Wood ash has a valuable chemical composition, rich in nutritious minerals and trace elements. This component can also be used to germinate cucumber seeds. First, an infusion is prepared from boiled water (1 liter) and ash (2 tablespoons). The liquid should steep for at least 2 days, after which the grains are immersed in it for 6 hours.

Recipe No. 4 - treat with aloe juice

Soaking seed material in aloe juice not only stimulates growth, but also strengthens the plant's immunity. After such treatment, it will be easier for the young shoot to resist various diseases and pests. To obtain juice from a houseplant, you need to cut off the mature leaves from the bottom of the stem. Wrap them in paper (preferably parchment) and put them in the refrigerator for two weeks. After this, the juice is very easily squeezed out by hand. The extracted liquid is diluted with a small amount of water and the seeds are poured into the solution for a day.

What water to use

Before considering means for complex seed preparation, it is important to find out the relevance of using high-quality water. To ensure that the seed material does not deteriorate and germinates quickly, the water should be:

Clean (drinking, thawed or filtered);
Room temperature – plus 23-27 degrees Celsius.

In addition, high-quality water will have to be used in a certain volume - 0.5 liters for every 100 seeds: after 6-8 hours from the moment the seeds are soaked, the clear liquid becomes cloudy, because the seeds transfer their oils to her. Therefore, the water needs to be changed - 0.5 liters for each period of soaking 100 seeds.

Know all the features of the process

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.
The author of the video advises using hot water. Pour a cloth with seeds into it and leave for 15 minutes, this softens the shell and makes germination easier.

Seed hardening

Frosts and bad weather have not been canceled. The question arises: how to soak cucumbers before planting them in the ground outdoors? To prevent hypothermia of the sprouts and speed up their germination despite the relatively low soil temperature, the seeds are first hardened in slightly cool water. In particular, we are talking about temperature - plus 5-7 degrees Celsius. Hardening occurs sequentially:

For 2 days, the seeds are soaked in relatively warm water - plus 10-12 degrees Celsius;
After 12-14 hours, warm water changes to cool - plus 4-7 degrees Celsius.

Next, the hatched seeds are planted in warm soil and watered with relatively warm water. The latter must be new (fresh).

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.

Maximum germination acceleration

If you use warm water instead of cool water (plus 27-30 degrees Celsius), then the sprouts cut through the seed coat 6-10 hours earlier.

The main thing is not to create a sharp difference between warm and cold temperatures, i.e. Do not change warm water to cold. Otherwise, the seed material will be stressed and part of it will die.

Seed mineralization

Even Dutch seeds with good germination do not guarantee high-quality development of young shoots. After all, the soil in which they grow can be depleted. Therefore, cucumber seeds can be enriched with minerals:

First, the required volume of liquid or powder fertilizer is dissolved in the soaking water;
Next, the seeds are soaked in the solution for 24-36 hours.

Each fertilizer dictates its own recipe for preparing the solution. This recipe is listed on the package. It also emphasizes the importance of observing the mineralization period: soaking seeds for more than 36 hours is not recommended, because they will burn.

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.

Seed dressing

In addition to a deficiency of useful minerals, the seeds may be faced with unhealthy soil. It is not uncommon for the seeds themselves to be contaminated, especially if they were obtained independently from the pulp of homemade greens. How to properly soak cucumber seeds before planting to avoid a low germination rate, as well as sluggish and yellowed young shoots?

To do this, it is recommended to add one of the following products to the soaking water:

Potassium permanganate – 1 g per 0.1 l;
Hydrogen peroxide – 2 ml per 0.1 l;
Boric acid – 1 ml per 0.1 l.

At least one of the listed remedies is always available in your home pharmacy. It is recommended to prepare a solution for the first soaking, since pickling requires a minimum or optimal dosage (due to a strong solution, the seeds will burn).

Effective methods

It is now advisable to wet the grains that have been sorted and disinfected in solutions of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. When deciding to use any stimulant, you first need to soak the grains in water for 1–1.5 hours at room temperature. This is necessary so that the grains expand and then are not saturated with excess liquid with the stimulant. For this procedure, you need to take water that has settled from the tap or rainwater. As a result, various biostimulants are introduced into the water to strengthen it, which subsequently contribute to the best growth of powerful and resilient seedlings.

It is worth taking a closer look at several growth stimulants:

“Zircon” is a medicine made on the basis of chicoric acid, which is secreted by echinacea. The product is a powerful activator of root enlargement and development. To make a mixture based on Zircon, you need to dissolve 2 drops of the substance in 300 ml of water. The grains should be soaked for 9–17 hours; at the end of the time, sprouts with strengthened immunity will appear.

In gauze

For soaking you will need a tray or large saucer, cloth, water and seedlings. A layer of soaked gauze is placed on the tray, then the grains and again a layer of damp cloth. The seeds are covered with warm water, temperature from +29 to +35ºС. The moisture should barely cover the fabric; the resulting structure is installed in a dark place. But at the same time, you need to constantly monitor the level of moisture content and not allow it to dry out, otherwise the grains will disappear.

In order to maintain a stable level of humidity near the gauze, it is worth placing foam rubber, a sponge, or cotton wool, which perfectly retain liquid. For stable humidity, the following method is used - a tray with seed material is placed in a plastic bag, but not closed completely, left slightly open. The soaking process lasts about a day. But everything depends on how quickly the grains are saturated with moisture. Sometimes 9–16 hours is sufficient.

In biological solution

Soaking the physical active elements “Zircon”, “Epin”, and humates in solutions has practical effects. They activate the increase in the premature stage. It should not be treated with only one drug. The result of soaking in a solution with fertilizers shows itself when sowing is done in poor soil and is actually not visible when sowing in fertilized seedling soil. It is also possible to soak seedlings in natural growth stimulants, such as aloe juice, honey, and wood ash.

To prepare a catalyst from aloe leaves, you need to gently trim the leaves, place them in a dark bag and put them in the freezer for 2 weeks. Under these circumstances, increased production of enlargement hormones is triggered in the leaves. Then, using gauze, you need to squeeze the juice from the leaves and dilute it in equal portions with water. Aloe nectar awakens the pecking of grains and increases the immunity of cucumbers.

When working with aloe leaves and juice, do not use metal utensils, such as a knife or bowl. To obtain a honey preparation, 1 teaspoon of honey is diluted in 200 ml of warm water and moistened for 5 or 6 hours. Honey is a carrier of antimicrobial qualities and activates plant growth.

Seed soaking technique

Soaking seeds is always done in two stages - soaking in one part of water or solution for 4-12 hours and soaking in another part of water for 12-24 hours. That is, the water must be changed. However, the target audience can resort to moistening the seed material by:

Gauze - products are laid out on a gauze strip and periodically sprayed with a spray bottle;
Cellophane bag - the product is placed in a vinyl bag, after which it is sprayed and closed loosely.

In this case, you will have to make holes in the plastic bag for ventilation. The use of gauze encourages immersion of the appropriate seed material in a saucer and then covering the latter to maintain moisture in the container.

Regarding the question of how to properly soak cucumbers before planting, if gauze is used, it is better not to roll it up, because... when unfolded, it can damage young roots.

Traditional recipes for processing seedling material

Recipe No. 1 - allows you to germinate in 6 hours

Recipe No. 2 - will bring the landing closer

Recipe No. 3 - soak in ash

Optimal fertilizers for mineralization

Seed mineralization was previously mentioned - its purpose, technique and means used. Among the latter, the following have proven themselves well:

"Energen Aqua";
"Baby";
"Agricola";
"Hello";
"Fertika Lux";
"Kornevin".

The same products are used for irrigation, so it is recommended to treat the soil with their solution immediately after planting the seeds.

Optimal pickling agents

Vegetable diseases mutate so often that treating them with solutions based on home remedies is sometimes simply pointless. A completely different matter is laboratory drugs like:

"Fitolavin";
"Alirin-B";
"Fitosporin-M";
"Glyocladin."

The main thing is that the products have a barcode and the mark “bio”, “phyto” or “B.” This indicates the development of a product based on biological components that have nothing to do with harmful chemicals.

Additional Tips

Soaking can be called complete and of high quality if, after 20 hours from the moment of moistening, 75-90% of the seeds have hatched.

The good quality of the seed material itself is indicated by their aeration (gurgling in the water).

If soaking was done in the traditional way, then the seeds should settle on their own at the bottom of the container within the first 24 hours. But young shoots are unlikely to emerge from the produce floating above. However, they are worthy of an extended soak of 12-20 hours.

Millions of agronomists have proven that 2-3 years of storage of cucumbers in dry conditions contributes to good germination, development and productivity. But how to soak cucumber seeds if such long-term storage could not be achieved?

Before immersing in water, it is recommended to warm cucumber seeds for a week at a temperature of 30-40 degrees. To create such conditions, a heating radiator is suitable.

Cucumbers have a very fragile root system. Therefore, it is better to soak their seeds in batches of 10-30, so as not to damage the hatched sprouts during the process of sorting and processing.

Choosing quality seeds

First of all, you need to carry out calibration, that is, select high-quality cucumber seeds suitable for sowing:

Without regret, throw away seeds that are too small and deformed.
Determine which remaining seeds are empty. To do this, you need to soak them in salt water for 10 minutes. A saline solution is prepared from 0.5 liters of water and one teaspoon of salt. Floating seeds are not suitable for planting.
Seed material that has settled to the bottom should be rinsed under running water and dried.

You may be interested to know: When to plant cucumber seedlings for growing in a greenhouse