Planting carrots in spring in granules. How to plant carrots in granules

Method of planting carrots in granules

Although granulated seeds appeared on the public market more than 15 years ago, not all owners are accustomed to them. They are often interested in how carrots are grown in granules, how this plant is planted and cared for in open ground. The granular material is large in size and bright in color. It's hard not to notice him. The granule is successfully placed in the right place. Many farmers claim that it is worth pelleting the seeds, because this ensures quick germination of the plants.

Thanks to granulated seeds, it is possible to grow carrots in winter. It is less vulnerable than unprocessed, therefore it is more likely to give a good result.

The fungicides contained in the granulated seeds have a good effect on the taste of the vegetable and the volume of climbing. It is actually permanently protected from all kinds of diseases and pests.

Using this method, the farmer can more successfully calculate the amount of planting material needed and save money. Vegetables grown using this method do not have to be thinned, because they are not planted close to each other.

The disadvantage of this method is the need for the granule itself to melt. That is why such planting material needs to be added more actively than untreated. Otherwise it may not rise well.

Other types of planting

Gardeners resort to various tricks to eliminate such tedious work as thinning.

Sowing with granules

If you sow carrots with granulated (coated) seeds, you don’t have to worry about thinning. Each seed is enclosed in a bright coating of nutrients. Their diameter is 2-3 mm, which allows you to immediately place the seeds at the desired distance. Sowing scheme for early varieties: 15 by 20 cm, late 20 by 25 cm.

Sowing with sand

A well-known method of sowing vegetables is when the seeds are mixed with coarse dry sand in the proportion of 1 part seeds and 3 parts sand. This mixture should be sown in the furrows in the usual way.

Using paste

The paste is a jelly-like liquid mass in which the seeds can be easily distributed evenly and without thinning.

It’s easy to prepare a paste at home:

• Boil 0.4 liters of water.
• Stir 2 tbsp in 0.1 liters of cold water. spoons of potato starch.
• Pour water with starch into boiling water in a thin stream, stirring constantly.
• Instead of starch, you can use flour, taking twice as much of it for the same amount of water.

The mixture with the seeds is thoroughly mixed to distribute them evenly. The paste is poured into a large syringe or into a plastic bottle with a small hole in the lid. Sowing is carried out simply by squeezing the semi-liquid mass into the furrow.

Belt method

If you don’t mind spending several hours on painstaking small work, you can glue the carrot seeds onto paper tape in advance. Use strips of toilet paper, 1.5 cm wide. Using paste and a match, seeds are glued onto the paper at the required distance from each other.

When planting carrots on a tape, simply lay them out on the furrows and sprinkle them with soil. The paper quickly opens due to moisture and does not interfere with the germination of seeds.

In a bag

An original device for improving the germination of carrots. The method involves pouring carrot seeds into a canvas bag and burying them in thawed soil in early spring. Soon, pips appear on the seeds. The awakened seeds are mixed with sand (1 to 3) and sown in the garden bed.

Sowing with a strainer

The device, which has holes of the same size, allows you to evenly distribute the seeds during sowing. In a tea strainer, seal some of the holes with electrical tape, leaving a few, and fill them with carrot seeds. Now it is enough to shake the sieve over the rows to plant the carrots at a distance from each other.

In a cardboard egg carton

To easily mark a bed for sowing carrots, use an egg pad. It is enough to press the cells into the soft soil so that clear holes remain in the garden bed. Having marked the entire surface of the bed in this way, it is easy to plant carrots in the prepared holes. The distance between them is suitable for root growth.

There are many ways to sow root crops; a vegetable grower can choose any one that is suitable for his conditions. Any sowing option, if carried out correctly, will result in a good harvest.

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How to sow carrots with granules

Soil preparation

How good the harvest will be largely depends on carefully prepared soil. It is better to choose a place in the fall. It is better to plant granulated carrots in the place where zucchini, cucumbers, radishes, greens or cabbage used to grow. If the garden is small, and nothing was grown in it in the spring or summer, it is allowed to sow green manure in the fall, for example, rye or mustard. The first one can be left to grow until spring, and you can count on the appearance of mustard even before the onset of frost.

Important! Carrots love moist soil.

The wind dries out the soil and prevents carrots from germinating on time. Therefore, when choosing the best place for his future harvest, the owner must take into account the wind rose. The best place is in the sun, but not in the wind. Most experienced farmers try to plant carrots in the southern or southwestern parts of the garden.

Appearance of granules

Territory preparation is carried out in several stages:

1. Remove all remaining plant debris from the garden bed;
2. The entire bed should be fertilized with rotted humus;
3. Chemical fertilizers should be scattered over the entire area where the vegetable will subsequently be planted. Superphosphate (25 g per square meter of territory), potassium nitrate (11-16 g per square meter) are best suited for this;
4. It's good to dig up the ground. The depth does not have to be great. Sufficient for the depth of a shovel;
5. The last stage of autumn preparation is to harrow.

If the owner is not lazy and does everything properly in the fall, spring will not bring him much trouble. All you need before planting carrot granules is:

• loosen the soil;
• add ammonium nitrate or urea for fertilizer.

After making the beds, you need to water the soil well. If the snow has melted a long time ago and the soil has dried out, you can water the area several times. It is best to do this 5 days before the sowing date. This way, the soil will have time to soak as successfully as possible and will help the plants sprout faster.

When to sow

Carrots are a cold-resistant crop. Granulated beet and carrot seeds can be planted as soon as the soil warms up to at least 8 degrees Celsius.

Important! Beyond the Urals and in the middle zone, it is recommended to sow carrots in mid-April, and if the year is cold, then at the end of April or early May.

As a rule, by this time the snow has completely melted, the ground is well moistened, and the air itself is heated to +12-15 degrees Celsius.

For winter storage, it is better to choose varieties that will take longer to germinate.

Medium varieties of carrots will sprout in approximately 98-117 days. Medium-late – at least 90 days, late – from 115 days. These are best sown at the end of May. You will be able to enjoy the delicious fruits and put them aside for long-term storage in October.

On a note. Some varieties of the hard red vegetable are not afraid of winter. They are allowed to be sown in early or mid-October, that is, even before the onset of severe frosts. Specific dates vary by region. It is important that the soil is still moist and warm enough for the carrots to sprout successfully.

Landing Features

Answering the question of how to plant granulated carrots, first of all, it must be said that for these seeds the optimal furrow depth is from 2 to 3.5 cm. Experienced farmers suggest making furrows with the edge of a wooden board with a thickness of 25-30 mm, and holes - with a finger.

In order for cultivation to bring quick results, it is better to maintain a distance between rows of 15 cm in the case of early varieties, and 20 cm if you have to sow late or mid-late varieties. You need to plant so that there is a distance of 5 cm between individual carrots. Thus, even if 100% convergence of crops occurs, you will not have to thin out the beds.

Immediately before sowing granulated seeds, it is recommended to water the bed well. You can add any biological product to the water. Next, the owner must carefully place the seeds in the furrow. It is very carefully sprinkled with sifted vermicompost or coconut fiber on top. Then the bed is carefully watered. Another layer of humus should be placed on top. There is no need to water it anymore. As the experience of many farmers shows, carrots covered with organic fertilizers germinate much faster than those covered with soil.

Optimal place for garden beds

You can count on an abundance of fruits only if you satisfy all the requirements of carrots, and they have a lot of them. Its bushes develop well on loose and fertile soils. In terms of composition, medium loam or sandy loam soil is optimal for them. They will provide the high aeration necessary for carrots. It is possible to select varieties for cultivation that form long root crops only when the depth of the loose soil layer on the site is very significant.

The culture prefers neutral soil; its optimal pH is in the range of 6-7. It is better if a crust does not form on the soil and its moisture capacity is good. In dense and heavy soil, which does not allow air to pass through to the roots of the bushes well and retains water for a long time, the taste of carrots will be greatly reduced, even despite good care. Unsuitable soil will affect seed germination in the spring, and it will make adult bushes vulnerable to fungal diseases.

It is good to make beds for planting carrots in an area where the following crops grew last season:

• cabbage;
• any types of beans and grains;
• onion;
• garlic;
• potato;
• tomatoes;
• zucchini;
• cucumbers

Spicy herbs coming from the same family will be bad predecessors for it:

• dill;
• celery;
• parsley;
• coriander;
• parsnip;
• fennel;
• caraway.

You need to choose a place for carrot beds that is well lit. Her bushes love the sun and do not suffer from its direct rays. But lack of light will have a bad effect on productivity. Root crops will grow small, and their taste will be low.

Seedling care

To grow a good harvest, you will have to devote more time to caring for the plant. So, a mandatory and very important procedure is pouring. As soon as the plant appears above the ground, you will have to water it twice a week. Liquid consumption – 3-4 liters per 1 sq. m. Do not use cold water. This can cause the plant to die. The best option would be water heated in the sun. During the period of formation and active growth of the root crop, you can reduce the number of waterings to once a week. Meanwhile, the volume of water should be large: up to 10 liters per 1 sq. m.

It often happens that the owner fails to calculate the sowing density in the garden bed. In this case, the carrots come off too thick. It is important to thin out the beds, that is, pull out smaller and weaker plants. This is necessary so that the root vegetables do not interfere with each other.

Shootings in open ground

Like many other plants planted in the garden, carrots require freedom to grow. Weeds will not allow the plant to germinate properly. It is better not to spray any excess plants, but to carefully pull them out. If the midge infestation bothers you, you should use chemicals.

Carrots that are planted for the winter do not need to be so actively cared for. It is recommended to cover it well. No topping or loosening is required. It is worth opening the future harvest when the air warms up by more than 1 degree Celsius per day. In northern Russia, carrots can be opened only after the night frosts have passed.

Conditions for growing carrots in open ground

Carrots cannot be called a whimsical and demanding crop. But there are a number of conditions, without which it is impossible to obtain the desired harvest. Carrots will grow under almost any circumstances, but whether they will be large, tasty, shelf-stable, and filled with vitamins depends on the growing conditions.

Site requirements

Carrots are grown on flat areas without slope. Landing site requirements:

• Illumination. Choose a well-lit area. With a lack of sun, carrots grow poorly - the tops are stunted, and the root vegetables are tonic. The sun should fall on the site throughout the day. With shading, even temporary, yields decrease and the taste of root crops deteriorates.
• The soil. Preference is given to loose neutral or slightly acidic soils (pH 6–7). Acidic and alkaline soils are strictly contraindicated. The crop grows best on loamy soils with a high sand content, or on sandy loam soils. In dense loams, carrots grow small and rot during storage. When growing varieties with long roots, deep plowing is necessary. The soil should be well aerated and moisture-absorbing. With high humidity and lack of oxygen, carrots grow tasteless and the risk of fungal diseases increases.
• Predecessors. Carrots grow well after tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, garlic, potatoes, and grain crops. You cannot plant carrots immediately after dill, parsnips, caraway seeds, fennel, parsley, carrots and all umbelliferous plants.
• Neighbours. The yield of carrots increases if peas, radishes, and tomatoes grow nearby.

Carrots are planted on the site no earlier than after 3-4 years. If you replant a crop in one place:

• Productivity is falling.
• Product quality is deteriorating.
• The incidence is growing. Root crops and above-ground parts are damaged by pests and diseases - Alternaria, carrot fly, aphids, nematodes and others.

The following areas are absolutely not suitable for carrots:

• with a strong slope;
• overgrown with weeds;
• on which unfavorable predecessors grew - especially tobacco and sunflower.

Preparing the soil for planting carrots

Site preparation begins in the fall. Over the winter, all fertilizers and additives will be absorbed and give maximum effect. The ideal soil for carrots is air- and moisture-permeable, loose and fertile, without rhizomes and stones.

Features of preparing soil for carrots:

• The soil is dug up in the fall, removing everything unnecessary from it - stones, rhizomes, solid debris.
• Digging depth is 1.5 shovels. Large digging horizons allow root crops to grow deeper. Also, deep digging makes it easier to harvest carrots - they are easier to pull out.
• If the soil is heavy loamy, add peat or sand for autumn digging - 1 kg per 1 sq. m. m.
• Manure or humus is added to excessively sandy soils.
• Humus is added to low-fertility soils in the fall - 6-8 kg per 1 sq. m. m. But you can add organic matter in the spring - before sowing.
• Chalk or lime is added to acidified soil in the fall - 1 cup per 1 square meter. m.
• In spring, you don’t have to dig up the soil - just loosen it and level it.

The amount of fertilizer applied to the soil depends on its type. So, for example, in clay soils, in addition to peat and sawdust, which loosen their structure, per 1 sq. m are contributed per season:

• coarse sand – 0.5 buckets;
• humus or compost – 5 kg;
• wood ash – 300 g;
• lime – 500 g (for acidic soils);
• mineral fertilizers – 2 tbsp. l.

Each type of soil has its own fertilizer recipe. Before applying fertilizers, it is necessary to determine the density and acidity of the soil. Gardeners have a lot of methods for determining these indicators - from folk signs to litmus tests.

How to improve the result

Experienced farmers have prepared useful tips for growing a good carrot crop for new gardeners:

1. The area between the rows should not be empty. While the seedlings themselves are still small, early varieties of radishes can be planted between them. This vegetable grows quickly, and therefore can become a good beacon in the garden, pointing to individual rows. After harvesting this crop, it is better to remove the remnants of the radish, and the row spacing itself can be loosened several times a year;
2. To get a good harvest, you need to feed the plant at least twice a season. For the first time, this procedure is performed 30-35 days after sowing the granules. The best option for feeding is nitrophoska. The owner must dilute it with water according to the instructions;
3. When choosing granulated carrots for sowing, it is important to pay attention to the expiration date. It is 2 years maximum. If the seeds are old, you should not count on high-quality fruits.

Important! It is not recommended to use: manure, ash or nitrogenous compounds as a fertilizer for carrots.

To summarize, it should be said that granulated carrot seeds have a number of advantages. They are easy to plant, protected from many vegetable diseases, are not afraid of frost and at the same time provide a good harvest. Such seeds must be planted according to a clear pattern and require preliminary soil preparation and care after sowing.

How to plant carrots correctly so as not to thin out later

When the carrots planted in the garden have good shoots, they need to be carefully thinned out.

This procedure is quite difficult, since by pulling one socket, you can pull out several at once, including those that should have remained.

In addition, the plants remaining after its implementation weaken and often do not reach the large sizes specified by the breeders. In this review, we will look at easy ways to sow carrots correctly, so as not to thin out later.

The best option for planting carrots in this case is to use manual seeders like Klen-1 or SMK-5, which ensure rapid penetration of seeds to a given depth, help distribute them evenly across the ground in even rows, preserve the seed without damage and speed up the process sowing 5-10 times. Their prices start from 2.5-3 thousand rubles.

Seeder Klen 1 Manual seeder SMK-5

If you don’t have that kind of money, you can make do with improvised materials: sand, paste, special tape or a bag. The sowing process in this case will not be automated, but it will greatly facilitate the progress of the work. Read on to learn how to sow carrots without thinning them using the specified devices.

How to plant granulated carrots

Carrots are one of those vegetable crops that are present in the diet every day. It is necessary when preparing soups and main courses; most winter preparations cannot do without it. The root vegetable is also useful when eaten fresh. It is especially pleasant to crunch on fresh carrots picked from your own plot. Therefore, the root crop must be grown in every garden.

The vegetable is easy to grow. However, it often happens that someone’s carrots grow large and tasty, while others cannot boast of a harvest. Knowledge of the characteristics of the plant, agrotechnical nuances and the use of modern methods of sowing seeds, such as the use of seeds in granules, can significantly increase your yield.

The peculiarity of the crop is that it has very small seeds, which are difficult to plant. The methods used by many generations of gardeners earlier led to such additional work as mandatory thinning, sometimes repeated. Therefore, to reduce labor costs when planting, seeds in granules were invented. Seeds in granules save the gardener’s time, the cost of seed material, and greatly facilitate sowing, as they have a large granule size and bright color. So, you definitely won’t make a mistake and sow the seeds twice.

What are granular seeds?

Granulation (panning) is a method of preparing seed , during which the seeds are covered with a thick layer of a protective shell. Dried seeds are large in size (up to 5-7 mm) and resemble granules (pellets). Protective shells can be made from a variety of materials (peat, wood flour, bentonite clay, paste, starch, polyacrylamide, gel), which freeze and harden during the manufacturing process, greatly facilitating the process of sowing and caring for carrots.

Comparison of regular and granular seeds:

Conclusion

Granulated seeds have distinct advantages over conventional ones in a number of ways, which makes their use most preferable, and harvest care easier and more convenient.

Landing dates

Carrots tolerate slight cold weather well. Its seeds in granules can be sown already at the end of April in open ground if the weather is warm enough. However, if some cataclysms occur in nature - a sharp drop in temperature, snowfall in April, then the sowing dates, of course, are shifted to May.

Then you can sow carrots in granules. The indicated planting dates are suitable for the Urals and central Russia.

Soil preparation

The culture prefers light sandy and loamy soils. Clay soils that retain moisture are not suitable for growing root crops and can cause them to rot.

Beds for carrots in granules should be laid out in the area of ​​the garden where the vegetable will receive the maximum amount of solar heat and light; in shaded areas, the root crop grows worse.

It is better to prepare the soil for vegetables in the fall: dig up, remove weeds and plant debris, in which various pests and bacterial spores usually overwinter. It is better to apply fresh manure to the soil in the fall. During the winter, beneficial substances transform into a form convenient for absorption by plants. It is necessary to apply fertilizer if you want to get a good harvest, since sandy and loamy soils, which carrots like so much, are poor in humus.

You can apply this combination of fertilizers per 1 square. m of soil: superphosphate (30 g), ammonium nitrate (15 g), potassium chloride (10 g).

Since it contains weed seeds, attracts pests and contains a large amount of nitrogen, which harms the plant. Moreover, carrots, like any other root vegetable, are prone to the accumulation of nitrates in fruits.

Preparing for landing

How to soak carrot seeds before planting?

Carrot shoots appear slowly and unevenly, and this takes about 2 weeks. In this case, germination is 60-80%. Therefore, preliminary seed preparation is used. One of the methods of preliminary preparation is soaking the seeds. The seeds are placed in a fabric bag and immersed in warm water at a temperature of +30 degrees for a day, changing it every 4 hours. It’s even better to use an ash solution for soaking, at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon of ash per 1 liter of water.

Good results are obtained by soaking followed by hardening. To do this, wet bags of seeds are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 3-5 days, and then planted in a garden bed.

Soil preparation

Carrots grow best in light, warm, loose soils. You can loosen the soil by adding river sand, peat and humus.

The soil pH should be slightly acidic or neutral. There should be no weeds in the carrot bed, it should be a bright sunny place, otherwise the capricious root crop will grow slowly and frailly. The soil also needs to be well loosened, not only on the surface, but also to a depth of one and a half shovels, so that there are no dense clay lumps that can deform the carrots, causing them to grow crooked.

Carrots do not like liming of soil and fresh manure, preferring rotted compost to them. Wood ash will also benefit from it; it needs to be added to the soil some time before planting.

A week before sowing, the bed is thoroughly watered and covered with polyethylene to warm and maintain moisture.

There are many ways to plant carrots, we will look at some of the most popular ones.

Selecting a location

Carrot beds should be located in an open area with continuous sunlight during the day. A light-loving culture will not be able to fully develop in shade or partial shade. Without sufficient heat and light, the fruit will be tough, thin in shape and less juicy in taste.

This vegetable also has its own soil requirements. It must be loose and fertile, drained, with good aeration, neutral in composition, loamy or sandy loam, with good moisture permeability. On heavy and dense soils, there is a risk of fungal diseases appearing in adult plants and negatively affecting the taste of fruits.

How to plant

Those gardeners who have tried at least once to plant carrots in granules subsequently switch to this method of planting carrot seeds. You can accurately follow the required planting pattern.

Furrows are made in the prepared soil, 2-3 cm deep. They are well moistened, then the seeds are laid in granules according to the pattern. Next, the seeds are sprinkled with soil and lightly compacted. And water again.

After sowing, the soil surface is mulched, covered with peat or humus. This helps retain the moisture necessary for germination.

Carrot seeds take a long time to germinate, about 2 weeks. The time for emergence of seedlings may increase slightly if the weather is cold.

How to plant carrots in granules, watch the video:

Carrot seeds in granules can be planted before winter. It is even preferable to do this with such seeds. Usually gardeners are afraid and do not risk ordinary planting material, assuming that it will freeze or sprout ahead of schedule.

If you have carrot seeds in granules, then you don’t have to worry about them, but a fresh root vegetable will appear on your table much earlier in the next season. You just have to meet some deadline requirements.

The soil for winter sowing of carrots in granules can be prepared in October, dug up and filled with fertilizers. Choose a flat area, without a slope, so that spring melt waters do not wash the seeds from the soil.

In the first half of November, when the soil freezes slightly, the seeds are sown. No watering required.

Sown carrots in granules are mulched with peat, humus or compost.

There is an opinion that carrots, the seeds of which were planted before winter, do not store well and that they must be used for food in advance of the season or frozen.

• After seed germination, watering should occur quite often, 2 times a week, with warm water from a watering can. Water consumption is up to 5 liters per 1 sq. m landings. Mature plants require less moisture. During the period of root crop formation, watering can be reduced to once a week, but water consumption can be increased (10 liters of water per 1 sq. m of planting). Abundant watering is the key to getting large, juicy carrots. If there is insufficient watering, the fruits will taste bitter and hard. Organize watering based on weather conditions. Before harvesting, 2 weeks before, it is recommended to stop watering;

• Loosening promotes the penetration of oxygen to the underground part of the plant, which is especially important at the stage of formation and growth of root crops. If there is a crust on the surface, it becomes distorted and has an unmarketable appearance;
• Weeding when sowing carrot seeds in granules becomes much easier. Removal of weeds must be carried out regularly; they have a very bad effect on plantings. Moreover, the preventative measure will protect your carrot beds from the appearance of carrot flies;
• Feeding is carried out 2 times per season. Use nitrophoska. The first feeding should take place no earlier than a month after emergence. The second one is in 2 months. You can use other universal fertilizers.

Cultivated plants require regular care. The gardener's work will be paid for with a rich harvest.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

• When preparing granules, it is easy to add fertilizers, growth stimulants and minerals necessary to feed the sprouts;
• Sowing can be done 2 weeks before sowing regular seeds;
• Comfortable piece fit;
• No need for further thinning;
• Protection of seed from cold and soil pests;
• Earlier germination;
• Obtaining a large, attractive and healthy harvest.

Reference

New generation granules have a gel base. Its special composition allows the shell to attract liquid and maintain the viability of planting material in drought conditions, and in case of excess rainfall, to repel excess water, thereby achieving protection against rotting. In addition, gel granules are made from inorganic materials that are inedible for microorganisms and soil pests. Flaws:

• The polyacrylamide contained in the old generation shells is very hard and dissolves slowly, so it is difficult for seedlings to penetrate the soil;
• Many types of pellets prepared at home excessively adsorb water, which, with frequent watering or precipitation, contributes to rotting of the seeds;
• Shells of organic origin (peat, paste) can be a source of nutrition for microorganisms;
• If the granule does not have a gel base, then if there is a lack of moisture, the seeds will not germinate at all;
• There is a possibility of purchasing a fake - instead of carrots, the dragees often contain tomatoes, parsley, and dill;
• There may be several seeds inside the granule, which will require thinning.

How to plant carrots in granules correctly

Any summer resident will have a bed of carrots in the summer. It’s interesting that some people have a cellar filled with orange root vegetables in the fall, while others have nothing to put down there. Fiasco also happens to experienced gardeners. There are many reasons for this, one of them is bad seeds, but more often - lack of time for thinning.

And with carrots it’s like this: I didn’t have time to thin out the seedlings in time and that’s it. In autumn, instead of orange beauties with powerful tops, there are tiny carrots that you don’t even want to eat. For those who are too lazy or don’t have time to thin out, they sell carrot seeds in granules; now let’s try to figure out the specifics of how to plant them.

Comparison of regular and granular seeds

A comparison of the main parameters of pelleted and conventional seeds is given in the table:

A comparison of the parameters allows us to conclude that preference should be given to granules. But this is speaking in general. In each case, a decision must be made depending on specific conditions. It’s one thing to plant before winter, another thing to plant in early or late spring.

Seed selection

First you need to get good quality seeds before sowing carrot granules in the spring. How can you avoid making a mistake with your choice? The bags contain useful information - the expiration date of the seeds. It is very good if, in addition to the expiration date, there is a packaging date. The germination of carrot seeds lasts no more than 2 years. If they are old, then it doesn’t matter how you plant carrots in granules correctly or incorrectly. They simply won’t sprout for you.

The topic of carrots in helium granules is very popular on the Internet; everyone wants to be overwhelmed with the harvest at a minimum cost. The quality of carrot seeds in granules from the “Lazyman’s Bed” series is especially often discussed. Some criticize the seeds for poor germination, others praise them for their stable harvest. Apparently, the problem is that not everyone knows how to plant granulated carrots.

For those who prefer to plant carrots with seeds, but want to save time on thinning, the idea of ​​​​making seed pellets with your own hands will be useful. To implement the idea, you will need fresh seeds of your favorite carrot variety, a roll of toilet paper and some free time. Watch the video on how to make carrots in granules with your own hands; you need to plant them in the same way as store-bought seeds:

Seed preparation

Considering the fact that granulated carrots are easy to purchase in every specialty store, many home garden owners prefer to use purchased seeds. This is a very convenient, although quite expensive method.

Therefore, those summer residents who want to sow such a popular crop, but at the same time prefer to save money, prepare granulated seeds themselves . Moreover, panning carrot kernels is not difficult at all, even at home.

Preparations for such an important, but completely uncomplicated procedure must begin at the end of summer, when the seeds fully ripen in a rosette among the green tops. It is then that they should be collected, dried well and stored in small paper bags.

After 3-4 months, depending on the variety of carrots, you can begin to be more active in processing the seed . It is important to sort out seeds that have become deformed during this time, become covered with dark spots, or have dried out. Suitable kernels need to be put aside and begin to prepare a special mixture, which will be useful for the process of pelleting the seed material.

Making a solution is quite simple; you just need to follow the correct proportions and have at least minimal skill in this important matter.

Fresh mullein will serve as an excellent base for creating an adhesive . It must be diluted with a small amount of water and then stirred thoroughly so that the mass acquires a creamy consistency. Then it needs to be well filtered through a piece of gauze fabric folded in three.

If mullein is difficult to obtain, ordinary clay is also suitable, which it is advisable to combine with fine river sand in a ratio of 1:3.

This combination will be the most successful, because the clay shell is quickly destroyed by moisture, but sand perfectly increases its porosity. Therefore, such a tandem of components will perfectly protect the seed, while filling it with the necessary substances.

Once the solution of the most suitable ingredients for this is ready, you can begin granulating carrot seeds . To do this, they should be placed in a small saucepan or a suitable jar, and then lightly moistened with an adhesive mixture for this purpose.

At this moment, the container must be slowly rotated so that the kernels slightly slide along the walls of the selected container. Thus, there is a gradual build-up of the shell on the surface of each carrot kernel.

When the seeds during the granulation process reach at least 3.5 mm in diameter, it is advisable to compact the shell by rolling it in a container, but without the presence of an adhesive solution. Experienced summer residents recommend sprinkling the kernels a little with ash or even carefully sifted road dust after this. This action will prevent the seed from sticking together.

Now the carrot seeds are completely ready to be placed in open ground.

Preparing the bed

A properly prepared ridge is half the success. There is no point in saving time on preparation. Choose a place in the fall. Where carrots grew in summer, don’t grow them. When the garden is small, it is difficult to adhere to the rules of crop rotation.

In this case, green manure seeds (mustard, rye) help. Sow them immediately after harvest. Mustard stems can be planted in the ground in the fall, it grows quickly, and rye can be left until spring. The best predecessors of carrots are:

For better germination of granulated carrots, the soil must be constantly moist, so the location of the bed relative to the wind rose is important. A draft dries out the top layer of soil and impairs germination. A comfortable place out of the wind, but in the sun. Usually this is the southern or southwestern part of the garden.

Carry out the main soil preparation in the fall:

• remove remaining plant debris;
• add well-rotted humus;
• spread superphosphate and potassium nitrate (25 g and 10-15 g, respectively) evenly over the entire area of ​​the ridge;
• dig up a bed using a spade;
• harrow.

In the spring, all that remains is to loosen the soil and at the same time add urea or ammonium nitrate to it.

How to glue carrot seeds onto paper?

Germinating carrot seeds on toilet paper or tape is not very difficult.

For germination you will need:

• Three-ply toilet paper is best;
• small capacity;
• polyethylene must be dense;
• sprayer;
• special glue that you can buy or make yourself.

Let's pay attention to the most important point - glue, what it should be. Starch glue will be mixed from 1 teaspoon of potato starch and a glass of water

The dry mixture must be prepared in advance while the water is boiling, after the water begins to boil, we must tip the dry mixture into it

Starch glue will be mixed from 1 teaspoon of potato starch and a glass of water. The dry mixture must be prepared in advance while the water is boiling, after the water begins to boil, we must tip the dry mixture into it.

You can also improve the prepared paste with some mineral fertilizer added to the glue composition. After the glue is ready, let it cool. After the glue has cooled it can be used.

Also, a flour paste is prepared, but instead of a teaspoon of potato starch, a teaspoon of flour and, possibly, mineral fertilizers are added to the composition.

Starch paste can be prepared in another way:

1. Take 400 milliliters of water and bring it to a boil and turn it off.
2. Then take 100 milliliters of plain water at room temperature, not cold, and mix 2 tablespoons of potato starch in it.
3. Bring 400 milliliters of water to a boil again and slowly begin pouring in the prepared starch solution in a thin stream. As a result, the solution should not turn out thick.

Another way to prepare flour paste is as follows:

1. Take an enamel pan.
2. Fill with water and bring to a boil.
3. Pour flour into the water in a thin stream in small portions (1 tablespoon of flour per 100 milliliters of water).
4. Stir the mixture regularly.
5. At the moment when the mixture begins to acquire a consistency similar to batter, the pan with the mixture is removed from the heat.
6. The solution is left to cool for a while.

To glue the seeds, tweezers can be used, as well as a cotton swab dipped in water in advance. After the glue has cooled, apply it to toilet paper and begin gluing carrot seeds at a distance of 4 to 5 centimeters from each other.

You can first dip a cotton swab into the cooled glue, then take a seed and stick it on toilet paper. Or, first take a drop of glue with a cotton swab, apply it to the paper, then take a seed and place it on top of the glue.

For gluing, you can use one of these methods. Then you should wait until the paste on the toilet paper dries and begin to roll the strips into one roll. As a rule, it takes a day for the paste to dry completely. If you don't wait for it to dry, the layers of toilet paper will simply stick together. And the last step, the wrapped roll must be placed in a separate bag and labeled with the selected carrot variety.

Don’t forget that not all seeds are suitable for sticking on toilet paper, so you need to calibrate the seeds before planting. The seeds are calibrated using a saline solution, which is diluted in a glass (salt by eye). Seeds that float are bad and need to be removed.

The seeds that have sunk to the bottom of the glass are good, so they are left for planting and washed in warm water at room temperature before planting.

The last step is drying the seeds. The seeds should be dried so that they can be easily picked up by hand and glued to toilet paper or tape.

Of course, store-bought ready-made tapes have a loose texture, so it is possible to use old newspapers for stickers, but we must not forget that waste newspaper paper contains a lot of printing ink, which is unlikely to be too useful for our future harvest. Thus, it is best to use multiple layers of toilet paper.

Landing

Moist soil is the main condition for good germination when planting carrots with granulated seeds. Water thoroughly if the snow has melted for a long time and the soil is already dry. It is better to do this 5 days before sowing the granules. The soil will be well saturated with moisture, settle, and it will be easier to sow granules into it.

Sow seeds in granules at intervals of 5 cm; this distance is sufficient for normal development of the root crop. With this planting, even with 100% germination, thinning will not be necessary.

You can sow carrot seeds in granules in grooves 2.5–3 cm deep or in separate depressions. Leave the interval between rows at least 20 cm for late varieties, 15 cm for early carrots.

Furrows can be made both along and across the ridge. It is important that the surface of the ridge is horizontal. Otherwise, the water will drain during irrigation, which threatens to wash out the seeds and unevenly moisten the soil. It is better to make furrows with the edge of a board 25-30 mm thick or with a lath, holes - with your finger. We recommend watching a video on how to properly plant carrots in granules using a simple device:

Thoroughly pour the grooves with water from a watering can; you can add any biological product to the water. When the moisture is absorbed, carefully lay out the granules in 5 cm increments. Fill the furrows with sifted humus (coconut fiber, vermicompost), carefully water the ridge.

Finally, sprinkle the entire surface of the bed with a thin layer of humus and do not water it anymore, so that a crust does not form on the surface. The seeds should end up at a depth of no more than 2.5 cm.

Features of sowing granules in autumn

You can immediately list three real benefits from autumn sowing of carrots in granules:

• in the spring there is no need to water, the granules will get wet under the influence of melt water;
• the carrot harvest will ripen much earlier than with early spring sowing;
• In the spring, time will be saved on planting and watering carrots; it can be spent on other vegetable crops.

Sow carrots depending on the weather. The main condition is a low average daily temperature from 0 to 2 °C. Prepare the bed when the weather is warm, and mark the furrows in advance. After the onset of cold weather, all that remains is to spread out the granules and sprinkle them with soil.

When sowing early varieties of carrots for summer needs in the fall, the interval from 5 cm can be reduced to 3 cm. In the summer, bunch-type carrots can be torn small for food; the remaining root crops will have enough space to develop.

How to plant correctly so that it germinates quickly?

Before you start planting carrots in granules, you need to thoroughly prepare. Here's what you need for this:

1. Prepare equipment and check its functionality. These can be seeders (planters), syringes, homemade dispensers, watering cans.

2. 
   Create the necessary reserves of vermicompost and humus.

3. Prepare the seeds. Although the granules are already ready for planting, it is necessary to check their condition and compliance with the shelf life.
4. Till the soil: remove weeds, dig up a bed, create furrows for introducing seeds into the soil.

The secret to proper fit is to comply with all dimensions of the elements of the diagram. The elements of the diagram are the furrows, their depth and distances between them, as well as recesses for planting seeds and the distance from one recess to another.

1. Furrows are created with any device that can form a row 2-3 cm wide and 3-4 cm deep. You can use an ordinary board. The distance between furrows (row spacing) should be approximately 15 cm for early ripening varieties. If the variety is late or mid-late, the distance should be increased to 20 cm.
2. In each furrow, depressions are made into which the seeds will be planted. You can make indentations with either a stick or your finger. The optimal distance between carrots is 5-7 cm. If you make it smaller, thickening may occur and you will have to thin out.
3. Sprinkle the grooves generously with water. It is useful to add a biological product to the water.
4. Place the seeds in the hole and sprinkle with vermicompost or humus.
   Important ! Seeds sprinkled with humus will sprout earlier.

Next, you can watch a video with detailed instructions for sowing carrot granules:

On our portal you can read about planting carrots on tape, in egg cells, in starch in open ground and about other planting methods, including growing through seedlings.

Watering and weeding

Abundant watering is needed in the first 2-3 weeks after sowing the granules. Moisture is first needed to swell the granules and soften them, then to feed the carrot seeds. They sprout because of the essential oils that cover the shell for a long time: 2 weeks, no less.

After green panicles appear on the ridge, the soil must be kept moderately moist:

• lack of moisture makes the root crop tough;
• Excess moisture has a negative effect on storage, and root crops rot.

Watering should be alternated with dry watering - shallow loosening of the space between the rows. Loosening prevents the formation of a soil crust and helps get rid of weeds. In August, lightly hill up the carrots: cover the protruding butts with earth.

Shoots

How many days does it take to sprout?

Sprouts appear simultaneously 12-15 days after planting.

What to do if the carrots have not sprouted?

If sprouts do not appear after 2 weeks, it is necessary to moisten the bed abundantly and keep the soil moist until sprouts appear. The delay is due to the difficulty of seed germination through the shell, which dissolves faster in moist soil.

Preparing carrot seeds for sowing through granulation is one of the methods for obtaining friendly and healthy carrot shoots. Growing carrots from pelleted seeds has its own characteristics, the observance of which makes it possible to obtain a timely, high-quality and high yield.

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If the carrots have not sprouted

If the experiment with planting carrots with granules failed, it is already the beginning of June, and the seedlings have not appeared or there are very few of them, the situation can be corrected. A video will help on how to plant carrots in June if the granulated seeds have not sprouted:

For June sowing, purchase fresh seeds without shell. By this time, you can learn about germinating seeds from your neighbors. Buy from the same company as theirs. In June, it is worth planting mid- or late-ripening varieties. Carrots planted with seeds in early June will have time to gain the required weight and size by the beginning of the first frost.

What to do if it doesn’t sprout for a long time?

In general, seedlings should appear within two weeks . But then a week passed, then another, and there were no shoots. Or there is, but very little. This means mistakes were made. What can be done? There aren't many ways. Or rather, just one. We need to repeat the whole process again, just do everything extremely carefully and accurately. But if you don’t have time before the beginning of June, it’s better to start preparing for pre-winter planting.

Carrots are one of the most common and unpretentious root vegetables. By adhering to simple rules, everyone can get a good harvest and use all the benefits of this plant. The remarkable invention of a Japanese scientist, seed granulation, made it possible to obtain crops more easily and more consistently than ever before.