Seeds: What You Need To Know Before Sowing

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

No wonder they say that in the garden one day - feeds the whole year. This rule is equally true for both summer and winter days. After all, if in winter we visit our summer cottages less often, this does not mean that work has stopped. And if empty columns are now found in your gardener's calendar, urgently plan and enter into them the preparation of seeds for sowing. Otherwise, both early harvest and friendly seedlings will be in jeopardy

Three important ingredients for seed quality

It happens that even the most hardworking vegetable grower fails to harvest. And the reason lies not at all in poor care or the vagaries of the weather. Sometimes the seeds themselves are brought in the garden. But how to find out their quality before investing painstaking and hard work in the next harvest?

The main criteria by which the quality of seeds is determined are three indicators:

• purity of seeds;

• germination;

• germination energy.

Let's see how to evaluate these important characteristics of the seed.

Purity and calibration

The appearance of the seed is of great importance, because it speaks of the internal potential of the seed. The seeds should be free of litter, impurities of other crops. They must be clean and healthy in appearance. For example, if blackheads are found on tomato seeds, the plants derived from them are more likely to be sore. Such specimens are discarded.

Take the time to calibrate the seeds. This procedure has its own economic benefits. Having sorted the seed by size, you can count on friendly seedlings, as well as lower costs from weeding and thinning. When the mass and size of the seed is approximately the same, all other things being equal, the plants develop evenly. And this also provides easier care.

If the seeds are small, it is easier to calibrate them with a sieve. Large specimens are sorted by hand. However, it would be a mistake to plant only the largest seeds and send the smaller ones to the trash. A separate bed is allocated for them to facilitate general care.

Germination percentage and germination energy

In addition to size, it is important to take into account the germination energy and the percentage of germination in order to ensure uniform emergence and to determine the planting density. This does not require special laboratory equipment. Everything can be arranged in room conditions. You will need:

• plate;

• soft paper (newspaper, blotter, etc.);

• a flap of fabric;

• sawdust;

• seeds.

The experiment is carried out at a temperature of about + 20 … + 23 ° C. A layer of sawdust rinsed with boiling water is placed on the bottom of the dish. The shavings are covered with a sheet of paper, on the surface of which the seeds are spread. They are covered with a cloth and another layer of wet sawdust.

The observation period for seeds depends on the culture (germination energy / germination):

• eggplants - 4/14 (days);

• cabbage - 3/7;

• radish - 3/7;

• peas - 3/7;

• pepper - 7/14;

• celery - 7/14;

• dill - 7/14;

• cucumber - 3/8;

• beets - 4/8;

• beans - 4/8;

• zucchini - 3/10;

• salad - 5/10;

• carrots - 5/10;

• onion - 5/12;

• tomatoes - 6/12;

• parsley - 7/12.

For example, you are testing 100 radish seeds. The number of sprouts is recorded daily. If after three days only 30 seeds germinated, this indicates that their germination energy is 30%. If on the seventh day this number reached 70, then the germination rate of this batch is 70%. Thanks to these indicators, you can calculate the required number of seeds for sowing relative to the norm.

It is also important to remember that seed germination decreases over time. The record holder for the shelf life is the cucumber - its seeds can be stored for up to 10 years. For other crops, this period is much shorter:

• eggplants - 4 years;

• cabbage - 4-5 years;

• onions - 3 years;

• carrots - 3 years;

• pepper - 4 years;

• parsley - 3 years;

• tomatoes - 5-6 years old;

• radish - 4-5 years;

• radish - 4-5 years;

• salad - 4 years;

• beets - 4 years;

• spinach - 4 years.

The seed is stored in a dry, well-ventilated area. Recommended storage temperature + 7 … + 10 ° С.