Content
Many garden crops are troublesome with sowing. These include carrots. It is difficult to sow small seeds evenly, then you have to thin out the seedlings. In some places, bald spots are obtained. Gardeners are always looking for ways to plant carrots efficiently, while simplifying the work on the ground and saving their time. Among such finds is sowing carrot seeds on toilet paper or tape.
To understand why this method has gained popularity, you should dwell on its advantages:
- The most attractive feature is that there is no need for seedling thinning. This operation takes a long time. And if you have to do thinning under the scorching sun, it is also unpleasant. In the case of tape planting, the need for thinning is either completely eliminated, or this action is performed very quickly.
- Good adhesion to the ground. If after sowing carrots in the traditional way, a heavy downpour passes, then many seeds are simply washed off with water. But when they are planted on a tape, then this trouble does not threaten you, and you do not need to sow the carrots.
But, as with any technique, you need to sow carrots on the tape correctly.
Rules for extraordinary sowing of root crops
How to plant carrots on a ribbon so as not to be disappointed with the result. Any technology requires preparation. In our case, you will need to prepare the soil, seeds, glue them to the tape. Modern seed producers produce seeds on a belt in a production version. Therefore, let's start with the preparation of the soil, since this stage is always necessary.
Land preparation
You need to start a couple of weeks before sowing carrots on the tape. The soil is carefully loosened to a depth of 10 cm and immediately leveled with a rake. Such preparation will be enough if you dug this area deeply in the fall. If you recently became the owner and do not know what manipulations were carried out with the soil in the fall, then dig up the soil on a shovel bayonet with the addition of 1/3 of the recommended dose of complex mineral fertilizer.
Planting carrots on tape
Loosen the soil again and make grooves.
It is enough to lay them about 2 cm deep with a shovel handle. Spill the soil well with water, then lay the carrot seed strips at the bottom of the groove. Once again, the tape is well watered and sprinkled with dry earth. Laying tape or toilet paper is carried out so that the seeds are on top.
Some growers sow carrots without gluing the seeds to the tape. They put a strip of toilet paper (thin) on the bottom of the groove, carefully spread the seeds on top, cover with a second strip and sprinkle with earth. The layers of paper and earth are gently moistened.
In the absence of precipitation, water the beds more often. If there is enough rain, then just make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Purchased carrot seeds on the belt do not require pre-treatment. We simply sow them into the ground by laying the strip. But not always a favorite or suitable variety can be found on sale in this form. Therefore, summer residents prepare in advance for themselves planting material on toilet paper with their own hands.
Preparing a ribbon for planting
For gluing carrot seeds, you need paper with a loose texture. Toilet tape or newspaper strips work well.
However, newsprint for carrots is not the best option. This is easily explained by the presence of paint components that negatively affect the culture. Therefore, we will focus on toilet paper.
It is cut into strips 2 cm wide, you choose the length yourself. Multiple sections can be stacked in one furrow, or long strips can be cut. The paper is ready, we proceed to the preparation of carrot seeds for gluing.
Let's first carry out the calibration (selection). Place the carrot seeds in a saline solution (1 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water) and stir. The floating ones are removed, and only those that have sunk to the bottom are selected for sowing. The next step is to rinse the seeds with clean water and dry them.
While the seeds are drying, prepare the paste. It is cooked either from flour or starch.
Option using potato starch
For half a liter of finished paste you need:
- bring 400 ml of plain water to a boil (turn off the heat);
- an additional 2 tablespoons of starch are dissolved in 100 ml of warm water, stirring constantly;
- bring the water to a boil again and pour in the stirred starch in a thin stream.
The finished composition should not be thick.
Using flour
In an enameled container, flour paste is boiled in a ratio of components of 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flour and 100 ml of water.
How is the process of sticking carrot seeds onto toilet paper? There are two options:
- Dip the match into the paste after cooling. Then touch the seed and transfer it to the paper with the same match along with a drop of glue. Seeds are glued at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other.
- Place the droplets of paste on the paper at the same distance, and then transfer the carrot seeds to the drop with a match.
The tapes dry up after gluing for a day. After drying, they can be harvested before sowing.
Many gardeners like this method very much, but each sows in its own way. If you prefer pelleted seeds or the traditional method of planting carrots, that's fine too. But the described method of sowing on the belt greatly simplifies the process of caring for the crop. Seeds are glued at an equal distance, which saves gardeners from the first thinning of carrot beds. In the future, see that the roots grow at a distance of at least 3 cm from each other.
Care for carrots sown on a belt does not differ from the classic one. Watering - as needed, loosening and weeding. It is enough to feed the carrots only twice a season. The first feeding one month after germination, then a second time - two months later.
A fun way to stick seeds on a napkin
In this case, you immediately form your garden. Place the seeds 5 cm apart and your garden is ready.
To nourish the carrots immediately at the time of sowing, you can add mineral fertilizer to the paste. One tablespoon per liter of liquid is enough.
Conclusion
To properly conduct sowing carrots it is good to watch a video on the tape with explanations of each action. Summer residents are happy to share their new products, so video instructions will always come in handy.
