Content
Growing any vegetable starts from the seed. But in order for this seed to germinate and begin to bear fruit, it is necessary to do a very scrupulous work. Of course, much depends on the quality of the seeds themselves, as well as the terms and conditions of storage. Some gardeners simply plant seeds on seedlings into the soil, and get a poor harvest. And you can carry out some activities to prepare seeds for sowing seedlings. Pepper belongs to whimsical vegetable crops, therefore, for the strength and fruitfulness of plants, it is important to strengthen it from the very beginning. We can say that preparing pepper seeds for seedlings is the basis for growing this vegetable.
Presowing preparation will help not only speed up the process of growing pepper, but also increase germination by separating non-viable seeds. They will also get stronger and become more resistant to external factors and various diseases. So, if you grow seedlings yourself, this information will be very useful and informative for you. And applying the knowledge gained in practice, you can achieve an even higher yield of pepper.
Features of pepper seeds
Pepper takes one of the first places among vegetables in terms of thermophilicity. Because of what, to plant pepper seeds it makes no sense to go straight into open ground. But at the same time, pepper ripens for a rather long time, this process can last up to 200 days. Therefore, in order to speed up the cultivation, it is customary to plant peppers in seedlings. Thus, as soon as the frost ends, you can plant already strong shoots in the ground, and sometimes even with buds.
But in order to sow seedlings correctly and on time, you need to know some features. In order for the pepper to ripen before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to start planting seeds at the end of February. And pepper springs up for a long time, the first sprouts can appear only after two weeks, and even more. The reason is the shell of essential oils that cover all the seeds. Also, due to dryness of seeds, under improper storage conditions, they can lose their properties. And with long-term storage, the germination of the seed is significantly reduced. After 2–3 years of storage of seeds, only 50–70% of them will sprout.
The importance of preparation
Many can carry out seed preparation, but do it inconsistently, or neglect some of the steps. Often, gardeners use growth stimulants in large quantities, which is also a mistake. In this matter, it is important to accurately observe proportions and timing. Due to improper preparation, the pepper may not sprout or may slow down in growth. Conversely, by doing everything exactly according to the instructions, you can get an excellent result.
Of course, you can not waste your time and sow unprepared seeds, but then the saved time will be spent on a long wait for shoots. Such peppers will grow slowly and will take a long time to bear fruit. So, we will consider in detail each stage of how to properly prepare peppers for planting seedlings. Each of these steps is very important, which means you shouldn't miss out on anything.
Seed calibration
If you have been growing pepper for several years on your site, then most likely you are harvesting seeds yourself. Also, many people use purchased seeds. The most important thing is that their quality is at a high level.
Further, germination is significantly reduced. And five-year-old seeds are generally unsuitable for growing.
Preparation of pepper seeds for sowing for seedlings with sorting checking shelf life. Also dress and label the peppers right away if you are growing multiple species. It is better to set aside the stitched seeds right away, no growth stimulants and soaking will help them. Even if such seeds sprout, the seedlings will be weak and will not give the desired yield.
Now that everything is sorted and laid out, the calibration can begin. We select large, not overdried seeds, which are the strongest and most fruitful. This method is often used by gardeners, however, it is not always possible to accurately determine the quality of the material by eye. Therefore, after visual inspection, sorting is carried out using a saline solution.
To prepare the solution you will need:
- 0.5 liters of water;
- 1 teaspoon of table salt.
Now the components must be mixed well so that the salt dissolves. Next, put pepper seeds in a container with a solution, and wait until they separate themselves. Good seeds will remain at the bottom, while non-viable and light ones will float to the surface. We collect unusable waste with a spoon, and rinse the lower seeds with water to remove salt residues.
Disinfection of pepper seeds
The next step in preparing the pepper for planting is seed dressing with a 2% manganese solution. This procedure will help make seeds. peppers disease resistant and strong. This will significantly reduce the care of the seedlings after planting in the ground.
The pickling solution consists of the following ingredients:
- 500 ml of water;
- 2 grams of manganese.
Do not be alarmed that the solution turns out to be so dark, it should be. Prepared seeds are poured into a dressing agent and infused for 20 minutes. Further, the seeds must be very thoroughly washed and dried.
Saturation with trace elements
This stage is optional, because during the growth of seedlings, the peppers will be fertilized more than once. But such saturation will only benefit. For this, you can use purchased mineral fertilizers. But many people prefer proven folk methods. To prepare such a mixture you will need:
- 1 liter of water;
- 4 teaspoons of wood ash.
The solution must be allowed to stand for 24 hours. Next, place the prepared pepper seeds in a cloth envelope, and leave them in solution for five hours. After that, they should be dried; rinsing is not required.
Aloe juice is also used as biological stimulants. It is in no way inferior to purchased mineral supplements. Such methods will help accelerate the growth of seedlings, and make them more resistant to environmental conditions and possible diseases. After carrying out this procedure, you can immediately plant peppers on seedlings, or proceed to the next stages of preparation.
Soaking pepper seeds
If you are in doubt whether you need to soak pepper seeds for planting, then keep in mind that this procedure will accelerate germination by a week, or even two. Many gardeners miss the previous steps, but soaking is mandatory. Although all the preparatory measures are very important, it is by soaking the seeds that you can speed up the process of seedling growth.
For soaking, you need to use settled water, or even better - melted snow. If there is no snow, you can freeze the settled water and leave it for a while so that it melts completely. Rainwater is also good.
Soaking is carried out using available materials at hand. For these purposes, you can use:
- A piece of fabric.
- Cotton wool.
- Gauze.
- Loofah.
- Napkin.
You will also need a container to hold the pepper seeds. A plastic container or glass plate will work. A film or plastic bag is useful to cover the seeds. Now that all the materials are ready, you can start soaking.
If you are going to grow only one variety of pepper, then you need to prepare a container large enough to fit all the seeds. If you have several types of seed, it may be better to place them separately. So, in the prepared container we place a cloth (or other material) soaked in water. Excess water that the fabric could not absorb must be drained. Pepper seeds should never float in water. Next, place the seeds on the fabric so that they all lie one by one, and not in several layers. You can use a toothpick to separate them. Of course, you can place several varieties of peppers in one container, but on separate pieces of cloth. But in this case, it is very easy to get confused.
Next, you need to cover the pepper seeds with the edges of the cloth, and place the container in a plastic bag (or use cling film). We set aside the container in a warm place, and make sure that the temperature does not drop to +18 ° C. Under these conditions, the pepper can rot.
Pepper seeds can be planted at different stages. Some gardeners simply plant soaked seeds. Others wait for partial germination, which occurs after 7-14 days. Please note that the seeds must germinate quite a bit, otherwise there is a risk of damaging them during transplanting. Soaking will help the seeds germinate after sowing after a couple of days.
Conclusion
So, we examined in detail how to prepare seed material for sowing. The listed methods will help to grow strong seedlings with high disease resistance. However, this does not mean that without these procedures you will not be able to grow pepper. Many people do not want to do such a thorough processing, and use only one or a couple of methods. Most of all, the seeds collected with their own hands need preparation, because often manufacturers themselves carry out the necessary processing stages. The information on the package indicates whether it has been carried out. If so, then all you need to do is calibrate the seeds.
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