Content
Zucchini is a favorite and popular vegetable. There are a lot of applications, excellent dietary taste and nutritional value made it a permanent resident of summer cottages. Anyone who first decided to grow zucchini seedlings on their own is looking for answers to questions that arise a lot. When is it better to sow seeds for seedlings of zucchini, how to grow healthy zucchini for seedlings, what to do if someone eats seedlings?
They grow zucchini in all familiar ways:
- direct sowing into the ground;
- seedling.
Today we will consider the second option - advantages, technology, nuances.
The advantages of the seedling method
Zucchini ripens quickly enough. A vegetable is sown with seeds when they do not seek to get too early production and try to combine zucchini with other fruits. After all, a salad or stew with tomatoes, carrots is much tastier than a mono dish. But the seedling method is also common everywhere. What makes it so popular? The benefits of growing zucchini through seedlings are very important. The main ones are:
- Early quality harvest... A well-grown seedling seedling? produces strong, healthy plants that grow quickly, do not get sick and bear fruit well.
- All plants are planted... When sowing in the ground, there is no certainty that all the seeds will sprout well. You have to sow 2-3 seeds in one hole. The seedling method helps to calculate the exact number of plants to plant.
- Possibility to get less moneyJai in regions with cool climates and short summers.
- Compliance with the variety... For squash seedlings, high-quality seeds are chosen, they are properly prepared, which allows all the characteristics of the variety to manifest.
Growing zucchini seedlings requires certain knowledge in order for the result to meet expectations. Let's start by selecting and preparing zucchini seeds.
Cooking seed
Even novice gardeners can grow zucchini seedlings. It is important to adhere to the basic guidelines. The preparation is carried out in several stages. This technology makes sure that the zucchini seedlings will be strong.
- We purchase seeds... It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the description and characteristics of zucchini varieties, choose the most suitable for the climate, soil composition and your capabilities. Some gardeners immediately combine several varieties in one area with different colors and ripening periods. It looks decorative and allows for uninterrupted zucchini harvesting throughout the season. They try not to use completely fresh seeds. Plants from such seeds grow very powerful, but yield much lower yields. They have many male flowers. Seeds from 2 to 4 years of storage have good germination. Zucchini bushes grown from these seeds are weaker, but their yield and disease resistance are higher.
- Sorting... This term is understood as checking the germination of zucchini seeds. Experienced vegetable growers place zucchini seeds in a filtered saline solution (30 g of salt per 1 liter of water). The check time is 1 hour. During this time, high-quality seeds sink to the bottom of the container, and the empty ones remain on the surface. The rejected ones are removed, and the good ones are washed with fresh water.
- We disinfect... Zucchini seeds are placed in water heated to a temperature of + 50 °. Withstand 6 hours and immediately transfer to cold. The second option is simpler - a month before sowing, the seeds of zucchini for seedlings are placed next to a heat source (heater, battery, oven).Another way is to soak the seeds in a solution of an antiviral and antifungal drug. For example, Fitosporin-M, a mixture of Alirin-B + Gamair (1 tablet per 1 liter of water). The processing is carried out at room temperature for 10-18 hours.
- We stimulate... For this operation, growth stimulants are used, which can be purchased in specialized stores - "Tsikon" or "Albit". From folk recipes, a solution of baking soda (5g per 1 liter) and aloe juice are very suitable. The juice is diluted in water (1: 1) and the zucchini seeds are placed for 45 minutes.
Currently, there is a sufficient selection of breeding material and hybrid zucchini, which are not subjected to any treatment before sowing. In this case, planting seeds for seedlings is much easier.
Sowing zucchini for seedlings without fail
After careful preparation, it is better to germinate the seeds of zucchini for seedlings. We wrap them in a damp cloth or gauze, wait 2-3 days and the hatched specimens are ready for planting.
Gardeners love to experiment, so the methods of germinating zucchini seeds can be very interesting and unexpected. For example, a home mini greenhouse made from a plastic bottle. The bottle is cut in half. Each part is shortened to reduce the interior space. In the lower part, lay a damp cloth and seeds in layers. Cover with the top and place in a warm place. Seeds germinate very quickly.
Sprouted zucchini seeds for seedlings should be sown immediately. Therefore, many gardeners are limited to the swelling stage and do not allow the appearance of sprouts. Swollen zucchini seeds can be stored longer and stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
When should you plant zucchini for seedlings? We determine the optimal time for planting in the ground and count the time for which the seedlings will be ready.
The next stage is planting zucchini for seedlings. So that there is where to plant seeds, we prepare planting soil and containers for seedlings.
The composition of the soil is selected most optimally in ready-made soil mixtures, which can be purchased in specialized stores. They contain a large percentage of humus and have a neutral reaction. An alternative option is to prepare a mixture for zucchini seedlings yourself. Approximate ratio of parts:
- Peat - 55-60%, sod land up to 20%, humus 20%, sawdust 10%. To increase the nutritional value, ammonium nitrate (4-6 g), superphosphate (10-15 g), potassium fertilizers (6-10 g) are added to the mixture bucket.
- Humus and sod land (1: 1). It is good to add ash (1 glass) to this composition, 20 g each of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer, a little sand.
- Sand and peat in a 1: 1 ratio.
It is necessary to control the acidity of the soil. At its high value, ash or chalk is added to the soil mixture.
We prepare containers for seeds
Let's move on to preparing containers for our seedlings. Zucchini seedlings are tender and sensitive to transplanting. The sprouts may not take root well or, in general, die. This happens if mistakes were made during transplantation or the root system is damaged. It is enough for someone to fall apart for the roots of the zucchini to break. Therefore, the picking of marrow seedlings is carried out in rare cases - when a big economy of space is needed and only if there is experience in transplanting small plants. Each zucchini is grown through seedlings in a separate container. Everything that is at hand will do - peat cups, juice bags, plastic containers.
The optimal container volume varies between 0.5-0.8 liters. The soil mixture is poured into it and slightly moistened. The following sequence of actions:
- Zucchini seeds are placed with the sharp end down to a depth of no more than 3 cm. One seed is sown in one container for seedlings;
- Pour with settled water at room temperature;
- The containers are placed in a room with a temperature of 25-30 degrees above zero until shoots appear. The container should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
- After the first sprouts of zucchini appear, the containers are moved to the light and a stable temperature regime is established. Daytime temperature is no more than + 17 º, night temperature - no more than +14 º. If these conditions are not observed, then the seedlings of zucchini will stretch out and will be weakened at the time of transplantation to a permanent place of residence.
- The temperature is raised after the seedlings are strong. Now it is kept in the range of + 22º during the day and + 18º at night.
What actions are needed in the future? Zucchini seedlings need to be watered, hardened, loosened the ground and feed.
- Loosening - regularly, but very carefully. Any damage is detrimental to tender squash seedlings.
- Watering at least once a week with warm water (20º-22º). The top layer of the earth should be slightly damp and not dry out.
- Hardening zucchini seedlings gradually. First, we air the room, the next step is to start taking the seedlings out into the street. We increase the hardening time gradually to enable the seedlings to adapt to lower temperatures. Before planting, we leave containers with seedlings outside for 3 days around the clock.
- Feed zucchini seedlings need two times before disembarkation. The first time is spilled with a solution of the drug "Bud". This must be done 8-14 days after the shoots appear. In one liter of water, dilute 2 g of the drug and water the plants. A glass of solution is required for 2 seedlings of zucchini. The procedure is repeated a second time 10-12 days after the first feeding. Now you need "Effecton" and nitrophoska... 1 teaspoon of the components are diluted in 1 liter of water and watered with zucchini seedlings. Consumption of the mixture - 1 glass of solution goes to 1 seedling. Many gardeners also carry out the third feeding of zucchini seedlings before planting in the ground. It must be done if humus and mineral fertilizers were not applied during the preparation of the planting soil.
Zucchini seedlings are usually planted a month after the seeds have been sown. But, some summer residents manage to prepare excellent planting material in two weeks. In this case, the container can be taken smaller.
Planting seedlings to a permanent place
It's time to plant the seedlings of our zucchini.
The seedlings are healthy and strong, so the following actions will be as follows:
Seat selection... Although gardeners perform this point much earlier. Usually, the decision about where to plant the squash seedlings is made before sowing the seeds. The garden bed is located in a sunny, windless area.
It is recommended to re-grow zucchini in this place after 3-4 years. Warning! Undesirable predecessors for zucchini are pumpkin, cucumbers, squash.
Zucchini bear fruit well in the place where potatoes, onions, garlic, cauliflower and white cabbage used to grow.
Preparing the land for seedlings of zucchini in the selected area... It is better to do it in advance. Already in the fall after harvesting, the soil is fertilized with compost or humus, fertilizers are applied - superphosphate and potassium. The first in the amount of 30 g per 1 sq. m, the second - 20 g per 1 sq. m. Then there is a high-quality digging and until spring they do nothing. As soon as the snow melts, they loosen the earth slightly and fertilize with nitrate, 20 g per 1 sq. m, then dug up. Based on the composition of the soil, clay and sawdust are added with sand, sand and humus - with clay.
In the spring, they begin to design the ridges... Zucchini take up enough space. So that the overgrown plants do not interfere and do not shade each other, maintain a distance between rows of 1.5 m, between each bush - 0.9 m.Organic fertilizers are applied to each hole immediately before planting. One tablespoon is enough.The organic matter is mixed with the ground and the planting of vegetable marrow seedlings begins. It is best to schedule these activities for an afternoon or cloudy day. The active sun will be detrimental to tender squash seedlings.
If, when growing zucchini for seedlings, you sowed seeds in peat pots, then they are completely buried in the ground along with the plant. The vegetable marrow is deepened to the first leaves. If there is a threat of frost or a drop in temperature at night, the planted zucchini should be covered. After planting, water the seedling with Agricola-5 solution in a ratio with water of 1 tbsp. spoon on a bucket. For one well, 1 liter of the composition is required. It is advisable to shade the seedlings of zucchini for several days, so that the seedlings have time to adapt to the new place.
Attempted seedlings, what to do
Another important question that gardeners often ask. On squash seedlings, someone is eating leaves and cotyledons. Often such a nuisance occurs with seedlings that are grown in greenhouses. The boxes are placed on the ground, which allows the pest to get to the seedlings.
And sometimes this can happen after the planting of vegetable marrow seedlings for permanent residence. Which pest is capable of this and how to help defenseless plants?
The main pest in this case is slugs.... They are able to destroy all planted seedlings in one night. They go hunting after the evening watering. The slug eats a lot more than you might imagine. If you notice this pest in the beds, then you can protect the seedlings of zucchini using ordinary ash or special granules that are scattered around the seedlings.
This technique will also save you from the bear, which eats the stalks of marrow seedlings. More precisely, he does not eat, but cuts.
If such a nuisance occurs in an apartment, then it may be small pests living in the ground. Therefore, the soil mixture before planting zucchini seeds for seedlings must be disinfected with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. Or buy special disinfectants.
Conclusion
In order for self-grown marrow seedlings to meet all expectations, climatic conditions must be taken into account. Try to pick those zucchini varieties that are well-zoned in your area. Hybrid species with specially bred characteristics help out. A short summer assumes harvesting from early varieties, if the heat lasts longer, medium varieties will do. Do not give up zucchini. A wonderful variety of zucchini, which will delight you not only with delicious fruits, but also with colorful colors.
