The seeds of some flowers and vegetables have a rather dense shell, so they germinate with difficulty. To achieve good, friendly shoots, you need to soak them in water or a biologically active solution before sowing.

You will need
- seeds;
- container for soaking;
- gauze;
- water.
Instructions
1
It is not necessary to soak only very small seeds, as this may present some technical difficulties: petunia seeds, poppy seeds, garden strawberries can be sown directly into the soil. For better germination, they are laid out on the surface, the soil is compacted with palms and sprayed with a spray bottle. Then the crops are covered with film, placed in a warm place and wait for germination.
2
Seeds of crops that have a dense shell must be pre-soaked. Such plants include beets, spinach, watermelons, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, as well as plants whose seeds are rich in essential oils that impede germination. These are carrots, celery, parsley, parsnips and others. When soaking part essential oils is washed out of the shell and the plants germinate better. Soaking is also used if you need to sow old, overdried seeds - in this case you can expect fairly good germination rates.
3
The process itself is quite simple: seeds are laid out on damp gauze, covered with a second layer of gauze and filled with water (30-35oC). In addition, you can use biologically active infusions. The solution should be weak so as not to damage the seeds. For this you can use water infusion pharmaceutical chamomile, valerian officinalis, infusion of oak bark, fermented mullein, aloe (for 0.5 liters of water you need to take 20 g of the active substance)
4
It is better to use a combined method: first soak the seeds in a weak biosolution for 15-30 minutes, then in water for a day. After this, the water must be drained, the seeds scattered on a flat surface, and dried until flowable. Before sowing, mix the seeds with fine river sand. In this case, the crops will be uniform and will not require thinning (this method is recommended for relatively small seeds of carrots, dill, and beets).
5
For some crops susceptible viral diseases(tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers), it is advisable to use heating and pickling. To do this, before soaking, the seeds are immersed in hot water for 15-20 minutes, and then immersed in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 10-15 minutes. After this time, the seeds should be washed in running water and soaked in water as usual.
6
An important factor is the condition of the soil at sowing. Before sowing seeds, the furrows must be shed with water to create a favorable microclimate. Subsequently, until the emergence of seedlings, you need to do this daily if the weather is dry.

Kira Stoletova

Preparing tomato seeds before planting is an integral part of growing the crop. Depending on what the tomato seeds are soaked in, the yield may increase.

Before soaking, the grains must be prepared - select the empty ones and heat the remainder. This allows the seed material to be disinfected. As a result, they increase taste qualities and fruit strength.

Why soak grains?

There are several positive aspects to this procedure. Firstly, soaking seeds increases the yield by 50-70%. Secondly, future seedlings acquire immunity to diseases such as:

• Phomasis;
• gray or white root rot;
• blackleg;
• stem rotting.

Each farmer decides for himself whether it is necessary to soak tomato seeds before planting or whether it is not worth wasting time on this. However, unprepared seed material tends to grow unevenly. As a result, the harvest ripens at different times.

In addition, treated grains germinate faster. This reduces the risk of seeds being destroyed by harmful insects and rodents.

Seed processing

Soaking of seeds is carried out several days before sowing. Only the largest and heaviest seeds are suitable for this procedure. Their large size ensures sufficient fiber for viable seedlings. Next, it is necessary to separate the hollow grains from the healthy ones. To do this, you need to prepare a solution with the addition of table salt. Its standard proportions are 1 tbsp. for 250 g of water. Pour the seed material with this solution and leave for half an hour. Empty seeds will remain on the surface, and healthy ones will eventually fall to the bottom. But before the soaking procedure you need to prepare seed material. This includes:

• warming up;
• manganese treatment;
• mineral treatment.

Warming up and treatment with potassium permanganate

Before soaking tomato seeds before planting, they need to be dried. To do this, you can use a battery by installing an iron tray on it.

After warming up, it is recommended to disinfect the seed material. Most often, this procedure is carried out using a solution of potassium permanganate. The grains are placed in the liquid for 20 minutes. Some farmers use a heated solution of hydrogen peroxide for disinfection if there is no potassium permanganate on hand.

Treatment with mineral solutions

Before soaking tomato seeds, you should decide on the composition of the solution. There is an inlaid planting material, which can be purchased in specialized stores. These grains are rich green, blue or pink color. Similar characteristics are also indicated on the packs, so you can immediately find out whether tomato seeds should be soaked in mineral solutions before planting or not. Encrusted grains can be soaked in plain water.

Treatment of home seeds before planting

However, experts recommend processing seeds obtained from homemade tomatoes. Bioactive substances that can be added to the treatment liquid include:

• humate;
• zircon;
• epina

Humate is a salt extract of acid that has stimulating properties. You can add 10 g of this component to 1 liter of water. Under the influence of humate, seeds adapt more easily to unfavorable conditions.

The drug Epin has vegetable origin. It also stimulates the growth of planting material and reduces the risk of many diseases. Dilute 2 drops of the drug in 100 ml of water, then cover with the grain solution.

Zircon is used to strengthen the root system and accelerate the development of the stem. This drug is diluted in the proportions of 2 drops per 300 ml of water. It should be noted that zircon is considered a potent agent and an overdose can lead to toxicity of the grains.

Soaking the grains

The volume of water for the procedure should be 100 times greater than the volume of seed material. The grains do not need oxygen when they swell, so they will not suffocate under water pressure.

Tomato seeds should be wrapped in gauze and placed in warm water. The temperature of the liquid should not exceed 25 degrees. The seeds should be stirred as they soak. Fresh and poorly dried grains can turn the water brown. In this case, the fluid must be changed periodically.

The process takes from 12 to 18 hours depending on how much grain there is. It is not recommended to soak seed material before sowing in solutions containing salt or ash extracts. These substances have a depressing effect on grain, thereby slowing down the growing season of the plant.

After water procedures The grains are dried using a paper napkin or cloth, after which a seed is made for growing or sowing is carried out. Tomato is often grown seedling method, therefore, soaking is carried out immediately before planting the grains in boxes.

Water treatments

In addition to classic soaking, there are several water treatments for planting material. These include:

• bubbling;
• panning;
• stratification.

Bubbling

Bubbling is the soaking of planting material in water enriched with oxygen. At home, a similar procedure can be carried out using aquarium compressors:

1. Pure liquid is poured into a 5-liter container.
2. An aquarium compressor is installed.
3. Add the seeds.
4. Connect the compressor.
5. After 24 hours, the seeds are ready for use.

Bubbling takes a little longer, unlike classic soaking - 20-24 hours. Tomatoes grown from oxygenated seeds have a richer taste.

Pelleting

Pelleting is a build-up protective film around the seeds by soaking the grains in various nutrient solutions. The easiest way is to prepare the mixture yourself. For 100 grams of seeds:

• 1 kg of peat or humus;
• half a liter of warm liquid.

The mixture should be put in a warm place for a day, and then the seeds should be poured into the solution and also left for a day. After this period, the seeds are ready for further processing.

Pelleting begins 4-5 months before sowing and is most often used in large-scale production. The mineral coating serves as an artificial protection for the seeds and maintains the required amount of nutrients even in unfavorable growing conditions.

Stratification

Stratification is a method of seed treatment that creates the most natural conditions for planting material. Most often this method is used for late varieties to speed up the growing season.

Hello, fellow gardeners! Today we'll talk about Do you need to soak tomato seeds? (tomatoes) before sowing. The conversation is, first of all, for you, novice amateur gardeners, because experienced tomato experts have already made their choice a long time ago.

I will repeat, but we don’t just want to somehow plant, collect, eat something. We need a bumper harvest (at least for us), which means we need to competently carry out each stage when growing tomatoes. Then it will turn out that we are not “poking around in the earth” out of greed, but are doing something creative and at the same time high-tech! We have already discussed some issues of seed preparation in the article Now, more specifically.

I’ll say right away: there is no definite answer. I looked through various websites and forums, read articles on the topic, and talked with experienced gardeners. Conclusion: “everyone chooses for themselves.” But several general recommendations you can give.

First, let's look at what kind of seeds you have. If these are seeds from which have already been treated with something (usually they are colored), then it is better not to soak them - you will wash off the solution. If the origin of the seeds raises questions and you are not sure of their quality, you can soak them.

Soaking seeds will not harm if you do not overdo it

But let's answer the questions first:

Why soak seeds?

To accelerate seed germination(swollen seeds will simply sprout physically faster), although tomatoes don’t “delay” in sprouting anyway;

To disinfect seeds– and future plants – from infectious diseases, including (here you can’t just get by with warm water);

To identify dummy seeds, i.e. those that will not germinate (with simple soaking in water they will float up - you can safely throw them away and not take up space in the planting containers; with longer soaking you will see how the seeds will swell and “hatch”, and those that have not shown signs of germination - throw it away. But (!) do not let the seeds germinate too much - these are not cucumbers!);

Why don't you need to soak the seeds?

Firstly, as already said, treated seeds do not require preliminary preparation - they are already ready;

Hybrids are also not very demanding in preparation, although a little soaking will not do any harm;

Tomato seeds are covered with soft and thin skin, so they are quite capable of germinating without soaking and in a very short time (unlike peppers);

A waste of time and effort.

Draw your own conclusions (I’m guessing). Now let's see

How to soak seeds

Wrap the seeds in gauze or a thin cloth, lower them for 15-30 minutes in warm water, then we take it out - and into a warm place for a day;

Dip the seeds in a saucer with warm water for 10-15 minutes, then transfer them to a weak (pink) solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then (!) rinse with clean water (or a weak solution baking soda) - ready!

Place the seeds on gauze, cover with the same gauze and place in a small container with warm water– 0.5 – 1 hour – just before landing. You can leave it overnight.

Found good video, where it is shown in detail,

how to soak seeds in cotton pads (video):

It is better to use melt water for soaking seeds.

Hardening of seeds

Simultaneously with soaking, hardening can be carried out. Many gardeners consider this procedure very beneficial for the health of future plants. To harden, place the swollen seeds in the refrigerator overnight (not in the cold!), and again during the day. room temperature. This needs to be repeated 2-3 times.

Watch a video on how to prepare seeds for planting (different ways):

Other methods of seed preparation

I’ll also tell you about some other ways to prepare tomato seeds for sowing. This is just from the field of scientific and “technological”.

Instead of water and potassium permanganate for soaking, you can use special preparations to stimulate growth: Zircon, Immunocytophyte, Novosil and etc.

Bubbling:

– soaking seeds in water enriched with oxygen. To do this, we pass oxygen through the container of water where the seeds lie - it is convenient to use the simplest aquarium compressor. (I'll try this year); bubbling time – 18-20 hours;

Is there some more chemical methods seed treatment, but I won’t even talk about them. After all, we grow crops for ourselves, our loved ones. And “chemical” ones can be found in any store all year round buy.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in preparing seeds for sowing: soaking, hardening, and even bubbling are all quite possible. The main thing is to know when to stop!

Watch a short video showing convenient way to soak seeds :

I wish you rich harvests!

According to agronomists, pre-soaking seeds increases the yield of tomatoes by 25% - 35%. But is this really so? Let's find out why and how to soak tomato seeds before planting seedlings.

Pre-soaking is one of the stages pre-sowing preparation seeds The preparatory cycle consists of the following activities:

1. Calibration
2. Warming up.
3. Etching.
4. Bubbling.
5. Soak.
6. Hardening.
7. Germination.

If you do not neglect pre-sowing preparation and carry out the whole range of measures, you can get many benefits:

• the germination time of seeds will be reduced;
• the germination rate will increase;
• shoots will be more uniform;
• the seedlings will have strong immunity;
• in the future it will be possible to avoid most fungal and viral diseases;
• the ripening period of tomatoes will be shortened;
• productivity will increase.

As you can see, pre-sowing preparation in general and seed soaking in particular have undoubted benefits. We will learn in detail how to properly process and soak seeds before sowing seedlings.

Calibration

Sizing refers to the selection of viable tomato seeds for planting. Healthy grains can be distinguished visually by their large size and weight. They should not feel empty to the touch. Sorting is first done manually. All broken, hollow or dried grains are discarded.

Then the remaining part of the seed material is dipped into a saline solution at a 1% concentration.

To do this, dissolve 2.5 ml (half a teaspoon) of salt in 250 ml (a glass) of water. This procedure lasts 15 minutes, then all floating seeds are removed. Planting material that has sunk to the bottom of the container is suitable for planting.

Warming up

Tomato is a heat-loving crop with a long germination period. The warming up stage is aimed at reducing this period and obtaining an earlier harvest.

In apartment conditions, tomato seeds are heated on a radiator central heating within 36 – 48 hours. To do this, the planting material, dried after calibration, is laid out on a hard surface covered with cotton cloth and left for the required time.

If you are late with the timing of sowing seedlings, the warming up stage can be performed in the process of bubbling or soaking tomato seeds.

Etching

Treating is called disinfection of seed material. The event is aimed at eliminating the risk of infection of future seedlings. The seedlings will get sick less and adapt better to permanent place after transplantation.

Traditionally, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is used as an antiseptic. The seeds should be soaked in potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then they are washed under running water and soaked with cotton cloth.

Bubbling

Bubbling is performed to saturate the seeds with oxygen. It is believed that after bubbling, seeds germinate better, and seedlings have high immunity. Seed material can be enriched with oxygen manually or using equipment.

For the procedure you will need a large amount of water heated to a temperature of +26C – +30C. For 20 - 30 seeds you will need 0.5 liters of water. The grains are placed in a container filled with water and stirred regularly, approximately every hour. The duration of the procedure is 15 – 18 hours.

If bubbling is carried out for large quantities seeds, it is better to use a device for oxygenating home aquariums. The process will become less labor-intensive, and the effect will be better. During the bubbling process, the seeds swell and can begin to germinate. In this case, bubbling stops, and the grains are laid out for germination.

If the heating step was skipped, it can be performed during the bubbling process. To do this, the water in which the planting material is located is periodically heated to a temperature of +50 - +60 degrees.

I would like to note that many farmers ignore the bubbling stage and, after the pickling stage, immediately begin soaking seed material. In turn, bubbling eliminates the soaking step, and immediately after enrichment with oxygen, the seeds can be left for germination.

Soak

Thanks to soaking, seedlings appear faster and the ripening period of the crop is reduced. At this stage, the seeds are kept in a small amount of water at a temperature of +26 - +30 degrees for 12 hours. Next they are sent for germination.

Hardening

The purpose of hardening is to grow high-quality seedlings that are resistant to short-term drops in temperature during spring return frosts.

For hardening, seeds wrapped in fabric and polyethylene are placed in a refrigerator compartment or cool room with a temperature of +2 - -3 degrees. The procedure is carried out in 5–6 stages of 8 hours each, alternating low temperatures and keeping them at room temperature.

Hardening is not the most popular procedure among summer residents. Improper hardening often leads to seed death. It is easier to harden off already grown seedlings by gradually opening windows in greenhouses and balconies, and then taking the young seedlings outside in the warm season.

Germination

For germination you will need a shallow container, such as a small bowl or saucer. Cotton cloth or gauze folded in layers, heavily moistened in water at room temperature, is laid out on it.

The grains are placed on the fabric in one layer and covered with moistened material on top. It is necessary to ensure that the fabric is always wet. Once the embryos appear, the seeds are dried and planted in containers.

Don't wait for small embryos to grow into long shoots. Long sprouts easily break off when planted; in addition, such seeds produce low-quality seedlings.

Treatment with biological stimulants

Today there are biologically active drugs industrial production, which greatly simplify the process of preparation and pre-sowing soaking.

The most famous biological stimulants include “Zircon”, “Epin”, “Immunocytophyte”. Growth stimulants are safe for plants and humans. Their action is aimed at stimulating the germination and further development of tomatoes.

These products are simple and economical to use. Usually a few drops of the drug are enough to prepare a solution for soaking tomato seeds. Soak the seeds in a standard way, placing them in the solution for 12 - 24 hours according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Biostimulants stop working at temperatures below +20 degrees. During the processing process, it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the solution and the air in the room.

Humate preparations also have a similar stimulating effect. Humate is obtained under production conditions by hydrolysis of brown coal or peat. Pre-sowing soaking of tomato seeds promotes uniform emergence and stimulates plant resistance to unfavorable climatic factors.

Additional preparation methods

Additional measures include seed pelleting and stratification.

Pelleting

During the pelleting process, the seeds are covered with a shell, which has protective, nutritional and growth-stimulating properties. The procedure is carried out 4 - 6 months before planting. Usually, pelleted seeds are produced in industrial conditions, but in private tomato cultivation, the procedure may seem too labor-intensive.

So that the grains are saturated nutrients, you can carry out additional soaking in solutions with microelements. The most affordable options are soaking in aloe juice or in industrial preparations containing microelements.

If you use pelleted seeds for planting, no pre-sowing preparation is required. The planting material in the shell is immediately planted in the soil solution and regular watering is provided.

Stratification

The stratification method is used for tomatoes that have long germination periods.

Tomato seeds are mixed with wet sand and kept at low temperature within 0C – -3 degrees. The procedure lasts 20 – 45 days. When the mixture with seeds dries, add water. Before stratification, calibration is carried out, after - etching, after which the planting material is slightly dried and embedded in the soil.

According to reviews from experienced farmers, it is necessary to process and soak tomato seeds before planting. It helps to grow strong seedlings and get an early harvest of quality fruits. Choose the method that is most comfortable for you, and the plants will definitely respond with a bountiful harvest.

Everyone knows that growing tomatoes is a troublesome task. We should start by deciding the nuance of whether it is necessary to soak tomato seeds before planting? And in general, do they really need processing? Maybe she's redundant?

Should tomato seeds be soaked before planting?

It is claimed that in this way it is possible to increase the yield of tomatoes by a third. In addition, soaking allows you to achieve uniform pipping of the sprouts. Therefore, all plants will be at the same stage of development.

If the treatment of tomato seeds before planting is accompanied by disinfection, then the chance of developing diseases can be reduced by half. Of course, this procedure does not guarantee that the plant will not get sick. But the chance of developing many diseases is significantly reduced.

How to soak tomato seeds before planting?

All steps must be carried out before the recommended planting time. Otherwise, the seeds will lose their properties. Best time When to soak tomato seeds for seedlings - a couple of days before planting in seedling boxes, so that the seeds have time to hatch.

Step 1: selection.

It is extremely important to do this before soaking your tomato seeds before planting. They must be large in size and have noticeable weight. Then you can count on the fact that they will grow into strong bushes that will yield a good harvest.

To do this, you need to prepare a salty solution (take 1 tablespoon of water per glass of water). Then pour the selected seeds into it. After some time they will split into two groups. Those that are not able to produce healthy fruits will remain floating. Those suitable for sowing will sink to the bottom.

Step 2: warming up.

Before soaking tomatoes before planting, their seeds must be kept for warm battery. The exposure time to heat is two days.

Step 3 disinfection.

It is done in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Leave them in it for 20 minutes.

Step 4: bubbling.

In other words, swelling of the seeds. Many gardeners skip this procedure and go straight to soaking tomato seeds before planting.

For this step you need to take a lot of water. There can be a whole glass of it for a small amount of seeds. It is advisable to arrange constant air ventilation in this water. Or stir the water regularly to provide oxygen access to the tomatoes. This stage takes about 12 hours. Sometimes it can be extended to 18 hours due to poor seed swelling.

Step 5: germination.

Moisten the seeds in a gauze bag with water at a temperature of about 22 ºС. Put them in warm room. This stage of processing tomato seeds before planting lasts about 15 hours. During this time, roots should begin to sprout. You should not wait for all the seeds to have noticeable sprouts. They can be damaged when moved into the soil. If you don’t know how many days to soak tomato seeds, then stop at 2 - 3 days. During this time, the seeds will swell, but the roots will not yet grow enough to be damaged during planting.

Step 6: drying and sowing.

Drying lasts a very short period of time. Simply remove them from the gauze and leave them in the air for a few minutes. Then sow in warm ground which is well hydrated.

Soaking tomato seeds before planting: which solution to choose?

Ready-made ones are available for sale nutritional compositions. If you are choosing what to soak tomato seeds in before planting, then try Epin or Zircon. These funds help. However, they can easily be replaced with solutions prepared from improvised means.

The following substances will help you prepare tomato seeds for planting:

• aloe juice (its leaves should be cut off and put in the refrigerator 2 weeks before soaking),
• honey (1 teaspoon per glass of water),
• potato juice (root vegetables should be frozen, then thawed and squeezed out the juice).

Preparing tomato seeds for planting: other processing methods

Pelleting. It consists in creating shell granules. They consist of nutritional, protective and growth-stimulating substances. This procedure is performed 3-6 months before sowing.

Hardening of tomato seeds before planting. Before step 6, place the container with tomato seeds in the refrigerator. At a temperature of about 2 ºС, leave overnight.

Stratification. Recommended for seeds that tend to take a long time to germinate. This preparation consists of mixing the seeds with wet sand or peat. The container with this mixture should be placed in a cold room. The air temperature there should not go beyond -3 to 0 degrees Celsius. This procedure lasts from 3 to 6 weeks.

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