How to accelerate the germination of dill and parsley seeds for quick germination?

The content of essential oils in the seeds of umbrella plants prevents moisture from penetrating inside. There are different ways to speed up the germination of dill seeds. Otherwise, seedlings will appear only after 20 days or later.

Seed steeping is most commonly used for this purpose.

The main rule of soaking in special solutions is to pre-soak the material in plain water. After the water has been absorbed, the seeds are placed in a solution with various additives. If this is not done, the absorbed dose of the stimulant may become too large and the seed will "burn".

Traditional soaking

There are several traditional ways to soak aromatic green seeds for quick germination:

• Before planting, the seeds are washed with warm water and left in it for a day. You can add 1 tbsp. l. wood ash or any universal fertilizer.
• Seeds are scattered in a thin layer on the bottom of the container and filled with water. The water temperature depends on the type of dill. Heat-loving varieties need 25 ° С, the rest - 15–20 ° С. The water is changed every 4 hours with simultaneous mixing of the seeds. Instead of spreading out on a plate, dill fruits can be wrapped in cheesecloth. Soaking is stopped after sprouts appear in 1% of the seed.
• Dill and parsley seeds are placed in water for 3-4 hours. The water is replaced several times, after which the planting material is poured with a solution of potassium permanganate of strong concentration, washed and dried.

Sowing seeds for fast germination

When preparing the seeds, the sowing time must be taken into account. They depend on the climatic characteristics of the growing region and the type of soil.

• Autumn sowing

To make the dill rise faster, the seeds are planted in the fall. If the planting material manages to survive the winter safely, it sprouts 2 weeks earlier than planted in the spring. The disadvantage of this method is that in late autumn the sprouts may freeze out.

• Sowing in spring

Dill tolerates cold down to -3 ° С. You can plant seeds in open ground immediately after the snow cover melts. If the air warms up to + 10 ° С, you can get the first harvest in early April.

Folk ways to soak seeds

There are many ways to prepare dill for sowing. Below are the most popular ones.

• In herbal decoctions

Most often, aloe and chamomile are used for these purposes.

1 tbsp. l. dry chamomile is poured into a small container and poured with boiling water. The broth should cool to + 50 ° C, after which the seeds wrapped in gauze are placed in it for 30 minutes. The chamomile infusion washes away the essential oils contained in the seeds.

Aloe used for soaking requires preliminary preparation. The leaves of the plant are cut, wrapped in foil and refrigerated for 2 weeks. After that, the juice from the leaves is squeezed out by hand. It is not recommended to use metal tools. The juice is diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio. The seeds are placed in gauze soaked in aloe solution for a day. You can add juice to the cheesecloth to keep it more moist.

• Using wood ash

This tool helps to increase germination. 2 tbsp. l. ash is added to 1 liter of warm water and left for 2 days. The solution is periodically stirred, then the seeds are placed in it, having previously wrapped them in a cloth. The sowing material is left in the infusion for 4–5 hours.

• Using honey

1 tsp 200 ml of warm water is poured with honey and seeds are placed in the liquid. After 5 hours, they are taken out and dried.

• In a solution of ash and onions

Such a solution is otherwise called complex. For its preparation, first a solution is made of ash (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water). Then a handful of onion husks are poured into 1 liter of boiled water. Ash and onion solutions are mixed in a 1: 1 ratio. To them add 1 g of potassium permanganate, 0.3 g of boric acid and 5 g of soda. Everything is thoroughly mixed, filtered and the seeds are immersed in the resulting solution for 5 hours.

• In potato juice

Raw potatoes should be frozen in the freezer and allowed to thaw a little. Potato juice is obtained by grating it or passing it through a juicer. Dill seeds are dipped into it for 7 hours. They are then dried, but not washed with water.

• In mushroom infusion

To obtain a decoction, use any mushrooms that must first be dried. They are finely cut, dipped into a container, boiled water is poured into it and covered with a lid. When the infusion has cooled, the seeds are placed in cheesecloth and immersed in it for 5-6 hours. Dry them before planting.

Purchased seed treatments

If you do not want to bother with preparing infusions and decoctions according to folk recipes, you should make a choice in favor of products that can be bought at a pharmacy or in a store. The maximum that needs to be done is to dilute them with water.

• Vodka

When soaked in vodka, essential oils dissolve. The seeds are wrapped in gauze or a cloth and placed in vodka for 15 minutes. It is not recommended to exceed the specified time.

• Potassium permanganate

It is necessary to dilute the crystals with water until a bright pink color is obtained. Dill fruits are soaked for 3 hours. If hydrogen peroxide is used instead of potassium permanganate, the residence time of the seeds in the solution should not exceed 6 minutes.

• Growth stimulants

The seeds intended for planting are placed in a solution containing trace elements and substances that stimulate plant growth. Ready-made products contain iron, copper, zinc, and more. Stimulants accelerate the awakening of sprouts and affect the speed of their development. Most often used are "Epin", "Fitosporin", "Zircon" and preparations based on humic acid.

When buying dill seed, pay attention to the expiration date. The less is left before its end, the less chance of getting seedlings from such seeds.

Soaking seeds in solutions containing useful microelements increases the resistance of plants to all kinds of diseases. The water only washes away the essential oils that slow down the growth of dill.