Do eggplant seeds need to be soaked before planting?

Newcomers to the dacha business may wonder if eggplant seeds need to be soaked before planting. As with other vegetable crops, this procedure is optional, but it has certain benefits. The composition of the soaking solution may vary. You can use hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, aloe juice, salt water - in each case, different tasks will be solved.

Why Soak Eggplant Seeds Before Planting?

Eggplants are heat-loving crops that are expensive to grow, so these vegetables cannot be called cheap. In this situation, it remains to grow "blue" ones on their own. This can be done in polycarbonate greenhouses, which have long ceased to be a rarity in garden plots. For planting, it is better to choose early maturing varieties that are resistant to diseases, with a short growing season.

Experts recommend choosing eggplant seeds produced by domestic producers. These varieties are adapted to local climatic conditions and are not too capricious.

Seeds purchased from a specialized store do not need any preliminary checking and preparation. You just need to make sure that the expiration date has not expired. The manufacturer usually processes the planting material before sale with disinfectants and growth stimulants.

Own seeds are another matter. Whether it is necessary to soak the planting material before sowing, each summer resident decides independently. Some simply sow seeds with a stock, but even in this case, a good result is not guaranteed.

So what does soaking the material before planting give? The procedure provides the following benefits:

• the process of the appearance of seedlings is accelerated;
• the percentage of germination increases;
• during processing, the seeds are calibrated;
• using various formulations, you can stimulate the growth of seedlings, increase disease resistance, and destroy pathogenic microflora.

The seeds should be selected from fully ripe fruits, only in this case they will be full. It is advisable to use the most fresh planting material, which is no more than 2 years old.

When to soak eggplant seeds for seedlings?

In temperate climates, eggplant seedlings are sown in late February or early March. At the same time, seeds are also soaked, as it is part of the pre-sowing preparation.

Eggplants cannot boast of quick germination. When sowing dry seeds, it will take several weeks for seedlings to emerge from the ground. With pre-germinated or soaked seeds, this period is shortened. The exact timing depends on the climatic conditions of a particular area. To correctly calculate the day, you need to take into account that, on average, 75 days pass from the moment of sowing to the date when the seedlings can be planted in the ground. It is necessary that by the time the seedlings are transplanted into the greenhouse, sufficiently warm weather has been established and the threat of frost disappears.

If you sow the eggplant too early, the weather will not allow you to plant it in a permanent place at the right time. As a result, the seedlings will outgrow, stretch, become thin and weak, which will further negatively affect the yield. Yes, and such plants will take root longer, delaying the timing of fruiting. If you are late with sowing, with the arrival of heat, the seedlings will not be ready for planting due to age.

How to soak eggplant seeds before sowing?

To prepare the seeds correctly, you need to know how many minutes and how to soak them before sowing. The seeds are pre-calibrated in salt water to weed out poor quality material:

1. Saline is prepared from 1 glass of warm water and 1 tsp. salt.
2. The seeds are dipped in a glass and wait 20-30 minutes.
3. During the procedure, defective seeds will float to the surface, and good ones will sink to the bottom.

Thus, you can save yourself from the need to spend time and effort on spoiled planting material. After the procedure, low-quality seeds are thrown away, and those suitable for planting are washed in clean water.

Now you need to choose the composition in which the soaking will be carried out. It is advisable to carry out the procedure in stages, using different solutions in turn. The seeds must first be disinfected, and then they can be treated with one of the growth promoters.

In hydrogen peroxide

Vegetable seeds, including eggplant, are often soaked in hydrogen peroxide. The use of such a composition allows you to quickly disinfect the seeds due to the oxidative effect.

There are two ways to soak the planting material in peroxide:

• The first option involves the use of 3% hydrogen peroxide from a pharmacy in undiluted form. The procedure time in this case is 15–20 minutes. After processing, the seeds are washed in running water, then they can be sown immediately.
• The second method involves a longer soaking in a solution prepared from 1 glass of water and 1 tsp. peroxide, for the purpose of disinfection and awakening of growth processes. There is no need to rinse the seeds after that.

A weak peroxide solution can also be used to germinate seeds. The product is impregnated with cotton pads and eggplant seeds are placed between them. Then the planting material is covered with a film and kept warm until the sprouts begin to hatch.

Experienced gardeners claim that even old seeds awaken after such a procedure, and in the future the seedlings grow strong and healthy. Plus, peroxide is an affordable and inexpensive remedy sold at any pharmacy.

In potassium permanganate

For soaking in potassium permanganate, a 2% solution of potassium permanganate is used, arranging a bath for the seeds for 15–20 minutes. Such processing serves as an excellent protection against fungal, viral and bacterial infections. The method is popular with summer residents because of its simplicity and effectiveness.

After soaking the seeds in potassium permanganate for planting on seedlings, they must be washed in running water.

In aloe juice

Soaking seed in aloe juice requires preliminary preparation:

1. To begin with, a medium-sized leaf is cut from the bottom of the plant, placed in a plastic bag and placed in a refrigerator or other dark and cool place for 10-15 days. This time is required for special cells to mature in the leaf tissue, which stimulate growth processes.
2. Then the sheet is crushed in any convenient way and the juice is squeezed through cheesecloth.
3. In total, you will need 1 tbsp. l. aloe juice. It is diluted with purified water in equal proportions.
4. In the resulting composition, the seeds are soaked for a day.

During this time, the seeds will swell and will be ready for planting. In no case need to rinse them.

Soaking in this composition is suitable for hard-growing seeds and planting material with an expiration date.

How long does it take to soak eggplant seeds before planting?

The duration of treatment depends on what solutions are used to soak the seeds.

• The least amount of time is spent on disinfection. With a saturated concentration of potassium permanganate and peroxide, it is enough to hold the planting material for 20-30 minutes. This time should not be exceeded, otherwise, instead of benefit, the procedure will bring harm.
• The use of growth stimulants requires a longer time.In addition to aloe juice for this purpose, you can use a solution of "Epin", "Ecosil", "Zircon" or "Energena", prepared according to the instructions. The processing time in this case can be from 12 to 24 hours.
• If the summer resident prefers to pre-germinate the seed, this is done immediately before sowing and takes from 1 to 8 days in time. How many days the soaked seeds germinate depends on their quality and the air temperature in the room. The warmer the room, the faster the germination process goes.

Everyone decides for himself whether he should be engaged in preliminary preparation of seeds for sowing. In the case of eggplant, this procedure is considered highly desirable, as its effectiveness is evident. By soaking the seeds before planting, you can improve their germination and grow stronger seedlings.