How and why should you soak cucumber seeds before planting?

Some gardeners know a little trick to speed up the process of germination of cucumber seedlings. This is the correct soaking of the seeds before planting in the ground. Moreover, in order to germinate seeds, absolutely any water can be suitable. So, in urban conditions, pre-frozen running water from the tap is used, rain or melted water is used in gardens.

Disinfection

Before germinating before planting in the ground, the seedlings must be disinfected. This will remove bacteria and pathogenic spores that can later lead to plant disease.

You can process cucumber seeds using several means:

• hydrogen peroxide;
• potassium permanganate;
• boric acid.

Each ingredient is mixed with water in one proportion or another, resulting in a solution that allows you to process the culture. Many of the gardeners who disinfect seedlings most often use hydrogen peroxide, since in this case there is no need to dilute the product with water.

In order to properly process cucumber seedlings with hydrogen peroxide, it is necessary to purchase a pharmacy solution. The concentration of the active substance in it does not exceed 3%. Due to the fact that the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the liquid is quite low, the cucumber seeds must be kept in solution for 10 to 12 hours. How effective this process is can be judged by the fact that after such treatment, almost all seedlings remain healthy for a long time after planting.

In order to increase the indicator of plant health, in addition to 3% hydrogen peroxide, solutions of potassium permanganate and boric alcohol can be used.

In the case of potassium permanganate, in contrast to hydrogen peroxide, it is necessary to prepare a saturated solution: 5 grams of substance per 200 grams of water. Then the seeds are folded into a gauze bag, which is tied to a string. The result is something like a tea bag. The resulting structure must be placed in a jar with a prepared solution for a period of no more than 20 minutes.

If cucumber seeds are disinfected with boric acid, then the amount of the substance in the solution should not exceed 2 grams per 10 liters of water. The seeds must be immersed in the resulting liquid for 12 hours.

Germination of cucumber seeds and their hardening

After processing, the seeds must be dried. How long does it take to dry? Seedlings are dried for 1-1.5 days in a warm place. It is best if they are placed near the battery. After the expiration of the set period, the seedlings of cucumbers must be examined and the largest and healthiest of them must be selected.

Advice

Before soaking, additionally immerse the seeds in a solution of wood ash infused for 2 days (2 tablespoons of ash per 1 liter of water). In 3-4 hours, the seeds will grow stronger and absorb various nutrients that will help them germinate faster.

Selected and disinfected seeds will be properly soaked. For soaking cucumbers, it is advised to use not just water, but a weak solution of various growth stimulants.

What growth stimulants can I use?

1. "Zircon". It is a product based on chicory acid, which is derived from the echinacea plant. The substance is a strong activator of seedling growth and the formation of roots in cucumbers.
2. "Epin". It is also a herbal stimulant. The tool helps seedlings to adapt to environmental conditions in a short time and resist such environmental factors as lack of sun or frost.
3. "Humat". It is an environmentally friendly potassium or sodium salt of humic acid, which is produced as a result of an alkaline hydrolysis reaction.

Pour liquid into a flat wide dish, in which the cucumber seedlings will be soaked. A fabric cloth is lowered to the bottom, the field of which seeds are placed on it. During this process, the water in the container must be changed periodically.

The time during which the seedlings of cucumbers must be kept in water in order for them to germinate directly depends on how quickly they swell.

The degree of swelling of cucumber seedlings is determined visually. The swollen and slightly sprouted cucumber seeds are already ready for further planting in the ground.

However, before planting, it will be correct to carry out pre-sowing hardening. This operation is needed to increase the cold hardiness of the seedlings. Hardening is carried out by placing slightly sprouted seeds, wrapped in a cloth, in the refrigerator. Hardening in the refrigerator lasts two days, after which you can plant young cucumbers.

Landing

Cucumbers are quite thermophilic plants. Therefore, the temperature of the soil and indoor air plays an important role when planting sprouted seedlings. The optimum temperature regime of the soil is at least 15 degrees Celsius. Of course, it is desirable that the soil be even warmer, since at +15 degrees the seedlings will sprout for a long time.

Seedlings must first be planted in the ground in small cups, peat tablets or boxes. How to prepare the soil for planting yourself, how many components are required for this? The soil is prepared by mixing 1 part of peat with 2 parts of garden soil, if desired, additional sand is added. The earth must be placed in a container so that 1 cm from its top remains free.

After planting, the seedlings must be watered periodically, how many times to do this is determined depending on the moisture content of the soil. However, it is better to water it at least 2 times a week. It is best to store cups with seedlings at home.

After about 1 month, young cucumbers will be strong enough for their further transplantation into open ground.

Outcome

In order to grow cucumbers from seeds, you need to properly observe the technology of soaking them. Germination of cucumbers is not such a difficult process, if desired, a beginner can also cope with it.

In order for the cucumbers to be strong and healthy in the future, plant them in fertile and loose soil. Can cover the plants with plasticby arranging a greenhouse, or planting seedlings in a greenhouse.