How to properly prepare cucumber seeds for sowing in a greenhouse and open field

Everybody loves fresh fragrant cucumbers. Preparing cucumber seeds for sowing in a greenhouse and in the open field has a beneficial effect not only on the yield, but also on the taste of vegetables. It improves germination, increases plant disease resistance and reduces barren flowers.

The preparation always matches the type of sowing. Remember that seed germination conditions are warm, moisture and air. Also, a lot depends on what kind of seeds you plan to sow. Variety and the age of the seeds directly affect the maturation of cucumbers.

Is it necessary to prepare

Experienced gardeners recommend paying close attention to the preparation. Beginners believe that this is an optional procedure, as good quality cucumber seeds germinate without special preparation. However, preparation not only increases the yield of cucumbers, but also protects them from common plant diseases.

One of the frequently used preparatory steps is soaking. Should cucumber seeds be soaked before planting? In the event that they have been processed and warmed up, soaking will harm - it will wash off the protective layer. Such preparation will be useful for the wrong stored dry cucumber seeds, as well as if you plan to plant cucumbers for seedlings in a greenhouse.

How to prepare cucumber seeds

The seed preparation process consists of six main stages:

1. Selection.
2. Warming up.
3. Disinfection.
4. Bubbling.
5. Hardening.
6. Germination.

Selection

The first step in preparing for seeding is calibration and selection. With the help of manual sampling and salt water, the seed is taken. In this case, the most "complete" seeds are laid, not empty and not thin. They should be free of chips in the top layer. Throw away immediately with mold or cracks. Small ones will not work either - they will not grow a full-fledged plant capable of fruiting throughout the season.

The seeds are checked for emptiness using salt water. The solution is made at the rate of 1 liter of water 1 tbsp. l. salt. Soak for 20 minutes. After that, the empty seeds, which will float on the surface, are thrown away, and the full ones that lie at the bottom of the can are taken out, washed with clean water and laid out to dry on a napkin or cotton cloth.

Council. If you purchased hybrid seeds (on the package after the name is "F1"), then salt water treatment is not necessary, as well as disinfection. These procedures have already been carried out by the manufacturer.

Warming up

Cucumber seeds are kept at a temperature of 28-30 ° C for a month. For this, it can be laid out close to the heating battery. If there is no time, then in accelerated mode - for six hours at a temperature of 40-60 ° C, placing it directly on the battery. So that they germinate as quickly as possible, use this method of preparation.

Warming up affects the intensive formation of female cucumber flowers, and therefore, on fruiting. But the method of treating cucumber seeds by warming up before sowing is more often used in industrial production. At home, the procedure is not recommended, since it is difficult to control the desired mode. Its violation will negatively affect the embryo and future fetuses.

Disinfection

Seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or "Fitosporin" (pasty substrate)... When processing with potassium permanganate, the seeds are dipped in a gauze bag into an aqueous solution (1 g of potassium permanganate powder per 1 liter of water).

After 20 minutes, remove from the container and rinse with running water, then lay out to dry on paper. When processing "Fitosporin" take 2 drops of diluted paste in 1/2 glass of water and soak the seeds for 2 hours before sowing.

Bubbling

Enriching the seed with oxygen using a compressor is called bubbling. Fresh seeds do not need to be processed with this method. Use this method for old cucumber seeds that are at least six years old.

They are placed in a gauze bag in a container of water at room temperature, then air is supplied with an aquarium compressor. The tube is placed under the seeds so that air in the form of bubbles envelops it from all sides. They process for about a day. After the procedure, seeds with a barely noticeable sprout are immediately planted into the soil.

Hardening

The hardening process increases the resistance of the future plant to low temperatures, drought and disease. Seed hardening is desirable for open field planting and is not required for greenhouse cultivation. There are two ways of hardening: exposure to constant low and alternating temperatures.

In the first case, wet, but not wet seeds are placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator and kept for 12 hours at a temperature of +1 to -1 ° C.

In the second case, the same swollen seeds are kept in the refrigerator during the day, and at room temperature at night. The procedure is repeated for five days.

Germination

After hardening, the container with cucumber seeds is placed in a warm place with a temperature of at least + 20 ° C. After 2-3 days they will sprout and must be urgently planted. It is impossible to overexpose the already sprouted, because too long shoots and roots will get mixed up with each other and break when removed.

Features of preparation for sowing

Some gardeners believe that it is better to plant cucumber seeds in open ground directly from the seed bag dry. But even when sowing directly into the ground, it is worth preparing planting material. For this, hardening is a suitable solution. For hardening, you do not need to wait for the seeds to germinate.

Also, disinfection will not hurt. Before sowing, water the planting site with "Fitosporin" or a solution of potassium permanganate. The greenhouse has its own microclimate, where high humidity and a different temperature regime, it is better to plant sprouted cucumber seeds or seedlings in it.

Council. The germination capacity of cucumbers lasts for 5-6 years, but they have the best with a period of 3-4 years. Do not take fresh, freshly packaged seeds. For this it is helpful to pay attention to the date on the seed packet.

Preparation of containers and soil

Growing cucumbers with seedlings allows you to get a harvest at an early date and prolongs fruiting. Sprouted seeds are sown in plastic or peat-baked pots filled with nutritious soil (1-2 pcs. In each pot) and at a temperature from +22 to +28 ° C they expect germination. You can use coconut substrate or peat tablets for seedlings of cucumbers.

Read also:

How to remove bitterness from cucumbers and why it appears at all.

6 of the most delicious pickle recipes in a saucepan.

Is it possible to cut the leaves of cucumbers and how to do it correctly.

Planting cucumber seeds in the greenhouse

In central Russia, where the climate is cold, cucumbers are grown in well-equipped compost beds, in hotbeds and greenhouses. To get a harvest when planting cucumbers with seeds in a greenhouse, carefully prepare the soil.

The best option for a greenhouse is a mixture of turf soil and humus with sawdust that has been in use for at least two years. It is better to start preparing the soil and greenhouse in early spring. Germinated cucumber seeds are planted in crumbly soft soil to a depth of about 2 cm.The distance between plantings is at least 30 cm, and between rows - 75 cm.

Conclusion

To get a harvest of your favorite vegetables in the garden, you have to work hard.The preparatory stage for planting affects the further quality of the crop and its quantity. The final result depends on a competent approach to business. Planting without preparation or carefully following all conditions is the choice of a gardener.

Preparation can take a long time, so you need to start it well in advance. Preparatory measures should not be neglected, because the future harvest depends on them.