When is the best time to soak cucumbers? Processed cucumber seeds

They have good germination; high-quality cucumber seeds have a germination rate of at least 90%. At the right conditions The shelf life of cucumber seeds is 6-7 years. Optimal conditions storage of cucumber seeds: a cool, dry place with a temperature of +10...+12°C and a relative humidity of no higher than 60%. Cucumber seeds can withstand freezing (temperature drop below 0°C), but store them in a garage, country house, unheated room It’s still impossible: if the temperature drops sharply, they will most likely become damp and suffocate. Do not store cucumber seeds in hot places in the apartment: near heating radiators, in cabinets under the ceiling. At temperatures above +25°C they remain viable for only about a year.

Necessary conditions for germination of cucumber seeds

The germination temperature of cucumber seeds is +20...+28°C, germination time is approximately 3 days.

Sizing cucumber seeds

The first thing that is always done with seeds is to calibrate them, that is, select the best ones. This must be done when you buy seeds from hand or prepare them yourself. Store-bought seeds from large seed companies are calibrated in production. First of all, deformed and unnaturally colored seeds (dark or spotted) are discarded. Large, even cucumber seeds of uniform light color are selected for planting.

You can calibrate cucumber seeds in a 3% salt solution. To prepare the solution, take 3 g table salt per 100 ml of water or 30 g per liter. 30 grams of salt is about 1.5 tablespoons or 3 heaped teaspoons.

The seeds are thoroughly mixed in the solution to remove all bubbles from the surface of the seeds and kept for 5-10 minutes. The floating seeds are thrown away. The rest are rinsed and dried. What is important in saline solution Only fresh cucumber seeds (1-2 years old) can be discarded; almost all of the old ones will float, even if they remain viable. Therefore, if you still have all the cucumber seeds floating, then do not rush to throw them away, most likely they are simply too dry. To check germination, place a test batch of seeds for germination.

Disinfection of cucumber seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate

To disinfect cucumber seeds, before sowing, prepare a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate - KMnO 4) and immerse the seeds in it for 20-30 minutes.

After this, the seeds are washed. However, potassium permanganate is only suitable for protecting seeds from infections located on the surface of the seeds. Also keep in mind that the effectiveness of the treatment is reduced if stuck together seeds are soaked.

How much potassium permanganate is needed to treat cucumber seeds?

One standard level teaspoon contains 6 g. To prepare a 1% solution, you need a spoonful of potassium permanganate per 3 cups of water, or a third of a spoon per glass. The solution must be saturated purple. Pink, dark pink and light purple solutions (when the bottom is visible through the solution) are practically useless.

Disinfection of cucumber seeds in special preparations

To combat cucumber diseases that persist in the seed embryo, it is more difficult to choose a method. Currently, some bacterial preparations are used to treat cucumber seeds. However, treatment with them suppresses not only harmful, pathogenic, but also beneficial microflora, and it should not be used unless absolutely necessary.

For example, the drugs Fitosporin-M and Baxis are used to combat root rot, bacteriosis and tracheomycosis wilt. Cucumber seeds are soaked in a solution of any of these drugs for 1-2 hours, then dried.

Warming cucumber seeds before sowing

IN industrial scale Heating is widely used to disinfect seeds. To do this, cucumber seeds are heated for 3 days at a temperature of +40°C or at a temperature of +80°C for one day. You can warm it up in the oven; some gardeners have adapted to warm up the seeds on radiators central heating or even on incandescent lamps. But in any case, warming up is stressful for the seed embryo, and in addition, it is difficult to maintain precise temperatures at home. Therefore, this method, despite its popularity, is not recommended for home use.

Soaking cucumber seeds

Soaking is the most popular method of pre-sowing seed treatment. It is known to everyone who has ever planted cucumbers. Soaking speeds up the germination of cucumber seeds, but washes away protective layer, if the seeds have been treated by the manufacturer against infections, and reduces the resistance of germinating seeds to unfavorable conditions. A slight cooling or short-term drying can be safe for dry cucumber seeds, but destructive for pre-soaked ones. Therefore, soaking makes sense when sowing cucumbers for seedlings at home, and when sowing in the ground - only if the weather is good.

To soak cucumber seeds, it is advisable to choose a transparent container, plastic or glass. Place a napkin in several layers, paper, gauze or fabric on its bottom, lay out the seeds and pour in so that the water stands but does not cover the seeds entirely. Soak the seeds for 1-2 days until the shell cracks.

Germinating cucumber seeds

Pre-germination of cucumber seeds before sowing is used if there is doubt about their germination. In order not to waste space, you can sow only those seeds that have already sprouted. Their disadvantage is that sprouted cucumber seeds need warmth and frequent watering. And if the seed coat is allowed to dry out or is not deep enough into the soil, seedlings from germinated seeds sometimes cannot get rid of the seed coat on their own. You will have to help them: spray the seed coat with water from a spray bottle, and when it gets wet, carefully remove it with a toothpick.

Temperature for germinating cucumber seeds is +25...+28°C. Place the seeds in a container or on a saucer on several layers of damp toilet paper, place in a plastic bag and put in a warm place for 1-2 days. It is better not to use cotton wool and gauze for germinating cucumbers. Cucumbers have long, fragile roots that quickly grow into the tissue and are easily damaged during transplantation. Cucumber seeds germinate well both in the dark and in the light.

Soaking cucumber seeds in a nutrient solution

Soaking physiologically active substances in a solution stimulates the growth of seedlings. Soaking in fertilizers is used when planting cucumbers in poor soils.

The principles of soaking in a nutrient solution are the same as in water: place the seeds on paper, gauze or cloth, pour in a small amount of solution, cover the top and monitor the liquid level. The seeds are kept in the nutrient solution for 12-20 hours. The treatment is carried out at a temperature of +20...+28°C; at a lower temperature its effectiveness decreases. Then the swollen seeds are transferred to paper, cloth or placed in a gauze bag and germinated at a temperature of +25...+28°C until the root appears.

To prepare a nutrient solution, you can use Epin, Zircon, or other drugs without mixing them with each other, since each of them has its own processing time. In the Epin solution, the seeds are kept for 16-24 hours (2 drops per 100 ml of water (half a glass); in the Zircon solution - 10-12 hours (1 drop per 150 ml of water), in the solution of potassium or sodium humates - exactly 24 hours (0.005-0 .01% solution).

Bubbling cucumber seeds

Bubbling is the enrichment of seeds with oxygen. Used only for old cucumber seeds, 6-7 years old, to increase germination energy. It does not have any noticeable effect on young seeds. The seeds are placed in a gauze bag and placed in a jar of water. room temperature. Then air is supplied using an aquarium compressor, with the tube located under the bag of seeds so that air bubbles surround it on all sides. The seeds are kept in this state for about a day, but if there are a lot of seeds, then it is advisable to change the water in the middle of the cycle. After bubbling, the hatched seeds are immediately planted in the ground.

Hardening of cucumber seeds

Hardening of cucumber seeds increases their resistance to unfavorable environmental conditions. Hardened seedlings tolerate cold soil better and resist root rot. Seeds intended for hardening are wrapped in a damp cloth, laid out on a saucer or plastic dishes and put in the refrigerator for 2 days (optimal temperature 0...+2 °C). Make sure the cloth remains damp at all times.

After this, the seeds are immediately sown or treated in a nutrient solution without drying. According to some fans, hardening allows you to speed up the development of cucumbers and even increase the yield of cucumbers by up to 40%.

Do inlaid, plasma, precision seeds need to be treated?

Most seed companies are required to carry out at least a minimum complex of treatment of cucumber seeds against infections. The most expensive seeds are often already prepared in advance: calibrated, treated with fungicides, stimulants, due to which they are colored. There is no need to treat such seeds with anything before sowing.

Pre-sowing treatment of cucumber seeds often includes a function such as soaking. This method processing can help awaken a small grain huge potential, promotes faster germination. Various techniques and methods are used - from new research in agricultural technology to traditional methods. To collect good harvest cucumbers, seeds are best soaked in advance. Many people are interested in how to soak seeds correctly.

Why do this?

Before planting the cucumber seeds, it is advisable to soak them in water. This action allows you to germinate in a short time and detect unsuitable seeds at the initial stage. When the seeds are of high quality, they provide excellent germination even without soaking at a temperature of +23 to +27ºС for 2–3 days. In this case, soaking will damage the seeds, because all the necessary procedures have already been done - the seeds have been heated and disinfected. The next soaking will wash away the protective layer from the grains.

But if the seed was stored in a damp, cold or hot room, then such seeds must be prepared before sowing. The awakening time for dried seeds will be prohibitively long - they slowly absorb liquid, and seedlings will grow intermittently. Before planting, these seeds need to be awakened - soaked. You can’t buy cucumber seeds every season. By the way, good percentage hatching is observed in seeds two or three years old. It is worth keeping the seeds in a dry and warm place, wrapped in paper, and when the sowing season comes, take them to work.

Seeds for sowing, processed correctly, will not fail and will give a good harvest over time. It is better to plant cucumber, strengthened seedlings in the ground. The soaking procedure is carried out to achieve the following goals:

• helps to verify the germination of seeds;
• ensures the most harmonious shoots;
• helps avoid re-seeding.

Important! Properly performed soaking is a 100% success of germination; all seeds will definitely sprout.

Disinfection

Before germination, the seeds must be warmed up, calibrated, disinfected, and destroyed microbes and pathogens that cause cucumbers to become ill. There are two methods of disinfection.

Raw

When processing seeds raw, use a solution of hydrogen peroxide, crystals boric acid or permanganate salt. Each component is diluted in water, and the resulting liquid is used to treat the grains. It is worth considering the use of each solution in more detail.

• Treating seeds with a solution of hydrogen peroxide. You need to buy a pharmaceutical solution containing at least 3% hydrogen peroxide. This solution pickles cucumber seeds for 25–35 minutes.

• When processing grains with boric acid, two grams of crystals are dissolved in ten liters of water, and they are soaked in the resulting composition for half a day.

• A well-known disinfection method is a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. Then take 5 grams of potassium permanganate and dilute it in 250 ml of water. A gauze bag is made for the grains, which is tied with a thread, placed in a container with the resulting composition and kept in it for 25 to 30 minutes.

Important: after each treatment, the grains are thoroughly washed with warm running water.

Dried

Annual cucumber seeds must be heated to +50ºС for 1.5–2 hours, but not overcooked. The destruction of viral infections occurs precisely during heating. To warm the seeds, you need to place them on a baking sheet. You can put the seeds in a woven bag or tie them near the main heating radiator. If possible, it is worth heating it on a stove, oven or other household heating device. At a temperature of +40ºС, heating should be carried out for 6–7 days, if the temperature is +25ºС – about one month.

One of the easiest methods is to warm the grains in the sun for about two or three days. If possible, use an ultraviolet lamp. Dry disinfection will take 3–4 hours. Seeds that are heated produce strong greens and bear fruit for a long period; they have almost no empty flowers.

Preparatory work

Sorting

Pre-sowing work allows you to select high-quality cucumber grains. First of all, calibration is done - the seeds are sorted by size, color and appearance. Planting requires good quality material - dense, elastic, large. For further selection best seeds It is worth pouring them with a mixture of table salt (1 teaspoon per 200 ml of water) and stirring. Unsuitable grains will soon end up at the top, while quality grains will linger at the bottom.

The floating grains are drained simultaneously with the solution, and those below are washed with running water and dried, but not in direct sunlight, but in the shade.

You should not place them next to the radiator; it is better to place them a little to the side. This process lasts about one and a half days.

Disinfection

Pre-sowing disinfection is done by synthetic dressing, which is performed in two ways - the grains are moistened with liquid and then treated with pesticides, or dry grains are treated with pesticide powder. With the dry method, seed grains are placed in a glass container and covered with Granozan antiseptic powder, tightly covered with a lid and shaken vigorously for several minutes. Then the powder will lie uniformly on the seeds.

Thermal disinfection is most effective for cucumber grains when they have been stored for less than six months. However, chemical and thermal disinfection methods destroy not only pathogenic, harmful, but also healthy microflora. Therefore, these methods must be used with caution; if there is no special need for this, then you need to take it up.

Hardening

Hardening helps make seeds more resilient to negative circumstances. Hardy seedlings can more easily tolerate cooled soil and resist root rot. Seeds that need to be hardened are placed on wet cloth, wrap it and place it on a glass plate, a small tray and put it in a cold space - a refrigerator or cellar for two days. Acceptable temperature is +3ºС.

During this period, make sure that the fabric remains moist. Some time after this operation, the seedlings are treated in a nutrient solution or planted directly in the ground so that they do not dry out.

Thanks to hardening, the growth procedure is accelerated and the harvest of vegetables increases by 45%.

Effective methods

It is now advisable to wet the grains that have been sorted and disinfected in solutions of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide. When deciding to use any stimulant, you first need to soak the grains in water for 1–1.5 hours at room temperature. This is necessary so that the grains expand and then are not saturated with excess liquid with the stimulant. For this procedure, you need to take water that has settled from the tap or rainwater. As a result, various biostimulants are introduced into the water to strengthen it, which subsequently help best increase powerful and resilient seedlings.

It is worth taking a closer look at several growth stimulants:

• "Zircon"– this medicine is made on the basis of chicoric acid, which is secreted by echinacea. The product is a powerful activator of root enlargement and development. To make a mixture based on Zircon, you need to dissolve 2 drops of the substance in 300 ml of water. The grains should be soaked for 9–17 hours; at the end of the time, sprouts with strengthened immunity will appear.

• "Epin" is an enlargement catalyst consisting of plant components. This drug helps seedlings to adapt to the external environment in the shortest possible time and counteract circumstances - lack of sun and sudden temperature changes, viral infections, fungi, depletion of soil cover. In Epin, cucumber seeds are soaked for 16 to 24 hours. You only need 2 drops per half glass of water.

• Gumat is potassium or sodium humic acid sulfate, formed by the interaction of alkaline hydrolysis of brown coal deposits. Apply 0.01% mixture of potassium or sodium humate. Soaking time – from 10 to 12 hours.

In gauze

For soaking you will need a tray or large saucer, cloth, water and seedlings. A layer of soaked gauze is placed on the tray, then the grains and again a layer of damp cloth. Seeds cover warm water, temperatures from +29 to +35ºС. The moisture should barely cover the fabric; the resulting structure is installed in a dark place. But at the same time, you need to constantly monitor the level of moisture content and not allow it to dry out, otherwise the grains will disappear.

In order to maintain a stable level of humidity near the gauze, it is worth placing foam rubber, a sponge, or cotton wool, which perfectly retain liquid. For stable humidity use next way– place the tray with seed in a plastic bag, but do not close it completely, leave it slightly open. The soaking process lasts about a day. But everything depends on how quickly the grains are saturated with moisture. Sometimes in sufficiently 9–16 hours is enough.

In biological solution

Soaking the physical active elements “Zircon”, “Epin”, and humates in solutions has practical effects. They activate the increase in the premature stage. It should not be treated with only one drug. The result of soaking in a solution with fertilizers shows itself when sowing is done in poor soil and is actually not visible when sowing in fertilized seedling soil. It is also possible to soak seedlings in natural growth stimulants, such as aloe juice, honey, and wood ash.

To prepare a catalyst from aloe leaves, you need to gently trim the leaves, place them in a dark bag and put them in the freezer for 2 weeks. Under these circumstances, increased production of enlargement hormones is triggered in the leaves. Then, using gauze, you need to squeeze the juice from the leaves and dilute it in equal portions with water. Aloe nectar awakens the pecking of grains and increases the immunity of cucumbers.

When working with aloe leaves and juice, do not use metal utensils, such as a knife or bowl. To obtain a honey preparation, 1 teaspoon of honey is diluted in 200 ml of warm water and moistened for 5 or 6 hours. Honey is a carrier of antimicrobial qualities and activates plant growth.

Cucumber grains have amazing germination properties. The hatching rate for premium grains is 89%. Properly stored grains have a lifespan of 5–7 years. The correct environment for storing used seed material is a cool, dry room, where the temperature is approximately +12 to +15ºС and conditional dampness, not exceeding 60%. The grains can withstand freezing at temperatures just below zero.

But there is no need to leave seeds in frozen housing; a sudden drop in temperature will have a detrimental effect on them. For the same reason, it is not advisable to store grains in very warm places, for example, near ceilings in cabinets, mezzanines, or near heating radiators. At temperatures above +25ºС they will retain germination only for a year. Germination of grains occurs when the temperature is from +21 to +27ºС, after approximately 3 days the sprouts sprout. Proper preparation of seeds for planting is a guarantee of a significant harvest.

It is worth considering the main requirements for the preparation of grains, which are necessary for the purpose of growing cucumbers both indoors and outdoors.

• For this purpose, seedlings that are 2–3 years old are selected; as a rule, they have plants with vigorous ovaries. If the seed is not allowed to germinate for 8 years, the viability becomes significantly lower. Sowing from grains older than 6 years will give an insignificant yield.
• Young one-year grains will also not provide bountiful harvest, as well as on the seedlings there will be a large number of barren flowers. Although when necessary procedures one-year-olds can provide a good harvest. You just need to save the new young generation of grain in the warmest area where it will be constant temperature from +25 to +35ºС and before starting sowing it is necessary to warm them up for three hours at a temperature of +50ºС.

Seed material must be stored in paper or a cloth bag in a comfortable, convenient room.

• Smooth, strong, full grains should be selected for sowing purposes. Tiny, altered shaped and incorrectly colored grains will in no way provide a normal harvest. You can also sort grains in a salt suspension for 10–15 minutes. Rejected seeds will float up, so it is easy to drain them with water, and those that remain below, at the bottom, need to be washed in running water.
• For the purpose of soaking cucumber grains, it is more correct to use settled, thawed or hygienic water. Chlorinated tap water is not very suitable for soaking beans. The water for soaking should not be cool, optimal temperature regime for germination of grains – from +26 to +28ºС.
• Before soaking, it is better to treat cucumber grains with an enlargement catalyst, which was written about earlier. For faster germination and the fight against rottenness, you can soak the grains in a fertilizer solution.

Together with common species cucumbers there are bags with the mark F1 written on them. People often think that these are genetically modified seeds and therefore do not purchase them. In fact, they stand out from the traditional ones. The inscription F1 means that it is a hybrid, resulting from the combination of two different species.

As a rule, breeders keep information about varieties secret, creating unique products in this way, and do not want it to be reproduced. The grains that are obtained as a result of such crossing are called first generation hybrids or F1 (short from Italian Filli - guys).

The grains of the first generation hybrids are bred in order to acquire the same advantages as any of the crossed species; the crosses are the most stable and high-yielding. Hybrids produced in the initial generation are distinguished by their extraordinary vitality, accelerated growth and large yield. Crossbreeds are taken best properties with two types of parents and are less susceptible to diseases and attacks by plant pests.

They more easily endure negative atmospheric demands and easily produce crops, even in low-yield periods. One of the significant disadvantages is that it is impossible to purchase seeds from mixed species. The problem is that in the future they do not produce healthy offspring of cucumbers, since they are not capable of reproduction and do not possess the same traits that their parents had.

A large harvest of cucumbers is guaranteed if you follow the following procedure when selecting cucumber seeds:

To learn how to soak cucumber seeds before planting, see the following video.

Soaking the seeds before planting is done for better germination. However, this procedure usually does not involve germination. Soaking and germination are different procedures. When soaking, the seed swells and prepares for germination, or only the appearance of the germ of the sprout. When the seeds absorb water, nutrients they are activated, and substances that inhibit germination (inhibitors) pass into the water. Inhibitors are present in large quantities in seeds of poorly germinating crops. Therefore, the soaking procedure is recommended mainly for such crops, as well as if the seeds are overdried.

Do I need to soak cucumber seeds?

Cucumber is not one of these “heavy” crops. Its seeds germinate very quickly even without soaking: at a temperature of about 25 °C, the first shoots appear already on the second or third day after sowing. Therefore, the issue of stimulating the germination of cucumber seeds needs to be resolved in each specific case, depending on the planting technology.

Cucumbers can be grown by direct sowing of seeds in open ground and through seedlings. Swollen or germinated seeds can only be sown if it is possible to maintain and control temperature and humidity. The emerging sprouts are very tender and the slightest cold snap, drying out of the soil or waterlogging threatens their death. Therefore, when sowing seeds in open ground, there is no need to take risks. It is better to sow only dry seeds, especially if the soil has not yet warmed up well.

It is recommended to soak cucumber seeds only when growing plants through seedlings, and then only in following cases: when old seeds are sown and there is doubt about their germination or when the seeds are overdried and the germination process may be delayed. When using a solution of biologically active substances for soaking seeds, the soaking process is recommended for all cucumber seeds, regardless of their condition or shelf life.

The process of soaking seeds in water (without oxygen)

Before soaking, the seeds are heated on a radiator for 2 days. The soaking procedure in its pure form is carried out without access to oxygen and consists of the following. The seeds are placed in a container and filled with water. The volume of water should be 50–60 times the volume of seeds. During the swelling process, the seeds must be completely immersed in water. As long as the seed skin is intact, they do not need oxygen. Water temperature of great importance does not have, usually take water at room temperature. Water quality plays a significant role. The water must be clean and free of salts. Salts inhibit seed germination, so you should not use extracts from ash and fertilizers when soaking. Structured “living” water (rain or melted snow) has a very beneficial effect on seeds. Such water retains its biological activity even when it is briefly brought to boiling temperature. But it does not retain its properties for long - a few days. In cities, collecting snow for melt water is undesirable, because... it's too dirty. It is better to prepare this water in the refrigerator. You need to place a container of water in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. As soon as half of the water freezes, it needs to be drained (it contains all the impurities). Thaw the remaining ice and apply the resulting biologically active structured water for soaking seeds. When soaking, the seeds need to be stirred several times. If cucumber seeds are coated, they cannot be soaked, because this will dissolve the nutritious shell that envelops them in water.

At the seeds different cultures the swelling time is different and, accordingly, different time soaking. Cucumber seeds swell in 18 hours. You cannot leave them in water for longer, because after the seed coat softens, they will need oxygen. If you do not remove the seeds from the water in time, the embryo may die.

The process of soaking seeds on gauze (with access to oxygen)

Considering the danger of embryo death during pure soaking without access to oxygen, you can do soaking with access to oxygen. The technology here is different. A cloth or gauze folded in several layers is placed at the bottom of a plastic tray and seeds are laid out on its surface. It is preferable to take fabric, because the sprouts that appear may break off when removing the seeds from the gauze. Water is poured into the tray to such a level that it reaches the seeds, but does not cover them. For this method, all the recommendations for preparing water that were given for soaking without oxygen are valid. A second layer of damp folded cloth is placed on top of the seeds. Cover the tray with a lid to prevent moisture from evaporating. The air in the tray is sufficient for the seeds to germinate. The seeds are kept in the tray until sprouts appear. Instead of plastic trays, you can use glass jars or plastic bags.

Application when soaking biologically active substances

The best result can be obtained if cucumber seeds are soaked not in clean water, but in a solution of biologically active substances. These are the stimulants Epin, Zircon, humates and aloe juice. With this soaking, the seeds germinate faster and plant growth is stimulated. The water temperature should be greater than 20 °C; at lower temperatures the efficiency decreases. There are many growth stimulants, but these drugs were chosen due to the fact that they are all on a natural plant basis.

Epin increases the resistance of plants to unfavorable factors, they better tolerate cold and heat, drought and lack of light. To prepare the solution, a test tube with Epin is warmed in the hand for several minutes to dissolve the sediment, after which 2 drops of this drug are diluted in 100 ml of water and then the seeds are poured into it. The treatment is carried out for 18–20 hours, after which the seeds are either put for germination or planted in the ground.

Humates are available in the form of potassium humate and sodium humate. They are also stimulants and increase plant resistance to stressful situations. To soak cucumber seeds, use a 0.01% solution. First, make a stock solution: 1 g of the drug is dissolved in 100 ml of water. To prepare the working solution, 1 ml of the stock solution is diluted in 100 ml of water. The temperature of the solution during soaking should be 27 - 28 °C, the processing time should be 24 hours.

When using Zircona There is a high activity of seed germination and active root formation in plants. 1 drop of Zircon is dissolved in 150 ml of water, the procedure takes 10 – 12 hours.

Has a beneficial effect on seeds and. If you have this plant in your apartment, you don’t have to spend money on buying stimulants. To carry out the procedure, cut off the lower large leaves plants that are already more than 2 years old and place them in the refrigerator for a week. This increases the biological activity of the juice. After a week, remove the leaves from the refrigerator and grind them using any in an accessible way and squeeze out the juice. If cucumber seeds have been stored for up to 3 years, the juice is diluted with water 1:1 and the resulting solution is used for soaking. If the shelf life of the seeds is more than 3 years, use aloe juice without diluting with water.

After the soaking procedure, the seeds are either grown until sprouts 2–5 mm long appear, or immediately sown in containers for seedlings.

Kira Stoletova

Cucumbers are vegetable crop which requires some care. Before planting in open ground or a greenhouse, you need to carry out a soaking procedure so that they germinate better and increase productivity. In this article we will tell you more about how to properly soak cucumber seeds.

Why you need to soak

Cucumber seeds must be soaked before planting for the following reasons:

It is important to draw your attention to the fact that cucumber seeds should be properly soaked only after disinfection measures and exclusively before planting in the soil.

To carry out the procedure, certain components should be prepared:

1. A container into which the solution will be poured. You will need a wide plate or saucer with wide edges. Such vessels are necessary to ensure that water or the drug solution does not spill out of the container.
2. Water. Best to use melt water or water from a spring. If it is not possible to purchase such water, then it is allowed to use store-bought non-carbonated mineral water.
3. You need to prepare gauze or a rag.
4. And of course planting material.

Rules

1. Place your planting material on a fabric surface (gauze or rag). Please note that the fabric should already be saturated with a small amount of moisture.
2. After this, the planting material must be covered with a top layer of fabric. Now the resulting lump should be poured with water. The water must be at least 30 °C. When the water turns brown, it should change until it becomes clear.
3. Now the container with water and planting material needs to be placed in a place where a small amount of sunlight penetrates. This is done so that the grains germinate better. The temperature of such a room should fluctuate in the range of 23-25 ​​°C. It is in this temperature range that the germination process occurs better.

Don’t worry that the planting material doesn’t receive required amount oxygen is optional. Gauze with planting material can be placed in a polyethylene bag to create in this way Greenhouse effect. It is believed that this way the sprouts will appear faster. But it is not recommended to keep the planting material in this position for more than 20 hours. This may lead to their death.

Use of biological solutions

To improve germination and yield, cucumber seeds should be soaked in a biological solution before planting. They allow you to accelerate the growth of seedlings and promote an early harvest. Experts note that it is advisable to use the following drugs:

• substance Epin: this plant component allows you to accelerate the growth of planting material, it is this component that allows the planting material to acclimatize faster environment and more effectively withstand sudden changes in temperature;
• a drug called Zircon is used to improve the development of the root system;
• Humate substance is used for efficient growth seedlings.

If you do not have the opportunity to purchase specialized substances, you can create the solution yourself at home. For these purposes, pharmaceutical chamomile, valerian, humus or aloe can be used. A solution is prepared from them with water in a ratio of 1:2.

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• ​There is another option. Prepare the following composition. One Matchbox wood ash is dissolved in five liters of water. Insist for two days. The seeds must be kept in this solution for four to six hours. They wake up after soaking and swell. If this does not happen, then the entire procedure should be repeated from the beginning. You need to keep them in warm water for one to two hours. Aloe juice, infusions of valerian, chamomile, and oak bark are also suitable for processing planting material.
• ​We will directly consider the process describing how to soak the seeds before planting, what needs to be done for this. Planting material is placed in water at room temperature. Such processing helps to awaken dormant forces in a small seed. The shoots will emerge early. Gardeners are concerned with the following problem: how many days to soak the seeds so that they are ready for planting. It is enough to soak parsley, beets, peppers, celery, carrots, eggplants, parsnips, and onions in water for forty-eight hours. For cucumbers, radishes, cabbage, melon, radish, lettuce, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, eight to twelve hours is enough.​
• Warm-loving crops are often propagated not by seedlings, but by seeds. At proper preparation planting material, the cucumber crop can already be harvested in mid-June. It is important to choose suitable varieties time-tested cultures: Graceful, Muromsky 36, Altai Early, Competitor, Zozulya, Manul, Cascade, Crystal and many others.​

A gardener who wants to have a good harvest should carefully study the rules according to which cucumber seeds are sown - how to germinate the crop, as well as how to care for it subsequently. The more information, the better the seedlings will be, and accordingly, the plant will bear a lot of fruit. The method of seed hardening is used in growing cucumbers. Already swollen or sprouted grains are kept for two days in a room with a temperature of minus two to plus two degrees. Great for hardening a refrigerator will do, basement or glacier.​

​300 milligrams of methylene blue;​

Pros and cons of germination

Every gardener tries with my own hands grow healthy and healthy vegetables. One of the most popular is the cucumber, which grows both in open ground and in greenhouses. Like all plants, the crop requires constant care. Every summer resident and gardener buys cucumber seeds. Not everyone knows how to germinate crops. To engage in this process, certain information is required.​

​Personally, I never soak or germinate the seeds of either peppers or cucumbers... I plant them dry. Once a neighbor gave me sprouted cucumber seeds and I planted them. I didn’t notice that they sprouted much faster than dry ones. Well, this is for me personally

Germination of seeds

​Put in a cloth on a saucer and add water as it dries. Aren't you getting ready early? cucumber seedlings can be planted in open ground no earlier than the beginning of June and they should not have long vines, otherwise they will break when planting; this takes 3-4 weeks

You can dilute aloe juice in water - it perfectly stimulates rapid germination.

Growing cucumbers

​Plant seedlings in an open ridge at the stage of 3-4 true leaves, only after the threat of frost.​

​Seeds should always be in a moist environment, so you should not dry them out by constantly spraying upper layer gauze. After 2 or 3 days, white sprouts will appear from the seeds. When they reach 3 mm, they can be sown.​

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​Having considered the above methods for processing planting material, we can conclude that the question of whether seeds need to be soaked is rhetorical. If you go through all the stages of preparation correctly, the result can be good shoots, strong healthy plants and rich harvest.​

​When culling, not only empty and damaged seeds are removed, but also diseased ones. After all, they can be carriers of dangerous diseases, which will then spread to adult plants. As preventive measures disinfection is carried out. Before soaking the seeds before planting, they are subjected to special treatment.​

Calibration

How to plant cucumbers with seeds? It’s quite simple; they can be grown in open ground, in a greenhouse, or on a windowsill. Planting cucumbers is easy, you just need to make beds and place the prepared seeds there. It is important to identify varieties that will produce a stable harvest. Now seed stores offer hybrid species. Such varieties are demanding in terms of conditions and care. It is important not to forget that any plant needs human attention. If you study the information on how to germinate cucumber seeds, the harvest will always be rich.​

The pre-emergence period for a plant is very important, complex and dangerous. Because of this, it is advisable to speed up the process of obtaining seedlings. different ways. That’s why you need to know well how and with what to process cucumber seeds, how to germinate the crop. Indeed, thanks to this method, a person can select the most best material(it is these plants that will hatch first). Germination also stimulates 100% germination in cucumbers: almost all of them appear simultaneously (with an interval of several hours). Thus, all seedlings require the same care, since the needs are the same.​

Soak

​20 mg of boric acid or 7 mg of succinic acid;​

Disinfection

​Cucumbers are dicotyledonous plants, they are arranged like many flowering crops. In the middle there is an embryo, around which the endosperm and protective shell are located. All plants have different layer ratios. Seeds are divided into starchy, oilseed and protein types (categories vary depending on the nutritional supply, whichever predominates). Each plant has common features, for example, protein and phytin are found in all crops. These components are very important for the growth phase. Phytin releases phosphorus, which feeds the seeds. IN cereal grains very high percentage of starch. Oilseeds are rich in fats. How to plant cucumber seeds yourself, how to germinate grains? What kind of soil should I use, how much moisture do I need? Let's figure it out.​

​If the seeds are granular and you plant them in peat pots, then you do not need to soak them. If you are afraid that they will not sprout, plant in peat tablets, soak them, and plant the seeds - they will definitely sprout.​

Stratification

​Question from our subscriber Roman:​

Treatment with mixtures

Stick peat tablets into the ground and water

​I put a napkin or shred in a plate, lay out the seeds, cover with the free part of the napkin and water it with water. Keep the napkin well damp for several days. , but did not swim in the water.​

There are no particular difficulties at this stage of sowing. Make small holes in the hole for the cucumbers, no more than 3 cm deep. Place one seed with a sprout in these holes. Gently sprinkle the soil on top, no less carefully pour warm water, preferably from a small watering can, so that the flowing streams of water under pressure do not wash the seeds to the surface.​

​Tender, crispy and smelling of unique freshness, green cucumbers are a favorite delicacy of many people! There is no garden that doesn’t have at least a small bed of this vegetable hidden in it. For many, planting cucumbers is a common thing, but some gardeners, despite all their efforts, get a not very happy harvest. The most common reason for such failures is ignorance of the basic rules for sowing seeds and therefore quite often they do not germinate. To ensure that there are as few unlucky cucumber lovers as possible, let’s consider some points that will definitely help you “make friends” with this heat-loving vegetable.​

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How to soak cucumber seeds before planting? - The magic of plants

​The most effective method to disinfect them - heat them in water at a temperature of up to 50°. Place the planting material in a fabric bag and immerse it in boiling water for twenty minutes. At the same time, you need to make sure that the temperature does not drop. The seeds are then soaked in cold water for three minutes. Similar tests are suitable for carrots, cabbage and beets. Do the same with zucchini, eggplant, watermelon and melons. True, they require a longer “ hot bath" - within two hours.​ About the “character” of a cucumber ​Spring is the beginning of the season when gardeners and gardeners think about the future harvest. Planting plans are created, seeds and fertilizers are purchased in stores. Some crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, begin to be cultivated by growing seedlings. Other plants do not require a similar preparatory period. They are planted directly into the ground when the ground warms up enough. But in both cases, gardeners may be wondering whether the seeds should be soaked and, if so, how.​ But almost every process has its downsides. It is also quite difficult to create the desired temperature during germination. It is constantly necessary to monitor the seeds whether they have sprouted or not. It is also necessary not to miss the moment of tangling of the roots, and then transplant the seedlings in time. You should take sprouted seeds not with your hands, but with tweezers, so as not to damage the plant. This painstaking process, but it helps to achieve maximum results.​ ​2 g zinc sulfate;​ Achieving rapid germination ​For each process a person must create favorable conditions. If you know how to germinate cucumber seeds correctly, the seedlings will have almost one hundred percent germination rate. Also, all plants will grow healthy and strong, and the harvest will be early.​ ​Germination - sowing quality of seeds. And soaking does not affect it, well, maybe by a couple of percent. Soaking accelerates germination and emergence of seedlings. If according to the seed passport the germination rate is 30%, then don’t soak it, and the divers won’t help. Good luck.​ Let's sow correctly ​Question regarding vegetable seedlings (cucumber, tomato, etc.): is it worth soaking the seeds before planting the seedlings?​ Cover with a bag in a warm place and ventilate once a day. that's all Garter of cucumbers ​Put on a wet cloth and in a warm place for half a day.​ ​After watering, inspect the cucumber ridge again, hide the floating seeds, if any, under a layer of damp soil. More seeds need to be sown than the planned number of future vines, since as they grow, the weak and sick are discarded. Such sprouts are plucked from the ridge. Seedlings in sawdust ​Yes, every plant has its own character, cucumber is no exception. It will only grow in warm conditions, in moist but non-sinking soil, well fertilized with organic matter and mineral fertilizers.​ The options for soaking seeds before planting are very similar, but at the same time they are not the most basic. Before soaking, planting material can be frozen in the refrigerator. The seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in freezer. They are stored at low temperatures - from -1 to -3°. This is how pumpkin, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers are hardened for three days. Having withstood such conditions, they will be ready for planting in open ground much earlier than those that have not undergone hardening.​

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How to soak cucumber seeds for seedlings?

soroka - on her own

​To prepare the material for germination, it must be placed in a warm place. For example, put it next to the battery. The first crops you will need are pumpkin, cucumbers, squash, and zucchini. The room temperature should be plus twenty degrees. If the seeds are warmed up for a month or a month and a half, then they will subsequently sprout earlier and provide an earlier harvest.​

Tatyana Pavlova

​Cucumber - heat-loving plant, therefore the temperature regime for the crop is very important. For germination, take gauze or a napkin in which the grains will be soaked. The fabric is soaked in a certain solution (we discussed how to make it above) and the seeds are wrapped in it. Then the gauze or napkin is laid out on a saucer, on top of which glass is placed. This helps retain moisture, which cucumbers love.​

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​5 g baking soda.​

Shanti

The main thing in the germination process is to properly prepare the planting material. The grains need to be immersed in a certain solution, so let’s figure out how to soak cucumber seeds. To ensure excellent germination of seedlings, the grains must be dipped in a five percent solution of salt (table salt). This method will help to identify empty seeds: they remain on the surface, and full ones sink to the bottom. You can also warm up the planting material, even at home. For example, leave seeds near heating devices at a temperature of +40 degrees Celsius for one week.​
​Roman, there is logic in this approach. If you do not intend to pick up the seedlings, but want to sow them directly into separate containers, then pre-germination can really save space. I do this when it comes to expired seeds, and you don’t know whether to throw them away right away or whether you can still sow them)) ​
​I am interested in this question for the following reason: I want to plant seedlings of many varieties, but I need to know that seedlings will be guaranteed, because I plan on 1-2 peat pots per variety.​

​It's better not to soak. They sprout in 3-4 days. After soaking, they grow stunted and stretched out.​
​Hands​

Nikolai Lakaevsky

​Most often, cucumber sprouts very soon turn into green lashes, clinging with curly tendrils to everything that gets in their way. To make the harvest happy, you should tie up these long vines - this will make it more convenient to care for the plants and fertilize them. For these purposes, stakes and trellises are used.​

Irina Shabalina

Its seeds germinate only if the ambient air temperature is at least 15°C. This also requires warm soil. The sown cucumber seed will never emerge from the cold soil.​

Elena Orlova

​When preparing planting material, you can safely experiment. For example, here's how to soak seeds before planting using nutrient formulas. You will need a solution of potassium permanganate. It is prepared as follows. One gram of potassium permanganate dissolves in five liters of water. But it should be borne in mind that such treatment inhibits the development of plants. Therefore, experts recommend resorting to specially produced mixtures.​

Olga

​Not all planting material is suitable for growing strong and healthy plants. Perhaps the seeds purchased a long time ago are already expired if their shelf life has expired. Therefore, before processing, it is necessary to sort through all of them, remove damaged and small ones.

Should I soak the seeds before planting?

​It is worth constantly monitoring the amount of water in the saucer, and if necessary, add liquid at room temperature. Without moisture, the seeds may dry out and become unsuitable for planting.​

​Planting material should be soaked in the prepared liquid for a day. Next, the seeds should be dried until they flow, and only then sow. In addition to this procedure, experienced gardeners also pickle grains. This is done in order to protect planting material from diseases and pests. You can treat the seeds in advance or immediately before sowing. For this procedure, use fentiuram (3 grams per 1 kilogram of grains) or TMTD (4 grams per 1 kilogram).​

​To get healthy and strong seedlings You can carry out pre-sowing soaking. This is very effective and also stimulates the growth of the crop. There are several options for preparing a solution in which one kilogram of cucumber seeds will be soaked (the amount of substance per liter of water is indicated):​

​But there is a nuance. Guaranteed seedlings are not yet guaranteed successful seedlings. At the stage of seed germination, it is not always possible to 100% assess the quality of the future sprout. In this sense, picking is a blessing: we sow (either dry or sprouted - it’s not so important here) seeds into a common container, and then select the strongest and most promising sprouts. And now they are already in separate containers, so that they can be further cared for and cherished)​