If for each vegetable professionals recommend choosing a planting site, special soil and observing temperature conditions, then the same must be observed when growing vegetable seedlings. But often all types of seedlings are grown in the same soil and in the same room. But all gardeners want this seedling to bring a good harvest in the future. How to grow quality seedlings? What rules need to be followed?
In fact, the basic rules for growing seedlings of any vegetable crops are very similar, some are almost the same. The main thing is strict adherence to these rules.
Since there is not enough natural light during the period of growing seedlings, summer residents and gardeners choose the optimal place for growing it - these are window sills. But the temperature on them must be at least fourteen degrees Celsius. Start preparatory work with the insulation of the window sill. There shouldn't even be a small gap in the window frame. The slightest draft is the enemy of seedlings. The windowsill itself is almost always cold, so it would be good to lay a thick cloth or blanket under the boxes.
Next, you should take care of the preparation of seedling containers. Trading networks offer a huge number of them, but the most budgetary option is ordinary plastic cups of two types. Each plant will need one small and one large glass at different stages. In a smaller one (with a capacity of up to one hundred milliliters) you will plant seeds, and in a larger one (with a volume of up to five hundred milliliters) a small seedling is transferred.
Preparing cups for seedlings
If you use special containers purchased from a store, then they do not require additional training. But the plastic cups must be prepared in advance.
Up to five drainage holes must be made on each glass bottom. This can be easily done with a nail or knitting needle heated over a fire. They pierce the bottom easily. These drainage holes are essential for good root development of the seedlings. Proper air exchange will be ensured to the roots of plants, excess water will go through the holes faster.
Soil preparation for seedlings
It is good when there is the necessary time to prepare a special soil for each vegetable seedling. If there is no such time, then you can use universal soil mixtures that are well suited for all types of seedlings.
- Mix No. 1. It is made from vermicompost and coconut fiber (in a ratio of one to two).
- Mix No. 2. Prepared from chopped hay and vermicompost (in a ratio of one to three).
- Mix No. 3. It is prepared from equal parts of peat and turf land and two parts of humus.
- Mix No. 4. It is prepared from compost and peat soil (three parts each) and sawdust (one part).
- Mix No. 5. It is prepared from humus, leaf and sod land (in equal parts).
For each bucket of prepared potting mix, add one glass of ash.
Seed preparation for planting seedlings and sowing
There are many preparatory methods for planting seeds. But there are the most important ones - soaking and pickling in a manganese solution. These two techniques are considered one of the most important for ensuring fast and abundant germination. Just remember that seeds that have already been processed are planted dry.
Soaking and dressing seeds
Seeds that were collected with their own hands from their site last season do not need to be soaked. And with earlier (old) and seeds purchased in stores, it is desirable to carry out this procedure. These seeds are soaked in warm water for about twelve hours.
After soaking in ordinary water, the seeds are transferred to a container with a weak (slightly pinkish) manganese solution and left for another three hours. After that, it is filtered through a sieve and laid out on cotton pads. Cotton wool will quickly take up more liquid and after fifteen minutes you can start sowing seeds.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
It's time to use the containers and potting mixes prepared in advance. Each glass is filled with soil by one third, tamping it slightly. The wet mixture is already suitable for the beginning of sowing, and the dry one must be moistened.
The planting depth of the seeds is usually indicated in the recommendations on the package. The most optimal one is no more than two centimeters. Deep seeding will postpone the emergence of sprouts, as it will be difficult for them to "wade" through the soil to the surface. And with a deeper planting, the seeds may not germinate at all.
How many seeds should be planted in each container? Purchased (and of unknown origin) seeds are best sown in five pieces in one cup. After the sprouts appear, it will be possible to get rid of the weakest and most poorly developed ones. Seeds taken from your garden (which you trust) can be planted in two pieces in a glass. In the future, one of them will be stronger, and choose it.
Then all the cups with the planted seeds are placed in a wooden or plastic box (or in another suitable container), covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a warm and dark place. We'll have to check daily to see if the first shoots have appeared. With their appearance, the film is immediately removed, and the box is transferred to a prepared windowsill, where there is a lot of light and heat.
Seedling picking
The time for picking comes about 15-20 days after the first shoots appear. During this time, each small seedling has already appeared 3-4 true leaves. Now you need larger plastic cups. In them, the grown seedlings are transplanted by transshipment. An intact earthy ball protects the plant from the stress of transplanting, and it continues to grow further without any complications.
After transplanting the plants into large containers, immediately water them abundantly and put them in a shaded place for two days, away from sunlight.
When one week has passed after the pick, it will become clearly visible which seedlings need to be left and which ones should be removed. The weakest seedlings are removed by pinching them at the base of the stem.
Watering and spraying seedlings
Water the seedlings carefully. It is very important to find a middle ground: the soil needs constant moisture, but it is very harmful when there is too much of it. Excessive moisture in the soil interferes with the penetration of oxygen and attracts various fungal infections.
In the first two months of seedling growth, the plant does not need much moisture. And in the next two, frequent watering is needed, since all parts of the plant grow rapidly.
Small and easily injured seedlings should be watered carefully and carefully so as not to damage them. This can be done using ordinary tablespoons, a pipette, or a disposable medical syringe. A small amount of water quickly penetrates into the ground, and the surface remains dry (which also protects against the "black leg").
Already grown seedlings are generously watered twice a week. It is better to pour water into the tray, then the seedling itself will take as much moisture as it needs. With this method, plants are not afraid of underfilling and overflowing.
Spraying is another useful way to moisturize the seedlings. It can be carried out every day from a nebulizer with water at room temperature with the addition of a drug to protect against diseases (for example, "Fitosporin").
Rotating seedlings
Any plant turns to the light, no matter which side it is. For seedlings standing on the windowsill, the light source is only from the side of the window and therefore the plants noticeably lean towards it. To prevent the seedlings from growing tilted to one side, it is necessary to turn the main boxes with small containers by one hundred and eighty degrees once a day.
Top dressing of seedlings
Seedlings are fed three times:
- Immediately after the first shoots appear.
- Fifteen days after the implementation of the pick.
- Shortly before transplanting into open ground.
Vermicompost infusion is used as a universal fertilizer for all types of seedlings. It is very simple to prepare it: mix two liters of water and two glasses of vermicompost and insist for a day.
Hardening of seedlings
Seedlings, accustomed to indoor living conditions, should gradually move to exposure to ultraviolet radiation and a change in temperature. Such a gradual habituation will help the plant to adapt more quickly in open field conditions in the future.
This process should be started when warm spring weather sets in, and the air temperature at night will not drop below twelve degrees Celsius.
The first ten days, the seedlings are left on a glazed balcony (with closed windows), where there is more sunlight during the day and cooler at night. Starting next week, every day you need to open the window on the balcony in the daytime, starting at fifteen minutes a day and adding twenty to twenty-five minutes every day. A few days before planting in the ground, seedlings should be left on the balcony with open windows throughout the day.
Prevention of seedling diseases
The most common seedling disease is black leg. It is impossible to cure a plant from this disease, so you need to take care of preventive measures. They are not complicated:
- Uniform and adequate lighting.
- Avoid waterlogging of the soil.
- Mandatory presence of drainage holes in containers with seedlings.
- The use of biological products when spraying.
- Loose soil, which contains ash.
Each seedling culture needs an individual temperature regime and additional lighting. Different vegetable crops have different requirements for these processes. If it is impossible to care for each type of seedling separately, then you will have to focus on its majority.
