There are plants with seeds that can germinate without any preparation, but there are also those for which certain conditions must be provided. Otherwise, they may never sprout or germination will take a very long time. In any case, if the change is prepared for sowing, germination will be better and more effective and you will not have to regret the work done.
The process of preparing seeds for sowing consists of a whole range of works, but not all of them are always justified. Often, only one procedure is effective. But it's still better to have an idea of all the existing methods.
Methods for preparing seeds for sowing
Calibration
This procedure can be considered necessary. The main task here to sort the seeds is to remove the empty ones and leave the full ones. In industrial production, sorting of sizes is still underway, hence the "calibration". Everything is done quite simply. The change should be poured into a saline 5% solution. Wait a while (10 minutes). During this time, the hollow seeds will remain on the surface, while the mature ones will sink because they are heavy. Only now, the seeds that have been stored for a long time will also remain at the top. This happens more often with vegetable crops; only fresh seeds are used for growing flowers.
Soaking
This is one of the most common ways to prepare seeds for planting. Here, germination takes place in water or with a damp piece of cloth or napkin. If this is a method with water, then the liquid should be changed once a day, at least (recommended every 12 hours). If it is a napkin or cloth, then they should always be damp. Soaking makes it possible to plant seeds that have really sprouted. This fact is very important for seedlings kept in a city apartment. The germination process must be monitored. It is necessary to plant when the sprout is half the width of the seed. If you skip this moment, then there will be a chance of damaging the sprout during planting.
Hormonization
This method accelerates the process of seed germination due to hormonal substances with which they are saturated. Various growth stimulants are used here. Effective results are obtained from heteroauxin, root and epin. Potassium permanganate, baking soda solution 1%, boric acid, nicotinic 0.5% are also used. A popular method, which is quite common, is aloe juice, seeds are soaked in it. A very effective method, 100% germination.
Stratification
This preparation is necessary so that the seeds understand that they will not be provided with a tropical climate. The essence of the method lies in the so-called deception. Artificial winter conditions are created for the planting material. Various stratification options can also be applied. To do this, you need a container - a regular flower pot is ideal. It is necessary to prepare a mixture of sand (1.5 parts), peat (1 part) and, it would be nice to add sphagnum moss (0.5 parts) With this soil, close the bottom of the container on top of laying out the seeds, distributing them in an even layer, then again the soil and so on repeatedly.After that, you need to water everything thoroughly and place it in a polyethylene bag. Further, the pot is sent to a cool place, you can even go to the refrigerator. Permissible temperature during stratification 0 ... +5.
The process of seed germination must be closely monitored. The mixture should be moist at all times. Light freezing is allowed, only then you need to defrost it only naturally, no heating devices. The duration of this method can be different, it all depends on the plant. There is a flower culture, which is enough for one month. To shorten the period of stratification, you can first soak the seeds so that they swell.
You can also combine this method with calibration. There are also plants (camellia, feijoa, tea) seeds, which simply need to be stratified so that they have good germination. When purchasing a completely unfamiliar plant for yourself, you should ask the seller about the preference of seeds for the preparation process.
Scarification
A similar method is used when germinating seeds with a hard shell (banana, date, canna, etc.). It is very difficult for such a grain to overcome the protective shell and germinate on its own. Here, for relief, scarification is applied. It can be done in two ways: mechanically or chemically. It is better not to use the chemical method for beginners in floriculture, it is not worth the risk.
Although it is worth noting that when using a chemical solution, old seeds can also give germination. But here you can also skip the moment when the seed needs to be removed from the solution. So this method can be used with a large supply of planting material.
- Chemical method. A 2-3% solution of hydrochloric and sulfuric acid is taken, seeds are placed in it and are there until the shell softens.
- Mechanical method. Everything is much simpler here, but nevertheless you have to be careful. You need to take a knife, file or something like that, and scratch the surface of the grain in several places. You can also use coarse sand or even sandpaper.
Etching
This is an effective way to protect seeds and seedlings from various diseases. This is especially true of the planting material that will be planted directly into the ground. Etching is simply necessary here. There are seeds that are on sale already pickled. They can be distinguished by their color, they have an unnatural color - green, blue, pink, and so on. Such seeds no longer need to be processed, but the rest will still have to be.
One easy way is to soak the seeds in a pink manganese solution for half an hour. There are many fungicides and any of them can be applied.
Other methods of preparing seeds for sowing are also practiced. This is snowing, scalding or freezing and others. But the ones that have now been considered are perhaps the most basic and easy to do, as well as quite effective.
Surely every gardener, gardener and florist who has a lot of experience behind him has his own way of how to prepare seeds for planting. But for beginners, it is still better to listen to the listed methods. In the early stages of growing indoor plants or cultivating garden flowers, these recommendations will help a lot.
Just remember that the preparation process may differ depending on the plant. But the main methods of preparation are calibration, soaking, disinfection, germination, hormonalization and hardening.
