Rules for preparing carrot seeds for planting

When a gardener finishes selecting carrot seeds for planting, he is forced to wonder about the various ways in which they can be further prepared. For example, carrots sprout for a very long time, and many are looking for ways to speed up this process. In this article, we will consider in detail the types of preparatory seed treatment and reveal some of the nuances of this process.

Preparation of carrot grains in the spring planting is a must and the main condition for obtaining an excellent harvest. And this applies not only to carrots, but also to all other crops.

The root crop of carrots tolerates cold well, and many gardeners plant it right away, without burdening themselves with unnecessary actions. But any experienced gardener will agree that without prior preparation, it is not always necessary to count on a good harvest.

If the seeds have been properly treated before sowing, they will become more able to endure temperature fluctuations, gain resistance to various diseases, and more easily endure the invasion of hordes of pests. Prepare for sowing work should:

• seeds bought in the market;
• self-grown seeds;
• seeds purchased in non-specialized stores;
• seeds received from fellow gardeners;
• seed purchased from little-known brands of manufacturers.

Before processing seeds, they must be carefully sorted. One of the most accessible methods is sorting with salt water. The procedure is quite simple: water is poured into any container convenient for you, after which salt and the grains themselves are put into it. After mixing the resulting composition, you should wait until some grains begin to float. Grains that are above the surface of the water are removed, after which the water is drained, and the remaining grains are used.

Preparatory culling is done to sort out empty or diseased seeds. Also, an integral process of pre-sowing preparation is the calibration of grains, in order to be able to group them by size. It is believed that the most valuable are seven millimeters in diameter. Such grains bring good and even seedlings a few days earlier than the others, thanks to which it is possible to increase the yield by up to 20%. Small specimens are sown in the rarest cases, since their shoots are much weaker, which inevitably leads to a decrease in crop volumes.

Due to the high content of essential oil, carrot grains germinate very poorly and take a long time. This circumstance is the main reason why it is necessary to pre-prepare the seeds for sowing. There are a lot of types of such processing, and all of them are well known to specialists and experienced gardeners:

• bubbling;
• soak;
• drageeing;
• hardening;

• sticker of grains on paper;
• disinfection;
• germination check;
• biostimulation;
• germination.

In addition to the most common methods, you can use decoction treatment from the husk and a contrast shower. It is widely known that the growth rate of carrot seeds can be stimulated by creating various non-standard climatic conditions. For example, this can be achieved by watering the beds with warm water, the temperature of which is brought to about + 40-60C.

The grains are sorted into piles for convenience, after which they are laid in gauze or any other loose fabric. All this is formed into small bags. The container with water should be immediately removed from the stove when the desired temperature is reached, and used no longer than 10-20 minutes, then put on fire again.

Bags of grains are alternately dipped either in hot or cold water. The whole chain of actions should be repeated two or three times, after which the seeds are placed in cold water for a long time - two hours. After all the procedures, the grains are removed from the bags and allowed to dry in the fresh air or at home, on a radiator. Once completely dry, these seeds will be ready for planting.

Another method will require the husks of the bulbs. The husk is placed in a container with water, in proportions of two handfuls per liter, which, subsequently, must be thoroughly boiled. Then, a solution of 20 g of ash diluted in two liters of water is added to the resulting composition. Having prepared the infusion, the grains are placed in it for five to six hours, after which they should be well dried and sieved.

One of the most popular methods is undoubtedly sprouting.Germination is done a few days before sowing, which allows not only to accelerate growth, but also to provide the right amount of moisture in the first days. This method will allow you not to think about watering at first, which is especially important for gardeners who do not have so much time for the garden, or simply there are difficulties with delivering water to the garden.

The soaking procedure is very simple. The seeds are placed in water for about half a day and changed several times in the process. With water temperature, the use of this method does not bring any trouble - room temperature is enough. After the seeds swell, they are scattered on a flat surface, such as a plate or just a table, and covered with a damp cotton napkin.

The optimum temperature for germination is twenty to twenty-five degrees. Keep the seeds moist by spraying them with a spray bottle. To ensure uniform spraying, they can be gently mixed, but only until they “peck”.

The whole process lasts about two to three days, during which most of the seeds will already have small roots three to five millimeters long. The number of germinated seeds at this point usually reaches from a quarter to a half of the total, but this is not yet a reason for pessimistic forecasts - the yield of carrots using this method is quite high, and reaches about eighty percent.

Another popular preparation method is sparging. The essence of this method is that carrot seeds are soaked in water enriched with oxygen. Using this method allows you to get the fastest shoots.To use this method, you need to prepare in advance a glass container, an oxygen cylinder and a rubber hose through which air will be supplied.

Instead of an oxygen cylinder, you can use an aquarium compressor. A filter is put on the tip of the hose, and all this is placed in a jar of water. The supply of oxygen will constantly set them in motion, and the water will be evenly enriched with air.

Such a method as instillation has also proven its effectiveness. This method is available to absolutely everyone and does not require much effort. Dried grains are placed in a cloth bag and buried in the ground to a shallow depth for about seven to ten days. Using this method allows you to get seedlings five to six days after planting. You can improve this method by adding peat to the seeds, and put it all in heat for about a week.

There is also such a method as dragging. This technology is an attempt to increase grain size. This procedure will require natural glue and filler. Glue is made from the following components:

• sugar syrup or starch paste;
• whey obtained after fermentation;
• mullein infusion, filtered through a fine sieve in proportions of one to seven.

As a filler, you can use ordinary earth or peat. The seeds are placed in a jar and slightly spilled with glue, but most importantly, do not let them stick together. The filler is laid in portions, while it is necessary to achieve uniform distribution over the surface of the grains until it completely covers them.

Among other methods, the seeds can be separately prepared for the cold in the spring by hardening. The seed is soaked and collected in a cloth bag, after which it is placed in a small bag and left in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. Can be soaked in vodka.

The last method to be considered will be disinfection. Seeds are pre-treated with a special solution that kills pathogenic fungi and pest germs. The solution can be composed of different elements.

• Potassium permanganate, in the proportions of grams per glass of liquid. Pre-soaked grains are lowered into the resulting composition for 10-15 minutes, after which they are thoroughly washed.
• Boric acid, which is diluted in the ratio of grams per five liters of liquid. In this solution, the grains are left for about a day.
• Hydrogen peroxide. For the procedure, a three percent solution is used, in which the seed is placed for about ten hours, after which it is thoroughly washed.

Winter sowing is carried out with unprepared grains. In this case, the seeds are not soaked and not thermally treated. To do this, no later than the second half of November, pour dry carrot seeds on slightly frozen soil. It is strongly discouraged to do this if the temperature is expected to rise - this may stimulate premature shoots.

Seed materials will go a little more than usual, by about a quarter, since weak seeds will probably not survive the winter and will not cope with the frost.

Sowing furrows are covered with dry earth, peat or humus can be added to them. After the first snow falls, you need to lay the ground on top. The main disadvantage of using this method is the reduction in the shelf life of the resulting crop. However, this will provide you with an excellent source of all the necessary vitamins for the whole summer.

To get a good harvest, in addition to seed treatment, it is also necessary to prepare the land for planting carrots. The area of ​​the bed should be well lit, have a flat and open surface. It is not recommended to plant carrots in the same places season after season, as this greatly depletes the soil, resulting in lower yields. Over the years of land use, various fungi and other pests may appear in it, which can also affect the quality of the crop.

Carrots are very demanding on the soil in which they will grow. Its preparation should begin in advance, even in the fall, and preference should be given to loamy lands. The surface of the beds is thoroughly cleaned of various pebbles, which can interfere with the germination and growth of carrots. The earth is carefully and deeply dug up, no less than a full bayonet, after which the earth is no less scrupulously leveled with a rake.

For the rules for preparing carrot seeds, see the following video.