How to properly germinate tomato seeds before planting
Tomatoes are a fairly common vegetable grown by almost all vegetable growers. Today there are several ways to plant tomatoes. They can be planted pre-germinated or dry. You can also pre-harden and disinfect the seed. To get a good harvest, it is recommended to plant germinated seeds. Therefore, you should familiarize yourself in advance with how to properly germinate tomato seeds.
Why do it
Many vegetable growers are wondering whether it is necessary to engage in sprouting tomatoes before sowing. Definitely necessary, as this will have a positive effect on the quantity and quality of the fruits grown.
Do not forget that there are a considerable number of factors due to which non-germinated seeds can die even before the first shoots appear:
- infections in the soil;
- infections on the planting material;
- too dense soil with a lot of salt;
- pests;
- sowing too deep;
- waterlogging of the soil.
If you germinate the seeds correctly, then all of the above factors will not lead to the death of the plant. After all, sprouted seeds will be healthier and more resistant to many diseases.
Features of the choice of seeds
To grow quality seedlings, you need to choose the most suitable seeds. The following factors should be considered:
- In indoor conditions, you can grow any tomato seeds, but this does not mean that when choosing them, one should not take into account the climatic features of the region. For northern regions with low temperatures, it is better to buy varieties that are well adapted to such conditions.
- Before buying tomato seeds for seedlings, you must definitely decide on the place where it will be grown in the future. In warmer regions of the country, they can be planted in open ground. In colder regions, it is best to plant tomatoes in greenhouses. In this case, you need to use special varieties, since not all tomatoes are suitable for greenhouse or outdoor cultivation. For example, if you plant a greenhouse variety on the street, then over time it may die.
- When buying tomato seeds for seedlings, you should carefully examine the packaging in which they are sold. It should contain information about the type of bush, purchased tomato variety. Low-growing varieties are more suitable for open ground, and tall ones for greenhouses.
Preparing for germination
Before germinating tomatoes, you need to start preparing the seed.
Sample
First you need to decide which seeds should be used for their further germination.The best choice for this will be the largest and heaviest seeds, which are high in nutrients.
To select the best seeds, you will have to use a special salt mixture. To prepare it, 80 grams of salt is added to a small glass of water, after which the liquid is thoroughly mixed. Then all tomato seeds for seedlings are added to the glass. After 10-15 minutes, empty seeds will begin to rise to the surface. They are not recommended to be used during planting as they are completely empty and will not germinate. Tomatoes that have settled to the bottom must be rinsed with warm water and dried.
Warming up
Some gardeners prefer to keep all seeds in refrigerators or in rooms with low temperatures. A few months before planting, it is recommended to warm up such seed in advance. In this case, the temperature during heat treatment must be raised gradually, and not abruptly. The easiest way to heat tomatoes is to use a regular battery. All seeds warm up on it for about 2-3 days.
When using hybrid varieties of tomatoes, it is not worth warming up, as this can damage the seeds.
Disinfection
It is imperative to do the disinfection of tomato seeds for seedlings. This procedure is carried out to completely remove all bacteria from the surface of the inoculum. If we refuse disinfection, then the probability of infection of seedlings with various diseases increases several times.
There are several main ways in which you can process planting material.
Most often, a weak manganese solution is used for this. To process tomatoes in it, all the seeds must be moved into a small cloth bag and put in a container with manganese. After 20-30 minutes, they are removed from the solution, washed with water and dried. You can also use hydrogen peroxide for disinfection. It heats up to 35-40 degrees, after which all seeds are placed in it for germination for 10 minutes.
Some vegetable growers, after the completion of disinfection, process tomatoes with special nutrient solutions. This is done for accelerated germination, and in the future to increase the amount of the harvest. Seeds should be soaked in such liquids for at least a day.
Germination
When all the preparatory work is completed, you can germinate tomato seeds. However, before that, you need to figure out how to germinate the seeds correctly.
First you need to start preparing all the necessary materials. This will require medical gauze or a small piece of cotton cloth. Also, some growers are trying to germinate tomatoes on cotton pads.
When everything is ready, a cloth or cotton pad is placed in a small plate and poured over with heated water. The liquid should not be cold, as cold water can spoil the seed. Seeds are laid out in several rows on wet material. Then they are covered with a cloth, which should also be soaked in warm water.
The container with seeds is transferred to a room with a stable temperature of about 20-30 degrees. It is necessary to constantly monitor that the cloth with seeds is damp. If it is not periodically moistened, the moisture will quickly evaporate and the seeds will not be able to germinate. Moisten the fabric very carefully so as not to add too much water.
If desired, seed germination can be accelerated independently. To increase the rate of germination of tomato seeds, you can add a little growth stimulants to the container before planting. Some people use the juice obtained from the leaves of aloe for this.
Soil for sprouted tomatoes
In parallel with the germination of seeds, you need to start preparing the soil for their further planting. After all, all sprouted tomatoes will need to be sown immediately. If this is not done in time, then they will quickly die and you will have to re-harvest the seeds.
Tomatoes are best planted in store-bought soil. It already contains all the nutrients that are needed for the best growth of young seedlings.
However, many gardeners prefer to make a good potting soil on their own. In this case, you will have to use land taken from a garden or vegetable garden as the main soil. Humus and peat are added to it in equal amounts. If the soil is too dense, then you will have to loosen it yourself. For this, a little river sand with sawdust is added to the ground. It is also better to add some mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate, urea and sulfate to the soil.
Mineral fertilizers are used only if the soil mixture was prepared by hand. You do not need to add any additional fertilizing to the purchased soil.
Landing
Seedlings that are at least 50-60 days old are transplanted into open ground. Therefore, the seeds should be planted two months before being transplanted outside. Sowing dates depend on the characteristics of the climate where the vegetable will be grown. For example, residents of the middle lane plant tomatoes for growing seedlings at the end of January. In the northern regions, this is done in mid-March.
Tomatoes can be planted in common containers or in separate cups. For this, a pre-prepared soil mixture is added to the planting containers. Its layer should not be more than 55 mm. Then the soil in the pots should be watered and tamped a little. When all the pots are filled with earth, you can start creating holes, 5-7 mm deep. All pits are watered with warm water and nutrient solution. Then sprouted seeds are added to each dimple.
After planting all the germinated seeds, they should be sprinkled with soil and slightly moistened. Tomato containers are covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a warm room for further cultivation.
Conclusion
Before planting, it is better to start germinating tomato seeds. For experienced vegetable growers, this process does not cause any difficulties, but for beginners, certain difficulties may arise. In order to germinate tomato seeds well, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the main features of this process and find out the main ways that you can accelerate seed germination.
