Features planting zucchini seedlings in open ground

Zucchini is an annual plant of the pumpkin family and is suitable for cultivation in almost all regions of the country. This plant is absolutely undemanding in the care, gives a good harvest and is used for the preparation of many dishes. Planting squash can be both seeds and seedlings. The laboriousness of the seedling method is justified by its productivity: zucchini, grown from seedlings, is distinguished by early terms of fruiting and higher yield, when compared with plants grown from seeds.

Despite the fact that the seeds of zucchini give excellent seedlings without pre-treatment, experienced gardeners recommend still make the preparation of seed. This greatly accelerates germination and significantly reduces the time of transplantation into open ground. In order to perform seed treatment, there are proven methods such as:

• seeds are immersed in hot water at a temperature of about +50 degrees, kept for 6 hours and placed in cold water for 2 minutes; such a procedure will harden the seed material and will facilitate their early germination;
• the seeds are placed for a day in the growth stimulator solution, after which they are thoroughly washed, lightly dried and planted in pre-prepared containers;
• the seed is soaked in a weak nitrophosphate solution and aged for 12 hours; during processing, the seeds are filled with nutrients and quickly swell;
• In the absence of special solutions, seeds can be placed between two layers of wet gauze, daily adding water and preventing it from drying out.

However, pre-treatment is not necessary for all seeds. Hybrids are usually sold in the already processed form, and do not require additional soaking. It is necessary to make planting of such material in a dry form. Sow zucchini seeds in any container. Paper cups, cropped milk bags and peat pots are a good fit. The only condition when choosing a container is its size. The optimum is considered to be a container with dimensions of at least 10x10 cm.

The substrate for seedlings can be purchased at the store or cook with your own hands. To do this, mix one part of the sawdust with six parts of peat and two parts of wood ash.

Immediately before starting sowing, it is recommended to shed the soil with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, preheated to a hot state, and loosen it. This will help prevent the growth and development of black rot larvae and disinfect the soil. After the earth cools down and becomes warm, you can begin planting seeds.

It is not recommended to deepen the seeds by more than 1–2 cm. The seed should be placed flat, the vertical location is highly undesirable. The surface of the earth above the planted seed should be promulcated with the help of peat or humus, which will eliminate the formation of an earth crust and ensure free access of air. After planting, the containers are covered with a dense film, which contributes to the preservation of moisture in the ground and the creation of a comfortable microclimate. The air temperature in the room in which the packaging is located with the seedlings should be +18 degrees.

Care of young shoots is a fairly simple process. For proper growth and development of seedlings, it is necessary to observe the temperature and water it in time. After the first shoots begin to appear, it is recommended to lower the night temperature to +13 degrees, which will not allow the sprouts to stretch quickly and significantly reduce the risk of injury during transplantation. If the reduction in night temperatures did not help, and the shoots stretched out much, pinching the stem is not recommended. In this case, it is necessary to sprinkle the root part of the shoot with earth. Such a reception will promote the growth of roots on the part of the stem hidden in the ground and improve the absorption of nutrients from the soil.

When growing seedlings, special attention should be paid to lighting. The light should be bright, but at the same time diffused. When watering seedlings should be guided by the state of the substrate, avoiding excessive moisture or drying of the soil.

The first feeding is carried out ten days after the first shoots appear. Fertilizer solution can be prepared by yourself. To do this, dissolve 5 grams of superphosphate or 3 grams of urea in 1 l of water; watering the shoots with a solution of mullein gives good results. When growing seedlings in poor or barren soil, after a week, fertilizing is repeated.

To avoid root burns, fertilizing should be done only after watering. After three weeks, seedlings begin to harden. To do this, in the morning, containers with seedlings are taken out onto the street and slightly shaded from the sun, and brought back into the house at night.

A month after sowing, the seedlings usually have three full leaves and are ready to be transplanted to the garden. The timing of planting seeds for seedlings depends on the region and the establishment of consistently positive night temperatures. So, in the middle zone of the country, seed sowing can begin in the first decade of April, and in the eastern and northern regions - in the first days of May. In the south, a seedless way is usually practiced, in which seeds are sown directly on the bed. If the seedling method is chosen, then the seed will be sown at the end of March, and planting grown seedlings on the bed is possible in the second decade of April.

Planting seedlings on the beds begins in the first decade of May and ends in July, while completely dependent on weather and climate. To extend the time of harvest, plant the plants should be in small batches, at intervals of 5 days.

This will allow most of the season to use freshly squash for food, and to harvest the last batch for harvesting. In the south in early August, the second wave of landing begins. Squashes grow quickly in warm ground and have time to fully mature before the onset of cold weather.

Zucchini saplings have a rather vulnerable and delicate root system, which is why they should not be kept in seedlings. This may lead to the fact that the shoot will reach high growth, its adaptation at a new place will be complicated due to the probability of injury to the roots and stem during transplantation. In addition, the roots of an overgrown plant will fill the entire container, and the seedling will begin to turn yellow. Experienced gardeners recommend guided by the lunar calendar and avoid adverse days for planting.

Before you start planting seedlings on the garden, you should consider a number of points. You can not plant squash in the garden from under melons, watermelons, squash, cucumbers and squash themselves. From the time of cultivation of these plants in the garden should take at least three years. And also do not advise to plant squash on the ground with close occurrence of aquifers. This is due to the low temperature of groundwater, which can adversely affect the root system of thermophilic zucchini.

Seasoned summer residents advise planting crops on light loamy soils and chernozems. In case of growing plants on any other soil, fertilization is necessary. As a top dressing, you can use a universal and affordable mixture of humus, complex fertilizers and ash. After adding the composition and deep digging, the ground is shed with a hot solution of Ross or ordinary water, preheated to +40 degrees. After watering, the bed is covered with foil and left to warm.

Before you start planting seedlings in the garden, you should arrange bed.To do this, you need to form the holes, the depth of which should not exceed 5–7 cm, and the distance between adjacent bushes should be from 50 to 70 cm. More spreading varieties of crops require an increase in the distance between the holes. Usually, the seed producer indicates what scheme to plant, so before you plant them, you should carefully read the recommendations. If the degree of spreading of the variety is unknown or there is no information on this subject, it is recommended to plant according to the classical scheme of 70x40 cm. If this distance is observed, no more than three bushes should fall per square meter of land.

After the wells have been formed, it is necessary to carefully spill the bed with warm water. Next, you need to gently pull the plant along with the earth from the seedling container. If the seedlings were grown in peat cups, they do not need to be removed.

Planted shoots in the hole should be with pots of peat or a lump of earth, if the sprout was grown in plastic or paper containers. In order for the container to be easily removed from the rhizome, it is recommended to water the plant abundantly 24 hours before transplanting.

It is necessary to lower the escape into the hole to the level of the first cotyledons. The earth around the stem while gently pressed with your fingers and leveled, after which the plant is shed at the rate of 1 liter in each well. Watering should be done strictly under the root of the bush, trying not to fall on the stem and leaves. Experienced gardeners recommend mulching the place around the stem, which helps the soil to retain moisture longer and allows the roots of the plant to breathe.

At cultivation of culture on the blown place it is recommended to protect young saplings at first. To do this, you can cover each plant with a 5-liter plastic bottle with a cut-out bottom and an unscrewed lid.

Despite the fact that the plant is absolutely unpretentious, you still need to care for it. Plant care is to perform several steps.

• Hilling performed after the plant has 4–5 leaves. The procedure contributes to the growth of the roots and strengthen the escape.
• Watering is an important condition for the care of culture. Zucchini needs not only regular, but also abundant moisture. For the timely formation of the ovaries, the shoots must consume at least 10 l / m². After the first squash is formed, the abundance of watering increases and reaches 12 liters. Plant roots are quite sensitive to temperature fluctuations, so it is recommended to water the plants with water warmed to +25 degrees. When using cold water, the number of ovaries decreases sharply, which adversely affects the yield and the condition of the plant as a whole.

• Loosen zucchini should be 2-3 times during the summer, and in the case of mulching of beds, this procedure can be completely neglected. Weeding should be performed as needed. Weeds should be removed manually, being careful not to damage the young seedling and not to disturb its root system.
• To feed plants need at least two times during the entire growing season. The first time the culture is fertilized at the time of flowering, using phosphoric, nitrogen and potassium supplements. Calcium is also one of the important elements necessary for the growing season, and its deficiency often leads to the rotting of zucchini. Supplementing the calcium deficiency will help plant nutrition with calcium nitrate, taken at the rate of 1 tsp. substances per 10 liters of water. Under each root is required to pour 1 l of this solution or spray them with leaves.

An equally important element for zucchini is boron.Bor-Aktiv can be used as a fertilizer by mixing half a teaspoon of the substance in 10 liters of water. Top dressing can be made both by spraying and by applying the solution under a bush. Lack of iodine can also cause rotting fruit. To replenish it, you need to add 35 drops of iodine to the bucket, then spray or water the plant.

Of the finished products the most effective means are "Bud" and "Ovary". Both formulations contain potassium, so they are well suited in the early stages of development as a first feeding. The second time the plants should be fed in the period of fruit set, and make it any fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen in its composition. For re-feeding, ash and solutions from nitrophosphate and urea are suitable.

Planting seedlings helps to solve the problem of growing zucchini in the conditions of northern summer and get a rich harvest.

See the following video for tips on growing zucchini.