How many days does the carrot sprout?

Beginning gardeners sooner or later face the problem of poor germination of carrot seeds.Yes, and experienced gardeners know how it sometimes long and unevenly appears. To solve this problem, you need to take into account all the features of this orange vegetable.

Carrots belong to frost-resistant crops, so its planting can be practiced in early spring and in winter. In the second embodiment, the seeds will lie in cold ground until it warms to the optimum temperature.

The best time for planting carrot seeds is from mid-April to late May. It all depends on:

• growing region;
• varieties;
• weather conditions.

In order not to worry about future shoots, many gardeners determine the sowing time, based on the following observations:

• frost is no longer expected;
• at night it is warm;
• air temperature does not fall below +14 degrees;
• soil temperature is more than 8 degrees.

If all these conditions are met, then you can safely engage in planting seeds. It is better to plant a carrot in the beds, where tomatoes, cucumbers, onions or potatoes used to grow, and garlic, radish or pepper next to it. Such a neighborhood will prevent pests from appearing and will have a positive effect on the growth and quality of the future crop.

Many gardeners prefer early sowing carrots, despite the longer growing time. It's all about simple time saving: there is enough work in the spring in the garden and without this culture. To worry about the fact that the seeds or sprouts will not survive frosts, it is not necessary. Many hybrids can withstand temperatures as low as -3 degrees, seedlings will not survive only drops to -7 degrees or lower.

Some varieties of carrots are able to rise when the temperature of the soil rises to +6 degrees, but this temperature is minimal for the appearance of the first shoots.

At the optimum temperature - from +19 to +22 degrees - the seeds will sprout within two weeks. If the soil warms up to +9 - +11 degrees, then the expectation of germination can be delayed up to 20-22 days. For a long time, carrots are planted in cold ground. If the temperature of the soil drops to the level of + 6- + 7 degrees, the shoots can be observed no earlier than in 30–40 days.

The period of growth of carrot seeds in granules is slightly longer than ordinary seeds. But with proper care, sprouts appear after 3 weeks.

As soon as 2-3 small leaves appear, the culture must be weeded and thinned. The optimal distance between the roots should be about 3 cm. After 2 weeks, thinning is repeated, this time leaving the plants 6 cm apart. The plants would then acquire 5–6 leaves, which can be gathered on a bunch of greenery.

Carrots, like any other crop, imposes special requirements on care, weather conditions and soil. But it will rise only if the quality of the seeds. The market is now a huge number of different seeds, which is different grade, quality and cost.

Buying a large batch of seeds, you need to carefully check it. You should not buy seeds with traces of moisture, damaged, sticky to hands. Shelf life also affects germination: it should not be more than 5 years. And best of all germinate carrot seeds that have been stored for 2–3 years.

To increase the germination of culture, should pay particular attention to the preparation of the soil. Carrots like light sandy-like soil, preferably low acidity. Preparation of the beds should begin in the fall. The first thing to do is to clear the soil of stones.

Additional fertilizer is necessary, especially when it comes to poor soil.Suitable organic matter in the form of compost or humus. The soil with high acidity will save the chalk. If the soil is heavy, and you want to plant carrots, then it can be diluted with river sand, peat or ordinary sawdust.

Lighting also affects the germination of carrots. This root crop prefers light, so it is not recommended to sow it on the beds, even with minimal shading.

Very often there are situations where even the highest quality seeds germinate very slowly and unevenly. There are several reasons for the emergence of seedlings with delays, but they are all in one way or another associated with improper storage of planting material or soil characteristics.

Carrot seeds are stored only in a dry and cool place, because the frost is destructive for them, and heat and humidity can provoke an untimely growth. The best option for storage is paper bags or burlap. Keeping seeds in plastic bags is not a good idea. In such conditions, they have almost no chance to survive and germinate.

Inhibited germination of carrots is often associated with the composition of the soil, to which the vegetable is very picky. In heavy clay soils, seeds germinate poorly. If you dilute this soil with sand, the germination process will go much faster. It is easier to attach and root to loose soil.

Excessive moisture is also a minus. Despite the fact that carrots are a very moisture-loving crop, high humidity can trigger seed rot.

Top dressing can also adversely affect the planting material, if they were brought into the ground immediately before sowing.

If the sprouts did not appear at all, then the reason may be in the seeds themselves, deep seeding or insects. The most common cause is poor quality or expired grain. Sometimes shoots appear not simultaneously, but in small islands. This suggests that in the lot of the seed was not the best quality.

In order not to be mistaken with the choice of quality seeds, you need to pay attention to their appearance. They should be full, bright, without wrinkles and spots. Fresh carrot grains have a strong smell due to the high content of essential oils. If they do not smell or smell rot, then the purchase of this planting material should be abandoned.

It is important that carrot seeds match the soil in the beds and the climatic zone of the site. On the packaging of purchased planting material there is always information about where it is recommended to grow this variety. No need to trust universal seeds: no root crop will grow equally well in all climatic zones. You need to acquire only those seeds that match the growing climate.

A simple calibration, which is done during presowing treatment, will help to check planting material. To do this, water is poured into a glass at room temperature, a pinch of salt is added, and seeds are dropped. If some seeds in this saline solution float up - you can part with them: they are of poor quality. The remaining material must be washed and processed before sowing.

An important feature is the predecessor plants. Quite often, carrots do not germinate in the soil where they grew last year:

• caraway;
• dill;
• parsnip.

Do not plant carrots in the same place where it grew last season. There is a big risk that young seedlings will not get enough nutrition from this soil.

Orange root crop often does not germinate due to deep sowing. Seeds, as a rule, fall into loose soil, and the crust formed on the surface simply prevents seedlings from appearing. To avoid this unpleasant situation, it is not necessary to overwhelm the carrot seeds. It is enough to sprinkle them with a small layer of sand or dry humus.And so that the crust does not form on the surface of the earth, watering should be done before planting, and not after.

Shallow sowing can also be the culprit for poor seed germination. If it rained after planting, then some of the carrot seeds could simply be washed with water. Often, such seeds are carried away by ants, which are particularly active in springtime. The minimum sowing depth of carrots is 2 cm, and the maximum should not exceed 5 cm (this refers to the sub-winter landing).

To accelerate the germination of carrot seeds, it is important to carry out a special preparation before sowing. Usually the seeds are calcined and soaked with growth promoters. This procedure makes the root crop resistant to various pests and helps it to easily endure the dry season after planting.

There are two ways to conduct preplant preparation. The first option lasts a long time: the seeds are placed in a textile bag and hung near a warm battery for a month. The second option involves heating the seeds with warm water (about 50 degrees) for 3-4 hours.

After that, the seeds are disinfected in a solution of manganese and soaked. Such disinfection lasts about 15–20 minutes, and soaking - a day. After these simple manipulations, the seed sows in the open ground after only 7–10 days.

Often, carrots slowly germinate due to the fact that all the forces spent on the development of the root part. In order for the ground part to ascend faster, many experienced gardeners go to the trick.

To accelerate the growth of carrots, many gardeners use special stimulants. These solutions contain:

• magnesium;
• copper;
• iron;
• boron;
• cobalt.

They are universally sold in specialized stores. To get good results of germination and to accelerate growth, it is enough just to prepare the solution according to the instructions and soak the planting material in it before sowing.

If pre-sowing preparation was carried out according to all the rules, and carrots still germinate poorly, you need to look for other reasons for slow growth. Most of the failed germination of carrot seeds is related to the soil.

In the spring, about a couple of weeks before sowing, the soil should be loosened, watered abundantly with warm water and covered with foil. When loosening the soil should be gently pressed so as not to form air pockets: they make it difficult to obtain food from the soil of the first roots. But also actively rammed the ground is not necessary, so as not to interfere with the germination of grains.

The trick in the form of a greenhouse will help to warm the soil well and avoid its drying. In addition, the film saves in windy weather, keeping the upper layers in a loose state. Such protection should be removed every day for a while. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is completely removed, otherwise the shoots may burn or rot.

How to achieve quick shoots of carrot seeds, you will learn from the following video.

In early spring, when thawed patches appear, gardeners take carrot seeds and put them in a textile bag. This bag, watered with several liters of warm water, is buried in the area to a depth of about 20 cm. After 10 days, the seed can be dug out, it will already be turned out. It only remains to mix it with sand and sow. Shoots will appear in a week.

There is another way to germinate seeds - using paper. Sheets of plain white paper are laid out on the garden where carrot seeds are placed. From above, everything is covered with the same sheets and covered with earth. The secret is simple: paper plays the role of a kind of protection against the washing out of seeds by rain. Plus, in the process of decomposition paper will be a good fertilizer.

Dried grains of carrots have become a real find for experienced vegetable growers. In order to get fast shoots and good fruits, the culture needs trace elements and nutrients. Precisely the coated seeds have a special shell containing the entire list of substances necessary for the vegetable. In fact, the seeds in such a shell already have a “starter kit” for the successful development of the roots and the green part of the young plant.

Planting such carrot drops provides several advantages at once:

• no need for preplant preparation;
• fast germination;
• pest protection;
• it is not necessary to thin out shoots;
• always a great harvest.

Despite the huge number of advantages, these seeds have nuances to which you need to be ready. The seed is not free, so it will not be able to germinate if the granule does not dissolve in the soil. Sometimes after the collection of root crops in the ground there are whole granules.

Experienced growers moisten the bed before sowing, and then water it three times a day. Do not worry if such a carrot springs 4-5 days later than usual - this is normal. Granulated seeds germinate with a slight delay always. Over time, they will overtake the planting material without a shell and will please with a big harvest.

Some gardeners independently conduct seed coating. For this you need:

• nutritional mixture;
• sticky compound;
• ash;
• glass jar.

The nutrient composition includes peat, humus and mullein in the ratio of 6: 3: 1, previously sifted through a sieve. For each kilogram of the mixture add 1 tsp. superphosphate. The sticky composition is made from clay, starch or gelatin (2 spoons per liter of water). A teaspoon of mineral fertilizer is added to the adhesive.

Seeds are put in a glass jar, add a small amount of sticky composition and lightly sprinkle with the nutrient mixture. To form the desired size of the shell (for a carrot is 3-4 mm), the jar must be rotated while adding the nutrient composition. So that the obtained grains do not stick together, they are sprinkled with ashes. It is advisable to engage in such a coating for a month or two before planting, because dragees are stored for no more than 3 months.