How to sprout cucumber seeds?

According to some data, the first cucumbers appeared 6000 years ago in tropical regions of India.This is a one-year-old vegetable from the pumpkin family, familiar to absolutely everyone since childhood. In the summer season, not a single salad is complete without it, and for the winter cucumbers are salted in jars, so that this vitamin-rich product will always be in the family's diet. Cucumbers can be bought at vegetable markets or planted on the summer cottage itself or even on the windowsill.

Experienced gardeners are confident that in order for cucumbers to grow faster and in greater numbers, their seeds should be first germinated before planting. For this you need:

• to sort out the seeds, throw away the withered, darkened, too small;
• warm the selected seeds - put them in a cotton or linen bag and put them under the sun or on the battery;
• disinfect seeds with manganese or hydrogen peroxide;
• stimulate seed growth with the help of the drug "Ribav-Extra", "Novosil" or "Zircon".

After processing, the seeds need to soak. For this you will need:

• airtight container with lid;
• gauze or cloth made from natural breathable materials;
• warm water

One piece of gauze needs to be soaked in warm water and put on the bottom of the container, put the processed cucumber seeds on it so that they do not touch each other. Cover the top with a second layer of wet gauze and tightly close the lid of the container so that the air does not penetrate inside and a warm humid environment is always maintained there.

If the cloth dries out, it must be sprayed with a spray bottle, as otherwise hatching seeds may dry out and die. Containers with germs should be stored in a warm place, but not in direct sunlight. It is best to put it in the bathroom near the battery or at the stove or a warm kettle. A couple of times a day the lid of the container should be opened and the seeds should be aired, letting them "breathe".

Keep the seeds wet to complete their swelling. In a humid environment and at warm temperatures, the sprouts do not keep themselves waiting for a long time and germinate by about the fourth day. You need to manually manually unravel the roots of the embryos woven together with tweezers, very carefully, so as not to damage them.

If cucumber seeds germinate very slowly or do not do it at all, it is likely that the preparation process was disturbed. The reason for this may be:

• the seeds are planted very deeply (ideally, the maximum depth of the hole should be no more than 2 cm);
• the soil is too hard, dry, or very wet;
• expired material for planting.

The time to seed emergence is the most difficult and dangerous in the entire process of planting a crop. In order for the seedlings to be strong, healthy and fruitful, a person should help her in all the ways possible to her. It is necessary to achieve one-time germination of all the shoots, to get a rich harvest, as the seeds of different size and quality grow in different ways.

It is possible to plant seedlings in open ground only when she turned 27-29 days old, not earlier than this period, otherwise she will be weakened and there is a risk that she may not settle down. No vegetable loves heat like cucumbers. They should be planted only when the last frosts end, namely in the last days of May. If you plan to grow cucumbers in an apartment on a windowsill or on a glassed-in warm balcony, then you can start doing this in the last decade of April.

The reasons why the seeds failed to germinate may be as follows:

• poor seed preparation for planting;
• the planting material could be infected with pests or bacteria;
• the land was still frozen;
• moisture deficiency;
• the soil was contaminated with waste, toxins.

If there is no time to mess with germination in gauze, there is an alternative way - germinating seeds in sawdust. This is very convenient, because the process of germinating seeds is gradually moving into the cultivation of seedlings. Only in no case do not take sawdust from under sawing boards of LDSP type, since they contain adhesives and dyes that process the boards for their further use, and this is very harmful both for the plants and for human health, which will eat the crop in food.

It is necessary to use only pure natural wood, suitable for agronomy. Sawdust can also be bought in specialized pet stores, they are sold packaged in bags labeled "universal litter for small pets."

The algorithm of work will be as follows:

• First we need to take a large plastic bottle with a cut off neck, a plastic container with a lid or a small wooden box.
• Sawdust cleared of foreign substances, fall asleep in a container for 1⁄4 and fill with hot water.
• After a few minutes, when the sawdust begins to swell, on top of them you need to lay out the seeds of cucumber. The distance between them should not be very large, but they should not be poured close to each other, optimally - 2-3 cm.
• After that, we fall asleep the seeds with the second half of the sawdust, which also needs to be well moistened with hot water. You can use the spray.
• Close the container with a lid or cling film and remove to a warm place for 2-4 days.

After a couple of days, as we put the cucumber seeds between two layers of sawdust, the first shoots with young leaves will appear. After that, they can be safely transplanted into the ground. The obvious advantage of this method is that due to the large distance between the seeds they grow freely and directly, their root system does not tangle with each other, so you don’t have to separate the roots from each other with tweezers, as is the case with seed germination in gauze.

The advantages of planting seeds in sawdust:

• seeds are well warmed and immediately germinate;
• root system is strong and well developed;
• sprouts immediately take root in the ground;
• seedlings are strong and protected from diseases;
• the germination process takes only a couple of days.

This method of growing seeds in a fairly short time to get sprouts and save space in the apartment. You do not have to clutter the room with boxes, drawers and pots. Also during the germination process in a container a warm humid microclimate will be maintained all the time, so necessary for young seeds of cucumbers for the emergence of the root system. Also, this method helps to prevent the appearance of black legs - a fungal disease of young stems.

For sprouting young shoots on toilet paper you will need:

• thick toilet paper;
• polyethylene;
• plastic container;
• spray gun;
• warm water.

After preparing the necessary inventory, proceed directly to the germination process:

• Take a plastic wrap or plastic bag and cut it into strips the width of toilet paper. The length of the strip is approximately 80-100 cm.
• The film should be put on a flat surface and covered with a layer of toilet paper. If the paper is too thin, then you can fold it in several layers.
• In the spray you need to pour warm water and sprinkle it abundantly with a layer of toilet paper.
• Put cucumber seeds on top, retreating from the edge of about 1 cm. The distance between the seeds should be at least 3 cm.

• We cover the seeds with another layer of toilet paper and sprinkle them abundantly with warm water again.
• Top again put a strip of food film or polyethylene.
• Carefully take the strip by the side cut and twist it into a roll, but not too tight so as not to injure the seeds. An elastic band or a lace fix it.
• We make as many rolls as necessary based on the number of available seeds.
• Each roll can be attached with a paper tag with the name of the variety of cucumbers.
• In a plastic container pour 2-4 cm of warm water and place in it a roll so that the half with the seeds was on top.
• Close the container lid. As evaporation pour fresh water. Containers should be stored in a warm, sunny place, preferably on a windowsill.

You can also make a small room greenhouse from a plastic bottle. Cut the bottle lengthwise, put a couple of layers of toilet paper on the bottom of each of the halves, sprinkle it with water, spread cucumber seeds on top and cover the bottle with cling film.

In this sealed container, a humid microclimate will always be maintained, the seeds will not require additional watering and will grow in a fairly quick time.

After the first shoots with young leaves have appeared, you need to gently unfold the roll, separate it from the strip with the film, it is no longer needed. Using scissors, you need to cut the paper ribbon into pieces equal to the number of sprouts, and transplant them into the prepared soil.

It is worth planting cucumbers together with paper, otherwise you can injure it when it is separated from the germ. The paper in the ground will decompose quickly enough.

There is another effective and easy method for the rapid germination of seeds - peat tablets. This is compressed peat, made in the form of small washers. They are enclosed in a grid of natural materials. Inside each tablet there is a noticeable depression in which it is worthwhile to place cucumber seeds. Washers come in different diameters: 30, 40 and 70 mm. Taking too little is not worth it, because the grid does not stretch and can limit the growth of the root system.

In the pallet with high sides we place the available peat tablets and fill them with warm water. In a few minutes they will grow in size, become like cups with a hollow. Put cucumber seeds in the resulting hole and cover with a cling film to create a greenhouse effect. You need to place the pan in a warm place and carefully monitor the watering - cucumbers love moisture.

After 2-3 weeks, seedlings will appear. Then you need to take a peat cup, and, without removing the sprout, place it in the prepared soil, otherwise you can injure the roots of the plant.

The temperature of germination of seedlings is primarily influenced by the ambient temperature - the higher it is, the better. Ideally, the heat should not fall below 25 degrees. The same applies to the soil - it must be well heated, so that the planted sprouts quickly take root in it and grow well. In cold soil, the germination process will be long, many seeds may die.

Therefore, it is recommended to store a container with seedlings either on the windowsill filled with sunlight, or near the battery, in extreme cases, near the hot kettle in the kitchen. For greater effect, the tara with seedlings can be wrapped in a warm terry towel or an old blanket, put a pan with hot water next to it and add boiling water to it as it cools.

Also, the oxygen-free environment affects the rapid germination of seeds. That is why experienced gardeners recommend hermetically packing containers - either close tightly with a lid, if it is a food container, or tightly wrapped with food captive or cellophane to avoid even the slightest air entering the container. However, it is recommended to open the container for a couple of minutes once a day and let the seeds breathe, you can even wave a little over them with your hand to stimulate the flow of air.

The soil for germination must be environmentally friendly and rich in macronutrients, otherwise the seeds in it will not grow, or the plants will grow weak and sick.

The growth of cucumber seeds is directly influenced by their shelf life. If the seeds are more than 5 years old, there is a high risk that they will not grow or only a small percentage will germinate. Also, fresh young seeds sprout badly, which are not even a year old. It is best to sow them at the age of 2-3 years. This is the optimal age for germination.

Agronomy does not stand still; therefore, seed growth stimulants have long appeared - artificial additives based on fungi, various bacteria and elements necessary for growth. They help the plant's root system to develop faster, become stronger and accelerate the growth of the shoot itself. In addition, they are made from environmental components, which will not affect the benefits of the grown crop.

The stimulator is used at the very first stage, when you just removed the seeds from the pack. In a container with clean water, you need to add a growth stimulator and lower the seeds into the resulting solution. Use stimulants with caution, carefully observing the dosage, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the plant or ruin it altogether. When choosing supplements give preference to more expensive and high-quality options.

There is a real tangible benefit from the action of the stimulator - the seeds hatch like “yeast”, so use it if you have a rare seed variety or you want to get a really abundant and rich harvest. In order to start the work of the stimulator, mix it with water in the proportion indicated on the package. Add seeds to the mixture and check the effect after 11 hours. If you wish, you can add a little more growth solution, the main thing is not to overdo it.

Before germinating the seeds, they need to be sorted out and thoroughly heated on a window sill overlooking the sunny side. Or you can put the seeds on a piece of cardboard and put it on top of the battery. So they will receive more heat, but they will not “burn” either. With this method, much more female flowers will appear, which, in turn, will greatly increase the chances of a bountiful harvest.

Dry seeds can be revived by placing them in a thermos with hot, but not burning water (approximately 45-60 degrees), tightly close the thermos lid and wait a couple of hours. After this procedure, the old seeds will warm up well, swell and re-filled with strength. The main thing is not to overdo cucumber seeds in water, otherwise they will become slack and unsuitable for further use.

It is necessary to go through planting material in order to remove dead, weak and empty seeds. To do this, it is not necessary to try on the costume of Cinderella and take over manually.To speed up the work, you need to pour a little warm water into a glass jar, add one tablespoon of table salt, mix, pour into the resulting solution the available seeds and wait 20 minutes. Remove the emerged seeds with a spoon, as they are already suitable for planting.

Below are some tips for when cucumber seeds have already shown the first signs of root formation and are ready to be transplanted into the soil.

The quality of the crop is greatly influenced by the correct and regular watering of the plants. In cucumbers, the surface of the leaves is very thin, so with a lack of moisture, they lose their turgor. But at the same time it is not necessary to transfuse the plants, otherwise they will begin to wither and ache. Cucumbers are very thermophilic, but it is better to water them with warm, heated water in the sun. If you live in a cold climate, then you need to grow roots in the greenhouse for a richer and healthier crop.

For planting cucumbers at home, attention should be paid to the care of the soil. The best soil will be the garden mixed with humus and peat in approximately the same proportions. Also, it should add a little coarse sand and wood ash to reduce the acidity level. Mix all ingredients thoroughly until smooth and lump free.

In the resulting soil need to pour about two matchboxes of mineral fertilizers. You can buy them ready-made either by yourself from superphosphate, urea and sulphate or potassium chloride. Fertilize the soil should be about once a week.

After the cucumber seeds are planted in the soil, fertilizers are not added until the first leaves appear. Fertilizing on the basis of manure is best avoided - cucumbers do not like an excess of organic matter. It is better to use mixtures of mineral fertilizers - they should be used in the ratio of 1 gram of minerals to 1 liter of water.

Cucumbers begin to bear fruit about 4 weeks after they were transplanted into the ground. Therefore, the sooner you are puzzled by the process of seed germination, the sooner you can eat the first healthy vegetable. Experienced gardeners recommend starting the seed treatment process in early April, therefore, the first portion of the crop will be harvested at the very beginning of summer.

Now you know how you can independently and quickly germinate the seeds of cucumbers at home, so that they are strong, healthy, give an abundant rich harvest. After all, it is much more useful and more pleasant to eat ecologically pure products grown by own hands under personal supervision than to buy vegetables of dubious quality for big money from a Chinese manufacturer. Harm from them may not be, but good, unfortunately, too.

See the next video for methods of sprouting cucumber seeds before planting on seedlings.