by When preparing seeds for sowing, gardeners use different methods, from disinfection to hardening, but this is not always necessary. Which seeds require preparation, and which ones should be sown without preliminary manipulations?
The seeds of tomato varieties that you collected from your own plants, as well as those received from neighbors, friends, or gardeners who sell seeds of amateur varieties, must be checked and processed before sowing.
Seeds are of different quality, unfulfilled, unripe, if they were collected from unripe fruits. Fully ripened seeds are characterized by high germination. Prepared seeds could be stored in unsuitable conditions, sometimes they carry infection on the shell or inside the seed, pathogens of various diseases. You can prevent losses and get good shoots if you pre-sort the seeds, check the germination, disinfect and, if necessary, stimulate germination.
Do not carry out all the proposed operations at once, do only the necessary minimum. Even the most viable seeds will not withstand all pre-sowing procedures, and this is not necessary, high-quality seeds will sprout without any tricks. One disinfection or growth stimulation is enough.
Sorting by density and size
The best seeds can be selected by appearance; they will be the largest, full-bodied, and without visible defects. It is easy to sort out empty seeds in a 3-5% saline solution. Dissolve 30-50 g of table salt in 1 liter of water, immerse the seeds in the solution, stir, and let stand for a few minutes. Drain the floating seeds along with the water; they are unsuitable for sowing. Rinse the seeds remaining at the bottom with clean water and dry.
At the same time, separate the seeds into fractions if they differ in size. The largest seeds will produce more uniform shoots. Small seeds may be quite viable, but will lag a little in development; it is better to sow them separately.
Determination of seed germination
Tomato seeds remain viable for 4-5 years. If you are not sure that the seeds are fresh, you should check their germination. Take a dozen seeds for testing and place them in a damp napkin for germination. It is best to germinate in a closed container so that the water does not evaporate. According to the rules, first determine the germination energy – the ability of seeds to produce friendly shoots.
For tomatoes, this indicator is calculated on the 6th day. On the 10th day, the germination is determined – the ability of the seeds to form full-fledged sprouts. If most of the seeds have sprouted, then the entire batch can be used. Of course, in the soil, the germination will be somewhat lower, but in any case, you will understand whether the seeds are suitable for sowing.
Seed disinfection
It is advisable to disinfect your own seeds and those obtained from other sources that are of questionable quality. Many plant diseases are transmitted through seeds, and disinfection will help reduce contamination and increase plant resistance to diseases.
The simplest and most effective method of dry disinfection is to warm the seeds in sunlight for 2-3 days, but in the conditions of late winter in the middle zone this is difficult. Wet methods of disinfection come down to soaking tomato seeds in various solutions. Use only one type of treatment against diseases.
The most popular among gardeners is potassium permanganate, or potassium permanganate. This drug acts on a wide range of pathogens, but only on the surface of the seeds. If the infection is contained inside the seed, which happens with viral diseases, then potassium permanganate will not be effective. The tomato is treated with a 1% solution for 30 minutes. Measuring 1 g of crystals at home is not easy, but there is a convenient way. It is believed that 1 teaspoon (5 ml) without top contains 6 g of potassium permanganate. Pour the crystals into a spoon, remove the excess with the flat side of a knife, dissolve in 600 ml of water. Immerse the seeds in the solution so that they do not stick together and are moistened on all sides. After 30 minutes, rinse the seeds with clean water and dry.
Hydrogen peroxide is available in every home medicine cabinet, a 2-3% solution is also suitable for disinfecting seeds. Heat the solution to a temperature of 38-45°C and immerse the seeds in it for 5-8 minutes, rinse with clean water and dry.
Mustard is used to disinfect seeds in various ways. Immerse the seeds in a 1,5% solution of mustard powder for 6 hours, then rinse thoroughly and spread out in a thin layer to dry.
Grind 10 g of powder in 20 ml of warm water, place the pulp in a 2-3 l container. Place the tomato seeds in a gauze bag and hang it over a layer of mustard at a height of 10-15 cm. Close the container tightly with a lid and leave the seeds over mustard vapors for 30 minutes, then spread them out in a thin layer to air for 2-3 hours.
Biologically active aloe juice helps to resist bacterial diseases and is a good natural stimulant. Pre-pick aloe leaves and put in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, then squeeze the juice and dilute it with water (1:1). Immerse tomato seeds in the solution for 1 day, then dry.
Heat treatment can eliminate a viral infection if you suspect one. It is not always possible to maintain the temperature regime precisely at home, so use this method as a last resort. The following procedures are recommended for tomato seeds. First, the seeds are kept for 24 to 38 hours at a temperature of 30-40 ° C, then 48 hours at 50-55 ° C, and 24 hours at 78-80 ° C.
Seed bubbling
Bubbling is the saturation of seeds with oxygen or air in water, this operation activates the work of enzymes in seeds, while changes occur in the composition of reserve substances, germination increases. In addition, harmful microorganisms are washed off the surface of the seeds. For bubbling, you will need a container with water, a funnel with a fine sieve and an aquarium compressor. Connect the funnel to the compressor hose, pour the seeds into it, place them in water at a temperature of 20 ° C, not reaching the edges, but so that the seeds are in the water. You can simply put the seeds in a gauze bag and immerse them in water. Connect the compressor and pass air through the hose. It is recommended to process tomato seeds for 12-16 hours. Monitor the condition of the seeds, if they begin to hatch earlier, stop processing. After bubbling, dry the seeds, they can be stored for some time before sowing.
Seeding of seeds
Heat-loving crops are recommended to be hardened so that they can better adapt to unfavorable growing conditions; this method is usually recommended for cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, eggplant, and peppers. You can also harden tomato seeds, although modern varieties and hybrids withstand stressful conditions well. Place the seeds in a damp napkin or immerse them in water until they swell. Then maintain an alternating regime for 7-10 days: keep them in the snow or in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to 5 ° C for 18 hours and at 15-18 ° C for 6 hours. Then the hardened seeds can be kept in a dry room at a temperature of 8-10 ° C or sown immediately.
Enrichment of seeds with fertilizers
Solutions of mineral and organic fertilizers, in addition to enriching with nutrients, increase the resistance of plants to diseases. Make a solution of 10 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium nitrate and 0,2 g of manganese sulfate per 1 liter of water and soak the seeds for 12 hours, then dry.
It is useful to treat the seeds in a solution of humic fertilizers, this stimulates germination. Dilute 50 ml of liquid fertilizer in 1 liter of water and soak the seeds for 24 hours before sowing.
You can use ready-made micronutrient mixtures for pre-sowing seed treatment or take an infusion of wood ash. Dilute ash (20 g) in 1 liter of water, leave for 1-2 days, strain and place tomato seeds in the infusion for 4-6 hours.
Treatment with growth stimulants
Gardeners can choose any available growth regulator that is designed for seed treatment. Use the product strictly according to the instructions. For example, the drug Zircon increases germination, plant survival, and increases resistance to diseases. Take 0,025 ml of the drug, dilute in 100 ml of water and soak the seeds before sowing for 2-4 hours.
Which seeds do not need to be processed
Large breeding and seed companies carefully control the quality of their seeds, including disinfecting them. Usually, seeds are treated dry, mixing them with fungicide powder. Seeds treated with pesticides are covered with bright paint, atypical for a given plant – orange, turquoise, green, red. The packages must indicate that the seeds have been treated. Such seeds are called inlaid. A special film protects the seeds from diseases, mechanical damage, stress conditions.
The seeds are completely ready for sowing, they should not be subjected to additional influences. Sow them only dry, but at the same time in moist soil and then water regularly.
Plasma seeds are available for sale; they are processed on special equipment under high-frequency plasma discharge conditions at reduced pressure. The method increases seed germination, and the shoots become resistant to diseases. Such seeds should also not be additionally processed before sowing.
Seed pelleting is a useful procedure that involves coating seeds with a mixture of peat, adhesives and nutrients. Beneficial microorganisms, pesticides and growth stimulants are added to the mixture. Small seeds (carrots, lettuce and others) are usually treated in this way, but if you have purchased pelleted tomato seeds, you do not need to treat them with anything else or soak them before sowing. Sow them dry in soil that has been thoroughly moistened with water, and do not forget to water them regularly until shoots appear.
Determine whether tomato seeds need special preparation, if necessary, choose a method, but do not overdo it, excessive processing will only harm. High-quality seeds from a trusted manufacturer usually germinate without problems.
