Each gardener knows that tomato seeds before placing them in the ground need a large number of preparatory procedures, which include hardening. To successfully cope with this event, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic methods and rules of its holding ...
How to properly harden tomato seeds
There are several reasons that make seed hardening a useful and practical procedure. Firstly, in this way it is possible to significantly improve the adaptability of plants to environmental conditions, and, most importantly, increase its cold resistance - tomato bushes obtained from such seeds can withstand a temperature drop of -5aboutC. Secondly, hardened seeds give faster and more friendly seedlings. And, thirdly, hardening of seeds will allow in the future to increase the yield of the bush by 25-30%. But be prepared for the fact that not all seeds will survive, so take them at least a quarter more than you want to sow, and also take into account its duration - at least 3 days.
As a rule, hardening is carried out at the very end of pre-sowing treatment, and then the seeds must be immediately sown in the ground.
Tempered tempering
As a rule, this treatment lasts 4-5 days, but some gardeners advise to increase this period by 2 times.
- Put a piece of damp cloth on the bottom of the plate (it is better to take cotton or gauze).
- Lay out prepared (swollen but not sprouted) seeds.
- Place a second flap of moist tissue on them.
- Place the plate in a plastic bag and place on the top shelf of the refrigerator so that the seeds are kept at a temperature of 0-3aboutFROM. Leave the blank for 16-18 hours, making sure that the fabric is wet all the time.
To harden the seeds, the container with them must be stored in the refrigerator next to the freezer
- After the required time, remove the workpiece and hold it for 6-8 hours at room temperature. Moisten the fabric in a timely manner to prevent it from drying out.
- Repeat all the steps in the same order until the hardening time is reached.
If you notice that some seeds began to germinate, then sow them in prepared containers, and for the rest, reduce the time spent in heat to 3-4 hours.
Video: how to harden tomato seeds
Tempering by brief freezing
In this case, the seeds should be kept continuously in the cold for 3 days. It is worth noting that this method is less popular among gardeners than the previous one, since many of them complain about the freezing of seed placed in the freezer. To avoid this situation, reduce the soaking time so that the seeds just begin to swell, and not noticeably increase in size.
- Prepare 2 pieces of cotton or gauze and moisten them.
- Put prepared seeds on one of them.
- Cover them with a second piece of cloth and put them in a plastic bag.
- Put the bag in a deep container.
- Fill the tank to the top with snow and place it on the top shelf of the refrigerator, in the coldest place.
To harden the seeds you need to stock up on a bowl of pure snow
- Drain melt water as it appears and refill the tank with snow. Do not forget to moisten the fabric in a timely manner.
If you do not want to mess with the snow, then you can place the blank with a lid and put it in the freezer (-1 ° C-3 ° C) for 3 days, without forgetting to moisten the fabric as necessary.
As you can see, hardening of tomato seeds, although it carries certain risks for seeds, is simple and can significantly improve the health of your tomatoes in the future. Follow all these recommendations, and you will certainly get the desired results.
