To get an invariably rich harvest of zelents, you need to figure out how to collect and how to prepare cucumber seeds for planting correctly. Not every cucumber is designed to produce good offspring. For example, hybrids that have the lettering F1 or F2 on the pack of purchased seeds are not suitable for collecting seeds, since they do not transmit their qualities to the “offspring”.

Important! To obtain seeds, from which cucumbers will grow mainly with female flowers, it is necessary to take fruits with four-chambered seed septa. And from three-chambered male flowers will grow - barren flowers.

To obtain good seed material, it is necessary to select and leave one or two cucumbers from the plant you like until fully ripe. Then cut off 2-3 cm from the place of the stalk (bitter greens will grow from this part), release the remaining seeds into a glass of water, mix and those that have sunk to the bottom, dry and leave for storage, in the future, with proper preparation, you will get a good harvest.

Important! Store-bought cucumber seeds do not need preparation for planting. You shouldn't even soak them in water, so as not to wash off the protective layer.

Preparing cucumber seeds for sowing seedlings

Preparation of cucumber seeds for sowing.

For friendly seedlings, you need to prepare them:

  • Store correctly;
  • Cull;
  • Warm up;
  • Disinfect;
  • Germinate;
  • Temper.

Storage

This vegetable has good germination, top-grade cucumber seeds have more than 90%, if stored correctly, they will remain viable for about 5-7 years. To store cucumber seeds, you need a cool place with a temperature of about 12 degrees and humidity up to 60%. The seeds of this vegetable can withstand sub-zero temperatures, but you should not store them on the balcony or in another unheated room, in such places they can become damp and suffocate.

Store seeds in a cool dry place.

You cannot store them at elevated temperatures (on the stove, near the heating battery or on a shelf under the ceiling), at temperatures above 25 degrees, the germination of cucumbers drops sharply, they remain viable for only a year. Seeds of 2-3 year old germinate best. Then their germination begins to decline.

Germination temperature

Cucumbers will rise in three days if the temperature is 25-28 degrees Celsius.

Culling

If the seeds are store-bought, they do not need to be sorted, but homemade or purchased on the market is worth sorting. Dented and cut should be discarded immediately. Then you need to select the hollow ones, for this you need to prepare a saline solution (half a glass of water - 1/2 teaspoon of salt) and lower the seeds for 15 minutes. After this time, those that float to the surface must be removed, and those that have settled to the bottom must be washed, dried and used.

Important! It is possible to select seeds in this way only if they are not older than two years. Anything that is older will rise to the surface at any germination rate.

Warming up

A cucumber crop grown from seeds that have a shelf life of more than 3 years will be longer than last year's harvest. Gardeners have learned to "age" seeds - for this they need to be warmed up. You can warm up:

  • In hot water for about 5-6 hours (temperature 50-60 C);
  • In the sun - 7–8 days, stirring constantly;
  • Near the heating radiator - 1 month;
  • Near the stove - 1 month.

Heating cucumber seeds in water.

Disinfection

Disinfection can be done in two ways:

  • Wet. For disinfection, the seeds are dipped in a 1% solution of potassium manganese for 20-30 minutes (the solution must be prepared in a dark purple color, a weaker concentration is useless). Then the seeds must be washed. With this treatment, only those infections that were on the seed coat are destroyed.
  • Dry. For dry disinfection, TMTD or NIUIF-2 granosan are used. Cucumber seed with one of the preparations is placed in a closed container and methodically shaken for five to ten minutes.

Important!When working with these substances, precautions must be taken: eyes must be protected with glasses, nose and mouth with a gauze bandage.

To destroy diseases that have remained in the embryo, it is necessary to soak the planting material in special substances:

  • Fitostorin-M;
  • Baxis.

Soak cucumber seeds in Fitostorin-M

Seed material is soaked in one of these funds for two to two and a half hours, then they must be well dried. The following diseases can be prevented by using these substances:

  • Root rot;
  • Bacteriosis;
  • Tracheomycosis.

When using these drugs, not only harmful, pathogenic, but also beneficial microflora is suppressed. They should be used only when absolutely necessary.

After disinfection, it is advisable to soak the seeds in a growth stimulator for a day.

Growth stimulants

Cucumbers respond with a good harvest to the use of biostimulants:

  • Baikal M1;
  • Agate 25K;
  • Ambiol;
  • Bigus.

Feeding cucumbers

Those summer residents who do not want to use chemicals once again can prepare and use home remedies:

  • Infusion of nettle. A small amount of leaves of young nettle is poured with warm water, insisted for a week;
  • Boric acid (20 mg per 1 liter of water);
  • Zinc sulfate (2g per 1l)
  • Baking soda (1 teaspoon per liter)
  • Yeast. Dissolve 25 g of dry yeast in a glass of warm water and infuse for three days;
  • Honey. One teaspoon is stirred in a glass of water, you can use it immediately.
  • Aloe juice. Freshly squeezed aloe juice is mixed with water in a one-to-one ratio. Insist 10-12 hours;
  • Potato juice. The potatoes are frozen, then they must be thawed and squeezed out;
  • Infusion of dried mushrooms. The mushrooms are poured with boiling water and allowed to cool at room temperature (one tablespoon of dried mushrooms for one glass of water).

Cucumber seed is aged in any solution for a day. Seeds treated with growth stimulants germinate faster and grow more shoots.

Hardening

Seeds are hardened at low temperatures, about 0 degrees. This is done in order to activate the defense mechanisms of the cucumber embryo, for the accumulation of sugar and growth inhibitors, due to which cold resistance increases.

Hardening cucumber seeds in the refrigerator.

How to harden cucumber seeds correctly

  • Method 1. Swollen seeds are placed in a refrigerator for 10-11 hours at a temperature of 0 to +2 degrees without removing them from the cotton pads and the saucer in which they swelled. Then you need to transfer them to the room on the windowsill at the same time. This will have to be repeated for three to five days. It is more convenient to arrange "cold" at night, and "warm" - during the day. Care should be taken to keep the cotton pads wet at all times. You should be prepared for the less strong seeds to die.
  • Method 2. The prepared seeds are kept on a refrigerator shelf with a temperature of about 0 degrees (melted snow) for 3 to 7 days, after which they must be sown immediately into the prepared soil.

Important!Hardening is carried out before the seeds begin to actively germinate.

Properly processed seeds germinate better before planting, give strong and healthy seedlings.

Soil preparation

Even very high quality seeds planted in poor soil will not yield a good harvest. Therefore, you need to take care of the quality of the soil. This process is no less important than the processing of planting material. Cucumbers love light nutritious soils; in the spring, before planting, it is necessary to take care of just such a land.To do this, mix in equal parts:

  • Garden land;
  • Over-matured sawdust (for aeration);
  • Rotten manure (nutritional value);
  • Sand (regulates moisture better).

Sowing cucumber seeds in prepared soil.

Preparing tomato seeds for sowing seedlings

The resulting soil is necessary

  • sift (it is more pleasant to work with clean soil);
  • Next, the soil must be calcined or steamed over boiling water (for disinfection);
  • Finally, the soil must be frozen in the freezer.

Important!After the soil has thawed and warmed up, you can sow prepared cucumber seeds. Just remember that cucumbers do not like very much when their roots are injured, so it is better to sow seeds in separate cups or cassettes.

Provided that everything is done correctly, the cucumbers should sprout in 3-4 days. After the seedlings have two toothed leaves, they can be planted in open ground or in a greenhouse.

People's Councils

  • Experienced gardeners recommend using only home-grown seeds, this makes sure that the treatment is carried out correctly;
  • You can also disinfect seeds in a solution of streptomycin (500 units per 10 ml of water) for a day, then rinse;
  • It disinfects garlic well. To prepare the solution, you need to grate one large clove on a plastic (required!) Grater and dilute the gruel in 200 g of warm water, let it brew for a couple of hours, add another half liter of water, stir and strain through a fine sieve. The seeds are soaked in this solution for half an hour.
  • To warm the seeds of cucumbers, they need to be placed in a small cloth and put in a bra, so the day goes by;
  • Sew a belt with pockets, put seeds in it, put it on the body and go through a week;
  • It is good to use forest moss for germination. The planting material is placed between two layers, moistened and sprouts are waited for.
Preparing carrot seeds for sowing in open ground

With proper preparation of seeds for planting, proper care of plants, a large harvest is ensured.