Preparation of tomato seeds for planting

Everyone knows that a good harvest of tomatoes largely depends on the selection and quality processing of seeds. Proper preparation of tomato seeds for planting is the key to obtaining a healthy and powerful seedling, which in the future can bring a good harvest. Seeds for sowing should be clean (not lower than the first category for sowing and varietal qualities), have high germination energy and good germination, do not contain pathogens. It is better to buy seeds in certified centers for the sale of agricultural products, but you can select them at home. Bad seeds of a good harvest can not be expected, so they must be eliminated immediately.

The preparation of tomato seeds for planting begins in late February or early March, depending on when the seedlings will be planted: in greenhouses and greenhouses, plants can be planted earlier than in the open ground. Preparing the tomato seeds for planting assumes that the seeds are first carefully sorted and sorted. Large seeds of the correct form are left for sowing, and small ones and curves can be safely thrown out, because they will not be able to get a good harvest from the plants grown from them. Some experts suggest that the seeds be sorted in salt solution, but when the package contains only 15-20 pieces, such a procedure loses its meaning.

Next, the seeds should be placed in small bags sewn from several layers of gauze (you can use old kapron tights) and tie a label with the name of the variety. This is done for a kind of selection and breeding of the most high-quality and productive varieties. For decontamination, the bags are placed in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate at a rate of 1 coffee spoon (without a slide) per 1 liter of water. After 15-20 minutes, the bags should be removed and rinsed under running water for 5 minutes.

The preparation of tomato seeds for planting at the next stage consists in their germination and hardening. For this, a pallet with bumps or a pan should be lined with 4-6 layers of fabric, it is possible from old bed linen. Moisten the tissue with a solution of microfertilizers or another stimulator of growth and root formation, for example, a sodium hydrate - 1 gram per 1 liter. On the fabric lay the seeds, marking where the variety is, so as not to confuse later, and even better to write in a diary - so reliable.

The fabric should be sufficiently moist, but so that the seeds do not drain together with water when the pan is tilted and lay tight on the fabric. The pallet is covered with a plastic bag and placed in a warm place with a temperature of plus 25-30 degrees. A day later, the pallet should be placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 4 hours, and then again in a warm place for 20 hours. To prepare the seeds, the tomato was made according to all the requirements, this procedure must be repeated three times. Then the seeds should be kept in a warm place before they are pierced, that is, for 3-5 days. At this stage with the seeds, the tomato must be handled very carefully, since inept and rough handling can lead to damage to the spine, which means the destruction of the sprout.

As soon as the rootlets appear, the preparation of the tomato seeds for planting ends and the seeding phase begins. If the seeds are already plugged in, and you can not do the planting, then put them in the refrigerator, where the germinated seeds can last up to two weeks. But do not overdo it, because this procedure is extremely undesirable because of the negative effect of reduced temperature. Naturally, it is better to plant the plant immediately after pitting the seeds. As you can see, the process is not so complicated, therefore each of you can easily get a couple of dozen kilograms of tomatoes on your site!