How to accelerate the germination of carrots
Both novice gardeners and summer residents know with experience that carrots are among the hard-growing crops. The first shoots above the garden usually appear no earlier than three weeks later, and their number is much less than that of seeds embedded in the soil.
Indeed, the abundance of essential oils in small seeds and a sufficiently strong shell prevents the sprouts from emerging quickly. And the uneven ripening of seeds on the umbrella inflorescence affects the germination rate, which is no more than 60% in carrots.
Therefore, the reason for a shortage of harvest is often the lack of knowledge of simple techniques, how to accelerate the germination of carrot seeds, as well as neglect of preliminary sorting of planting material. After all, if the quality of the seedlings does not suit the summer resident, then the sown carrots will yield a harvest a month later.
Choosing carrot seeds for sowing
During spring sowing, such seeds with a protective and, at the same time, containing nutritive shells show good results. If you need to sow carrots at a later date, it is better to use ordinary seeds, pre-sorted and prepared for planting.
Taking care that the carrots sprout faster, we must not forget that the quality of the seeds decreases with storage. The best germination rate of the planting material collected last year.
Caution when soaking seeds before planting
Sources covering the topic "How to plant carrots with seeds" often talk about accelerating germination after washing the seeds under running hot water. However, this carrot shower is best used as a germination test.
Lightweight dummy seeds are immediately visible and quickly removed. If you leave full-weight seeds under the stream, then together with essential oils, which prevent moisture from reaching the embryo, nutrients are washed out. As a result, the seedlings will be obviously weak.
It is more effective not to rinse the seeds in hot water, but to fill them with water at room temperature for 2 days and periodically change the liquid until the seeds swell. It is dangerous to wait for a large number of sprouts to hatch, since planting small seeds without damaging the fragile sprouts is unlikely to work.
If sprouts do appear, then it is better to plant such seeds in already warm soil. To delay the development of seedlings until planting, the seeds are sent to the refrigerator, where they are kept at a temperature of +4 degrees. Before sowing, dry sand is added to small carrot seeds.
How to speed up the germination of carrot seeds without soaking
There are several ways for carrots to sprout quickly. This helps not only to accelerate germination, but also to harden future plants. If dry seeds in a cloth bag are sprinkled with cold, well-moistened soil, then after 10 days they will swell, and it will not be difficult to sow them. And knowing how long it takes for carrots to emerge during dry planting, waiting 4–5 days before sprouts appear is also not at all burdensome.
You can do without soaking if you create a kind of nutritious shell for the seeds at home.The procedure should be carried out 3-5 days before sowing the seeds, while pelleting with a soil mixture:
- promotes carrots to sprout quickly;
- greatly facilitates sowing;
- reduces the consumption of seeds per unit area;
- facilitates subsequent planting care, including weeding, thinning and hilling.
Such shoots of carrots in the photo are distinguished by a bright green color, strength and uniformity.
The components of the composition for the shell are:
- infusion of mullein or compost;
- dry peat rubbed through a sieve;
- humus.
Dry carrot seeds are poured into a glass jar, where the same amount of peat, humus and liquid mullein are added. The jar is tightly closed and shaken vigorously until the first layer of shell forms around the seeds. Then the components of the mixture are added and the procedure is repeated, and the grown dense lumps are laid out to dry on paper.
Pelleting seeds takes time and patience, but this method is considered to be extremely effective.
Hydrogel to make carrots grow quickly
Instead of moisture, a hydrogel is increasingly used to prepare seeds for sowing, which looks like transparent small balls or crystals.
- Particles of synthetic material that absorbs water increase in size, and the resulting medium is saturated with air due to inhomogeneity.
- Before planting carrots with seeds, they are laid out on a moistened hydrogel, covering them from above. In such an environment, the seeds receive everything they need to swell, but do not risk becoming moldy or rotting.
- Usually, pecking begins after a week, after a few days sprouts appear in a transparent jar.
If we compare how many days carrots sprout with the traditional approach, then the benefits for the summer resident become obvious.
Soaking in nutrient solution
In addition to water for soaking seeds, it is useful to take fertilizer solutions. To facilitate the pecking of carrot seeds, it is enough to add a teaspoon of potassium or sodium humate to a liter of warm water, "Effecton-O", "Energen”Or double the amount of well-sieved wood ash.
The seeds are placed in liquid for a day, after which they are washed and sent to the cold. After 4 days, the dried hardened seeds are ready for sowing.
Seed bubbling
Soaking while passing air through the water is considered one of the most effective ways to accelerate the germination of carrot seeds.
At home, the procedure is easier to carry out using an aquarium compressor or a car pump.
- To achieve the desired result, the carrot seeds are bubbled for 18 to 24 hours.
- Water at room temperature is poured into the container and make sure that the air permeates all layers.
- If the seed coat begins to burst earlier, the process is interrupted.
- For the greatest effect, a solution of trace elements or liquid fertilizer is added to the water.
- Finished seeds are dried in the air and sown. In this case, the soil in the beds should not be excessively moistened, otherwise the seedlings may rot.
To the question: "How many days do carrots sprout after such treatment?" gardeners who have tested the method answer that the time saving is at least a week.
Vernalization of carrot seeds
For the preparation of carrots, as one of the cold-resistant crops with a long germination period, vernalization is successfully used. This is a set of measures aimed at obtaining an early harvest and increasing plant resistance. As a result, seedlings are easier to acclimatize in open ground, vegetation and root crop development are more active.
Vernalization of carrot seeds includes:
- soaking in thawed water at room temperature;
- holding up to two weeks in the snow or in the refrigerator under a damp cloth, at a temperature from –1 to +1 degrees.
After the completion of the procedure, the seeds swell and begin to peck, although the sprouts themselves are not yet visible.If necessary, the vernalization can be interrupted and the ready-to-grow carrot seeds can be sown into moist, loose soil.
A film or covering material on the garden bed will help bring the appearance of sprouts closer.
Considering carrot shoots, from the photo you can immediately identify strong plants developing from prepared seeds. And so that carrots continue to develop actively, the main thing is that the soil does not dry out, and that a crust that interferes with sprouts does not form on the surface of the garden.