Stratification of seeds is ... Seeds: preparation for sowing

Stratification of seeds is, in the literal sense, interbedding. The emergence of the word combination is associated with the presowing preparation of grains by mixing them with layers of moist sand with subsequent placement in the cellar. To date, the stratification of seeds is a broader term, implying a different essence of the action.

Classification

Stratification of seeds is a process that improves future germination. It is divided into warm and cold. In the first case, the seeds are soaked and aged under conditions of high humidity and the necessary aeration. The moss of sphagnum is an excellent accumulator of moisture . Due to its bactericidal properties, it helps to restrain the reproduction of fungal infection. The air temperature can vary from 10 to 35 degrees Celsius. The necessity of this operation is determined by the presence in some seeds of underdeveloped embryos. An example of this is a plant such as lemongrass.

Cold stratification of seeds is a process presupposing preliminary soaking of grains and their subsequent maintenance in conditions of low positive temperature. Moderate ventilation is also a necessary requirement.

Some plants need a phased stratification: first warm, then cold.

Fundamental rules

Every aspiring gardener asks how to carry out stratification of seeds. First of all, it is recommended to soak them in water. After this, the seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, which has a dark pink color. Also for this task a special preparation "Maxim" is suitable. After disinfection, the seeds are poured over the substrate. Some use for this purpose washed sand, which is pre-roasted in the oven. But in most cases, the use of peat, sphagnum, coconut substrate, which has bactericidal properties and suppression of the development of various kinds of rot, is practiced. The ratio of seeds and substrate is one to three, respectively.

Some gardeners show sharpness and put seeds on a damp napkin or cloth, placed in a small box. Perfectly suited for this task are two pieces of foam rubber, moistened with water, between which laid out prepared for seeding seeds.

Important conditions

After the above procedures, the seeds should be provided with the required temperature, depending on the type of stratification (warm or cold). If it is necessary to create coolness, they are placed in a refrigerator or a cellar, and to provide heat, they are located near the central heating system. It is important to remember the creation of labels, indicating where and what are the seeds. For this purpose, an adhesive tape, a corner cut off from the foam rubber or the like, is suitable. Successful stratification implies sufficient moisture of the substrate. It should be maintained at the proper level, while avoiding excessive accumulation of water.

In the event that the seeds are large, and there are not enough places in the refrigerator, you can take them to a balcony and place them in a pallet. The latter wraps itself in several layers of paper.

Stratification of primula seeds assumes their placement directly on the snow. Similarly, the seeds of plants such as lobelia, gloxinia are prepared. In the process of melting snow, these small seeds will be rammed, pulled into the ground. The necessary conditions for such training: the safety of the snow cover and the absence of pets nearby. Stratification of strawberry seeds is carried out on the same principle.

How to "wake up" the seeds

The sowing material of some vegetable cultures is characterized by such deep physiological rest that germination occurs only in rare cases. An example of this is Katran, long-term onions or wild leek. This property is determined by the mechanism of conservation in nature, by means of which the untimely germination, leading to death, is excluded. In order to "wake up" such seeds, preparation for sowing involves their stratification in conditions of lowering the temperature and increasing humidity. Katranu and caramel require the passage of warm and cold stages of preparation for sowing. This procedure begins three to four months before the time of sowing, that is, in January. The material is placed in bags of gauze or in a stocking from kapron, after which it is tied and marked with a label with the name. During the first three days, the resulting bags are soaked in water, which is regularly changed. After that, the seeds are placed in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

At the end of preparation, the bags are carefully spread, transferred to a box or a box filled with a substrate. The latter must be constantly wet. The container with the seeds is placed in a cool cellar. Stratification of onions is carried out for five months at a temperature of zero to five degrees Celsius, ramson - from eighty to one hundred days at an air temperature of zero to three degrees Celsius.

Scarification

Experienced cottagers and horticulturists know firsthand what the stratification of flower seeds is. It includes scarification - the process of damaging the hard shell of seeds in order to accelerate their swelling. Produced by accurate napilivaniem, splitting, scratching, grinding with sand.

Creating stressful conditions

In order for seed to grow better, preparation for sowing involves the use of scalding with boiling water. Thus, the seeds of white acacia, gladycia are treated. For starters, they are placed in hot water, the temperature of which is between eighty and ninety degrees Celsius. Calculation of the volume of hot water is made in a ratio of 1: 2 (seeds: water). After that, leave the seeds for a day in such a state so that they swell.

Creating contrast conditions for seeds

In order for the germination to be optimal, seed preparation for seeding involves water treatment at different temperatures. To do this, the seeds are put in a bag, near which a couple of large containers of water (hot and cold) are placed. Next, the pouch in turn is placed in hot and cold water for thirty seconds. The duration of the procedure is from ten to fifteen minutes. At the end, a bag of seeds is placed in a container with a small amount of hot water and is left in this state for a day.

Acceleration of development with the help of cold

The method of snow making helps to better imagine what is the stratification of flower seeds. The container with the seed material is buried in the snow one to four months before the warm season, depending on the variety. Also resort to unfolding bags with seeds from gauze or kapron among a large snow pile. This method significantly increases the energy of germination. In order to avoid the melting of the upper snow layer, it is covered with hay, a board, a cloth and so on.

On the eve of spring sowing, seeds are soaked. This allows us to achieve a state in which the membrane softens, and the embryo swells. The process involves placing the seeds in a pouch that is immersed in water. The temperature in the room should not fall below 18-20 degrees. Water changes daily.

How to grow clematis

Fashion trends have introduced into the gardens of flower growers charming flowering creepers. Clematis pleases with an unusually huge assortment of varieties. Despite this, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase a seedling or a cut of this amazing flower. However, you can buy seed from which no less beautiful plant will grow. Stratification of clematis seeds forms the basis for preparing for their planting in the soil. Seed material is placed in a container filled with a special soil mixture, the basis of which is equal parts of such elements as peat, sand and earth. Here the seeds are aged for several months at a temperature of five degrees Celsius. Do not forget that the clematis inoculum is a very attractive meal for a variety of rodents. In this regard, it will not be superfluous to protect the crop from external exposure to animals using a fine mesh or a simple clear glass. If the above recommendations are followed, you can achieve amicable shoots within 10-20 days.

How to grow grapes from a stone

Some believe that this is a rather troublesome and problematic occupation. The grapes grown from the bones begin to bear fruit for the 4th-5th year, in some cases later. But there are also varieties that bloom for the second year.

In order to grow grapes from seeds, it is necessary to choose resistant to disease varieties. Bones are taken only from well-ripening berries. More rapid seedling helps to achieve stratification of grape seeds. It includes thorough rinsing of the bones under running water and then placing them in a nylon bag and a bag of polyethylene. Next, the seeds are put in the refrigerator, they are periodically removed from the bag and washed. Since the cracking of the bones, they are ready to germinate. This happens in one to two months from the beginning of stratification. Thanks to this method, those bones that were isolated in September begin to crack in November.

Thus, the rational pre-sowing treatment of seeds increases their germination several times. Stratified, hard-to-grow seeds produce amicable, fast-growing seedlings. In such a material, the water content is significantly increased. Due to this factor in the seeds, special enzymes are activated that trigger the oxidation-reduction process. All this removes seeds from "hibernation", called the state of the biochemical pause of embryo development.