Not all seeds are immediately ready for sowing. Some of them need proper preparation so that they can sprout and develop healthily. Failure to do this step may contribute to crop failure. Therefore, it is worth knowing what to do before sowing.
It is worth preparing the seeds for sowing, because not all of them are ready for sowing immediately after collecting or purchasing them. This is due to the fact that they have natural protective barriers that they may hinder water absorption and, as a result, delay the germination of specimens.
Moreover, some of them can be carriers of bacteria, viruses or fungi. So if we skip preparing our seeds, we risk this the seedlings will be attacked by diseases and the seeds will rot in the substrate. This will make our cultivation impossible. Therefore, it is worth taking proper care of them before putting them in.
One of the most effective methods of preparing seeds, which our grandmothers already used, is soaking them in water. This is a simple way, consisting of immersing the seeds in water at a temperature of about 20-25 degrees Celsius and leaving them for about 12-24 hours.
This simple step will make the hard seed shell softer and the seeds will absorb water faster. This will speed up their growth process. This method is particularly recommended for seeds with a hard cover, such as: beans, pumpkin, cucumber, sunflower or peas. It should not be used on very small seeds as it could harm them.
Read also:
When soaking the seeds before we can make several mistakes that will negatively affect the germination process. The most common of them is keeping the seeds in water for too long. Although soaking is intended to soften the shell and accelerate water absorption, exceeding the indicated time may result in limited access to oxygen.
Under these conditions, seeds can start rot, mold or lose their ability to germinate. Another mistake is using the wrong amount of water. The seeds should only be submerged and not float in excess liquid. It is also important to after soaking, the seeds were not kept wet for long, but were sown into the soil quite quickly.
