Why disinfect tomato seeds and how to do it?

Why disinfection is carried out

Tomato grains must be processed before sowing - gardeners say this. Most of them use various methods of disinfection, and only a few prove its unsuitability. Decent experience in gardening allows us to say that disinfection allows you to increase the germination of crops, improve sowing properties, increase the growth and development of healthy plants, increase their immunity and resistance to diseases. This technique does not take much time, but leads to an early harvest. There are many ways to process seeds.
There are dry methods and there are wet ones. Classical processing - keeping the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium). Also, the seeds are soaked in a solution of garlic, aloe, various nutrient compositions rich in trace elements. For seed aging, there are special growth stimulants, sodium humanate, epin, agate-25K, immunocytophyte, and others. Also recently, a long-forgotten method is gaining its former popularity - exposure to hydrogen peroxide.

Preparing for planting is the foundation of the future harvest. Experienced summer residents begin training in March and February.

Thus, they carry out special manipulations that are aimed at accelerating the appearance of fruits. Also, ultimately, the incidence of plants decreases and their productivity increases. Preparation includes heating, disinfection, processing with nutrient mixtures, and other procedures. Seasoned seedlings can withstand frost, so it's worth it, even though many gardeners find it troublesome. How to do soaking correctly, and what formulations exist for this procedure - you can learn about everything from this article. Hardening is a very useful process, and a well-versed gardener is always ready to carry out such a useful and necessary procedure before planting.

Disinfection instructions (types of treatment)

Tomato seed preparation includes several stages. The first is warming up, the temperature should be about 30 degrees, and they keep in such warmth for up to two days. If the temperature is 50 degrees, then one day will be enough. The pubescent seeds must be sanded before sowing. This is done in electrically driven drums, where the processing time is regulated, depending on the speed and the processed mass.

For the prevention of viral diseases, potassium permanganate disinfection is used. Another compound used for the same purpose is hydrochloric acid. Processing for three minutes alternates with rinsing under running water for 10-15 minutes. Boiling is a disinfection procedure that includes heating for twenty minutes in water at a temperature of 50 degrees. After the procedure, the seeds are cooled and dried. Steaming - steaming for several minutes, followed by drying.

After that, they must be rinsed with running clean water and dried. The concentration of the composition is determined by its color. Processing is carried out immediately before disembarkation. Boric acid can be a good alternative to potassium permanganate. After processing, the seeds are not washed, but only dried. A solution of copper sulfate is also suitable for this purpose, however, after processing, the seeds must be rinsed in clean water.

Therefore, they need stimulation that can speed up the process. Fertilizer or stimulant solutions are ideal, but there are also natural ways. Aloe juice is a natural stimulant. Before using it, the juice must be kept in the refrigerator, its protective properties are activated from the cold. Then it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 3, and seeds are dropped into it. The most versatile method is soaking in water. You can use melt water, but any other is also suitable. For a high-quality result, it is important to ensure optimal conditions for planting, since none of the seeds will germinate in dry soil.

The duration of the impregnation depends on the germination rate. But the growth rate can be increased by first germinating them. The soaked grains are melted on a damp cloth and left until the first shoots appear. The survival rate of such sprouts is 100%. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide is also used. The solution is made so that it can be soaked in it for 20 minutes, for this a mixture of 10% hydrogen peroxide is created. After infusion, the seeds are washed under running water and dried to the level of flowability.

This soaking reduces the amount of nitrates in the grown vegetables. The result of treatment should cause a decrease in damage to germinating seeds, their energy required for germination increases, and they rise two to three days faster. Hardening in the sun - some types of seeds need to be warmed up in the sun. Why are the seeds hardened? This is necessary to a greater extent in order to increase their resistance to cold. The process is very delicate and is not applicable for some varieties. Tomato seeds are hardened early before planting by placing them in snow.

The very same disinfection is necessary to destroy possible pathogens of various diseases. This process is carried out in many ways. The ultimate goal is to get a healthy harvest, and the process itself consists of several different stages - sorting, disinfection, growth stimulation. All of them will help to increase yields, plant resistance to cold and weather conditions, germination. Other soaking compounds are boric acid with a density of 0.1%, copper sulfate not more than 0.5%, ammonium molybdate - 0.02%, succinic acid - 0.002%, nicotinic acid - 0.01%. The temperature for processing is 24-26 degrees.

Video “How to Prepare Seeds Before Planting”

In this video, a man talks about preparing for sowing seeds of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants.