When to plant pumpkin seedlings to get a big harvest
Content
Pumpkin planting dates
The pumpkin is a rather thermophilic plant, since South America is considered its homeland. Therefore, in some regions, certain difficulties may arise with its cultivation. This is especially typical for the northern regions, where the harvest may not have time to ripen before the onset of the first frost. In this situation, the way out will be to accelerate the process of plant growth, which is achieved by planting seedlings, not seeds, in the ground.
The timing of planting seeds for seedlings is determined by the following parameters:
- climatic features of the place of growth of the plant;
- biological characteristics of varieties. Today, pumpkin is early, mid and late ripening. Depending on the type of variety, the timing of the ripening of the crop and the period of planting seeds for seedlings differ.
Therefore, the answer to the question "when to plant?" depends entirely on these two parameters. Often, the range of times when seeds should be sown for seedlings is from April 20 to May. But some gardeners argue that the best time to plant seeds for growing seedlings is the beginning of May. This timing is due to the fact that the pumpkin has its own requirements for soil temperature. The soil should have a temperature not lower than + 16-18 ° С. In this case, frosts can severely damage the planted seedlings.
Therefore, it is possible to plant seedlings in open ground already at the end of May - beginning of June. In this case, it is necessary to plant seeds based on the calculation that it should take about 25-30 days to grow full-fledged seedlings. Therefore, the optimal time for the seeds to take root well and give strong seedlings is May, when the soil is already warmed up enough and frosts at night are excluded. Although in different regions, depending on climatic features, all this can move to the end of April.
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Seed preparation
An important point in the seedling method of growing any crops is the correct preparation of seedlings. For pumpkin, seeds must also be prepared before planting. This will greatly increase their adaptability to growth in the open field and speed up the process of emergence of the first shoots.
It is necessary to plant pumpkin seeds in pots only after the following preparation:
- for seedlings, only full and healthy seeds should be selected, without visible damage. Also, they should not be affected by infections or frostbite;
- then the seeds need to be warmed up. Warming up lasts for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 60 ° C. Without preliminary warming up, a friendly sprout can not be expected;
- in addition, it is necessary to increase the resistance of the seed to various diseases and unfavorable environmental conditions. To do this, before you plant the seeds, they need to be treated with a stimulant.For pumpkin, you can use potassium humate (4 ml of the substance is added to 200 ml of water), crezacin (1 tablet per 100 ml of water is enough) or epin (2-7 drops are added to 100 ml of water). Instead, you can use ordinary wood ash (2 tablespoons are diluted in 1 liter of warm water).
In addition, to increase their germination, seeds can be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (the solution should be pink) or in plain warm water. When using a solution of potassium permanganate, the seedlings are placed in it for 12 hours. In this case, you need to change the water every 4 hours.
After the procedures described above, pumpkin seeds must be put to dry or can be sown immediately. But it is better to pass them through the germination procedure. For this, the seedlings are wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in a saucer. Instead of a saucer, they can be placed in a box of scalded sawdust. In boxes, the convolutions should be laid out in 2-3 layers.
Wet wipes should be placed between the layers of pumpkin seeds, alternating with bundles. After that, the box with seedlings is placed in a warm place. After 2-3 days, you will be able to see the first shoots, which will be quite strong.
There is another method for preparing pumpkin seedlings:
- we wrap the seeds with a bandage or gauze and place for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate;
- after that, we rinse the seed well;
- then we put the seeds in water, into which you can add growth stimulants (a couple of drops) or a tablespoon of ash. In this nutrient medium, the inoculum should be kept for 12 hours;
- after that we put them in a saucer with boiled water and put them in the refrigerator for one night. The temperature in the refrigerator should be + 3-5 ° С. This is how the selected seed is hardened.
When to plant seedlings
It is necessary to plant the resulting seedlings when they reach the age of 25-30 days. Sunrises should not be more than 30 days old. This can reduce the survival rate of seedlings. It is also not recommended to rush with planting in open ground, especially if the seedlings are grown in the northern regions of the country. It is better to overexpose the seedlings a little if you are not sure about the absence of night frosts. Otherwise, all your work may go down the drain, and frost will destroy all planted seedlings.
As you can see, the answer to the question "when is the best time to plant pumpkin seedlings?" will be ambiguous. But often favorable climatic conditions come at the end of May. If the seeds were planted at the end of April, then by this time the seedlings will be strong enough for planting in open ground. At the same time, the entrances must have a sufficiently developed root system so that the sprout can be planted in a hole up to 10 cm deep.
If you approach the issue wisely, then getting high-quality pumpkin seedlings will be quite simple. In addition, with the seedling method, you will get the harvest a little earlier than with the non-seedling growing method. And this is another plus.
Video "How to grow a large pumpkin"
This video is a practical guide for those who wish to grow a large pumpkin in their garden. Useful and effective advice is what you will find in the video.