Everyone knows that a good tomato crop depends on the selection and quality seed treatment. Proper preparation of tomato seeds for planting is the key to obtaining healthy and powerful seedlings, which in the future can bring a good harvest. Seeds for sowing should be clean (not lower than the first category for sowing and varietal qualities), have high germination energy and good germination, not contain pathogens. It is better to purchase seeds in certified centers for the sale of agricultural products, but you can select them at home. You can’t expect a good harvest from bad seeds, so you need to eliminate them right away.
Preparation of tomato seeds for planting begins in late February or early March, depending on what time the seedlings will be planted: plants can be planted in greenhouses and greenhouses earlier than in open ground. Preparing tomato seeds for planting suggests that the seeds are first carefully sorted and sorted. Large seeds of the correct form are left for sowing, and small and curves can be safely thrown away, because you still can not get a good crop from the plants grown from them. Some experts suggest sorting the seeds in saline, but when the package contains only 15-20 pieces, this procedure loses its meaning.
Next, the seeds should be placed in small bags made of several layers of gauze (you can use old nylon tights) and tie the label with the name of the variety. This is done for a kind of selection and breeding of the highest quality and most productive varieties. For disinfection, the bags are placed in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 1 coffee spoon (without slide) per 1 liter of water. After 15-20 minutes, the bags must be removed and washed under running water for 5 minutes.
The preparation of tomato seeds for planting in the next stage consists in their germination and hardening. To do this, a pallet with sides or a baking sheet should be lined with 4-6 layers of fabric, it is possible from old bedding. Moisten the tissue with micronutrient solution or other growth and root stimulant, for example sodium humate - 1 gram per 1 liter. Put seeds on the fabric, marking where which variety is located, so as not to confuse in the future, or even better to write in the diary - it’s more reliable.
The fabric should be sufficiently moist, but so that the seeds do not drain with the water when the pan is tilted and lie tightly on the fabric. The pallet is covered with a plastic bag and placed in a warm place with a temperature of plus 25-30 degrees. A day later, the pallet must be put on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 4 hours, and then again in a warm place for 20 hours. In order for tomato seeds to be prepared according to all requirements, this procedure must be repeated three times. Then the seeds need to be kept in a warm place until they hatch, that is, for 3-5 days. At this stage, tomato seeds must be handled very carefully, as inept and rough handling can lead to damage to the root and, therefore, destruction of the sprout.
As soon as the roots appear, the preparation of tomato seeds for planting ends and the sowing phase begins. If the seeds are already bent, and you can’t do any planting, then place them in the refrigerator, where the germinated seeds can last up to two weeks. But do not overdo it, as this procedure is extremely undesirable due to the negative impact of low temperature. Naturally, planting is best done immediately after hatching seeds. As you can see, the process is not so complicated, so each of you can easily get a couple of tens of kilograms of tomatoes on your site!