Soaking seeds before planting is a procedure that helps to improve the yield of garden crops. Also, such an event can significantly reduce the incidence of plants during the growth process. Used to soak a variety of means. This can be, for example, potassium permanganate, growth stimulants, or even just water. Soaking seeds in aloe juice is also very common. We will talk about how to carry out just such an operation.
Basic rules for soaking planting material
Before proceeding with any other actions, the seeds of garden crops should be decontaminated.
Actually, the soaking procedure itself should be carried out in compliance with the following rules:
- The volume of fluid used should be about 50 times the same indicator for the dry weight of the seeds.
- During the soaking procedure, the seeds should be carefully monitored. The timing of soaking should be observed exactly. It is impossible to overexposure planting material in a liquid. Otherwise, the seeds may simply die.
- The temperature of the solution for planting material of thermophilic crops should be 20-25 ° C, for ordinary - 18-20 ° C.
The benefits of aloe juice for seeds
Why do experienced summer residents soak planting material of garden crops in such a solution? Aloe juice is useful for plants primarily because it is a natural biostimulant. It is also considered a good natural antibiotic.
Thus, soaking the seeds in aloe juice allows summer residents first of all to increase their germination. It is believed that this tool stimulates the development of the embryo no worse than any purchased. Also, when soaking in aloe juice, additional disinfection of planting material from various kinds of harmful microorganisms occurs.
The seeds of which plants can be processed
The effect of a procedure such as soaking seeds in aloe juice can actually be expressed. But, unfortunately, far from all garden crops can be planted in this way. In particular, tomato seeds respond well to soaking in such a solution. Also, this method is great for processing seeds of cabbage, cucumbers and all kinds of salads.
However, planting material of garden crops such as pumpkin and celery, for example, cannot be soaked in aloe juice. The same goes for onion seeds. For planting material of all these crops, aloe juice is nothing more than an aggressive environment. Sometimes summer residents are interested in whether pepper seeds can be soaked in aloe juice. Unfortunately, it is impossible to process the planting material of this popular garden crop in this way. Pepper seeds in aloe juice can lose germination.
How to disinfect
So, what should be the order of the gardener who decides to treat the seeds with aloe juice? According to the rules, as mentioned above, planting material should first be decontaminated. For this, the seeds can:
- Warm up in a thermos . In this case, a certain temperature should be used. So, for example, for cabbage this indicator can be equal to 52-54 ° . Tomato seeds are heated in water with a temperature of 50-52 ° C. The disinfection time when using a thermos is usually 30 minutes.
- Etch with potassium permanganate. This disinfection technology usually involves the use of 1-2% solution. To prepare the latter, you just need to dissolve one teaspoon of potassium permanganate in 3 glasses of water. In this case, disinfection should last about 45 minutes. Water for the solution should be taken at room temperature.
After disinfection, the seeds should be thoroughly rinsed in running water.
Soaking seeds before planting in aloe juice: the main stages
Actually, the procedure for processing planting material with aloe juice is performed in several steps:
- Leaves are being prepared.
- The stimulating solution itself is prepared.
- Soaking is done.
Preparing cut leaves
Experienced summer residents are advised to take the material for the preparation of the solution with plants at least three years old. Best for soaking seeds is the juice of leaves growing at the very bottom of aloe. Cut the material for the preparation of the solution with a sharp knife. Of course, the leaves chosen for soaking should not have any damage or signs of illness. The plant itself is also worth choosing completely healthy.
Aloe juice is very caustic and aggressive. Therefore, in order not to damage the embryos in the seeds, the leaves should be wrapped in gauze before soaking and put in the lower compartment of the refrigerator. They should be there for about a day. During this time, aloe juice will become softer.
How to make aloe juice to soak the seeds correctly
About what specific concentration to prepare the liquid, opinions among summer residents differ. Some advise for a procedure such as soaking tomato seeds in aloe juice (or planting material of other crops) to prepare a solution in a 1: 1 ratio. That is, take the same amount of water for one volume part of the juice. This method is used by most summer residents. But some gardeners soak the seeds in undiluted aloe juice.
In any case, water for the solution should be taken at room temperature. Pure aloe juice intended for soaking should also not be cold.
How to soak
Actually, the procedure for processing seeds of garden crops with aloe juice is as follows:
- disinfected seeds are laid out in plates so that they do not cover each other;
- pour planting material with aloe juice or its solution with water.
Soaking tomato seeds in aloe juice, like any other crop, is performed at a rate of 50/1 by volume. You should not be afraid that the seeds may “suffocate” in such an amount of solution.
The soaking time in this case will also depend on the degree of swelling of the planting material (this indicator differs for seeds of different crops). Typically, the processing procedure takes from 18 to 24 hours.
Another way
You can try to soak the seeds in aloe juice and using a slightly different technology. In this case, the leaves are also cut from the lower part of the stem of an adult aloe. Then they are cut along and impose planting material in rows on one of the halves. Then the seeds are covered with the rest of the leaf. Using this method of soaking the planting material in aloe juice is even easier than described above.
What to do next?
After the seeds are completely saturated with aloe juice and swell, they should be pulled out of the plates or leaves. Rinse planting material is not necessary. Seeds should be immediately planted in beds or in seedlings.
The opinion of summer residents about the processing method
Reviews on soaking seeds in aloe juice among gardeners are only good. As many summer residents note, with the correct processing of planting material in such a solution, cultures sprout very quickly. Subsequently, they develop well and quickly and increase productivity. So, for example:
- those asters whose seeds were soaked in aloe juice germinate 7-10 days earlier and do not suffer from Fusarium infection;
- after soaking, even expired seeds that have been stored for several years appear in such a solution.
Some summer residents advise using aloe juice not only for germinating seeds, but also for better rooting, for example, cuttings of roses or some garden shrubs.
What can replace aloe
This culture grows on the windowsill in many apartments. However, sometimes it still happens that the gardener does not have the opportunity to get aloe juice. In this case, for soaking, you can cut, for example, leaves of Kalanchoe. The technology for treating seeds with the juice of this plant is absolutely identical to that used with aloe.
Instead of a conclusion
Thus, we found out what proportions the solution should have when soaking the seeds in aloe juice, as well as how to properly carry out this procedure itself. As you can see, the event is relatively simple. The main thing is to properly prepare the solution itself and remove the seeds on time - immediately after their swelling.