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Disinfection of tomato seeds before sowing is a very important procedure, and gardeners who have been operating for more than one year always have the necessary tools and solutions at hand. It is undesirable to sow dry tomato seeds – there is a great danger that they will not germinate. Therefore, to accelerate growth, the seeds are soaked in various stimulating compounds. Some of them stimulate growth, and some are aimed at disinfecting and disinfecting young seedlings, resulting in a rich and full-fledged harvest.
What is disinfection for?
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. A decent experience in horticulture 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. Seeds can be treated in a variety of ways.
There are dry methods and wet methods. Classical processing – keeping 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 former popularity – exposure to hydrogen peroxide.
Preparation for planting is the basis 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, the disease of plants ultimately decreases and their yield increases. Preparation includes heating, disinfection, treatment with nutrient mixtures, and other procedures. Hardened seedlings can withstand frost, so it’s worth it, even though many gardeners find it troublesome. How to do soaking correctly, and what compositions 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.
Instructions for disinfection (types of treatment)
Preparation of tomato seeds includes several stages. The first is warming up, the temperature should be about 30 degrees, and they stay that warm for up to two days. If the temperature is 50 degrees, then one day is enough. Pubescent seeds must be ground before sowing. They do this in electric drums, where the processing time is regulated, depending on the speed and the mass being processed.
For the prevention of viral diseases, disinfection with potassium permanganate is used. Another compound used for the same purpose is hydrochloric acid. Processing for three minutes alternates with washing under running water for 10-15 minutes. Boiling is a disinfection procedure that involves heating for twenty minutes in water at a temperature of 50 degrees. After the procedure, the seeds are cooled and dried. Steaming – exposure to steam for several minutes, followed by drying.
After that, they must be washed 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 washed in clean water. 
Therefore, they need stimulation, which can speed up the process. Solutions of fertilizers or stimulants 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 lowered into it. The most versatile method can be called soaking in water. You can use melt water, but any other is suitable besides it. For a quality result, it is important to provide optimal conditions for planting, since none of the seeds will germinate in dry soil.
The duration of impregnation depends on the rate of germination. But the growth rate can be increased by first germinating them. The soaked grains are decomposed on a damp cloth, and left until the first sprouts appear. The survival rate of such sprouts is 100%. Hydrogen peroxide treatment is also used. The solution is made in such a way 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 grown vegetables. The result of the treatment should cause a decrease in the damage to germinating seeds, increase their energy required for germination, and they rise two to three days faster. Hardening in the sun – some types of seeds need to be heated in the sun. Why are seeds hardened? This is necessary to a greater extent in order to increase their resistance to cold. The process is very delicate, and for some varieties it is not applicable. Tomato seeds are hardened early before planting by placing them in the snow.
Disinfection itself 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 some different stages – sorting, disinfection, growth stimulation. All of them will help increase productivity, plant resistance to cold and weather conditions, and germination. Other soaking compounds – 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.
