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Many garden crops cause trouble with sowing. Carrots are one of them. Small seeds are difficult to sow evenly, then seedlings have to be thinned out. There are bald spots in some places. Gardeners are always looking for ways to plant carrots in a quality way, while simplifying work on the ground and saving their time. Among such finds is the sowing of carrot seeds on toilet paper or on tape.
To understand why this method has gained popularity, you should dwell on its advantages:
- The most attractive feature is that there is no need for seedling thinning. This operation takes a lot of time. And if you have to thin out under the scorching sun, then this is also unpleasant. In the case of a tape landing, the need for thinning is either completely eliminated, or this action is performed very quickly.
- Good adhesion to the ground. If, after sowing carrots in the traditional way, there is a heavy downpour, then many seeds are simply washed off with water. But when they are planted on a tape, then this trouble does not threaten you, and you do not need to reseed the carrots.
But, as with any technique, you need to sow carrots on the tape correctly.
Rules for extraordinary sowing of root crops
How to plant carrots on a tape so as not to be disappointed with the result. Any technology requires training. In our case, it will be necessary to prepare the soil, seeds, stick them on the tape. Modern seed producers produce seeds on a tape in a production version. Therefore, let’s start with the preparation of the soil, since this stage is always necessary.
Land preparation
You need to start a couple of weeks before sowing carrots on the tape. The soil is carefully loosened to a depth of 10 cm and immediately leveled with a rake. Such preparation will be enough if you dug this area deep in the fall. If you have recently become the owner and do not know what manipulations were carried out with the soil in the fall, then dig the soil onto a shovel bayonet with the addition of 1/3 of the recommended dose of complex mineral fertilizer.
Planting carrots on a ribbon
Loosen the soil again and make grooves.
It is enough to lay them with a depth of about 2 cm with a shovel handle. Spill the earth well with water, then lay the tapes with carrot seeds on the bottom of the groove. The tape is well watered again and sprinkled with dry earth. Laying the tape or toilet paper is carried out so that the seeds are on top.
Some vegetable growers sow carrots without sticking the seeds on the tape. They lay a strip of toilet paper (thin) at the bottom of the groove, carefully spread the seeds on top, cover with a second strip and sprinkle with earth. Layers of paper and the ground are gently moistened.
In the absence of precipitation, water the beds more often. If there is enough rain, then just make sure that the soil does not dry out.
Purchased carrot seeds on a tape do not require pre-treatment. We simply sow them into the ground by laying the strip. But not always a favorite or suitable variety can be found on sale in this form. Therefore, summer residents prepare their own planting material on toilet paper in advance.
Preparing the landing tape
For gluing carrot seeds, you need paper with a loose texture. Toilet tape or newspaper strips work well.
However, newsprint for carrots is not the best option. This is easily explained by the presence of paint components that negatively affect the culture. So let’s move on to toilet paper.
It is cut into strips 2 cm wide, choose the length yourself. You can lay several pieces in one furrow, you can cut long strips. The paper is ready, let’s start preparing the carrot seeds for gluing.
We will preliminarily carry out a calibration (selection). In a saline solution (1 teaspoon of salt per glass of water), place carrot seeds and stir. Those that have surfaced are removed, and only those that have sunk to the bottom are selected for sowing. The next step is washing the seeds with clean water and drying.
While the seeds are drying, prepare the paste. It is boiled either from flour or from starch.
Variant using potato starch
For half a liter of finished paste you need:
- bring 400 ml of ordinary water to a boil (turn off the fire);
- dissolve an additional 2 tablespoons of starch in 100 ml of warm water, stirring constantly;
- Bring the water back to a boil and slowly pour in the mixed starch.
The finished composition should not be thick.
Using flour
In an enameled container, flour paste is boiled in a ratio of 1 tbsp. a spoonful of flour and 100 ml of water.
How is the process of sticking carrot seeds on toilet paper? There are two options:
- Dip the match in the paste after cooling. Then touch the seed and transfer it to paper with the same match, along with a drop of glue. Seeds are glued at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other.
- On paper, place droplets of paste at the same distance, and then transfer the carrot seeds to the drop with a match.
The tapes dry up after gluing during the day. After drying, they can be removed before sowing.
This method is very popular with many gardeners, but everyone sows in their own way. If you prefer pelleted seeds or the traditional method of planting carrots, that’s fine too. But the described method of sowing on a tape greatly simplifies the process of caring for a crop. Seeds are glued at an equal distance, which saves gardeners from the first thinning of carrot beds. In the future, see that the root crops grow at a distance of at least 3 cm from each other.
Caring for carrots sown on a tape is no different from the classic one. Watering – as needed, loosening and weeding. Feeding carrots is enough for a season only twice. The first top dressing in a month after emergence of shoots, then the second time – in two months.
An interesting way to stick seeds on a napkin
In this case, you already immediately form your garden. Space the seeds 5 inches apart and your bed is ready.
To feed the carrots immediately at the time of sowing, you can add mineral fertilizer to the paste. One tablespoon per liter of liquid is enough.
Conclusion
In order to properly sow carrots on a tape, it is good to watch a video with explanations of each action. Summer residents are happy to share their new products, so the video instruction will always come in handy.
