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Each gardener on his site allocates space for carrot ridges. And not only because it is an obligatory vegetable for cooking and preparations. And, first of all, because of the nutritional and taste qualities of fragrant carrots. It is useful for children and adults, helps to avoid vitamin deficiency in winter.
Sowing carrot varieties are divided according to ripening time. It is early ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Early varieties are good for bunch growing to feast on tender carrots in early summer. And late carrots are stored for a long time without losing their useful qualities. The beginning of the period when you can start eating carrots depends on the time of emergence of seedlings. How to sow carrots so that they quickly sprout and grow? Experienced summer residents have an answer and useful recommendations for any question.
The sowing date itself is advised to check with the lunar sowing calendar. But at the same time, it is always necessary to take into account the climatic features of the region and the composition of the soil on the site. The germination rate of carrots depends on:
- soil fertility;
- its temperature at the time of sowing;
- seed quality;
- procedures for preparing for sowing;
- sowing technologies.
We will consider all these nuances in the article.
Selecting and preparing seeds
Before buying seeds, you need to familiarize yourself with the list of carrot varieties. Choose your favorite and read the description carefully. If the variety is ideal for your area, tested by many gardeners in their areas, has good reviews, then feel free to buy seeds. Another tip – take bags of trusted manufacturers and specialized stores. In this case, you can be sure of their quality.
There are many ways to plant carrots. Each has its own advantages and features. But in any case, in order for carrot seeds to sprout faster, they must be properly prepared before sowing. There are methods to speed up the germination of seeds and the emergence of seedlings. Indeed, carrot seeds contain a large amount of essential oils, which slightly complicate the flow of moisture into the seed germ.
To enable carrot seeds to germinate faster, use “country” tricks:
- germinate them in a linen bag;
- bubbling;
- soaked;
- harden;
- use growth stimulants and much more.
You can choose one method of preparation, you can have several, and then sow the treated or germinated seeds of varietal carrots in the ground.
Sprouting in a canvas bag
It is considered not a very fast way, but it saves a lot of time during the spring park in the garden. Preparation begins even when there is snow on the site. The seeds are placed in a bag, a small depression is dug in the ground, a bag of seeds is placed, buried and covered with snow. The place should be marked so that after the snow melts not to lose. After a couple of weeks, the seeds are dug out. During this time they have time to germinate and are ready for sowing. Some vegetable growers mix varietal carrot seeds with dry sand to sow more evenly. The carrots will sprout in a week.
Bubbling at home
An effective method that accelerates the germination of seeds of varietal carrots. In this method, they are treated with oxygen. As a result, growth processes in carrot cells are activated. 10 days after the procedure, carrot seeds are sown in ridges. For bubbling you will need:
- a glass bottle filled with warm water;
- aquarium aerator.
A hose and seeds are lowered into the water. Saturate the water with oxygen until sprouts appear.
Seeds are strained with gauze, dried for 3 days. Now they can be planted.
Soaking before sowing
A very affordable and popular method of accelerating the germination of seed. It is filled with water so that it is a couple of centimeters above the layer. During the day it is necessary to change the water 4-5 times. For greater effect, experienced summer residents use an infusion of wood ash. The infusion is prepared as follows – a spoonful of ash is poured with hot water (1 liter) and insisted for two days, shaking after a certain period of time. In such an infusion, carrot seeds hatch in a day. Now they need to be put on a plate and covered with a damp cloth. This will help prevent the seeds from drying out. Store a plate with seeds at a temperature of +20°C. The fabric is periodically moistened, not allowing it to dry out. As soon as sprouted roots and green sprouts appear, you can start sowing carrots. It is much more profitable to plant prepared carrot seeds, because they will give more friendly and early shoots.
Hardening
This preparation option is also considered one of the best. Hardened seeds of varietal carrots germinate better (they do not wait for the soil to warm up), and are more resistant to diseases. You can freeze the soaked planting material. To do this, it is placed for three days in a place with sub-zero temperatures or outside (from -1 ° C to -4 ° C). Some gardeners simply bury a bag of planting material in the ground.
If you prefer a milder method, then variable exposure of carrot seeds at +20°C and zero is sufficient. In each temperature regime they are kept for 12 hours.
The use of growth stimulants
This is the correct and gentle method for germinating planting material. Ready-made sets of trace elements are suitable, which can be purchased at garden stores. Make a solution according to the instructions, and soak the planting material. Soaking time is also indicated in the description. After that, it is dried and sown in the ground.
Soil preparation and competent sowing
Germinating carrot seeds need fertile and loose soil. Therefore, the beds are prepared in advance. The introduction of sand and peat, as well as deep digging, helps to increase friability. Do not add manure, this will lead to the opposite result. Plants will weaken, and root crops will be stored worse.
Now let’s move on to the technology of sowing seeds in the ground.
The aisles are left 20 cm wide. First, the furrows are shed with a solution of potassium permanganate or another disinfectant. Some successfully use Fitosporin.
There are also many ways to sow. Some gardeners prefer to sow only granulated carrot seeds. They are already processed, do not require preparation before sowing. Sowing such seeds is much easier, because they are larger than usual in size.
Other growers prefer sowing on tape. Some manufacturers produce planting material on a tape. The finished tape is placed in the furrows and covered with earth. If there is time and desire, many gardeners themselves stick carrot seeds on a tape, and then sow.
Another popular option is mixing seeds with sand. The main thing is not to forget that the sand needs dry. By adding radish seeds, you can be sure that you will loosen the beds in time. This is easy to do even if the carrot seeds have not yet sprouted. Radishes rise earlier and will mark the grooves with carrots.
Covering the ridges with plastic wrap helps speed up the emergence of carrot shoots and its growth. You can cover both before and after sowing.
Performing such simple tricks will speed up the germination of carrots and make it possible to enjoy delicious root crops early.
