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Common Mistakes When Growing Vegetable Seedlings: 9 Mistakes of Summer Residents
16.03.2023 18:41
Updated: 14.04.2023 17:10
Every gardener dreams of growing strong and healthy seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers and other vegetables.
But gardeners from year to year make at least 1-2 mistakes when growing seedlings. There are several points that every gardener should remember.
Soil preparation
Soil is most often used from your own plot. But before sowing, the soil must be properly prepared. Thus, the soil is watered with the preparation "Baikal EM1" (1 cap per 1 liter of water) or baker's yeast is used (10 g per 1 liter of water).
The procedure will improve the quality of the soil, its structure, and make the soil looser.
It is important to consider what plants grew in this soil last year. You cannot sow seedlings in soil where related crops were grown.
Soil from agricultural fields is not suitable. It is often treated with herbicides, which can have a detrimental effect on young plants. You may simply not see any shoots.
No germination test was performed
Many gardeners ignore this procedure, but in vain. It is better to check everything at once than to waste time and effort on seeds with low germination.
Deep sowing
The standard sowing depth is 3 seed diameters. If you plant too deep, the sprouts may not hatch. Light-sensitive seeds do not need to be planted deep at all.
Uneven distribution of forces
Experienced gardeners advise planting vegetables for seedlings, maintaining a certain interval. If you plant everything at once, then it will be difficult to care for the abundance of seedlings.
Temperature conditions
During germination, the air temperature should be approximately +30 °C. When shoots appear, the ambient temperature for seedlings is lowered. For heat-loving plants, the indicator is +25 °C, and for cold-resistant plants, approximately +18 °C.
Water temperature for irrigation
Experts do not recommend watering seedlings with cold water. The optimal temperature is +35 …+40 °C.
Picking times
Often, summer residents violate the picking dates. This should be done when the seedlings reach the stage of 2-3 true leaves. If you pick earlier, the chance of survival will be lower.
A nuance with picking
When transplanting peppers, eggplants and cucumbers, do not plant the seedlings too deep. Tomatoes, celery and cabbage require deeper planting.
Watering before transportation
A few days before transporting the seedlings, you need to stop watering. Slightly wilted seedlings do not break as much as those that have received enough moisture.
