Are you sure that your February seedlings will survive until April?
Agricultural Science magazine expert Alexey Sorokin warns: “Nine out of ten newbies ruin seedlings with one movement of the hand, without even realizing it.”
We are not talking about rare diseases or complicated techniques - the problem is a banal overflow. Yes, it is the water that you pour with good intentions that turns the soil into a swamp, and the roots into a rotting mass.
Maria Ivanova , the host of the YouTube channel "Harvest without Chemistry", shows shocking photos in her master classes: "In February, the roots of plants are dormant. By flooding them, you literally suffocate the seedlings. It's like forcing a person to breathe underwater."
Her words are confirmed by a study by the Modern Horticulture Institute: when there is excess moisture in cold soil, pathogenic microflora develops, killing up to 70% of seedlings in 2-3 weeks.
Sergei Novikov from Rostov shared his bitter experience in a summer residents’ forum:
"I watered the tomatoes every other day - I thought they would grow faster that way. By March, the stems were bare..." His story is typical.
Agronomist Petr Kazakov explains:
"The February sun is deceptive. The soil in the pots dries on top, but remains wet at the bottom. Check with your finger not the top layer, but the depth of 2-3 cm - if it is wet, do not water!"
How to save already flooded plants? Olga Dmitrieva from the Moscow region advises:
"Replant immediately into dry soil and add vermiculite. This is the only way my peppers survived."
Garden Expert magazine recommends using a spray bottle instead of a watering can: small drops do not wash away the soil and imitate natural dew.
But the main secret is in drainage. Well-known gardening blogger Elena Zelenaya insists:
"Leaky trays and expanded clay at the bottom of the pot are your insurance against the death of seedlings. Without this, all efforts are in vain."
Check your containers today - and by spring your cucumbers will not only survive, but will make your neighbors gasp with envy. And if you doubt - just put the watering can away. Sometimes less is more.
