Winter is the time when all summer residents are busy buying seeds for the next season.
Once a successful purchase has been made, the grains are sent... to the refrigerator!
We invite you to find out why you should freeze seed material and how this can affect your yield.
In scientific terms, we are talking about a process called "stratification". It is most convenient to carry it out in the refrigerator, although some seeds are recommended to be placed directly in open ground - it all depends on the variety and type.
Thus, according to experienced agronomists, the seeds of all perennial herbaceous plants, some trees and shrubs must undergo cold hardening.
How to do it? Open the package and, to create conditions close to natural, place the seeds on top of water-soaked rags or paper napkins, laid on the bottom of small containers.
In this form, you can send them to a cold place - to a refrigerator shelf or to an unheated loggia.
After such preliminary freezing of seeds their germination rate is significantly improved. In addition, cold and humidity facilitate germination of sprouts through the hard seed coat.
Important: Before you begin stratification, read the information on the package about how long the seeds should be kept in the cold.
It is recommended to check their condition daily, as even in the refrigerator mold can appear, which is dangerous for all living organisms.
