Content
To ensure that tomatoes grow healthy and strong, they are processed before planting. Soaking tomato seeds in hydrogen peroxide is a procedure that increases the chances of rooting and a good harvest. The product is absolutely safe and is available for purchase at any pharmacy.
Is it possible to soak tomato seeds in hydrogen peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide is essentially water. The chemical composition of the two liquids differs by the presence of an additional oxygen atom. Thanks to this, the product has a disinfectant effect.
You need to soak using only clean dishes.
If you soak tomato seeds in peroxide before planting, the samples will get rid of harmful microorganisms. Planting material purchased second-hand or selected independently may be unsafe. Pests usually hide under the hard seed shell. Treatment in hydrogen peroxide not only helps get rid of bacteria, but also improves the sprouts' immunity to disease.
Soaking can be useful for another reason. Peroxide softens the top layer of the seed, causing the sprout to appear faster and without damage.
Advantages and disadvantages
The use of hydrogen peroxide is optional. Many people neglect this, which leads to weakness of the tomato.
You can even soak the soil with peroxide, but in increased doses and in advance of planting
Pros:
- acceleration of germination;
- disinfection;
- improved ventilation;
- increasing immunity;
- safety;
- softening of the outer shell.
Minuses:
- If tomatoes sit in peroxide for too long, it will render them unusable.
Which seeds to choose
It is impossible to say with certainty that tomato seeds will take root. That's why gardeners use peroxide. If you maintain the required concentration, the product will not harm the future plant.
Usually the procedure is carried out to soften the seed. Bad samples are distinguished by a strong shell, which the sprout may not be able to overcome. Tomato is not the only crop characterized by hardness. This category includes watermelons, cucumbers, beets, sunflowers, eggplants, and zucchini.
By treating tomato seeds with hydrogen peroxide before sowing, you can increase the chances of rooting. This applies not only to agricultural plants. Many seeds of ornamental varieties, in particular carnations, balsam and pelargonium, germinated much faster after soaking.
You can soak in both glass and plastic containers - there is no difference in this regard
However, not all tomatoes need to be soaked. For example, samples purchased in a store do not require this. They have already been disinfected at the factory, so contact with hydrogen peroxide may degrade their quality. Before purchasing, you should familiarize yourself with the packaging. It should indicate what treatment was carried out.
You can tell that tomato seeds do not need to be soaked by their appearance. Sometimes samples are protected by a special layer that protects the plant from the aggressive influence of the external environment. This procedure is called panning. These raw materials resemble candies.
Pre-sowing treatment of tomato seeds with hydrogen peroxide is not necessary if they have been inlaid. This is a similar procedure - the samples are disinfected and enclosed in a protective shell. There are also plasma and laser seeds.
It is also not always necessary to soak the material that is sold in simple bags. The manufacturer indicates what disinfectants he used to treat the tomatoes.
How to prepare the solution
To prepare the solution, use a 3% concentration of hydrogen peroxide. To do this, add 1 tsp to 200 ml of water. substances. If there are a lot of seeds, they are placed in a liter container using 2 tbsp. l. facilities.
Soaking in peroxide is beneficial. After contact, up to 99% of harmful microorganisms are removed
You can soak tomatoes according to another recipe by adding peroxide (6%) to the water in a ratio of 10:1. If you need to treat the soil, dissolve one bottle of the mentioned liquid in a four-liter container. The soil is watered three days before planting.
How to soak tomato seeds in hydrogen peroxide
Treating tomato seeds before planting is easy. Hydrogen peroxide does its job perfectly. You can soak according to the following instructions:
- Prepare planting material - soak in a glass of clean water for half an hour. During this time, the top layer will become a little softer, making it easier for the peroxide to penetrate.
- In parallel with this, you can begin preparing the solution. It is enough to take two tbsp. l. product and add to a liter jar of water.
- If the seeds belong to different crops, it is correct to use separate dishes. This is because they may require different processing times.
- Before soaking in the solution, the raw materials are wrapped in cloth and placed in a container.
- The tomato is kept for the required time, while changing the water every five hours.
- The samples are removed from the solution, washed with clean water (can be soaked), dried and planted.
Tomatoes intended for seedlings can be immersed in the product undiluted with water. But hydrogen peroxide should not be in contact with the material for more than 20 minutes. It is also necessary to soak the seeds in clean water.
It is not necessary to soak absolutely all the seeds
If there is little peroxide, it is better to treat the hardest seeds.
If the seeds are already soft enough, there is no need to soak them in the solution for a long time. It is enough to place them in undiluted liquid for a third of an hour.
Conclusion
Soaking tomato seeds in hydrogen peroxide is a useful and absolutely safe procedure.This kind of work doesn't take much time. Soaking raw materials is simple and economical.
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