Content
Zucchini is a favorite and popular vegetable. There are a lot of possible uses; its excellent dietary taste and nutritional value have made it a permanent resident in summer cottages. Anyone who decides to grow zucchini seedlings on their own for the first time is looking for answers to questions, of which there are many. When is the best time to sow seeds for zucchini seedlings, how to grow healthy zucchini seedlings, what to do if someone eats the seedlings?
Zucchini is grown in familiar ways:
- direct sowing into the ground;
- seedlings
Today we will look at the second option – advantages, technology, nuances.
Advantages of the seedling method
Zucchini ripens quite quickly. Vegetables are sown by seeds when they do not want to obtain too early production and try to combine zucchini with other fruits. After all, a salad or stew with tomatoes and carrots is much tastier than a single dish. But the seedling method is also widespread. What makes it so popular? The benefits of growing zucchini through seedlings, which are very important. The main ones:
- Early quality harvest. A well-grown seedling? produces strong, healthy plants that grow quickly, do not get sick and bear fruit well.
- All plants are planted. When sowing in the ground, there is no certainty that all the seeds will germinate well.You have to sow 2-3 seeds in one hole. The seedling method helps to calculate the exact number of plants to plant.
- Possibility to receive levelIt grows in regions with a cool climate and a short summer period.
- Compliance with the variety. For zucchini seedlings, high-quality seeds are selected and prepared correctly, which allows all the characteristics of the variety to emerge.
Growing zucchini seedlings requires certain knowledge for the result to meet expectations. Let's start by selecting and preparing zucchini seeds.
Preparing seed material
Even novice gardeners can grow zucchini seedlings. It is important to adhere to the basic recommendations. Preparation is carried out in several stages. This technology gives confidence that the zucchini seedlings will be strong.
- We purchase seeds. You need to familiarize yourself with the descriptions and characteristics of zucchini varieties, choose the most suitable one for the climate, soil composition and your capabilities. Some gardeners immediately combine several varieties in one area with different colors and ripening periods. This looks decorative and allows you to uninterruptedly harvest zucchini throughout the season. Try not to use completely fresh seeds. Plants from such seeds grow very powerful, but produce much lower yields. They produce many male flowers. Seeds stored for 2 to 4 years have good germination. Zucchini bushes grown from these seeds are weaker, but their yield and resistance to disease are higher.
- Sort. This term refers to testing zucchini seeds for germination. Experienced vegetable growers place zucchini seeds in a filtered salt solution (30 g of salt per 1 liter of water). Check time – 1 hour.During this time, high-quality seeds sink to the bottom of the container, and empty ones remain on the surface. The rejected ones are removed, and the good ones are washed with fresh water.
- We disinfect. Zucchini seeds are placed in water heated to a temperature of +50°. Leave for 6 hours and immediately transfer to cold. The second option is simpler - a month before sowing, zucchini seeds for seedlings are placed next to a heat source (heater, radiator, stove). Another way is to soak the seeds in a solution of an antiviral and antifungal drug. For example, Fitosporin-M, a mixture of Alirin-B + Gamair (1 tablet of the drug per 1 liter of water). Treatment is carried out at room temperature for 10-18 hours.
- We stimulate. For this operation, growth stimulants are used, which can be purchased in specialized stores - “Zikon” or “Albit”. Among folk recipes, a solution of baking soda (5 g per 1 liter) and aloe juice are very suitable. The juice is diluted in water (1:1) and zucchini seeds are placed for 45 minutes.
Currently, there is a sufficient selection of breeding material and hybrid zucchini, which are not subjected to any treatment before sowing. In this case, planting seeds for seedlings is much simpler.
Sowing zucchini seedlings without mistakes
After careful preparation, it is better to germinate zucchini seeds for seedlings. We wrap them in damp cloth or gauze, wait 2-3 days and the hatched specimens are ready for planting.
Gardeners love to experiment, so methods for germinating zucchini seeds can be very interesting and unexpected. For example, a home mini-greenhouse made from a plastic bottle. The bottle is cut in half.Each part is shortened to reduce internal space. In the lower part we lay layers of damp cloth and seeds. Cover with the top and place in a warm place. The seeds germinate very quickly.
Sprouted zucchini seeds for seedlings should be sown immediately. Therefore, many gardeners limit themselves to the swelling stage and do not allow sprouts to appear. Swollen zucchini seeds can be preserved longer and stored in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
When should you plant zucchini seedlings? We determine the optimal time for planting in the ground and count the period during which the seedlings will be ready.
The next stage is planting zucchini seedlings. To have somewhere to plant the seeds, we prepare the planting soil and containers for seedlings.
The composition of the soil is selected most optimally in ready-made soil mixtures, which can be purchased in specialized stores. They contain a large percentage of humus and have a neutral reaction. An alternative option is to prepare your own mixture for zucchini seedlings. Approximate ratio of parts:
- Peat – 55-60%, turf soil up to 20%, humus 20%, sawdust 10%. To increase the nutritional value, add ammonium nitrate (4-6 g), superphosphate (10-15 g), and potassium fertilizers (6-10 g) to the mixture bucket.
- Humus and turf soil (1:1). It is good to add ash (1 cup), 20 g of superphosphate and potassium fertilizer, and a little sand to this composition.
- Sand and peat in a 1:1 ratio.
It is necessary to control the acidity of the soil. When its value is high, ash or chalk is added to the soil mixture.
Preparing containers for seeds
Let's move on to preparing containers for our seedlings. Zucchini seedlings are tender and sensitive to transplanting. The sprouts may take root poorly or even die. This happens if mistakes are made during transplantation or the root system is damaged. It is enough for a clod of earth to fall apart for the roots of the zucchini to break. Therefore, picking zucchini seedlings is carried out in rare cases - when great space savings are needed and only if you have experience in replanting small plants. Each zucchini is grown from seedlings in a separate container. Anything you have on hand will do - peat cups, juice cartons, plastic containers.
The optimal container volume varies between 0.5-0.8 liters. The soil mixture is poured into it and slightly moistened. The following sequence of actions:
- Place zucchini seeds at a depth of no more than 3 cm with the pointed end down. One seed is sown in one container for seedlings;
- Water with settled water at room temperature;
- Place the containers in a room with a temperature of 25-30 degrees above zero until germination. The container should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
- After the first zucchini sprouts appear, the containers are moved to light and a stable temperature is established. Daytime temperature is no more than +17º, night temperature is no more than +14º. If these conditions are not met, then the zucchini seedlings will stretch out and be weakened at the time of transplantation to a permanent place of residence.
- The temperature is increased after the seedlings become stronger. Now it is maintained in the range of +22º during the day and +18º at night.
What further actions are needed? Zucchini seedlings need to be watered, hardened off, loosened and feed.
- Loosening – regularly, but very carefully. Any damage is detrimental to tender zucchini seedlings.
- Watering at least once a week with warm water (20º-22º). The top layer of soil should be slightly moist and not dry out.
- Tempering zucchini seedlings gradually. First, we ventilate the room, and the next step is to take the seedlings outside. We increase the hardening time gradually to enable the seedlings to adapt to lower temperatures. Before planting, we leave containers with seedlings outside for 3 days around the clock.
- Feed Zucchini seedlings need to be planted twice before planting. The first time is spilled with a solution of the “Bud” preparation. This should be done 8-14 days after seedlings appear. Dilute 2 g of the drug in one liter of water and water the plants. For 2 zucchini seedlings you will need a glass of solution. The procedure is repeated a second time 10-12 days after the first feeding. Now you need "Effecton" and nitrophoska. Dilute 1 teaspoon of the components in 1 liter of water and water the zucchini seedlings. Mixture consumption: 1 glass of solution per seedling. Many gardeners also carry out a third feeding of zucchini seedlings before planting them in the ground. It must be done if humus and mineral fertilizers were not added when preparing the planting soil.
Planting of zucchini seedlings usually takes place a month after the seeds were sown. But some summer residents manage to prepare excellent planting material in two weeks. In this case, you can take smaller containers.
Planting seedlings in a permanent place
The time has come to plant our zucchini seedlings.
The seedlings are healthy and strong, so the following actions will be:
Selecting a location. Although gardeners complete this point much earlier. Typically, the decision about where to plant zucchini seedlings is made before sowing the seeds. The bed is located in a sunny, windless area.
It is recommended to re-grow zucchini in this place after 3-4 years. Warning! Undesirable predecessors for zucchini are pumpkin, cucumbers, and squash.
Zucchini bears fruit well in the place where potatoes, onions, garlic, cauliflower and white cabbage used to grow.
Preparing land for zucchini seedlings in a selected area. It is better to do it in advance. Already in the fall, after harvesting, the soil is fertilized with compost or humus, and fertilizers are applied - superphosphate and potassium. The first in the amount of 30 g per 1 sq. m, the second - 20 g per 1 sq. m. Then there is high-quality digging and nothing is done until spring. As soon as the snow melts, lightly loosen the ground and fertilize it with nitrate, 20 g per 1 sq. m. m, then dig up. Based on the composition of the soil, clay and sawdust are added for sandy soil, sand and humus for clayey soil.
In the spring they begin to design the ridges. Zucchini takes up a lot of space. To prevent overgrown plants from interfering with or shading each other, maintain a distance of 1.5 m between rows and 0.9 m between each bush. Organic fertilizers are applied to each hole immediately before planting. One tablespoon is enough. Organic matter is mixed with soil and planting of zucchini seedlings begins. It is better to plan this activity for the afternoon or a cloudy day. Active sun will be destructive for tender zucchini seedlings.
If, when growing zucchini seedlings, you sowed the seeds in peat pots, then they are buried entirely in the ground along with the plant. Deepen the zucchini seedling to the first leaves. If there is a threat of frost or a drop in temperature at night, the planted zucchini should be covered. After planting, water the seedling with Agricola-5 solution in a ratio of 1 tbsp to water. spoon on a bucket. For one well, 1 liter of composition is required. It is advisable to shade zucchini seedlings for several days so that the seedlings have time to adapt to the new place.
Attack on seedlings, what to do
Another important question that gardeners often ask. Someone is eating leaves and cotyledons on the squash seedlings. Often such a nuisance occurs with seedlings that are grown in greenhouses. The boxes are placed on the ground, which allows the pest to get to the seedlings.
And sometimes this can happen after planting zucchini seedlings for permanent residence. Which pests are capable of this and how can we help defenseless plants?
The main pest in this case is slugs. They are capable of destroying all planted seedlings in one night. They go hunting after evening watering. The slug eats a lot more than you might imagine. If you notice this pest in your garden beds, you can protect your zucchini seedlings using regular ash or special granules that are scattered around the seedlings.
This technique will also save you from mole crickets that eat the stems of zucchini seedlings. More precisely, he doesn’t eat, but cuts.
If such a nuisance occurs in an apartment, then it may be small pests living in the soil.Therefore, before planting zucchini seeds for seedlings, the soil mixture must be disinfected with a hot solution of potassium permanganate. Or buy special disinfectants.
Conclusion
In order for zucchini seedlings grown by yourself to meet all expectations, it is necessary to take into account climatic conditions. Try to select those varieties of zucchini that are well zoned in your region. Hybrid species with specially bred characteristics help out. A short summer suggests harvesting from early varieties; if the heat lasts longer, medium varieties are also suitable. Don't give up zucchini. A wonderful variety of zucchini that will delight you not only with delicious fruits, but also with its colorful colors.
