How to germinate cucumber seeds before planting

If you've realized that store-bought cucumbers can be harmful to your health, and you've acquired even a small plot of land, learn how to germinate cucumber seeds before planting. You'll have a wonderful harvest of clean, chemical-free, and incredibly healthy cucumbers. The whole family can enjoy them, and they can be safely preserved for the winter. These cucumbers will be a joy on cold winter days, a healthy and delicious addition to any dish. Therefore, let's learn all the intricacies of sprouting cucumbers to ensure a bountiful harvest, plenty to eat, and winter supplies. Read more: Cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse: planting and care.

Selecting seeds

First of all, you need to buy good seeds. Many people buy pre-prepared, calibrated ones with a special nutrient coating. These cucumbers germinate better and are less susceptible to diseases. But they're quite expensive, and we want cheaper ones, right? So, we stock up on our own seeds (by the way, they're much more effective in the second or third year), or buy them from trusted sources and prepare them according to all the rules. The varieties Cascade and Izyashchny are good for planting, the Altaisky Ranniy variety has received positive reviews, gardeners praise Zozulya and Kristall, and Nezhenskie are also good for planting.

Seed preparation – sorting

So, you've stocked up on seeds, now you need to select the best ones. To do this, soak the seeds in a 5% solution of table salt. The poor-quality ones will float immediately—discard them as unnecessary; those that sink to the bottom are perfect for planting. After soaking, drain the water and dry the seeds by spreading them out on a cloth or newspaper.

Warming up

To increase the germination rate of our already selected seeds, we can warm them up, which will increase the yield. This can be done in a number of ways: spread them out near a radiator, or heat them in a dehydrator (up to 60 degrees Celsius, don't raise the temperature any higher; a couple of hours will do). If you're storing them on a windowsill, let them warm up next to the radiator for 2-3 days. Seeds warmed this way will produce fruit sooner, and they'll have far fewer barren flowers than their unprepared counterparts.

Once you start gardening, you'll find the following information useful: A garden for the lazy person who doesn't dig all the secrets.

Disinfection

This method protects seeds from disease. Be sure to apply it before soaking or germinating. Make a 1% potassium permanganate solution and soak the seeds in it for about 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly a couple of times, and then proceed to other procedures.

Germinating seeds in a cloth

The following procedure will ensure earlier germination. Wet a cotton cloth, place the seeds on a plate, and cover with plastic wrap. The temperature should be around 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit) for good germination. Once some of the seeds have sprouted, they're ready to plant. Make furrows in the soil, water thoroughly with warm water, place the seeds, and cover with a layer of soil about 1-2 cm thick. Wait for the sprouts to emerge, checking every day to see if any have appeared. When the little green shoots begin to emerge from the soil, such joy fills you – you've succeeded! Nothing can compare – a harvest grown with your own hands is so much more enjoyable to eat and preserve for the winter cold, when only snow covers the garden and you crave vegetables and fruits.

Germination in toilet paper

Another interesting method is sprouting seeds in toilet paper. It takes up little space, and you can sprout many seeds at once on a single piece of windowsill. Simply cut a piece of plastic tape about 5-8 cm high, lay 1-2 layers of toilet paper on it, moisten it with water, and lay out the seeds. Space the seeds approximately 1 cm apart, and no more than 2-2.2 cm from the top edge. Then roll the whole thing into a loose roll and simply place it in a glass of water. The water should reach halfway up the roll to prevent the seeds from getting submerged. The toilet paper will allow the vital moisture to reach the seeds in just the right amount.

Check the water level periodically and top up if needed. You can carefully unroll the roll and remove the sprouted seeds for replanting. This is better than transplanting the newly sprouted seeds, as cucumbers are very sensitive to changes in environment. And with just sprouted seeds, they're easily ready to move.

Follow-up tips

Even before germination, you can perform the following procedures, which will increase the yield and eliminate many diseases:

• Soaking in a solution of baking soda, copper sulfate, and boric acid. If you prefer to avoid any chemicals, it's best to use gold ash; it's rich in beneficial minerals, which will greatly strengthen your seeds' immune system. Just remember, the ash should be wood ash, not any junk.
• Oxygenation is a very effective procedure that increases yield. You can soak the seeds and connect them to an aquarium air pump for 24 hours to circulate oxygen through the water, saturating the seeds.
• You can harden seeds by exposing them to cold and then warm temperatures, or vice versa. This makes the seeds more resilient to various adverse factors in the garden.

Interesting information on the topic - planting cucumbers in 5-liter bottles.