How to save watermelon seeds for planting at home
For the purity of the variety, many summer residents prefer to collect seed material from watermelons grown on their plots. This way you can immediately see which plant was not sick, how it developed and grew. Farmers select the healthiest large fruits, the seeds of which will bring a decent harvest next season. How to collect and save watermelon seeds for planting - read the article.
How and when to collect seeds from watermelon
To collect seeds for storage at home, choose the ripest watermelon in the melon patch. Even at the stage of ovary formation, the strongest and healthiest plant is noted, leaving 1-2 fruits on it. Excess shoots are cut off, this will allow the remaining watermelons to grow to their maximum size and form full-fledged seeds.
To prevent mixing of varieties, artificial pollination is used. To do this, pollen from a plucked male flower is transferred to the pistil of a female flower, after which the pollinated flower is isolated from pollen from other plants.
The complete ripeness of a watermelon is determined by the drying of the stalk, tendrils, and leaves on the branch. The main sign of maturity is a dull sound when tapping the fruit, a characteristic cracking sound when pressed. The rind of a ripe watermelon looks uniformly shiny, with a yellow spot appearing where it touches the ground. To prevent decay from starting in this area, place a board under the stain.Having reached full ripeness, the watermelon stops growing, acquiring the maximum size for the selected variety.
Early varieties reach biological ripeness on 35-40 days from the beginning of ovary formation, medium and late varieties - on 40-50 days. The melon crop is harvested at the end of August.
Attention! Early ripening varieties are best suited for sowing, since there is a chance that they will have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather.
If it is not possible to grow a watermelon within this time frame, it is placed in a cool room to ripen for three weeks. At the same time, the quality of the seed material does not change, in some cases the number of mature seeds even increases.
Overripe, soft fruits are not suitable for selecting seed. Sometimes inside such watermelons they begin germinate seeds. Accordingly, seeds from overripe fruits have low germination and weak germination energy.
Reference! Seeds selected from hybrid fruits are not suitable for cultivation. The harvest from such seeds will not match the characteristics of the parent hybrid.
When choosing a watermelon, make sure that the fruit has not been cross-pollinated by insects with other crops growing in neighboring beds.
Melon seed collected in dry, warm summers is stored much better and longer than those grown in the wet and cool season.
Algorithm for collecting seeds at home
The most valuable productive seeds are located in the sugar part of the fruit. But other ripe seeds are also extracted; they differ slightly in quality, so you should not discard them.
The watermelon is cut in half, the ripe pulp is separated along with the seeds, and placed in a non-metallic container (so that the oxidation process does not begin). The pulp with seeds is poured with water and kept for three days, causing fermentation. Then the water is drained, the seeds are washed several times in running water to remove the pulp. Unremoved fibers will begin to decompose, which will lead to the unwanted formation of pathogenic bacteria and fungi.
Another option: eat the watermelon, collect the seeds in a container, add water with a drop of dishwashing detergent, and mix thoroughly to remove the sugar. Then drain into a sieve, rinse with running water, and lay out to dry.
Selection of seeds
After drying, the seed is calibrated. Large specimens of approximately the same size are selected for storage in order to achieve simultaneous germination in the future.
Small, uncolored, deformed, with damaged surfaces are put aside; they are not useful for growing large fruits. They are planted separately, they will also grow, but the fruits will be medium in size.
When choosing, they give preference to black and dark brown seeds with a dense consistency. Unripened white seeds are unsuitable for sowing and are thrown away.
Criteria for suitable seeds
Before preparing for storage, seeds are first checked for viability. To do this, the selected material is placed in a deep container and filled with clean water for half an hour. The floating specimens are empty and unsuitable for further cultivation; they are discarded. The seeds lying at the bottom of the container are removed from the water, dried for three days and prepared for long-term storage.
How to process the resulting seed
Each melon seed is surrounded by a gelatinous shell, which is removed by fermentation (a procedure reminiscent of the natural rotting of plant fibers). To do this, the fermentation process is initiated: the pulp with seeds is poured with a small amount of water and left for three days.
When the mixture begins to ferment and traces of gray mold appear on the surface, this indicates decomposition of the oily coating on the seeds. When air bubbles form, the fermentation process is stopped. Add water to the fermented mixture and mix thoroughly, helping to clean the seeds from the decomposed film. Then the water is drained, after which the seed is washed several times in running water for final cleaning. After this, the seeds are taken out and dried on a plate.
For better keeping quality, harvested seeds are treated with Fentiuram, a chemical disinfectant for disinfection and protection against damage by pathogenic fungi and bacteria. The drug is diluted in water according to the instructions, a solution is prepared at the rate of 3 g of the product per 1 kg of seed and the seeds are soaked in it for 20-30 minutes.
After etching, the seeds are laid out in one layer on paper or fabric and left to dry completely.. Sticky specimens are separated. It is better not to use thin paper napkins, as their fibers will stick to the wet surface of the seeds. During long-term storage in these places there is a possibility of pathogenic bacteria appearing.
Important! Wet seeds mixed with debris quickly heat up, become moldy and rot.
For drying, plastic nets with small cells are used. In them, the seed material is well ventilated and dries evenly on all sides.Sun drying is not recommended. At room temperature 20-25°C, the seeds will dry out within two days.
How to store
After complete drying, the seed is placed in a paper bag on which the variety and harvest date are indicated.
When properly stored, melon seeds remain viable for several years and have good germination energy. But some farmers are faced with the fact that the sown seeds do not sprout. The main reason is unfavorable conditions and improper storage.
Several factors influence the storage of planting material. These include:
- Temperature. The lower the room temperature, the longer the seeds do not lose their viability. Warm storage conditions lead to rapid oxidation of nutrients and spoilage of seeds. The optimal temperature for storage is within +10-15°C.
- Humidity. When the air humidity in the room is high, mold appears on the seeds. Humidity promotes unwanted premature germination. The seeds may rot under these conditions. Therefore, well-dried seeds are put aside for storage. Optimal humidity is maintained at 40%.
- Air circulation. The room is regularly ventilated. Stagnant air will lead to the appearance of pathogenic microbes.
- Sterility. No debris should get into the seed. This will lead to damage to the seeds, and pests will appear that feed on the seeds.
- Lighting. Lack of sunlight prevents seeds from germinating. Before sowing, they are stored in complete darkness.
Read also:
How to water watermelons in open ground: frequency and rules of watering.
When do watermelons ripen and how to determine their degree of ripeness.
Optimal storage conditions and periods
Melon seeds are stored in open and closed ways.
With the open method, the seed material is placed in bags made of natural (linen) fabrics that allow air to pass through well.
With the closed storage method, the seeds are placed in paper bags and placed in a plastic container. A layer of table salt or flour is poured onto the bottom of the container to absorb excess moisture, and the container is closed with a lid.
Experienced farmers prefer the first storage method.
Seeds cannot be stored in plastic bags or foil; they will quickly suffocate and die.
Important! Seeds aged for 2-3 years after harvest show better germination. One-year seeding takes longer to germinate and produces low yields.
High varietal and sowing properties of seeds are maintained for five years. After 6-8 years of storage, these qualities decrease.
Conclusion
Farmers have learned from their own experience that it is better to obtain seed material on their plots than to buy it in stores. The quality is significantly superior to the store bought one. From the material collected with one’s own hands, a high-quality harvest is obtained with the exact characteristics of the variety (but not a hybrid). This is much more economical than purchasing seeds from garden centers.