How to quickly germinate dill seeds and how to treat them to speed up the germination of greens

Dill is a healthy and affordable seasoning grown in country houses and gardens, balconies and window sills. But the crop has a long germination period, so after sowing the first greens have to wait about three weeks. However, experienced gardeners know ways to quickly germinate dill seeds. Today we will reveal these secrets.

Why germinate dill seeds

Dill seeds contain a large amount of essential oils. It is these substances that prevent moisture from entering the seed, slowing down the biological processes of development. Therefore, when sowing dill with dry seeds, seedlings appear only after 15-20 days. To speed up the germination of seeds, they are germinated.

How to germinate dill seeds as quickly as possible

There are several ways to germinate dill seeds. They are soaked in water, potassium permanganate solution, vodka, herbal infusions, and growth stimulants.

Important! Before soaking, dill seeds are washed for 2-3 minutes in hot water (55–60 °C). At the same time, some of the oils are washed out from the seeds, which contributes to their faster germination.

What to do to make dill sprout quickly

Preparation of planting material begins a week before planting. Treatment is carried out for rapid germination and disinfection to get rid of pathogens of viral and fungal diseases.

Let's look at what the seeds are soaked in before planting.

Water

Place a cotton cloth or gauze on the bottom of the plate, sprinkle seeds and fill with filtered water. The liquid temperature for heat-loving varieties should be 20–25 °C, for others - 15–20 °C.

The water must be changed every 4 hours. During soaking, the seeds should just swell. Once 1–1.5% of the seed material has hatched, the process is complete. Shoots from such seeds appear 2-3 days earlier than when sowing dry ones.

Growth stimulants

For soaking, products containing magnesium, iron, copper, boron, molybdenum, zinc and cobalt are used. Stimulants promote the growth process and awaken the embryos. Disinfected and heated seeds are soaked in a solution, then dried, but not washed, and planted.

The most commonly used growth stimulants:

1. «Zircon» is a biological product of systemic action. Activates germination and germination of seed material, increases productivity.
2. «Fitosporin» is a systemic fungicide. Suppresses the proliferation of fungi and bacteria.
3. «Kornevin"is a biostimulating drug that contains indolylbutyric acid.
4. «Epin"is a natural bioregulator, growth and development stimulator, containing epibrassinolide.

Vodka

40% vodka not only dissolves essential oils, which promotes rapid germination, but also disinfects seeds. To do this, planting material is placed in cotton cloth and dipped in vodka for 15 minutes, no more.

Wood ash

The action of the solution is based on the high content of microelements, in particular potassium and calcium. Before soaking, prepare a solution: 2 tbsp. l. ash is poured into 1 liter of water and left for 2 days, stirring occasionally. Dill seeds are placed in the strained solution in a fabric bag for 4-5 hours.

Herbal infusions

Pour 1 tsp into a cup. chamomile, pour boiling water (90–95 °C), cool to 50 °C and soak the seeds for half an hour. You can also use aloe juice: dilute with water 1:1 and place the planting material in the infusion for a day.

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Disinfection

After soaking, the seeds must be pickled:

1. To prevent diseases, swollen seeds are placed in a bright pink infusion of potassium permanganate for 20–30 minutes.
2. Hydrogen peroxide has bactericidal properties. The seeds are placed in a 3% peroxide solution for 5–10 minutes.
3. Treating seeds with the universal fungicide “Fundazol” protects the crop from many diseases. The solution is prepared in accordance with the instructions.

After treatment with fungicides and stimulants, the seeds are washed and dried until they flow.

Landing

Before planting, the bed is watered. Dill is sown in furrows 2 cm deep, the distance between the furrows is 15–20 cm, the distance between the seeds is 1–2 cm. The furrows are covered with loose soil mixed with humus and watered.

The surface is mulched to retain moisture and prevent the formation of a hard crust. The bed can be covered with film, which should be removed when the first shoots appear.

When will dill sprout after planting?

The first sprouts of dill, the seeds of which have been germinated, appear after 7-10 days.

Let's look at how to speed up germination. There are several factors influencing the process of seed germination:

1. Warm. In warm weather, seeds germinate much faster than in early spring. At an air temperature of 20 °C, the first shoots may appear within 4 days.
2. Regular watering. Lack of watering in dry weather delays the process.
3. Planting depth should not be more than 2 cm.
4. Another important factor is soil composition and structure. Neutral, loose soil is considered the best option.

Advice from experienced gardeners

To ensure that your garden has its own dill all summer, experienced gardeners recommend planting it in stages.

The first sowing can be done in April, after the snow has melted, on beds prepared in the fall (with added organic and mineral fertilizers). In the northern regions a little later, in May. These seeds do not need to be germinated; washing is sufficient. If seedlings emerge too early, they will suffer from spring frosts.

The second planting is carried out in August with seeds with preliminary soaking so that the dill has time to reach commercial ripeness.

Starting from the first spring planting, every 3 weeks a new batch of dill is sown with sprouted seeds. When one batch enters the flowering phase, the other begins to gain green mass, and so on until autumn.

In November, dill is planted before winter. Seeds for winter planting are not germinated or watered after planting. Winter dill produces its first harvest 1-2 weeks earlier than the first spring sowing.

Read also:

Ways to use dill stems for maximum benefit.

How to pickle dill in jars for the winter: simple recipes from experienced housewives.

How to properly dry dill at home and where to store it.

Conclusion

Dill seeds are germinated in order to speed up their germination. There are several methods that do not require special skills or additional financial costs. By following the technology, you can get the harvest much earlier than expected.

These methods are good for those who are late in planting, and for those who want to have fresh greens all summer.