Parsley - useful greens. It contains essential oils, giving a specific aroma, and in the amount of vitamins it competes with many vegetables.
The plant is unpretentious, but to quickly germinate the seeds of this useful beauty is sometimes not so easy, and not many people know how to speed up the process.
Complicates the whole long period of germination. To speed it up, gardeners are advised to prepare seeds before planting. One of the effective suitable procedures is soaking in milk. It is about her and will be discussed below.
Influence on shoots
Soaking is one of the ways to prepare parsley seed.
Seeds are placed in slightly warmed milk, swell there, absorb moisture and begin to "wake up" and develop more actively. Also, fresh natural milk is a natural source of biologically active components and trace elements, which have a beneficial effect on the growth of the green bud.
Why do you need soaking in milk? Parsley seeds are distinguished by a dense shell. During soaking, it becomes thinner, and as a result the sprout makes its way easier and faster.
There is a certain percentage of fat in milk. Due to this, it envelops the seeds, protecting them from possible burns. For a better effect, soil needs to be prepared simultaneously with seed soaking..
How fast is germination?
Parsley is characterized by a long period of seed germination. After sowing, an average of 20-25 days passes and only then the first greens on the garden become noticeable. Soaking in milk and cultivating the soil with lime significantly shortens this period. Germination occurs much earlier: 7-10, or even 3-5 days after the prepared seeds hit the ground. For the final period depends on the condition of the soil, humidity and weather conditions.
Natural product or powder: which is better?
Preference is better to give fresh natural milk, since all fats and trace elements in the right amount are stored only there. From the powder (milk powder) will not be confused. When it is diluted with water, you get a fat-free product that does not protect the seeds.
How to choose natural milk?
- Pay attention to shelf life. Real milk is stored no more than a couple of days.
- On the package should be written "milk". The inscriptions “dairy product” or “milk drink” are evidence that it is a powder product.
- Pour milk into a glass.. If there are white traces on the walls that slowly flow downwards, this is a suitable product (such milk has fat content).
For soaking parsley seeds it is better to choose fresh or whole milk with a high percentage of fat. Pasteurized, baked, reconstituted from dry for this procedure will not work.
Step by step instructions on how to dunk
Before the procedure, it is important to pay attention to the shelf life of the seed. The parsley seed with an expired shelf life may not rise even with high-quality pre-treatment.
Seeds of any umbrella crops are allowed to store no more than 2-3 years after harvest. When buying seeds in a store, the expiration date is indicated on the package.
The following are the main steps of the procedure.
- Capacity. For convenience, it is recommended to take shallow dishes (plate or saucer). You can also take a small cup. Cover with top lid or cling film.
- Inspection and selection of seeds. The goal is to exclude substandard, broken and moldy specimens. You can inspect visually: discard all seeds with damage. You can soak in slightly warmed water: full and healthy seeds remain at the bottom.
- Action time (or how much to keep). Heat a small amount of fresh milk to 40 degrees and place the seeds in it. Cover the container with polyethylene and put in a dark, warm place. Leave on for 10-12 hours. If you overdo the seeds, the milk will turn sour. In sour milk the microflora changes. Even healthy parsley seeds that were found in sour milk, may not ascend at all.
- Further processing. After soaking the seeds, it is better to lay out on paper or parchment and dry a little. It is not necessary to rinse, as water can wash away a thin protective milk film.
Actions after the procedure: when can I land?
During the soaking of the seeds, it is necessary to prepare a plot in parallel (sprinkle with lime, dig up or burn, moisten). Soaked seeds should be planted immediately after swelling: an average of 1 hour after they were extracted from milk and dried.
Seeds should be placed in the ground, then sprinkle a little earth and moisten. The best way in this case would be spraying through a spray bottle. Deeply digging in and plentifully pouring seeds is prohibited. This will increase the waiting time for seedlings: instead of 7-10 days, parsley will sprout up to 1 month.
What can be replaced?
There are many more variations for soaking parsley seeds. The following is a list of what can replace milk.
- Spring or purified non-carbonated water.
- Soap solution. Cooking from laundry soap.
- Vodka or alcohol diluted to 40 degrees.
- Baking soda.
- Strong infusion of chamomile or valerian. You can also use aloe juice.
- Special bioactive drugs (Epin, Humat and others). You can buy them in specialized stores.
- Complex fertilizer solution (nitrophoska, ash solution).
- Sparging (air-to-water treatment, more professional option for industrial cultivation).
So, pre-soaking parsley seeds is a guarantee of quick germination.
