When to plant vegetable seedlings in the ground

I will tell you at once: no one will tell you the exact date - there are simply no universal landing dates, I saw from my own experience. Therefore, I regard the general recommendations on the dates of planting, which are indicated on the bags with seeds, with disbelief.

Why? Because the deadlines are determined individually in each individual case, and when determining them, factors such as:

• weather conditions;
• place of disembarkation (open ground, greenhouse, summer or heated greenhouse);
• Plant requirements for soil and air temperature;
• the correct age of the seedlings;
• recommendations of the lunar calendar;
• folk signs.
• The values of the first two points can change dramatically. 5 and 6 points for some – a manual on the choice of terms and types of work, and for others – an empty sound; but 3 and 4 will remain unchanged in any climatic zone. That's where we're going.

Temperature. Do not forget: compliance with the temperature regime during planting seedlings is not a whim, but one of the indispensable conditions for obtaining a consistently high yield.

If the temperature of the soil is lower than required by the plant, and it is still planted - the stress of adverse conditions in which it fell, will delay development for a long time. The period of adaptation will last longer, and the time of fruiting will come later. As a rule, the harvest from such a sick plant is poor.

Over time, through trial and error, I stopped there. Temperature chart for planting seedlings:

Eggplants: Plant seedlings, when the earth warmed up to +18 ° C, and the air to +20 ° C. It is important that the soil temperature does not fall below +15 ° C.
Pepper: for its planting is enough that the soil warms up to + 15 ° C.
Tomatoes: The ground warmed up to +15 ° C - you can plant.
Cucumbers: They can be planted when the soil warms up to +16 ° C at night and +18 ° C during the day. Cooling the soil to +15 ° will adversely affect their development, at +10 ° growth will stop.
Onion: for distilling onions on a feather, we wait until at a depth of 10 cm the soil temperature will be +10 ° C.
Celery: warming the soil to +12°C will be sufficient.

Optimal age of seedlings for landing
Of course, if we sowed it ourselves, we know the age. What if I had to buy it? The height, thickness of the stem, the number of leaves will help determine how ready the seedlings are for planting:

By the way, if you are planning to buy seedlings, I advise you to read the article How to choose and buy seedlings, which has a lot of very useful and practical recommendations.

How to halt seedling growth
Even if the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings is correctly calculated, nature does not always act on a schedule. And if last year these days you have already planted young peppers and eggplant in the open ground, and this is not yet snowed, what can you do – you will have to adapt to the current situation. When we notice that seedlings are outgrowing, it is important not to delay taking urgent measures to contain their growth.

There are several simple and time-tested ways:

• Reduce watering - not only frequency, but also volume. Just do not overdo it: an earthen lump in a seedling container should not dry out;
• reduce the air temperature in the room where the seedlings grow;
• Use growth regulators - Athlete drug.

I read a lot about the miraculous method: as if the growth of seedlings stops if you just shorten the time of its illumination. I had such an experience was not crowned with success - I did not notice the stop of its growth and that's all. I believed another advice – to put the seedlings in a completely dark place at night, so that there is no ray of light, no lantern, no moon – so that it has nothing to reach for. I put a control box with seedlings in a cardboard box. I checked specifically, the temperature in it was the same as in the room, but the darkness was perfect. After a week of such exercises, I was not only tired, but also convinced that the method was worthless. For there was no difference between the usual seedlings and the one growing in the control box.

Seedling tips. Just a few words I want to add about how to plant seedlings to minimize its stress (proven advice):

• In the open ground, transplant in cloudy weather, in the greenhouse - in the evening;
• minimize the timing of sampling and planting of potless seedlings;
• If the weather after planting is clear, shade the planted plants from direct sunlight for 2-3 days.

A few words about the clues of nature. And yet, a very small digression about folk signs. There are many of them, and not all of them apply to the area in which you live. But find at least one true one and you will never freeze your seedlings! Since school, I remember statements: swallows have arrived – summer has come, leaves have bloomed on birch – there will be no more frosts. And I know for sure: for our region, these signs are not an indicator of the onset of stable heat.

For me, the most accurate indicator that you can not be afraid of returning frosts is river frogs. If they are silent, the frost will return, even if the calendar will be the second half of May. As soon as their singing began to be heard from the river, you can breathe freely: the threat of frost has passed!

I tried to tell you how to determine the timing of planting seedlings. Everything was tested in practice (and not always successfully), the recommendations of specialists and advice of experienced gardeners were taken into account. My article is not a guide to action, but rather a basis for my own experience. Maybe in some ways my conclusions are inaccurate, and maybe even controversial, but this is for the best – after all, truth is born in an argument, and it is never too late to learn. Therefore, I invite you to share your own opinion and experience: how do you determine the timing of planting seedlings, what factor do you take as a basis, do you look at the lunar calendar and folk signs?





Source: www.7dach.ru