How to grow seedlings without land

To germinate seeds quickly, gardeners sometimes plant them without soil. The seedlings are quite strong and fully viable. However, the method is not suitable for all cultures.

Advantages and disadvantages

First, let's decide on the plants for growing that this method is suitable for:

• all types of lettuce;
• basil and parsley;
• tomatoes;
• eggplant;
• bell pepper;
• all types of zucchini;
• cucumbers;
• cabbage;
• all marigolds, as well as lilies of the valley, irises, petunias.

But all types of heat-loving plants will need to be planted and grown in the ground, for such crops the method is rather auxiliary. It allows the seeds to hatch quickly, and then they are transferred to the seedling soil. This is perhaps the only drawback of the method.

The advantages, according to experienced gardeners, include:

• the ability to grow almost all types of vegetables in a small area;
• safety for sprouts: during transplantation, the root system is not disturbed, therefore sprouts take root faster and do not get sick;
• profitability, since large investments are not required to purchase materials;
• convenience, simplicity and cleanliness, because non-soil material stains less than soil - this is especially important in an apartment.

The main methods of growing seedlings without soil

Regardless of the method and material, in order to obtain strong, viable seedlings, it is important to prepare good, high-quality seeds and carefully consider the timing of sowing and transplanting to the site: the seedlings should not be allowed to outgrow.

Several methods have been developed for planting seeds for seedlings without soil or with the introduction of soil in small quantities. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Sawdust

In this loose material, the roots grow quickly and do not break off during transplantation and picking. The method is perfect for growing vegetable seedlings.

The plant is grown in the same way as in the ground:

1. We prepare seedling box and sawdust. We put a layer of expanded clay on the bottom and fill it to the top with sawdust of deciduous wood treated with boiling water. When scalding with hot water, the resinous base is removed from the sawdust, and the "soil" will be moist.
2. Depending on the type of vegetables or flowers, we make grooves with a row spacing and a depth of planting sufficient for the growth and development of crops. For example, for a tomato, the distance between the rows is 50-70 mm, and the depth of the groove is 20-30 mm.
3. The sowing method depends on the size of the seeds: we lay them at a certain distance from each other or sow in trenches. Place tomato seeds at a distance of 20-30 mm.
4. We close the rows with wet sawdust. We pack the seedling boxes in a plastic bag or wrap them with covering material to create a constant temperature and humidity level.
5. We put the boxes in a warm place. After the sprouts appear, remove the covering material and move the seedling containers to the windowsill.

Further actions, the order of care depend on the type of plant, but in any case, it is important to maintain a sufficient level of sawdust moisture. Water the sprouts - only with warm settled water. For better development and acceleration of growth, it will not hurt to feed the seedlings with organic or complex fertilizers.

After the appearance of the first 2 true leaves, we dive the sprouts and remove the weak ones. At this time, the seedlings are transferred to the soil. In different crops, seeds germinate at different times, respectively, it will take different time to keep them in sawdust, usually 2-3 weeks.

Toilet paper

Using this material, seedlings can be grown in 2 ways:

• in a four-layer roll of film and paper;
• in a plastic bottle.

Four-layer roll. For work, we need to prepare an old film from a greenhouse or a large plastic bag and a roll of toilet paper. In this way, you can grow seeds of any kind of the previously listed vegetables and flowers, it is more convenient to use it for plants with large grains. But for carrots, you can prepare several rolls of plant seedlings for planting in open ground.

The work will require painstaking work and time, but the result will delight every gardener or florist. The main thing is to withstand the terms of relocation of seedlings to open ground and to prevent their overgrowth.

To make a roll bed for seeds:

1. We measure the width of the toilet paper, mark this size on an old film and cut off strips of polyethylene with scissors or a knife.
2. Apply a layer of paper on top of the strip and moisten it with a spray bottle.
3. Place the seeds of vegetables or flowers at a distance from each other and 10-15 mm below the future top of the roll.
4. Cover with another layer of paper, moisten and lay a finishing strip of film.
5. We carefully and loosely roll up the finished "pie" into a roll and fix it with a rubber band.
6. Place the prepared "lawns" in a plastic box or other container filled with 40 mm of water.
7. In the first planting, we wrap it in a covering material or a bag, which we remove when the first shoots appear. At this time, you can feed the sprouts with complex fertilizers or organic solution by adding it to the water.

Then we grow seedlings as usual. When the first two true leaves appear, we repeat the feeding, after which the seedlings are ready to be moved into open ground or into seedling boxes with soil.

Plastic bottle

For seedlings, we need a 5-liter container, first it needs to be cut, it is most convenient to do this with a construction knife. The advantage of this method is that the seeds are sown in the same way as in ordinary soil, therefore the method is equally suitable for large and small seeds.

For planting in a bottle:

1. Cut off the half of the bottle lengthwise.
2. At the bottom of each part, lay out several layers of toilet paper or paper towels.
3. We moisten the base well from the sprayer and spread the plant seeds on it in even rows.
4. Water the seeds again with a little water, cover them with a layer of toilet paper and moisten them again.
5. We cover with covering material and put in a warm place.

Further work is carried out in the same way as in the previous method, the only difference is that you will need to water the sprouts from a spray bottle.

Important! When several fully opened cotyledon (real) leaves appear on the seedlings, the seedlings can be planted in the beds or in the greenhouse. The main thing is to prepare a good, light soil saturated with fertilizers for planting.

Tea bags

The material is not very convenient because it involves working with each grain separately, but the method has its own advantages. Firstly, the used tea leaves (dormant tea) are a good mulch layer and a good fertilizer. Secondly, when transplanting, you do not have to get the plant out of the "package": the roots freely pass through the material and develop well.

Here, just as with paper, two approaches are used: a seedling base is prepared from the filling of sleeping bags, or a small amount of sawdust or soil is added to each of them, after which one seed is planted there (or two, in order to subsequently leave a stronger sprout).

Regardless of the planting method, it is important to provide fragile shoots with good growth conditions. To do this, be sure to monitor the moisture level of the layers of paper or sawdust. Do not forget to feed the plants when the first leaf is formed and repeat the treatment with similar solutions after 2-3 cotyledon leaves emerge. And most importantly - do not let the seedlings outgrow, plant them in the beds after the second feeding.Or at low temperatures, plant the seedlings in peat or plastic cups with prepared soil. A gardener who is responsible and loves his green pets can safely count on a good harvest.