Most experienced gardeners and gardeners know what stratification is. Seeds that have undergone this preliminary pre-planting treatment give a much higher percentage of seedlings. At the same time, plants grown from them are characterized by increased resistance to external factors. So what is stratification? Seeds bought in a store or collected from plants grown in the garden must be prepared for sowing in a special way. This method of processing planting material consists in placing it in a cold and humid environment for a certain period of time (until the seeds peck). For different plant species, stratification of different duration is necessary. Seeds of different crops require from 1 to 8 months of preplant preparation.
As a rule, at home, stratification is carried out as follows: a mixture of peat and sand is poured into a small container, on which the seeds are placed, they are again sprinkled with a sand-peat mixture on top. So the layers alternate until completefilling the container. Stratification of flower seeds can be carried out using sawdust of deciduous trees in small bags. The height of the container should be 10-15 cm, otherwise there is a risk of uneven germination. The prepared planting material is watered, after which it is carefully packed in a plastic (cellophane) bag and placed in a cold place where the air temperature should be from 0 to +5 ˚С. Most often, the stratification of seeds at home is carried out in the refrigerator. Due to the uniform temperature throughout the entire period of processing of planting material, a high germination rate is ensured. During stratification, it is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the substrate. It should be around 70%. You can not fill it too much with water, as this degrades the quality of the planting material. Most often, it is enough to water the substrate with soft water once every 14-16 days.
What is stratification? The seeds of many plants fall to the ground long before the onset of autumn. At this time, many of them try to germinate before the onset of cold weather, but most of the young seedlings die with their onset. In order to preserve planting material, it is necessary to create optimal storage conditions for it, after which, under favorable conditions, they begin to develop very quickly. Thus, the collected seeds are stored for some time in dry and cool conditions. With the onset of cold weather, they are moistened and sent for a certain period of time.moist and cool environment (in the refrigerator). After such treatment, getting into favorable conditions in spring with enough heat and light, the seeds actively germinate, and young seedlings quickly grow.
When preparing the material before planting, do not forget about its sorting. An orderly stratification must be carried out. Seeds in plastic bags must be provided with labels that, over a long period of storage, should not lose the name of the crop and variety. It is impossible to stratify planting material of different crops in one container, since it can easily mix, which will create certain difficulties in the future.
