Watermelon, Tomato, and Parsley Seed Germination Times and Planting Techniques

Watermelon, tomato, and parsley are all common fruits and vegetables in our daily lives, and they are also widely grown. So when do their seeds germinate? What are the planting techniques? Let's take a look together below.

Watermelon seeds

I. Germination:

In about one day, white can be seen. In about a week, sprouts appear. When watermelon seeds germinate, the following issues should be noted:

1. When sprouting, do not place them too densely or too sparsely.

2. The humidity for sprouting must not be too high or too low. During the sprouting process, observe frequently and adjust often, and solve problems promptly when found.

3. Do not let the humidity get too high, and pay attention to ventilation to speed up germination. The soaking time should not be too long, and the water on the seeds should be drained off.

4. The sprout length of the seeds should be measured by white showing, and at most should not exceed 3 millimeters.

5. During the sprouting process, turn the seeds frequently to promote even heating and increase air permeability. If the seed packet becomes sticky or has a sour smell, wash it promptly with warm water.

II. Planting:

1. Use a somewhat larger flower pot and fill it with field soil (preferably vegetable garden soil). The soil should be somewhat loose; if possible, add some decomposed organic fertilizer.

2. Buy seeds of small watermelons (such as Black Beauty, Yellow Little Jade, etc.). If you use seeds left over from eating watermelon, the melons grown may not look like the original ones, because current watermelons are all hybrids. Large watermelons are very difficult to grow as they should on a balcony.

3. Soak the seeds in water for 3-4 hours, then sow them into soil that has been watered thoroughly, and cover with dry soil (do not water immediately after covering with soil, otherwise the soil will harden and it will be difficult for the seedlings to emerge).

4. After the seedlings emerge, water them according to normal management. Do not use too much water, to prevent root rot.

5. When the melon seedlings grow longer, use a bamboo pole or rope to pull them up, and let the tendrils coil around the bamboo pole or rope, so the melon seedlings can grow upward.

6. Fertilization: It is better to use commercially available compound fertilizer, and you can also water with rice-washing water at ordinary times.

7. Pollination: Watermelon flowers have two types: female flowers and male flowers. The ones with a small melon below are female flowers. After watermelon flowers bloom, use a male flower that opened the same day to dab onto a female flower that opened the same day, so that the pollen of the male flower spreads onto the stigma of the female flower; this is assisted pollination. This point is very important. When growing melons on a balcony, they cannot set fruit without pollination.

8. When the watermelon starts to grow larger, hang it with a mesh bag, otherwise when the melon grows large, the vine cannot hold it and will break.

9. When the melon has grown fully and the patterns on the rind begin to become clear, it can be harvested.

Tomato seeds

I. Germination:

Put the seeds into water at about 60 degrees Celsius and stir so they are heated evenly, then soak for 6-8 hours, then sow. In about a week, seedlings can emerge. When tomato seeds germinate, the following issues should be noted:

1. Tomatoes like warmth. The suitable daytime temperature is 25°C-28°C, and at night 16°C-18°C.

2. Sufficient light and a suitable temperature difference are beneficial for nutrient accumulation and ripening, promote healthy plant development, prevent excessive vegetative growth, strengthen the tomato's disease resistance and stress resistance, and increase yield.

3. Except for germination, emergence, and the seedling recovery period after pricking out and planting, which require relatively high temperature and humidity, other periods do not need high humidity.

II. Planting:

1. Determining sowing amount: Generally, tomato seeds contain about 300 seeds per gram. According to planting density, generally 20-30 grams of seed are used per 667 square meters of field. Each square meter of sowing bed can be sown with 10-15 grams. If the seed germination rate is lower than 85%, the sowing amount should also be appropriately increased.

2. Determining sowing period: Determine the suitable sowing period by comprehensively considering factors such as the tomato planting season, climatic conditions, cultivation method, and seedling-raising facilities. For example, for open-field spring cultivation, the Beijing area usually sows and raises seedlings from mid-February to early March. For open-field autumn cultivation, areas south of the Yangtze River such as Shanghai and Nanjing sow from late July to early August, with the best results; while eastern Sichuan sowing in early July gives higher yield. The yield is also relatively high. In some areas where tomato diseases occur severely, appropriately delaying the sowing period by 1-2 months, and then using measures such as dense planting, early pinching, and increasing fertilizer and water, can also achieve relatively high yields.

3. Sowing methods: Usually there are broadcast sowing, drill sowing, and dibbling. After tomato seeds are sown, they should be covered with soil immediately, and the soil used for covering should be sifted fine soil. The thickness of the covering soil should be about 0.8-1.0 cm, and the thickness should be uniform. After sowing, for each square meter of seedling bed, mix 8 grams of 50% carbendazim wettable powder with fine soil and evenly sprinkle it thinly on the bed surface, which can prevent the occurrence of seedling damping-off. In winter and spring, the surface of the seedling bed also needs to be covered with plastic film. In summer and autumn, the surface of the seedling bed needs to be covered with shade netting or straw, and the covering should be removed when 70% of the seedlings have pushed through the soil.

Parsley seeds

I. Germination:

They will germinate in 6-10 days. During the germination process, the soil must be kept moist. When parsley seeds germinate, the following issues should be noted:

1. The minimum temperature for celery seed germination is 4 degrees Celsius, and the most suitable temperature is 15 to 20 degrees Celsius.

2. With alternating temperature treatment of about 25 degrees Celsius for 6 to 8 hours and about 15 degrees Celsius for 16 to 18 hours, the germination rate is relatively high. Under suitable temperature conditions, they can germinate in 7 to 10 days. At the same time, seed germination must also have sufficient moisture. It needs moisture and cannot tolerate dryness. Generally, a moisture content of 70% to 80% is best. It also needs sufficient oxygen.

II. Planting:

1. Variety selection

(1) Native celery varieties include: Jinnan Solid Celery No. 1, Machang Celery, Solid-Stem Celery, etc.

(2) Western celery varieties include: California King, Tall Utah 52—70, Italian Winter Celery, Zhongqin No. 1, Zhongqin No. 2, Xiqin No. 1, etc.

Because celery seeds are very small, with a thousand-grain weight of only 0.4-0.5 grams, old seeds have a very low germination rate, and some almost do not germinate. Therefore, when selecting varieties, also consider whether the seeds are fresh seeds from 1-2 years.

2. Cultivating strong seedlings

(1) Choose a fertile plot with relatively high terrain, able to be irrigated in drought and drained in waterlogging, and with loose soil as the seedling bed.

(2) Because celery prefers cool conditions and is cold-tolerant but afraid of heat, and the seedling stage occurs during high temperatures, seeds lose germination ability above 30°C. To achieve uniform emergence and give the seedlings a suitable growing environment, the shade cultivation method for raising seedlings should be used.

(3) After 4-5 days from sowing, first a layer of small seedlings emerges; these are weeds and should be removed by hand before the celery seedlings emerge. After about 10 days, the two cotyledons of celery break through the soil. At this time, watering should be strengthened to keep the seedling bed moist.

3. Field planting

(1) Land preparation and fertilization: Celery is suitable for cultivation in clay soil rich in organic matter and with strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, and it requires relatively high nutrient conditions. Therefore, 1 week before field planting, apply 6000 kg of decomposed barnyard manure, 50 kg of superphosphate, 25 kg of ammonium bicarbonate, and 4 kg of zinc sulfate per mu, evenly spread on the ground surface, then plow once, with a plowing depth of 20 cm.

(2) Preparation before field planting: In early September, before the first frost arrives, the seedlings can be planted when they grow to 5-6 leaves. Two days before planting, set the greenhouse film into a canopy shape and water the seedling bed thoroughly.

(3) Field planting: Use the flat-bed furrow planting method for field planting. When planting, open 7 small furrows on each bed surface, with a depth of 10 cm, a furrow width of 5 cm, and a spacing between furrows of 18-20 cm. Place the seedlings upright into the furrows. Plant spacing: 8 cm for native celery, about 45,000 plants per mu; 20 cm for western celery, about 16,000 plants per mu. Different varieties require different plant and row spacings.