Soaking dill seeds in hot water. Methods for soaking dill seeds before sowing for quick germination

Dill provides vitamin-rich greens for salads and fragrant umbrellas for home canning for the winter. Dill seeds often sow by themselves, and plants grow in beds, or even right in furrows, anywhere. Most of this “harvest” has to be pulled out so that the dill does not interfere with the growth of other crops. Therefore it is best plant dill seeds in open ground organized, in a specially designated place.

How to soak dill seeds before planting:

Dill seeds contain essential oils, which delay their germination. They emerge dry only after 20 - 25 days. Shoots will appear faster if soak dill seeds before planting in one of the solutions:

  • Ash solution. The seeds are washed in warm water, and then dipped into an ash solution prepared in the proportion of 1 tablespoon of ash per 1 liter of water. Holding time: 1 day.
  • Soaking in water. The seeds are placed in a gauze bag and placed in water. The seeds should swell but not germinate. The acceptable percentage of pecking during soaking is only 1-1.5 percent. You can use snow melt water.
  • Potassium permanganate. The seeds are filled with water, changing it every 4 hours to wash the essential oils from the seeds. Then the dill seeds are immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate for 2 hours, washed, dried and started sowing.
  • Solutions of microelements and biostimulants of growth. Seeds disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate or ash are dipped into a solution of microelements, not washed, but only dried and planted.

You don’t have to soak the dill seeds before planting, but put them in a fabric bag and bury them in the soil to a depth of a spade. The ground should be damp and unheated. This is done 2 weeks before planting. Then the seeds are dug up, taken out of the bag and dried. After this you can sow immediately. It is believed that seeds prepared in this way germinate within 4-5 days.

Most summer residents are not worried about Do you need to soak dill seeds before planting?. If you want to enjoy aromatic, vitamin-rich greens earlier, then it’s better not to be lazy and soak them. Dill seeds are also planted before winter. With this planting method, earlier seedlings can also be achieved.

How to plant dill seeds:

The soil for planting dill is prepared in the same way as for other crops, nothing special. The soil should be dug up, loose, moderately fertilized and moist. In the garden bed, grooves are cut 2-3 cm deep. And the distance between the grooves must be kept at 15-20 cm. The seeds are lowered into the ground at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other, sprinkled with earth and lightly watered.

Dill is a fairly unpretentious plant that tolerates cold and even frost well. But due to lack of moisture, the leaves grow coarse and small. It is convenient to grow dill in free places that are not convenient for growing other crops: on the edge of greenhouses and hotbeds, on the unoccupied “tail” of the bed. The proximity of dill to cabbage and cucumbers is favorable. In one of the reference books we found the following scheme for creating a mixed bed:

  • in the 1st row - head or leaf lettuce, compacted with parsnips; in the 2nd - cucumbers; in the 3rd - dill.

This placement of crops makes it possible to achieve optimal crop density and high yields.

It is possible to sow at several times, including in spring and before winter. In the latter case, the vitamin-rich, aromatic greens will ripen earlier.
The first shoots will appear in about 2 weeks.

Sources of information: reference book “Seeds” (

Dill is one of many people's favorite green herbs. This spicy herb can not only brighten the taste and aroma of any dish, but also decorate it with its fluffy green sprig.

This plant is quite unpretentious, but planting dill in open ground raises many questions for many gardeners. We will try to describe the planting process, growing from seeds and caring for seedlings so that you will be pleased with the harvest.

Where to plant dill?

  • You need to plant dill in a sunny area, because how to grow good dill Only possible in very good lighting conditions.
  • Greens most likely will not grow in soil that has previously been limed or replenished with dolomite flour.
  • Dill grows well in beds where beets, garlic, cucumbers, legumes, and cabbage were planted and harvested before, but in no case are umbelliferous ones.
  • Growing dill in open ground is possible between other crops. Excellent “neighbors” are cucumbers, potatoes and cabbage, but joint sowing with parsley is considered unsuccessful.
  • Dill and garlic go well together in the same bed, which will protect the greens from pests, and dill, in turn, will give its neighbor a bright taste.
  • When planting greens between vegetables, it is important not to forget about the distance between them. If some plant does not take up much space, then, for example, potato tops planted close to dill will block its access to light.

Before planting dill, it is necessary to prepare the soil and dill seeds for sowing.

Seed preparation

To get lush greens, you need to soak dill seeds. This can be done in several ways:

  • Method No. 1. Place the seeds in a gauze bundle and lower it into hot water for 2 minutes (temperature about 60°). Then place the bundle in water at room temperature for 2 days. Change the water every 8 hours, while rinsing the seeds. You can use an aquarium compressor to force air through the water, so no flushing is required. Before planting, dry the seeds on a soft cloth.
  • Method No. 2. Place the grains in cheesecloth and lower them into a container with water at a temperature of approximately 50°. Soaking the seeds lasts 3 days. Don’t forget to change the water 4-5 times a day, then the sprouts will appear faster. After three days, remove the seeds and place them on a dry cloth, sprinkle steamed sawdust on top. Leave for another 3 days. Dill seeds should be dried for 40 minutes before planting.
  • Method number 3, which is much simpler and faster than the previous ones. You just need to soak the dill seeds in water and keep them there for a couple of days, then dry them in a dark place, and then you can plant the seeds in the ground.

How to soak the seedlings, of course, you will choose yourself. However, we note that the first method is the best, as it ensures the fastest germination when grown from seeds, and if you are thinking about how to quickly grow dill, you should stop with it.

Setting the stage

Proper preparation soil is carried out in several stages:

  1. In the fall, you need to dig up the ground and apply fertilizer (half a bucket of humus per 1 m²). Bird droppings or mullein can be used as fertilizer.
  2. In the spring, all that remains is to loosen the beds for free access of oxygen and water to the seedlings.
  3. 1–2 days before planting, you need to water the soil. This is done to shrink it.

Landing rules

Only established weather will tell you when to sow dill. Temperature conditions suitable for growing herbs, – above 3°, but the most comfortable air temperature is about 20°. Thus, planting dill in thawed open ground with seeds is possible already in April, when all the snow has melted.

So, how to grow dill, how to plant it correctly? You can plant in two ways: continuous and lowercase. The first involves pouring seeds into a furrow, and the second involves placing grains one at a time at a distance of 5 cm. It is recommended to plant summer garlic between the rows.

Regardless of how you plan to plant your seeds, follow these guidelines when planting:

  • the bed should be wet;
  • the depth at which the grain will be located in the ground should be about 2 cm;
  • There should be a distance of about 20 cm between the rows, then the greenery will not be crowded;
  • After sowing, the seeds do not need to be watered, otherwise they may be washed out of the ground or, conversely, go very deep;
  • Seedlings should not be sprinkled with ash, it is harmful to them;
  • Several rows of greens can be sown at intervals of 2 weeks, so that fresh greens will delight you throughout the summer season.

First shoots

How long does it take for dill to sprout after planting? The average time for germination of the first shoots is two weeks. However, the specific timing depends on certain conditions:

  • if you sow the seeds not soaked, but dry, they can sprout only after half a month;
  • essential oils that prevent germination are washed off from the seeds if they are pre-soaked, and after planting, such seeds will germinate on about the 5th day;
  • if the air temperature is about 5°, then seedlings will appear only after 2–3 weeks, and if the air is warmed up to 15–20°, then almost twice as fast.

Sprout care

It’s not enough to just plant the seeds and wait for the first shoots. To grow good dill in open ground, you need to know how to properly care for it.

  • The emerging shoots must be thinned out so that the distance between them becomes at least 5 cm. If the shoots are located closer, they will stop growing.
  • Soil moisture should be maintained. If it is constantly dry, the greens will turn yellow and will not be juicy. It is enough to water it once every 2-3 days, it is better to do this in the evening.
  • Weeds must be removed promptly, otherwise they will choke out young plants.
  • Growing and care must be timely. Greens should be hilled several times during the entire growth period. Loosening can be done when the seedlings have already grown noticeably. Subsequent loosening is carried out at intervals of 2–3 weeks after rain or watering.
  • If there is a possibility of night frosts, then the seedlings should be covered with polyethylene, because it is impossible to grow dill under conditions of a sharp temperature change.
  • If the greens turn yellow and begin to dry out, then this means that you are doing something wrong: either the soil is too acidic or contains insufficient nutrients, or the plants do not have enough moisture or light, or the dill is sown too thickly.

To grow the juiciest dill, planting and caring for seedlings must be done according to the rules described above.

Harvest

  • Dill for greens is harvested when the plant reaches a height of 15–20 cm (this is approximately 3 weeks after it has sprouted).
  • A few hours before cutting, the greens need to be sprinkled clean water. Properly grown dill (timely planting and proper care) in open ground is distinguished by its juiciness and rich taste.

Sowing in the cold season

You can plant dill in open ground in autumn and even winter. Then you can harvest early next year.

First, let's figure out when you can sow dill before winter. In this case, we sow dill a week or two before the start of frost (late October or early November). This planting has several differences from spring planting:

  • In this case, there is no need to soak dill seeds, since the essential oils will be washed out with melt water;
  • the seeding rate increases by about a quarter;
  • the seeding depth should be 1.5 cm greater;
  • soil compaction is not required when planting in autumn;
  • The bed should be covered with covering material and secured around the edges.

You can plant dill in the winter season. There are no specific dates for planting seeds during the cold period; all you need to do is:

  • clear the prepared bed from snow;
  • scatter seeds over its surface;
  • cover the seedlings with a layer of humus and soil.

The seedlings will begin to sprout early spring. At this time, they will be very short of nitrogen, so be sure to stock up on natural fertilizer - ash, which can be scattered on unmelted soil or fertilized immediately after germination.

When two or three leaves appear on the stems of the seedlings, thinning must be done. Remember that dill, like other greens, accumulates nitrates, so additional use nitrogen fertilizers unacceptable. Sowing seeds before winter will allow you to get an early harvest of fragrant and juicy greens.

Now you know the secrets of how to grow dill in your garden. If everything is done correctly, a rich harvest will not take long to arrive. Grow delicious summer and winter greens to the delight of yourself and your loved ones!

To grow vitamin-rich greens in your garden or windowsill, it is not at all necessary to use complex agricultural techniques. Dill sprouts well, even if you sow dry seeds into the soil without prior preparation. But still, pre-sowing soaking allows you to get more friendly shoots and bring the first harvest closer. So, how to soak dill seeds before planting? The rules are quite simple and apply to any other greens - parsley, cilantro, lettuce, anise.

If the question is fundamental: whether it is necessary to soak dill seeds, then it is better to tinker with this procedure, although many summer residents make do with self-sowing. The meaning of soaking is explained by the fact that the seed coat of dill has a certain amount of essential oils on its surface. They play a protective role for the seed. Soaking in water or special solutions washes away the esters, stimulates the embryo and thereby facilitates germination.

Soak planting material must be done immediately before planting. And they do this only in spring or summer. If you are going to grow herbs on a windowsill, then this method will also be advisable. But before autumn sowing in open ground there is no need to soak dill!

What to soak seeds in

Water

You don’t have to worry about preparing the liquid and use regular tap water. However, many experienced gardeners still recommend using thawed, key or.

Growth stimulants

Today, there are several ready-made growth stimulants that can be purchased in the store:

  • Epin.
  • Zircon.
  • Humate.

They all have vegetable origin and are designed to accelerate not only the growth of plants, but also the germination of germs.

Herbal infusions

In the absence of ready-made drugs, you can use home remedies. They are prepared from raw materials medicinal plants in the form of strong infusions and decoctions. The following can be used as a basis for preparing the solution:

  • chamomile;
  • valerian;
  • aloe juice

Wood ash

As you know, this simple fertilizer is an excellent source of microelements. They are exactly what is needed at the moment when the first sprout gains strength. To prepare the solution, wood ash is poured with water in a proportion of 2 tablespoons per liter of water. Leave for two days and then filter through cheesecloth. The filtrate is used to soak the seeds.

Honey

At first glance, it seems wasteful to use honey for agricultural purposes, but you will need a little of it, so for the sake of more quick receipt A little harvest can be isolated. To soak the seeds you will need 1 teaspoon per glass of water. Honey is a source of a large amount of microelements and biologically active substances that have a beneficial effect on the growth of the embryo.

Complex solution

You can also speed up the germination of parsley and dill seeds using a complex composition. To prepare it, you need an ash solution prepared according to the above recipe, as well as an infusion of onion peels. It is made at the rate of a handful per 500 ml of water. An infusion of ash is also taken half a liter. Add 0.5 g of potassium permanganate, 0.1 g boric acid and 2.5 g of baking soda. Exposure of seeds in such a solution can be reduced to 10 hours.

How to soak dill seeds before planting

  1. First, the seeds are washed. Pour the required amount of seeds for sowing into a deep container and fill it with hot water. You can add a little alcohol or vodka for better removal essential oils. You need to take a lot of water so that all the empty specimens rise to the surface. The floating seeds are removed.
  2. Allow the seeds to stand in the water for another 30-60 minutes. Then all the water is drained.
  3. Pour the seed material with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate (0.5%) for one hour. Thanks to this liquid, the seeds are treated. In addition, potassium permanganate - good stimulant growth. Thanks to it, germination of germs is accelerated. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can take 3% hydrogen peroxide. But in this case, the holding time should be 5-7 minutes.
  4. A layer of cotton cloth soaked in the solution chosen for soaking is placed on the bottom of the plate. Gauze, flannel, chintz will do. If the fabric is thin, then it needs to be laid in several layers.
  5. Spread dill seeds onto the fabric in an even layer and cover with a second layer of fabric.
  6. Moisten the fabric generously with the soaking solution. The water or solution for soaking should be warm (25-30 degrees).
  7. Cover the container tightly with polyethylene and place such a greenhouse in a warm place (possibly on a radiator). Periodically you need to check whether the fabric is dry and moisten as necessary.
  8. After 2 days, the dill seed is slightly dried in the dark so that it becomes more free-flowing. And then they are sown in pre-disinfected soil.

I hope you don't mind if I do small retreat off topic. If you consider yourself a caring summer resident, then you may be interested not only in the issue of preparing seeds, but also in the problem of arranging the entire site. After all, often a garden is not just a platform for growing beds, it is a place where the whole family relaxes. And in order to turn your garden into a “paradise for the soul,” you need to plan everything competently and beautifully.

There is a lot of information on this issue both on the Internet and in magazines, but most often it is fragmentary and unsystematic. I want to recommend you a video course that does not have these shortcomings. It's called "18 steps to the garden of your dreams". It provides detailed step-by-step algorithm, how, without having the skills of a landscape designer, you can make everything beautiful and convenient on your site. If you are interested in this topic, you can read the details at the link. I can only add that the works of the course authors have long been in demand in gardening circles.

And in conclusion, I also want to say a few words about soaking seeds. Although the given instructions for pre-sowing seed soaking apply to dill, they can be safely used for other crops. It is not suitable only for plant seeds that require additional procedures for germination (for example, scarification or stratification). But most garden plants (parsley, lettuce, carrots, beets, radishes, cabbage, etc.) do not fall into this category, so you can safely use this scheme for them.

Have a rich harvest! Nadezhda Goryunova

It would seem that growing dill is so difficult? This is a plant that is known to every summer resident, gardener, even people far from agriculture. Belongs to the Umbrella family. Dill or garden dill is so named because earlier, instead of “finely chop,” the word “sprinkle” was used. Without it, you can’t cook cabbage soup, you can’t cook okroshka, you can’t pickle a cucumber. Now like this large selection varieties - the eyes run wild. Planting dill also doesn’t seem to cause any particular difficulties... But I had time when difficulties arose.

As a plant, dill has been known for more than 5 thousand years. And as a spice, they began to be used for food in the 16th century. It is generally accepted that he began to “walk” around the planet from Central and South-West Asia. Here and there I came across information that the homeland of this plant is also considered North Africa. Now he is known everywhere, all over the world. Cultivated almost everywhere. It is grown specially, but it also grows wild.

This is an unpretentious cold-resistant crop. Nowadays it is difficult to find a plot or garden where it is not grown.

To be honest, I never treated it as some kind of special garden plant, the cultivation of which requires any specific knowledge. It grew and now grows according to potatoes - on its own, sows itself, sprouts on its own. I tear up greens or umbrellas as needed. It’s impossible for our whole family to eat it, so a lot is left for seeds that sprout in the spring - I don’t seem to do anything for this. Well, except that I don’t weed it all out when weeding or hilling the potatoes.

How to speed up the germination of dill seeds

Seeds germinate slowly because they are coated with essential oils, which prevent moisture from penetrating inside the seed, delaying germination. You can speed up germination by soaking the seeds in hot water (not boiling water) - this will cause excess oil to float to the surface. When the water has cooled, drain it and rinse the seeds with cold water.

I make it simpler - I read somewhere that essential oils dissolve alcohol solutions well - I pour vodka over the seeds (you can’t leave them for longer than 15 minutes - you can burn them), rinse them, dry them until they become free-flowing, and sow them. Shoots appear in 4-5 days.

I do this vodka treatment of seeds if there is no rain ahead and the weather is hot. Usually this is re-seeding in the second half of summer. And in early spring, when the soil is moist after winter, there are enough moisture reserves, I sow the seeds without treating them with vodka - shoots appear in 10-12 days. Seeds do not lose their viability for 3-5 years.

Features of planting and growing dill

A few years ago I had a small problem. Self-sowing dill can only be picked until mid-summer. And then umbrellas appear, which are indispensable for preservation, but you want to add aromatic herbs to borscht and salad...

I learned that there are bush varieties that do not produce flowering stems for a long time and remain green much longer (1-1.5 months). I decided to sow. This is where difficulties arose.

I didn’t want to get up. But I managed to cope with this - I wrote above that before planting I poured vodka over the seeds.

But even if shoots appeared, they were somehow frail and unappetizing. In addition, they quickly disappeared or formed an umbrella, although according to the seed producers, this should not have happened so soon.

I began to look for the reasons for my failures. Found it. They suggested something more experienced gardeners, I read something, and thought of something myself.

Why does dill grow poorly? Firstly, it must be sown very early. You can even do it before winter or as soon as the snow has melted. In Kuban it grows well, sown in the “February windows”. Secondly, it does not need to be sown thickly. Thickened crops grow poorly, slowly, almost immediately after germination the plant goes into the trunk - there is nothing to tear for greenery.

Thirdly, it can be sown by scattering seeds throughout the area. You can scatter them over prepared beds, for example, with onions and garlic.

Fourthly, if you decide to sow this spicy herb in the second half of summer, then give it a bed in partial shade - sun before lunch - shade after. This is a short-day plant, so it needs to be artificially created such conditions in the summer. You need to sow it in moist soil, not too thickly, and be sure to water it. If the soil is dry, it will immediately sprout a trunk - you won’t get green, lush dill. Try to loosen the rows - all crops love lush soil.

Now I can say with a light heart that growing dill does not cause any particular difficulties.

But still, it prefers to grow on well-loosened, light, nutritious soils. Does not grow well in clay soil, marshy or low-lying areas. Does not like excessive soil acidification.

Do not add ash or lime to the dill.

It is not particularly demanding of moisture, but responds well to sufficient watering. With a lack of moisture, productivity decreases. Prefers open sunny places, but in partial shade it also gives a good harvest.


Shoots

This is an annual plant, so in one growing season it goes through all stages of development - from seed germination to the formation of new ones. From the seed usually emerges one sprout with two linear elongated leaves, completely different from the leaves of an adult plant.

Prepare the soil for sowing seeds in advance - add humus or any complex fertilizer so as not to apply any fertilizers later, as there is a danger of nitrate accumulation. It’s very good if you add superphosphate and nitroammophoska when sowing. Phosphorus, which is so necessary for plants, is well absorbed by them during germination.

When you sow dill, you need to sow it in such a way that you have to look closely to see if there is a seed in the groove, if it is visible - then you will get normal sparse seedlings. And if you see seeds when sowing, it means they are lying too densely - the seedlings will have to be thinned out.

Yes, I forgot to note that the seeds germinate not only in the spring, but manage to produce another harvest in the fall. Here it doesn’t come down to umbrellas - I pick almost all of it for food and freeze it for winter use. By the way, I like autumn dill better. The greens are more juicy, aromatic - there is no heat anymore, they have enough moisture for juiciness.

A specific dill smell appears in the plant starting from the 4-5th leaf. The older the plant, the more aromatic greens it has.

Dill grows very quickly. It takes about 40 days from the emergence of seedlings to harvesting the greens. After this, you either cut off the greens or leave them “for an umbrella”.

I’ve never practiced it myself, but I’ve come across information that it tolerates picking and replanting very well in the presence of the first or second true leaf. Hence, it can be grown through seedlings to produce greens as early as possible. This is exactly how it is grown by farmers and agricultural enterprises in greenhouses in winter.

Bush dill

I said above that I sow only bush varieties, and the usual one, which I use for canning, sprouts on its own in my potato field after winter. There is so much of it - it sows itself, it sprouts on its own in the spring without my help. But such dill quickly reaches the umbrella stage. Then I get juicy, aromatic greens from the bush plant.

For bush varieties this period is 50 days. They do not bloom for a long time, that is, the period for harvesting greenery is extended by 2-3 weeks, and for some even longer.


Bush dill

Bush varieties differ in appearance from ordinary varieties. The plant, while young, does not have a stem. The leaves grow in a rosette from the root at an acute angle. The rosette of leaves is raised; a flowering stem does not form for a long time. Therefore, do not pull it out by the roots - just break off the larger, more fragrant leaves. New leaves will grow from the center of the rosette. After 5 days, the harvesting process can be repeated on this plant.

Regular dill always has a flowering stem. After breaking off large lower leaves, new ones do not grow in this place.

I wrote above that it is growing very quickly. That is, the conclusion suggests itself that if we want to have fragrant greens all summer, then we need to sow them several times. This is indeed true.

Now there are many varieties with different terms maturation. By sowing a few with an interval of 1.5-2 months, you will have greens all season.

For example, if you sow varieties such as Alligator, Amazon, Salut, then in 1-1.5 months you will have greens, you will eat them for 1.5-2 months - until mid-summer. In the first half of June (in Kuban these are the last days of May), you can sow dill again to provide yourself with greens until the end of summer.

I get my third harvest in late autumn. The potato harvest has been harvested, the potato field has been cleared of plant debris, and the autumn rains have passed. The tender bushes sprout again on their own, without my help. They don’t grow to the umbrella state, but it’s these greens that I freeze. All winter I add it to borscht, salads, and meat dishes.

Dill varieties

As I already said, many varieties of dill have now been developed. It is quite difficult to decide which one to choose.

They are distinguished by ripening time, by the shade of the leaves, by a stronger or weaker aroma and, of course, by taste.

What should you pay attention to when choosing a variety? It's not like that simple task, as it seems. The state register contains about 50 titles. How is one different from the other? There are a lot of subtleties here. Some are visible only to specialists. For example, there are such varieties as Redut, Max. How are they different from each other? Both of them belong to the same group in terms of ripening - medium-late, both are intended for producing greens or umbrellas. And the differences are the leaf pattern, foliage, pubescence, and the length of the leaf segment. Redoubt has more sparse leaf branches, while Max has denser branches. But we are unlikely to notice such differences in our garden.

The most popular varieties among summer residents are Alligator, Amazon (the seller of the seed store told me this in confidence). They are very similar. These are bush varieties that produce a lot of fragrant greenery.

I sowed Alligator. What I liked - a lot of greenery, I picked off the juicy slightly bluish leaves all season, the umbrella began to form only towards the end of summer.


Alligator (May 2016)

True, I sowed it where there is sun only from the morning until 11 pm, and then the whole hot day is shade, only about an hour before sunset - the sun again.

A good variety is Kibray.

Belongs to the bush type. But still, he forms an umbrella before the Alligator.

There are a lot of umbrella varieties; it seems to me that there are more of them than bush varieties. The umbrella varieties include Grenadier, Richelieu, and Carousel.

There is a group of varieties that occupy an intermediate position - for example, Max, Redoubt, Umbrella, which provide enough greenery. The umbrella also has time to mature.

The Preobrazhensky variety is interesting. It produces a lot of greenery, the rosette of leaves is powerful and compact, but the umbrella also ripens quite early.

Some varieties can be valued not only for their rich, rich taste, but also for their unusually delicate, beautiful foliage. This is Richelieu. Its leaves are quite sparse, with long segments, thin, and graceful. This variety is good because it blooms quickly. That is, we won’t get a lot of greens from it, but we will get umbrellas for lightly salted early cucumbers.

Dill diseases

The main problem with dill is fusarium wilt. This infectious disease. It is transmitted by seeds. It often occurs under unfavorable conditions – sudden changes in air temperature. Dill processing chemicals unacceptable for us - after all, we eat leaves.

So this is the way out.

Firstly, this is the treatment of seeds before sowing - soaking them in a solution of phytosporin and potassium permanganate.

Secondly, if you know that the area is contaminated, for example, one year I didn’t have a dill harvest for this reason, then the drug trichodermin is added to the soil in advance. It is advisable to do this before sowing. Trichodermin is not a chemical drug, it is fungal spores, which also need to be created conditions for development. It is added to moist soil, that is, before sowing dill, water the bed, and then sprinkle it with peat substrate with fungal spores. Trichodermin successfully fights fusarium wilt of dill.

I hope that now growing dill will not cause you any difficulties.

Dill seeds in the photo

To get in middle lane high-quality dill seeds, early ripening varieties are selected. You need to sow the seeds before winter, usually in early November. Crops are mulched with peat or humus. Next spring, these plants will bloom 10-12 days earlier, which is very important for seed ripening.

The umbrella inflorescences are harvested in August. When the leaves on the stems begin to dry out and turn yellow, and the seeds dry out, take on the appearance of brown flat disks and become easily separated from the umbrella, you can begin to collect them. Ripe inflorescences are cut off early in the morning along with the stem, they are tied into sheaves and left in a well-ventilated area to dry until completely dry. After drying, the umbrellas are threshed. Dill seeds remain viable for 3-4 years.

How to speed up the germination of dill seeds

The essential oils contained in the seeds do not allow moisture to quickly penetrate inside the seed, so they sprout dry after 20-25 days.

There are several ways to speed up the germination of dill seeds; the main ones are presented below.

  1. To prepare dill seeds for planting, they are washed in warm water and then soaked for a day to swell. You can add 1 tbsp to the water. a spoonful of wood ash per 1 liter or some universal fertilizer.
  2. Most affordable way pre-sowing preparation of dill seeds for sowing = soaking. To moisten the seeds of a number of other crops, they are poured in a thin layer on the bottom of any dish, then filled with water, the amount of which depends on the specific crop. Water is poured in two doses so that it is better absorbed. The water temperature for soaking dill seeds of heat-loving varieties is 20-25 °C, for the rest from 15 to 20 °C. The water must be changed every 4 hours, while gently mixing the seeds. You can not place the seeds on a plate, but put them in a gauze bag and put them in water. During soaking, the seeds should just swell. Stop soaking when 1-1.5% of the seeds have sprouted. When sowing with soaked seeds, seedlings can be obtained 2-3 days earlier than when sowing with dry seeds. It has been noticed that seeds soaked in snow water germinate faster and produce a better harvest.
  3. To soak dill seeds, they are filled with water for 3-4 hours, changing it several times to wash out substances from the planting material that slow down their germination. After this, the seeds are dipped in a strong solution of potassium permanganate for two hours, then washed and dried.

How else to speed up the germination of dill seeds

Listed below are a few more effective ways How to speed up the germination of dill seeds.

  1. Pour the dry seeds into a cloth bag and bury them in the garden in damp, unheated soil to the depth of a spade. This is done about two weeks before sowing. Before sowing, take out the seeds, spread them on paper, dry until they crumble and sow. Seeds prepared in this way germinate in 4-5 days.
  2. Soaking seeds in an infusion of wood ash. For this, 2 tbsp. Place spoons of ash in a liter jar, fill it completely with warm water and leave for 2 days, stirring occasionally. Then the resulting infusion is carefully drained, the seeds are immersed in it in a gauze bag and kept in it for 4-5 hours.
  3. In order to speed up the ripening of vegetables, pre-sowing seeds are soaked in solutions of microelements or growth stimulants, which include boron, iron, magnesium, copper, molybdenum, cobalt, zinc. Warmed, disinfected and washed seeds are soaked in a solution of microelements. After soaking, the seeds, without washing, are dried until they flow and sown.

Now you know how to soak dill seeds before planting, which means you can speed up their germination. Dill is sown in furrows 2 cm deep, located 15-20 cm apart. The seeds are placed in the furrow at a distance of 1-2 cm and, having planted the seeds, the crops are watered. The first shoots may appear in a couple of weeks.