How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

In the vast majority of cases, when cultivating such a popular vegetable as carrots, gardeners have to deal with a rather laborious procedure. And we are talking about thinning, during which you can accidentally remove extra seedlings or damage neighboring ones.

It’s no secret that any business can be simplified with the right approach. That is why it is recommended to know exactly how carrots can be planted so that they do not have to be thinned out. In practice, this reduces the time and effort involved in caring for the crop.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

pelleting

The main objective of this method is to maximize the size of the seed, which facilitates planting. It is important to consider that drageeing can be done independently at home. At the initial stage, it will be necessary to carefully select high-quality seeds, while separating small and overdried specimens. The next stage is the disinfection of the material with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. After that, a mixture is prepared from powdered mullein and seeds in a ratio of 4: 1. When landing, certain parameters should be considered:

  • the interval between the holes is from 8 to 10 cm;
  • the diameter of the recesses is not more than 2 cm;
  • depth – approximately 2 cm;

2-3 seeds are placed in each well. As a result, thinning of the beds as the root crops grow is not required, and the extra ones, starting from mid-June, are pulled out for eating. It is important to note that when planting not in the holes, but in the grooves, they first scatter the flour, and the seeds themselves are laid out at intervals of 4-5 cm. By the way, now on sale you can increasingly find granular seeds of carrots and many other vegetables. At a certain stage of production, they are covered with a shell, which completely disintegrates under conditions of wet soil. The simplicity of piece sowing with the same intervals here is determined by the size of the granules (about 2-3 mm). The recommended cutting depth is 3 cm.

Many beginner vegetable growers have a question regarding the advisability of using pelleted seed. As practice shows, this planting method, which excludes thinning, is quite effective and, as a rule, justifies the cost of purchasing such seeds. However, the need for regular and abundant watering of the beds should be taken into account. Otherwise, the destruction of the shell may slow down or stop altogether, while the seeds will not have time to germinate and will inevitably die.

Subject to all the rules, carrots sprout, as with ordinary seeds, after 15-20 days.

Use of seeders

At the moment, you can easily find a fairly wide range of special sowing mechanisms on sale. The main advantages of this technique are ease of use and the creation of the most even rows. Modern models of such units allow you to distribute carrot seeds evenly. It is important to note that it is possible to adjust parameters such as distance, sowing depth and dosing of seeds.

The described devices are indispensable when processing large areas. The only significant disadvantage is the cost of the equipment. However, a convenient and sufficiently productive device can be made independently at minimal cost. For this you will need:

  • galvanized sheet;
  • wheels;
  • aluminum tubes;
  • seed hopper.

The assembly algorithm looks like this:

  • drill holes in the sheet with a diameter of 1 mm;
  • fix the handles from the tubes;
  • install a container for seed;
  • adjust the uniformity of seed supply.
How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

Using a strainer or salt shaker

Analyzing which methods of planting carrots, which avoid thinning the beds, are used often or, conversely, rarely, it is worth paying attention to the use of improvised means. And we are talking about such simple things as:

  • salt shaker;
  • alligator;
  • packaging for toothpicks;
  • colander;
  • plastic bottle with holes.

It is important that the seeds do not pass through such devices very quickly, which will avoid dense seedlings. In addition, the diameters of the holes must correspond to their sizes.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

Other planting methods

In addition to the methods already listed, modern farmers have in their arsenal a wide range of other methods of planting carrots without subsequent thinning of seedlings. These include:

  • mixing seeds with sand and pastes;
  • use of ribbons and markers;
  • germination in bags;
  • pinch landing;
  • use of egg trays.

Tape seeding has proven to be one of the most efficient and economical methods. In some cases, gardeners use adhesive tapes. But now more and more often ordinary toilet paper is successfully used for these purposes. As a rule, they prepare everything necessary during the winter, and in the spring the seed tapes are simply laid out along the grooves about 3 cm deep. It remains only to irrigate the beds abundantly and sprinkle the rows with earth.

It should be noted that the process of sticking seeds on paper is a painstaking process that requires appropriate time costs. However, it is important to focus on the reliability of the landing method under consideration. Seeds are most often placed at a distance of 2-2,5 cm from each other. In this case, the algorithm looks like this:

  • cut off a piece of paper, the length of which should be commensurate with the garden;
  • cook a starch paste with the addition of a small amount (a pinch per liter) of boric acid;
  • point the prepared solution onto the tape, laid out on a flat surface, using a syringe or dropper;
  • carefully spread the seeds on the resulting drops of paste;
  • roll the tape after complete drying into a roll.

With sand

One of the clear advantages of the method is its simplicity and accessibility, as well as early shoots. To prepare the mixture, you will need ½ bucket of sand and 2 tbsp. l. carrot seeds. In this case, you will need to perform the following steps:

  • mix the sand thoroughly with the seed so that the latter is evenly distributed;
  • moderately moisten the resulting mass;
  • insist for 15 minutes;
  • distribute sand with seeds into previously prepared grooves and sprinkle with earth;
  • water the rows abundantly.

It is worth noting that some gardeners prefer to use a dry mix, excluding the soaking point. This approach, in terms of practicality, will be much simpler. You can find out on what area it will be necessary to distribute the seeds on their packaging.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

pinch

In this case, we mean another simple method to plant carrots so that later you do not have to thin out the beds both in open ground and in greenhouses. Procedure for sowing with a pinch:

  • mix approximately 1 tablespoon of planting material with ½ cup of sand;
  • sow the mixture with a pinch into the previously made grooves, the depth of which should be 2 cm;
  • sprinkle the seeds with sand on the ground.

At the final stage, it will be necessary to tamp the rows with little effort.

With egg cells

Many modern gardeners successfully use plastic and cardboard egg trays to grow carrots and many other vegetable crops. The essence of this life hack is that it becomes possible to place the holes as evenly as possible on the garden bed.

The process itself is extremely simple. It is necessary to press cells into the soil that leave holes of the desired depth. Then two seeds are placed in them. It is worth noting that with this method of planting, you still have to remove excess shoots. It turns out that most often the trays are used as a convenient tool for marking the beds when sowing.

An alternative option provides for the presence of a large number of unnecessary cells. A small hole is made in each of them so that the root germinates easily after sowing. Then earth is poured into the trays and carrots are sown. At the final stage, they are simply laid out on the beds and left there until harvest.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

in a pouch

This method of sowing vitamin root crops allows you to grow large fruits. One of the clear advantages here is the possibility of obtaining an early harvest, good taste and presentation, as well as the prolongation of the keeping period. The process itself includes the following steps:

  • seeds are placed in a canvas or linen bag;
  • after the snow cover has melted, the packed planting material is buried in the ground and the place is marked;
  • after the seeds germinate (after 15-20 days), they are dug up;
  • the germinated material is carefully mixed with the cleaned sand.

It remains only to land the resulting mixture in the grooves and cover the beds with a film. This approach will ensure the protection of seedlings from possible cold snaps.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

With paste

This is a method of sowing carrot seeds using flour or starch. It is from them that a nutritious paste is prepared as follows:

  • complex minerals are diluted in water;
  • starch or flour is added at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. ingredient per 1 liter of liquid;
  • the mixture is brewed over low heat.

At the final stage, that is, after the paste has cooled to 30-35 degrees, planting material is added. Then the solution with the seeds must be thoroughly mixed (shaken). The composition is poured into the prepared grooves in a thin stream.

How to plant carrots so as not to thin out?

Useful Tips

If everything is done correctly and in a timely manner, then you can count on a high-quality and rich harvest. And at the same time, labor-intensive and time-consuming thinning of plantings is not required. So in the initial stages of growing vitamin root crops, attention should be paid to loosening, mulching, as well as regular weeding, watering, fertilizing and pest control.

As practice shows, despite the simplicity of the process of sowing and cultivating the described vegetable crop, gardeners often make mistakes that negatively affect yields. In this case, it is recommended to consider the following important points.

  • Violation of the terms of soaking the seed and its moistening. In such cases, the risk of seed rotting and fungus development is greatly increased. To avoid trouble will allow strict adherence to the relevant instructions.
  • Excessive presence of minerals during soaking, which shocks the embryos and also causes problems with their germination. It is necessary to strictly maintain the dosage of these substances.
  • Planting seeds at a great depth, due to which there is a significant delay in germination. The recommended indicator varies in the range of 1,5-2 cm.
  • Waterlogging of the soil, leading to the death of the seed due to lack of oxygen.
  • Drying out of the soil. Here and in the previous case, the solution to the problem will be compliance with irrigation rules.

Summing up, it should be noted that planting carrots so that they do not have to be thinned out in the future is quite simple. At the same time, in the arsenal of vegetable growers today there is more than a wide range of simple and at the same time effective agricultural practices. As a result of their application, a rich harvest of large and juicy root crops is guaranteed.

Anna Evans

Author-editor

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