How to preserve seedlings until spring, if they did not have time with planting

Very often there are circumstances in which the acquired seedlings can no longer be planted in the ground. There may be plenty of reasons to postpone this event until the next planting season. These can be both personal circumstances and unpredictable weather conditions. Especially in regions with a harsh continental climate.

In this article, we will consider: How to save seedlings until spring, if they did not have time with planting. Let's cover this topic in more detail.

How to keep seedlings until spring?

There are many ways to store purchased seedlings before planting in the spring. In order to choose the necessary storage method, you need to decide on the timing before planting, what climatic conditions prevail at the time of preserving the seedlings. And also it is necessary to decide on the storage location of the seedlings.

It is worth considering these methods in more detail. At the moment, there are three most common ways: prikop; under snow drift; or a place with a low temperature.

In the prikop

It is possible to store seedlings in a prikop before planting for a long time - in our case, this is throughout the winter. For this, a trench is dug. Choosing a dry place for her. It is good to use a potato, and maybe even a tomato ridge for this purpose. It is necessary to dig such a trench in the west-east direction. It is desirable that the depth is about half a meter. The length depends on the buried seedlings: on their length and number.

The north side in the trench is usually made vertical, and create a right angle with a depression. The opposite side is tilted. The angle of this slope should be 45 degrees. All the land from the trench is thrown over the northern edge. Peat mixture and sand are added to the reclaimed land.

The seedlings are pretreated. All foliage and roots that were previously damaged are removed from them. All treated seedlings are laid in such a way that the crown is directed to the south side, and the roots are located in the north direction. The plant itself lies in a tilted state. After that, sprinkle a trench with seedlings a little. Prykop is made with soil that was previously mixed with peat. The thickness of the sprinkled layer is about 20 cm.

The trench remains in this stage until frost is established. With the stabilization of frosts, when the air temperature finally dropped below zero, the rest of the soil is poured into the trench. It is worth noting that when filling the soil, it must be spilled with water. This is done to seal it. A mound is poured on top of the trench, which will prevent the formation of water accumulation. With this method of storing seedlings, there is no need for additional covering of seedlings, and the prikop is not wrapped in anything.

This will prevent the purchased seedlings from waking up prematurely. In addition to snow, nothing needs to be thrown onto the pit.

Under a layer of snow.

As soon as a non-melting plentiful layer of snow forms, this makes it possible to immerse the seedlings directly into the snow. Until a stable snow cover falls, the seedlings are stored in a room that is not heated. For such storage, all seedlings are wrapped in a damp dense cloth, and all this is wrapped in plastic.

With a stable snow layer of snow, seedlings that need to be preserved can be laid with roots in burlap. This burlap must first be filled with a peat mixture with the addition of sawdust.After dipping the roots into the bag. It needs to be tied around the bottom of the trunk. The branches of the seedling themselves are pulled together, and the whole plant is wrapped in polyethylene, fixing everything with tape.

All this should be immersed in the snow, choosing a suitable place for this. It should be out of direct sunlight and protected from strong winds.

You can sprinkle sawdust on top of the snow, this will further save the snow from early melting.

In rooms with low temperatures.

The seedlings can be kept cool, especially in the refrigerator. It is necessary to wrap the seedlings with three-layer gauze, well moistened, and immerse them in a polyethylene bag. It is not necessary to fix it in order to prevent the possibility of mold formation. This method is used for short-term preservation of plants. It should not exceed three weeks.

It is also possible to store seedlings on the loggias. Preparation will be similar to the previous option.

If the roots and substrate of purchased seedlings are packed in a film, then you need to pierce them several times. This will make it possible to check the state of the earth on the roots. If it is dry, it can be slightly moistened. In this form, the plant remains up to three weeks.

If the preservation of the seedlings before planting in the spring will be carried out in the basement, then the seedlings are best immersed in polyethylene bags, and then copiously shifted with sawdust. Plants are placed in a standing position. In the boxes that will be used for storage in the cellar, the seedlings are placed in a perpendicular position. They must be sprinkled with a moistened substrate. Which must be kept moist regularly throughout the storage period.

In the storage room, it is advisable to maintain an optimal temperature regime using a thermometer for control.

Using an open container of water, you can achieve the desired moisture. Do not humidify the room too much. Since increased moisture of more than 60% is detrimental to young plants.

For planting material, it is better to use wooden boxes. They should be filled with hay or sawdust, and then placed in an upright position, the seedlings wrapped in plastic. They are positioned so as not to touch the walls of the box, leaving a distance of more than 10 cm. Such boxes are covered with a thick cloth, however, the safety in this storage option cannot be absolute.

If the purchased seedlings began to develop intensively, then it is worth planting them in pots. It is recommended to lower the roots into water for half a day before planting, and then plant them in a small container. The planted plant is taken out to a cool place, providing minimal watering and feeding. With this method, when planting further into the ground. such a plant will need enhanced care, as it will be weakened

If it turns out that the material that was planned to be used has frozen, it is possible to defrost it by spilling it with boiling water.

What features of preservation of seedlings should be observed?

Each garden culture has its own characteristics, since for a full life they need different temperature conditions, and they all differ in the vegetative period, ripening periods from planting to flowering or fruiting. Therefore, each type of plant has its own methods and conditions for preserving seedlings. Next, we will consider what features may arise when preserving seedlings before planting, depending on the culture.

When storing coniferous seedlings you need to know that they cannot be stored in the cellar. Most often, coniferous seedlings are sold in containers, so they can be dug in with it. To do this, choose a place protected from direct sunlight and strong winds. The upper part needs to be insulated. You can also store these coniferous seedlings in the garage. Then the top does not need to be insulated. The rest of the storage technology in the garage was earlier.

When storing fruit-bearing crops the cellar is considered optimal. Before planting, seedlings are processed, cutting off all the remaining foliage on them. And then they already act according to the method that was discussed earlier. Also, for fruit trees, you can apply such methods of preserving seedlings as "prikop" or "placement in the snow".

For storage shrub saplings use the same methods as when preserving seedlings of fruit trees.

For storage grape seedlings you can choose the "prikop" method. If the grape seedlings are overdried, then it is advisable to immerse them in water for a day.

Cuttings tied in bunches are tightly placed in a trench, before laying, it is advisable to moisten the roots in a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. Then it is worthwhile to act, as already discussed earlier.

For storage seedlings of roses the best option is "prikop". For awakened roses, planting in containers is used. The best substrate for these plants is river sand.

As you can see from the options discussed above, there are both long-term and short-term methods of preserving seedlings before planting. And it is important to remember this in order to effectively choose the right way to preserve seedlings.