Seedlings in diapers, Yulia Minyaeva and her original method of growing seedlings

Growing seedlings in diapers is a bold and interesting idea, which allows you to save a large amount of free space, soil mixture and effort for gardeners and plant growers. This method was first tried in the capital of our country. Here every meter in apartments is valued, and it is often long and difficult to get to the dacha in order to germinate high-quality seedlings.

Content:

1. Pros of growing plants in diapers
2. How to germinate seeds using diapers?
3. Picking with diapers
4. Picking in a diaper
5. Features associated with this method
6. It is important to provide proper care for diaper plants.

Pros of growing plants in diapers

The most important positive factor of growing seedlings This method is space saving. There is no need to fill all the window sills and tables with cups of seeds; several of these “diapers” can be placed in one box or box and easily placed on the windowsill.

In addition to this advantage, there are a number of others, but also very important:

• Seedlings do not suffer from soil-transmitted diseases.
• There is no need to buy soil mixture and fill numerous cups with it.
• The method is easily used for emergency cases if the main seeds are not sprouted, or to check stale ones.
• The diaper has a long shelf life and is reusable; you just need to wash and dry it.
• Comfortable dive sprouts.
• The growth dynamics of seedlings is clearly visible. Sick, weak plants are quite easy to remove.
• The method is simple and anyone can do it.

In addition to material costs, this method requires significantly less effort and time for plant growers.

How to germinate seeds using diapers?

The method is carried out in two different ways, each of which gives good results.

Method for germinating seeds without substrate

The method surprisingly saves space and soil mixture is not required, as with conventional cultivation seedlings. One window sill or table can accommodate hundreds of plants.

For this method you will need:

• seeds;
• polyethylene;
• toilet paper;
• rubber bands (suitable for money);
• small containers (for example, plastic cups);
• scissors;
• plaster or tape;
• felt-tip pen;
• spray.

The process is performed as follows:

• Cut the canvas into long strips 10-12 cm wide;
• Place toilet paper on each resulting strip and spray it with a spray bottle;
• Stepping back 1 cm from the edges, begin to lay out the seeds. For tomatoes the distance should be approximately 3 cm; for plants with larger seeds, the gap is increased by a few cm;
• Toilet paper is again placed on the seeds, and the same strip of film is placed on top;
• The strips are loosely rolled into rolls and placed in prepared containers where water is poured. With this method, make sure that the paper is always moistened, 2-3 cm in water, then the seeds will have enough moisture to germinate.

The containers are labeled and placed in a warm, lit place.Additionally, you can cover the containers with film or glass, and add growth regulators to the water to speed up the process.

Method using soil mixture

This method is similar to the substrateless method, but there are some differences. Since soil and film are used, it remains until transplanting and rooting in open ground or greenhouses. The method can also be used for seating after a pick.

The materials you will need are the same as in the previous method, but you will also need the soil:

• Prepare strips 10-12 cm wide.
• A thin layer of soil is placed on the prepared strips; paper can be omitted.
• Lay out seeds, with sprouts or picked seedlings with a distance of about 5 cm.
• Lightly sprinkle some soil on top, roll out a layer of paper and place a strip of polyethylene.
• They roll it into a kind of “roll”, secure the structure with an elastic band and place it in pallets or small boxes.

Picking with diapers

Picking is the name given to the very first transplantation of sprouted crop sprouts. Even if you used the diaper method for germination, you can replant the sprouts in the film, slightly changing the composition of the diaper itself. Or transplant into regular containers with soil mixture.

Using the diaper method, it is very easy to pick young plants. Take a roll with already sprouted seedlings at the stage when picking is required, and inspect which side the roots are on. From this level, count about 2-3 cm and pinch the roots. The top layer of polyethylene must be removed, and the sprout in toilet paper is planted in a separate container.

For tomato seedlings sprouted both using the diaper method and the traditional method, a film with a more dense composition is used.Strips are cut out of it, similar in size to notebook sheets.

The process itself is quite simple:

• Pour 1 spoon of soil into the upper left corner of the strip.
• The sprout is positioned so that its lower leaves are above the edge.
• Carefully wrap the seedling so that the soil remains inside the diaper and roll it up. The rolls are secured with rubber bands and placed in containers. Exhibit dived tomatoes or other crops in a bright place. To water them, use water at room temperature, sometimes adding growth accelerators to it.

Transplanting to a permanent place made of film is very simple; just unfold the strong seedling and plant it in the planting hole. The root system will remain intact.

Picking in a diaper

Tomatoes can be transplanted into polyethylene, as in the method described above, but this takes into account the peculiarities of their root system. If roots vegetables have been damaged, the recovery process occurs very quickly, and new roots grow more powerful and branched. Therefore, this crop can be replanted not once, but even two or three times. There will definitely be no harm.

When transplanting, sprouts should not be taken by the fragile stems, but should be taken by the first 2 leaves that appear. Often the central root is pinched. This method is not suitable if tomatoes are planted in a place with an arid climate and infrequent watering. The tap root absorbs moisture better than the lateral roots.

For tomatoes wrapped in film, when full 5-7 leaves appear, the film rolls are unrolled, 1-2 tablespoons of well-fertilized soil are added to the roots and wrapped again.

Features associated with this method

The method has a number of features that should be taken into account:

• Seeds cucumbers Always need to soak. Place cotton wool or gauze on the bottom of a glass or plastic container, soak it well with water, and place seeds on top. The container is left in a warm place for several days.
• For the diaper method, varieties that are more suitable are not hybrid ones, but those that retain their properties and characteristics from generation to generation. Hybrid varieties, unfortunately, branch strongly after diapers. This has nothing to do with productivity indicators, but the appearance of the bushes and greenhouses in general, they spoil.
• When planting tomato seedlings, the root system grows in depth, and not in width as with traditional germination. Such mature plants will need watering less frequently. On the contrary, for peppers obtained by this method, it is necessary to provide more abundant and high-quality watering throughout the summer season.

It is important to provide proper care for diaper plants.

Since the seedlings lacked substrate, this deficiency was compensated by frequent feeding (5-8 times a month) with humic acids. Concentration fertilizers do it lower, since the seedlings are still too tender and fragile.

Moisture in the film is better retained and evaporates less, so watering is needed less often.

If there is a lot of condensation on the diapers, it must be removed daily to prevent the appearance of fungus and rot.

If the seedlings do not have enough lighting, additionally use artificial lighting in the form of a regular lamp.

In any case, no matter how many positive aspects the diaper method has, plants in film feel worse than with traditional natural germination. Therefore, they should be transferred to a permanent place of growth as soon as possible.

Young seedlings should be more carefully protected from sudden frost. The best option is to transplant into closed greenhouse soil.

And for open ground, plants are protected from the cold using some techniques:

• a kind of “cushion” is made in the soil to retain heat near the root system. To do this, tear up the old pillow, prepare sawdust, straw, and hay. These natural materials will warm the bushes from below;
• the top is covered with a film, special polymer covering materials or cut plastic bottles.

Using the method proposed by Yulia Minyaeva, various types of crop seedlings are grown: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, onions, cabbage, not only for their own needs, but also for sale.

At the same time, the summer resident will not need many bags of earth, numerous boxes, huge greenhouses and high labor costs. The most important requirements are the presence of windows on the east or south sides, a simple set of materials and timely watering.

As a result, the plants turn out a little weaker than when grown in the ground, but the great advantage is that seedlings obtained under stress try to set flower clusters as soon as possible and get a harvest.

The method is universal, suitable for both seeds, and for planting sprouted plants. This is the case when, with a minimum investment of money and time, an excellent result is obtained.

And you can watch new videos about growing seedlings in diapers on Yulia Minyaeva’s thematic channel “In the garden or in the vegetable garden”: