How to get cucumber seeds from the testes. The surest way to collect cucumber seeds for the future harvest. Ripening the fruit to produce seeds

If you have a plant growing on your site that suits you completely, and you want to grow it again, then you just need to collect the seeds from the fruits with your own hands. Of these, cucumbers will sprout earlier than this year, the plants will be healthier, and the harvest will be richer.

How to collect cucumber seeds correctly?

A prerequisite for collecting seeds from cucumbers is that the variety must not be a hybrid, but a natural one. How to distinguish hybrids: if the packet of seed material is marked F1 or F2, then this variety is a hybrid, and such cucumbers are not suitable for collecting seeds.

What cucumbers can you collect seeds from? From those grown from seed natural variety. Such cucumbers will only improve and consolidate their positive properties with each planting year.

How to get cucumber seeds at home?

To get seed, you need to leave a few cucumbers for seeds, that is, do not pick them until they are fully ripe. They should turn yellow and become soft. Seed cucumbers should be left at the end of the season.

To collect seeds, you need to choose “female” cucumbers - they have a square cross-section. To avoid confusion, mark them with a ribbon and place a board under them to prevent them from rotting prematurely. When the cucumber turns yellow-brown and the stalk dries out, it’s time to collect the seeds.

How to collect cucumber seeds at home?

Cut the ripe seed cucumbers lengthwise, strictly in half. Only the front third of the seed material is suitable for seeds. We clean these seeds into a wooden, glass or enamel bowl.

If there was little liquid in the seed chamber, add some water to the bowl. Place it in a warm place for 2 days to ferment. The amniotic membrane should separate from the seeds.

Now you need to wash the seeds in running water, removing those that have surfaced as unsuitable, and laying all the good seeds on cardboard or plywood and drying them. If the weather is good, you can dry it on outdoors, cleaning the room at night.

But it’s not enough to know how to collect cucumber seeds yourself. It is also important to apply them correctly during the sowing season. No need collected material sow next year, the seeds should sit for a couple of years. Otherwise, there will be a lot of empty flowers on the plants, and you won’t get a harvest. Best result will produce seeds in the third year - there will be many female flowers on the bushes that bear fruit.

Homemade cucumbers are famous not only for their excellent taste, but also for their unprecedented yields. To please your loved ones with crispy cucumbers every year, you need to be able to collect seeds correctly and store them until spring.

Which cucumbers can you collect seeds from?

Anyone who wants to collect their own must remember that they cannot be taken from hybrids. The thing is that hybrid varieties of cucumbers are not able to pass on all their qualities to the next generations. This is why many grandmothers complain that the harvest is getting worse every year, the fruits are gnarled and not suitable for canning. Only varietal cucumbers that do not have the prefix F1 in their name are left for seeds.

The same care must be taken when growing greenhouse cucumbers. All modern varieties are either seedless or self-pollinating. If you collect seeds from the latter, then next year there will be only barren flowers.

However, not all varietal cucumbers are suitable for seeds. Experienced gardeners have noticed that an excellent harvest is obtained from a tetrahedral fruit. In this case, only the front third near the flower is taken for seeds. It is from such seeds that friendly and strong shoots are obtained.

How to properly collect seeds from cucumbers and when

To collect seeds, fruits that are slightly larger than average are selected, not overgrown fruits. They are marked with a thread and left on the vine until frost. Thus, they undergo natural stratification. They are exposed not only to heat, but also to cold.

Important! If cucumbers are not grown on a trellis, then a board is placed under the fruit so that it does not rot.

In late autumn, the intended fruits are removed and allowed to ripen at home. There is no need to rush into this, unless the weather cooperates. A good seed cucumber should not only be dark, but also soft, and its tail should be completely dry. After a couple of weeks, you can remove the seeds from the fruit:

Cut the cucumbers and remove the seeds along with the pulp into a prepared container;

Cover the container with gauze and wait for fermentation, leave for another two days;

Pour warm water into a container, remove all floating seeds and pulp;

Wash the seeds under running water several times and dry well.

The container for fermenting seeds should not be metal; it is better to take plastic or any other. If the fermentation process does not begin, then you can add a little to the pulp warm water. Fermentation or natural fermentation is necessary for seeds to remove the film from them that interferes with germination and to discard weak specimens. After which the seeds are well dried and stored.

How to dry cucumber seeds

(reklama) When drying seeds, you should not use a hairdryer or other devices, and you should also not place a container with planting material near heating systems.

Place the prepared seeds on a newspaper or on a plate and stir them periodically so that they dry evenly. The seeds need to be air dried.

Treated seeds are stored in paper bags or fabric bags, but not in polyethylene. There is no need to stuff the bags tightly; leave enough free space for air access.

The package is provided with a label with the name of the variety and the date of collection. Store seeds in a dark place at a temperature of 18°C for about six years.

Important! Last year's cucumber seeds are not suitable for planting; it is better to take stale ones. Fresh seeds produce a lot of barren flowers.

Preparing seeds for planting and growing cucumber seedlings

Three-year-old seeds are used to grow seedlings. They make strong bushes that bear fruit well. However, you must first prepare your seeds in order to protect the seedlings from any diseases.

To begin, soak the seed material for a day in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then rinse in running water. Next, discard the empty seeds by dissolving 1 tbsp. l. salt in a glass of water and drop the seeds. Mix well; any that float should be discarded. The remaining seeds are left to swell and then hardened off.

Seed hardening process

The prepared seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a paper bag and put in a cold place for 10-12 hours. Then the bag with the seeds should be transferred to a warm place and kept for 6-8 hours. Experienced gardeners advise first putting the seeds in the refrigerator, then putting them on battery.

This procedure not only increases the endurance of the seeds, but also accelerates their germination.

Sowing time for seedlings

When to sow seeds for seedlings depends on the growing region. In the southern part of Russia, sowing begins in early April, in open ground seedlings are transferred after a month. In the northern regions, there is no need to rush into sowing; it is better to postpone the work until May.

Soil for cucumber seedlings

It is better to prepare the soil for seedlings yourself. To do this, mix the following components:

Rotted manure;

Take four parts of peat and turf soil, add one part of sawdust and manure. Still need to contribute mineral fertilizers, for example, potassium sulfate, superphosphate, urea.

The prepared soil is disinfected; you can spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or heat it in the oven.

Planting seeds

Cucumber seeds are planted immediately in separate cups so as not to injure the seedlings with transplants. The containers are filled with prepared soil, the seeds are laid out and sprinkled with soil. The planting depth of germinated seeds is about 2 cm.

In order not to buy dubious seeds for sowing cucumbers every year, you should try to prepare material for planting yourself. The procedure is not complicated and does not take much time, but difficulties may arise regarding the choice of vegetable variety, fruit and storage conditions. Therefore, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the complete algorithm on how to collect cucumber seeds at home. Usually it has several main stages.

Harvesting cucumber seeds from your own fruits has its own nuances. In addition to the basic rules, there are other factors that can influence getting a good harvest from your own preparations.

The first thing you should pay attention to is whether the variety is a hybrid, and the second is the shape of the fruit. It turns out that these two indicators determine the yield. Cutting the cucumber itself and selecting the seeds will also greatly affect the quality.

Important! Important and even basic conditions are storage and preparation for planting. Many inexperienced gardeners neglect these steps and, as a result, encounter problems when growing cucumbers.

Subtleties of collecting cucumber seeds

There is a precise algorithm that determines the pattern regarding how to collect cucumber seeds. The steps are quite simple and clear:

Determination of variety.
Fruit selection.
Allowing time for maturation.
The process of collecting material for planting.

These works do not require special knowledge and skills related to botany or gardening.

Knowing the variety of cucumber

You cannot collect seeds from all varieties of cucumbers. If a hybrid marked F1, F2 grows in the garden bed, then wait for the same good harvest not worth it. In the second year of planting such planting material, the vegetable will not have the same properties.

Note! The material can be prepared from ordinary varieties. Such options are obtained as a result of many years of crossings and preparations. The result is a variety that is resistant to changes in characteristics after planting the seeds.

Fruit selection

It is possible to grow a full-fledged plant with primary properties only in the 3rd year of planting. Therefore, it is worth using a trick that will help you get an excellent harvest in the first year.

The correct choice of fruit is as follows: the cucumber must have 4 seed partitions. Such a vegetable is determined by its female type, therefore the fruits from such seeds fully meet their characteristics already in the first year. 3-chambered fruits are classified as male type, which means they will bloom, but the bud will not develop further (a barren flower will form).

Time delay for maturation

Sometimes difficulties arise in determining the degree of fruit ripening and its readiness for harvesting planting material. Rules for when to pick seed cucumber:

leave a few fruits on the garden bed, which visually have four edges along the entire surface;
it is advisable to remove specimens from under the sheets or the depths of the bed, placing them on an open surface in direct sunlight;
you will have to wait until autumn to determine the degree of ripening by color. When the fruit turns light brown or bright yellow, you can separate it from the stem.

Note! Selected specimens in the cutting area should be tied with tape (this will help prevent them from being accidentally torn off), and a board should be placed underneath (the fruit will not rot when watered or in rainy weather).

Obtaining quality seeds

When the fruit is ripe (the stalk has dried and the base of the vegetable has softened), you can begin cutting and harvesting the seeds. Algorithm for getting seeds from a cucumber for planting:

Place the fruit on a clean flat surface and cut it in half lengthwise.
Cut off the edges. It is enough to remove 4 cm on each side.
Next you need to release the juice from the fruit. Gently scoop out the seeds by scooping them out of the chamber with your fingers or a spoon. Damaged or cut specimens must be removed immediately.
Place the collected material in a glass jar. Pour water into the container (2/3 of the total volume). Leave the container for 48 hours in a warm but dark place.
After 2 days, add water to the jar and shake the container well. Empty specimens will float, making it possible to immediately remove unsuitable planting material. Additionally, the amniotic membrane, which inhibits germination, will be washed off.
Rinse good seeds several times under running water.
Pour into a colander. In 5-10 minutes. excess moisture will leave.
The workpiece should be dried for paper towel. The material must be stirred periodically.

Note! If you take the material from the tips, the harvest will consist only of bitter hooked cucumbers.

If you use the presented step-by-step algorithm for assembly and drying, the seeds will be stored normally, and the harvest from them will be a record one.

Proper storage

After the collection has been carried out in accordance with all the rules, it is worth taking care of creating conditions for storing the seeds.

The humidity in the room where the material will be stored should be 70%. Do not leave seeds in a box in the kitchen, barn, cellar or basement. It is worth leaving the workpiece in the house (heated room).
The temperature comfortable for preparation is 9-15 °C. Changes in indicators are undesirable even within the presented temperature range.
You can use paper or fabric as storage containers. To do this, you need to make fabric bags or paper bags. You can use foil and polyethylene as a base.
During storage, the workpiece must not be exposed to sunlight. This can lead to premature germination. This in turn will lead to damage to the material.

Important! Only the glass jars, into which you need to add hydrogel beads.

Before placing blanks on winter storage It is worth signing what variety is presented and when the assembly was made.

Growing seedlings from collected seeds

to get a high-quality and rich harvest from self-collected cucumber seeds, it is worth producing proper preparation material for planting. First you need to gradually bring the seeds out of dormancy, and only then plant them:

Open the container with the workpiece for 2 days so that the shells are enriched with oxygen. Additionally, you will need to place the material in a room with more high temperature. Sunlight will be an additional activating factor.
At the second stage, disinfection and hardening. Ideal option will be alternate immersion in cold and hot water in turns for 10 minutes.
After soaking in water different temperatures You should put the seeds in the refrigerator for 7 hours. Then return them to a room with normal temperature.
Next, they need to be left near the heated radiator for 3-4 hours, after having been placed on a damp bandage, which is spread along the plate. This technique will speed up germination.

Only after a set of such procedures can you take the prepared material for planting in a greenhouse or garden. If preparation in the form of disinfection, hardening and germination was carried out correctly, then the yield will be at a high level.

Each stage of collection, processing and preparation of cucumber seeds is carried out in accordance with certain rules. If you choose the right fruit and how to carry out all the manipulations, then the material for planting will be highly effective.

Getting seeds from your cucumbers is easy. Following the rules, it turns out great planting material. I’ll tell you about ways to collect cucumber seeds, how to choose high-quality fruits for this, and how to save the seeds.

Select the fruits

The collection of cucumber seeds is carried out according to the rules that determine

quality of seed material;
compliance with varietal characteristics;
germination;
female type of flowering or predominance of barren flowers.

Rule 1. Know the variety

Having cucumber beds, you know what you sowed. Regular varieties and hybrids have genetic differences. If hybrids were used (marked F1 on the label), then the idea of further production can be abandoned.

The resulting seeds will sprout, grow well, bear fruit, but most of their qualities will be lost: yield, fruit size, resistance to diseases, adverse conditions, pickling properties, etc.

It is possible that a parthenocarpic hybrid will require pollination, the bunch type of fruit formation will be absent, the growing season - the time from germination to fruiting - will change, bitterness will appear and the cucumber will become unsuitable for fresh consumption.

Look at the label carefully: F1 is a hybrid that will not pass on its qualities to its offspring. Photo: prosorta.ru

For seeds, take cucumbers of ordinary varieties that were not bred through crossing. This option ensures 100% compliance with the variety and compliance with the characteristics. The best cucumbers to obtain seeds with your own hands in middle lane are considered:

Vyaznikovsky;
Lotus;
Bush;
Far Eastern;
Winner;
Nezhinsky;
Cascade;
Erofey;
Swag.

Cucumber seeds have a peculiarity: the longer they are stored, the better they germinate. High yield They produce three- and five-year-old seeds. Stored for more than 6 years have reduced germination.

Rule 2. Choose a fruit

The most beautiful cucumber is selected for seeds; this is done during the first harvest, at the beginning of fruiting. He must be correct form and without defects. The left specimen is not torn off - it continues to grow in the garden bed for ripening.

To prevent accidental tearing, it is marked with gauze, colored tape or string. If it lies on the ground, a plank backing helps prevent rotting.

Maturity is determined by the color and condition of the skin; such a testis is called “yellow”. Photo: countryhouse.pro

By folk omens The seed cucumber must be selected according to the number of ribs on the walls, which correspond to the number of internal chambers. The quality of flowering depends on these signs. Seeds prepared according to this rule will produce female flower stalks, which will increase the number of ovaries and allow for high yields.

Effect of chambers/ribs on future harvest has no scientific basis, but many amateur vegetable growers adhere to this rule:

Four-chamber

Fruits that have 4 seed partitions will produce female plants.

The vines will bear flower stalks, ready for pollination.

Their petals already contain a cucumber germ.

Three-chamber

Cucumbers predominantly reproduce plants that are prone to producing male flowers - barren flowers.

After flowering, they will not bear fruit; they can only play the role of pollinators.

Review:

There are many posts on the forum about obtaining planting material yourself. Here is the experience of seed production from an amateur gardener:

“...I’ll tell you step by step how I do it. I always have excellent cucumber seeds. At the growth stage, I select a couple of the largest fruits of each variety and leave them to grow until the overripe “yellow” stage. I select all the seeds from the fruit and rinse them 5-6 times with running water through a colander until they are no longer slippery. I reject small items and defective seeds. I spread the washed seeds on newspaper and dry them on the windowsill or balcony for a day or two. I put them in paper bags and store them until spring. This technology has never let me down!”

Rule 3. Allow time for maturation

The seeds must ripen in natural conditions, with nutrition from the vine, so the cucumber remains in the garden and is not separated from the bush. Full-fledged planting material will mature in 1.5–2 months after setting.

Readiness is determined by 4 signs:

dark orange, yellow color;
hardening of the skin;
the appearance of a melon net;
withered tail.

For the testis, select a specimen cylindrical, the length of which is not less than 12 cm. Photo: cs14113.vk.me

Which cucumbers to collect seeds from - video:

Amateur gardeners are actively discussing the issue of independent propagation, they share their experiences:

“The seeds must be squeezed out along with the juice, which is in the middle of the fruit, i.e. scrape out the middle as it is. Place all this in a cup and leave for fermentation for 1-2 days, then the seeds will be well separated from the unnecessary pulp. Then rinse well under a thin stream of water, put everything that remains at the bottom on a napkin and dry, discard any seeds that float to the surface. ."

“I never think about which cucumbers to leave for seeds. I just leave the ones that I missed a little and grew big, so I leave them to turn yellow in the sun. Only then I collect about 7-10 of these huge ones, and take out the seeds. I will only say that they should also be good, if I see that the seed is not the correct shape or the color is wrong or some other defect, then I mercilessly throw it away. Then I wash them well and dry them in the sun. Everything goes well, of course there are incidents, not without it, but mostly I don’t complain.”

Get quality cucumber seeds: instructions

The seed fruit, which has lain on the melon patch for at least 50 days, is picked and transferred to the house. Don't rush into selecting seeds. Proceed step by step and sequentially:

	Stage 1. Ripening After removing the yolk from the garden, it should lie in a warm room/greenhouse or in the sun for 1–2 weeks. During this time it will finally ripen. As soon as it loses its elasticity and becomes soft, you can start selecting the seeds.
	Stage 2. Sampling The highest quality seeds are located in the middle part. Cut the body in half/lengthwise and start assembling. Take a bowl or other deep container and scrape out the internal mush. It is better to remove the seeds with a spoon; it cleans out the middle with pulp, which is necessary for ripening. If the fruit is rotten, remove this part and wash the collected material in a weak solution of copper sulfate
	Stage 3. Fermentation Cover the seed pulp; gauze/napkin is suitable for this. Leave for 1-2 days and leave for fermentation. Do not keep for more than three days. If the paste is dry, add water. The pulp during the fermentation process allows you to obtain a clean seed, without dried pulp, which is important during germination. You will see the end of the process by the appearance of a putrid odor, mold deposits and bubbles on the surface
	Stage 4. Washing and sorting After fermentation, transfer the mixture to a jar of water, stir and leave for 5 minutes. During this time, natural sorting will occur: empty seeds will float on top, full-fledged seeds will go to the bottom. Remove upper layer, it goes to waste. Drain the water. Repeat the procedure 3-5 times until the water is clear
	Stage 5. Drying Preparation is completed by drying. Drain the water, it is more convenient to do this through a sieve. Place on a saucer lined with a cloth/paper towel. After a couple of hours, replace the wet backing with dry cloth/paper, spread it in a thin layer, and leave it for several days in a ventilated room. Stir occasionally

Thorough washing frees the seed from the amniotic membrane - this is important for germination, as it interferes with the opening of the shell and impairs hatching.

I came across it on the Internet unusual way preparations that the gardener shares on the forum. Some may want to experiment. Here's an excerpt:

“I leave a few cucumbers of the varieties I like in the garden, give them the opportunity to fully ripen, then dry, after which I break the peel and collect the completely dry seeds. I do the same with cucumbers that are overripe due to an oversight. I put the seeds by variety in paper bags and store them...”

Store correctly

Wrap the seeds in paper, write the variety and date. Place in any dry place where there are no direct sun rays. Usually it's at the bottom of the closet, it's cooler there.

The germination of cucumber seeds lasts 10 years. The best period and high yields are for three- and five-year-old specimens.

Remember

Know the variety. Pancreatic hybrids bred for greenhouses will not self-pollinate. All hybrid varieties lose their properties, change the ripening period, length and shape of the fruit.
Don't leave a lot of fruit. The yellow grass drains a lot of energy from the bush and reduces productivity. The lash stops growing and produces fewer flower stalks.
Choose a healthy bush. If the bed is affected powdery mildew, putrefactive infections, fungi - planting material may be infected.
Comply with processing deadlines and rules. Do not pick the yolk until the vine and stalk dry out. Use the fermentation method. Wash and dry the seeds according to the rules.

Seeds obtained at home will not only help you save money, they are adapted to your climate and will delight you with an excellent harvest.

To choose the appropriate variety of cucumbers you like and collect seeds from it, you need to know some secrets. Collect cucumber seeds, only non-hybrid ones.

For some this is a hassle, but the harvest is worth taking care of today.

How to collect cucumber seeds correctly

Your cucumber seeds will sprout earlier, will be resistant to diseases, and will produce more ovaries. This has been verified by experience. Since purchased seed material does not always meet our needs.

The main thing is that the fruits from which the seeds are collected are not from hybrid varieties, but natural.

The presence of the designations F1, F2 on the bags may give a good harvest, but only for the season. Hybrids are not used for propagation. The plants either won’t grow or the fruits won’t ripen, in short, you won’t have much trouble with them. About cucumber seeds.

Secrets of collecting cucumber seeds

To get cucumber seeds, which you especially liked, leave a few fruits. Let them ripen completely, turn yellow and become soft. It's better to do this at the end of the season. Otherwise, the fruits remaining for ripening will not allow new cucumbers to grow.

There is also a special technique by which the testes are allowed to hold out summer heat and endure frosts. This is how the seeds harden.

What you need to know about collecting cucumber seeds

Select only female cucumbers with a square cross-section (not triangular).
Tie (mark) the selected fruit with a ribbon, so it will not be accidentally picked.
Place a board under the testicle to protect it from rotting.

Signs of a cucumber ready for seed collection:

color yellow-brown or yellow-white;
the fruit is well softened;
the stalk has dried up.

Further steps for collecting seeds from cucumbers

The cucumber is cut lengthwise (in half). Seed material is taken from the front third of the fruit.

The contents of the seed chamber are cleaned into a glass container. If there is little liquid in it, you need to add a little water to the bowl.

Place the jar in a warm place for two days. During this time, fermentation will occur and the amniotic membrane will separate from the seeds.

Rinse the grains in running water. Please note that high-quality seed material (heavy) will settle to the bottom. The lungs will remain on the surface. Pour them out along with the pericarp and pulp.

Clean seeds are dried on plywood or cardboard in a thin layer. At night they go indoors.

From gardeners

“The seeds are all selected and washed in a colander until the mucus completely disappears. Then they are laid out on paper and dried on the windowsill.”

“If there are cucumbers left in the garden due to oversight, I pick them when they are overripe. Already when cleaning the seeds, I cull and mercilessly remove frail, small, etc. The rest go through the procedure as described above.”

“I choose only round cucumbers; there are also triangular ones, which are not suitable for sampling seeds.”

Collect cucumber seeds and keep your “pedigree” for this vegetable crop. Hybrids do not always justify their yields.