The quantity and timing of obtaining the future harvest of tomatoes depends on the quality of the seedlings. But sometimes the seedlings stretch out, become frail and unviable. To avoid such troubles, it is important to create optimal conditions for their growth. Read about the rules for growing tomato seedlings below.
I recommend reading: Acidifying the earth for hydrangeas - so that the bush is admired
Choosing a variety of tomatoes
To get a good harvest of tomatoes, it is important to choose the right variety, adhering to the following recommendations:
- Choose varieties that are adapted to a specific area. For example, for the northern regions - early and mid-season varieties that are designed for a short summer. For the southern regions, varieties and hybrids with any ripening period are suitable.
- Take into account the place where the culture grows: on the street, in a greenhouse or at home.
- If there is no time for pinching and tying tomatoes, determinant (undersized varieties) should be chosen, which do not require such manipulations.
- Purchase varieties that are resistant to the most common diseases of tomatoes: late blight, fusarium, etc.
It is also important to buy quality seeds from trusted manufacturers, information about which can be found in reviews on the Internet.
Preparing the substrate for seedlings
The seedling substrate should be loose, moisture and air permeable, moderately nutritious, with a weak or neutral level of acidity. Optimal formulation options:
- Take the soil from the garden bed, leafy soil, sand and humus in equal parts and soak this soil mixture with a solution: 10 g of carbamide, 25 g of potassium sulfate and 30 g of superphosphate for 10 liters of water.
- Peat, rotted sawdust, humus, taken in the ratio: 3: 1: 0.5. Add coarse sand (3 l), ammonium nitrate (10 g), superphosphate (2-3 g), potassium chloride (1-1.5 g) to each bucket of the mixture.
Regardless of whether purchased soil or prepared independently, it must undergo treatment - disinfection (for the prevention of diseases and pests). It can be spilled with a dark pink solution, steamed in a water bath, or heated for 30 minutes in the oven at 70-90 degrees.
Seed treatment
In order for the seedlings to be strong and healthy, the planting material must be prepared:
- Disinfect. Pour the seeds for 20 minutes with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Soak in Epin solution, aloe juice or water with honey (1 tsp. spoon in 200 ml of water). Usually, planting material is etched within half an hour.
- Then the seeds are germinated. They are wrapped in a piece of cloth, moistened and placed in a plastic bag,
As soon as the seeds hatch, you can start sowing. Any containers are suitable for seedlings: peat pots and tablets, plastic cups, cassettes (if diving is not planned), wooden boxes and containers (in this case, the seedlings will need to be dived). The container must be equipped with a drainage layer of 1-1.5 cm made of brick chips, sand or fine gravel. Pour the prepared soil mixture on top (layer 4-5 cm), tamp lightly and moisten well.
The seeds are laid according to the scheme: the distance between the grooves is 3 cm, between the seeds is 2 cm, the depth is 1-1.5 cm. Sprinkle lightly on top with soil and cover with glass or polyethylene.
Optimum temperature
Crops are kept at a temperature of + 23-25 degrees. Maintaining an optimal temperature in the first period affects the growth rate and the uniformity of seedlings.
After the sprouts appear, the containers are transferred to a cooler place, where the air temperature in the daytime is + 12-16 degrees, at night + 10-12. In such temperature conditions, the seedlings should stand for a week. Then the plants are returned to their original place with the usual room temperature.
Proper watering
In the first few days after the emergence of shoots, the substrate is moistened with a spray bottle. Until the water is completely dry, the seedlings should not be exposed to the sun's rays, causing burns.
When real leaves appear, spraying should be stopped and proceed to watering the soil itself with an ordinary watering can for indoor flowers. For growing seedlings, it is important to prevent both the drying out of the substrate and its waterlogging. In excessively moist soil, plants suffer from oxygen deficiency, their roots begin to rot, and in dry soil they can die.
For irrigation, use only settled water with a temperature of +22 degrees. Cold water can cause the development of dangerous diseases such as blackleg and root rot.
Pick procedure
When the seedlings have a pair of real leaves, a pick is carried out. Usually 12-18 days pass from germination to this moment. It is impossible to tighten it, as the roots grow and intertwine with each other. The pick is performed in the following order:
- In a few hours, the seedlings are well watered.
- Prepare a container with a volume of at least 0.5 liters.
- At ¾, fill with nutrient soil.
- Slightly compact and watered.
- Then, carefully prying the roots, the plants are dug up one by one and transplanted into individual pots. This can be done with a teaspoon or a dive peg. In this case, the roots are shortened by ⅓, and the plant is buried so that the cotyledon leaves rise 0.4-0.6 cm above the substrate.
For tomato seedlings, this procedure is very important. It allows a young plant to form a full-fledged root system, thanks to which it will receive more nutrients and moisture.
Mandatory feeding
After the pick, the root system will begin to actively develop. At this time, the plant needs help in the form of top dressing:
- The first is carried out when the plants take root and start growing (about 12 days after the pick). For 10 liters of water take 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska. For each seedling, 100 ml is consumed.
- The second - in 8-10 days. You can take fermented chicken manure diluted with water (1:10) and add 60 g of superphosphate.
- They feed the third time a week before planting on the beds (3-4 leaves should appear on the seedlings). Spray with a solution of the drug "Tur" (1 g of the product is taken for 1 liter of water). It prevents the seedlings from pulling out and stimulates the development of the root system. Top dressing is applied only after watering the plants.
Adequate lighting
It is advisable to place containers with seedlings on windows facing the south or south-west side. If there are none, you will have to organize additional lighting using fluorescent or phytolamps. Plants will need to be illuminated in the morning and evening hours, as well as in cloudy weather, since the duration of daylight hours for tomato seedlings is 11-12 hours. Due to the lack of light, the stems of the seedlings are stretched, become thin and weak.
Hardening of young plants
It is extremely important to harden tomato seedlings. Getting from greenhouse conditions into the harsh reality of unprotected soil, plants experience great stress, after which their growth is delayed. Therefore, they must first adapt to the new environment: bright sun, wind, change of night and day temperatures.
Seedlings begin to harden a few days before planting in open ground, when the daytime temperature during the day will stably stay above +10 degrees. First, the window is opened briefly, gradually increasing the time over several days. Then the landings are carried out onto the balcony, veranda or courtyard, also gradually increasing the duration of their presence. If the weather is warm, tomatoes can be left outside overnight.
Only after carrying out such manipulations can the seedlings be considered prepared for planting in street beds. By this time, the seedlings should form 8-10 true leaves and reach 25-35 cm in height.
Adhering to the above rules of agricultural technology when growing tomato seedlings, one can hope to get a high yield of delicious tomatoes.
Do you grow tomato seedlings?
Original articleand many other materials, you can find on ourwebsite.
Read also: The secret of the abundant flowering of hydrangeas