Tomatoes are a delicate vegetable crop. It is not easy to grow a good harvest of healthy fruit. Diseases, pests, marginal soils: all this negatively affects the growth and development of plants. And if many mistakes in the cultivation of tomatoes can be avoided, knowing their basic needs, then we are not in a position to influence the whims of nature. How to protect seedlings from returning cold - frequent guests of the middle lane? And most importantly, how to save frozen bushes? Let's figure it out together.
Prophylaxis
If you are prepared for any temperature extremes in advance, the chances of saving tomatoes will increase dramatically. To do this, you need to take into account some rules:
- Observe the timing of planting seedlings in greenhouses and open ground
For different regions of our huge country, there are recommended terms for transplanting tomato bushes into the garden. For the warm southern regions, this is mid-May, for the middle zone - the end of May. In places with a harsh, cold climate, tomatoes are planted on the site no earlier than the first decade of June.
- Forewarned is forearmed
Follow the long-term weather forecast. Experienced gardeners always know when to expect night frosts, so they can prepare the plants in advance.
- Preparing for the worst
It is possible to save tomatoes from the coming cold weather if you prepare in time. There are several ways to protect plants from temperature fluctuations:
- Place hot water bottles and buckets throughout the greenhouse while awaiting night frosts. Plastic containers will give off heat, and hot liquid in buckets will evaporate, thereby increasing the temperature in the greenhouse.
- If your tomato bushes are short, you can use shelters made of cut-bottom plastic bottles. The greenhouses you make will create additional shelter for the plants. You can use paper bags instead of plastic bottles.
- If frosts threaten already tall bushes, you can make a larger shelter. To do this, special arcs or pins are installed around the tomatoes, which are wrapped with any covering material. Thus, both greenhouse tomatoes and plants in the open field can be protected from freezing.
- Mulch the root collar with breathable materials: sawdust, peat, buckwheat husk. So you will save the rhizomes from freezing.
In case of frostbite
If, nevertheless, you did not manage to prevent damage to tender seedlings by cold, then do not despair. Do not immediately destroy drooping, darkened bushes. You can try to save the tomatoes. This vegetable crop is famous for its good ability to repair damaged tissues.
We remove all unnecessary
First of all, cut off all the frozen parts with a sharp, sterile tool. Sometimes in tomatoes almost the entire stem freezes, and the root system remains in order. Cut off the entire plant completely. A new stem will most likely grow from the root.
We apply fertilizers
Additional feeding will help the tomatoes recover faster. For root methods, use nitrogen and potash formulations, diluted mullein, or chicken droppings. For foliar dressing use growth stimulants "Epin", "Zircon" or "Ecoberin". Prepare solutions according to instructions and irrigate damaged stems and leaves twice a day for 10-14 days. Soon, the frozen bushes will catch up with healthy ones in growth.
Unfortunately, not all tomatoes can be saved after exposure to low temperatures. And reanimated tomatoes can get sick more often, and the harvest from these bushes ripens later. Regardless, use all the steps in the article to prevent and restore your vegetables. In this case, you will not be left without a tomato crop.
Read also: How to say goodbye to ants in the garden
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