Growing tomato seedlings according to the method of Julia Minyaeva
Tomato seedlings according to the method of Yulia Minyaeva are especially popular among gardeners. Thanks to the use of this method, it is possible to grow healthy and strong seedlings that are not afraid of temperature changes and show excellent germination when planted in open ground.
Growing tomato seedlings according to the method of Julia Minyaeva
Method advantages
Advantages of the method of planting seedlings by Yulia Minyaeva:
- The grown seedlings acquire a more powerful root system. Correct root development is achieved due to the fact that the plants are at the same distance from each other, will not interfere with each other.
- Watering is carried out more efficiently and is not problematic, it is enough to pour 100-200 ml into the container.
- If you plant seedlings in a snail or diaper, they will not actively gain growth. As a result, all the energy is conserved for the open field.
- Sowing seeds in a diaper allows you to reduce the area for growing crops.
- It is easier to dive seedlings from snails or diapers without harm to the root system.
Sowing seeds in a snail
A snail is a do-it-yourself place for growing tomato seedlings. Sowing requires adherence to certain rules. As soon as the substrate is laid on the table, it is completely filled with soil. Tomatoes need the soil level to be equal across the entire width. Do not spread the layer more than 2 cm, otherwise the seeds will sprout for a very long time.
Use tweezers to place all tomato seeds in 1 row. To do this, you need to retreat from the edge of the substrate no more than 1.5 cm. The distance between the seeds should be 2 cm. As soon as you reach the edge of the tape, you can begin to roll up the roll. The formed snail should stand upright so that the soil and tomato seeds do not fall out. It is important to fasten the bundle with elastic bands and put in a plastic container. Any box previously used for planting vegetables can be used.
Next, the seed is watered and covered with a plastic bag so that a little air gets inside. Once the bundle is fully formed, it is placed in a warm, dark place. As soon as the first shoots of tomatoes appear, the package is removed.
Preparation for sowing in snails
First of all, you should worry about preparing the place where the sowing will be carried out. It is better to use a table, since its surface is flat and it is much easier to lay out all the necessary equipment on it.
Yulia Minaeva recommends pouring only moistened fertile soil into a prepared container: it is easier to work with it. For tomatoes, it is better to use black soil. It is important to prepare the seeds in advance: they must undergo a disinfection procedure using a manganese solution (5 mg per 1 liter of water).
To form a snail, Yulia Minaeva recommends using a substrate, with which builders often work. It is important to get a strip, the width of which is about 12 cm. You can choose the length yourself.In addition, it is important to use rubber bands that will hold the formed bundle in place.
Picking seedlings into a diaper
Diapers are used to carry out the picking process.
Before starting work, it is important to prepare a few basic components: a container with moistened fertile soil, plastic bags, a sprayer and a shovel. The bags will be used as a diaper. Suitable bags are used depending on the size of the tomato seedlings. It is important that the seedlings feel comfortable. If the plant has only 4 leaves, you can use small bags 20 x 30 cm.
Prepare everything you need for a dive
At the bottom of the container with soil must be organic components (sawdust or wood ash). They will act as fertilizer. A sprayer is needed to moisten the soil in the container if necessary. Thanks to the spatula, it is more convenient to get the seedlings out of the package.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
Only deciduous wood waste (but not oak) is suitable as sawdust. Coniferous sawdust contains resin, and oak sawdust contains tannins that negatively affect the roots of vegetable plants.
Swaddling process
First of all, you should unfold the package until the first tomato seedling appears. You need to get it out of the snail and put it on the table. A little earth (about 5 cm high) is poured into the bag, which will serve as a diaper. It must be watered from a spray bottle, after which the seedlings are placed.
The roots must be covered with soil so that they cannot be seen even after watering. According to the method of Julia Minyaeva, the bag is tied with an elastic band where the tomato cotyledons begin to form. Watering is carried out vertically so that water flows to the base of the stem.
Advantages of the diaper seeding method
The main advantage of this method is that everyone can stop work at any time. The damage to the remaining plants is insignificant. As soon as you need to leave, the snail is folded back to its starting position.
Thanks to the diapers, the gardener saves space on the windowsill: it is in this place that the containers should stand before planting in the open ground. Vertical containers take up much less space than conventional dedicated planting containers.
The amount of soil to grow is minimal compared to conventional methods. When swaddling, the soil is used only to fix the roots at the base. Another advantage is distinguished: the roots do not intertwine with each other and do not deform.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
The listed advantages of growing tomato seedlings in snails: saving space for seedlings, saving soil are at the same time its disadvantages. To obtain a normal 45-50 day old seedlings, each plant requires a soil volume of about 125 cubic centimeters (a cassette cell with an area of 5 x 5 cm and a depth of 5 cm). It's minimum. When grown in a snail, there are only about 50-70 cubic centimeters per unit of seedlings! Just like a person who, in childhood, did not receive adequate nutrition, grows small and puny, so it is impossible to get a productive plant from tomato seedlings grown in this way.
From diapers to open ground
Planting seedlings in open ground is carried out at the beginning of April, but it is hardened in advance to reduce the risk of damage during temperature changes. Disembarkation is carried out early in the morning or in the evening. It is important that there is no direct sunlight. Yulia Minaeva recommends planting plants according to a certain scheme: a distance of 50 cm should be observed between the bushes, and about 70 cm between rows. After planting in open ground, tomato seedlings need shading. It is better to create a paper shelter for them so that the sun's rays do not interfere with their development.
The bushes are watered every 3 days. About 2 liters of warm water are poured under each plant. Top dressing is carried out only 3 times.
- The first fertilization is done 10 days after planting. At this point, organic matter is used (2 kg of humus per 1 sq. M of plantings).
- During the second feeding during the formation of inflorescences, potassium compounds are introduced (50 mg per 10 l of water). 1 liter of the drug is poured into each bush.
- The third feeding with phosphorus (80 mg per 10 l of water) is carried out during the formation of fruits. For 1 sq. m should account for about 5 liters of fertilizer solution.
The bushes are tied at the age of 30 days, from the moment of planting. For this, it is advisable to use metal pegs and thick fabrics.
Conclusion
Using the method of Julia Minyaeva, you can grow strong seedlings and not worry about their further growth. A developed root system protects the crop from negative environmental factors.
