Planting and growing tomato seedlings

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Self-grown tomato seedlings are of better quality than purchased ones. Let's talk about the features of planting and growing tomato seedlings.

Planting and growing tomato seedlings

When to start sowing seedlings

How is sowing tomatoes for seedlings at home? You need to start by choosing the sowing time. Most experts believe that sowing seeds should be carried out 55-65 days before planting plants in the garden. The date and time depends on the region and the method of cultivation (in a greenhouse or outdoors). Here are the estimated time frames for different regions:

• In the southern regions, sowing is carried out from February 20 to March 15. Plants are transferred to open ground from April 15 to May 20.
• In the middle lane (Moscow region, Leningrad region) tomatoes are sown from March 15 to April 1. Tomatoes are transferred to the beds from May 10 to June 1.
• In the north (Ural, Siberia), seeds are best sown from April 1 to April 15. Planting in the beds is carried out from May 25 to June 15.

Depending on the variety, there are the following dates for planting tomatoes for seedlings:

• Early for open beds - early April.
• Early under the film - the second half of March.
• Tall greenhouse - end of March.
• Greenhouse stunted - early or mid-March.

If the tomato seedlings are prepared and the seeds were sown at the correct time, the bushes will be of normal size and strong enough by the time they are planted in the ground. The quality and quantity of the crop largely depends on this. It is important that the tops in pots do not bloom: in this case, it stops growing, bears fruit poorly.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

The specific time of sowing tomato seeds for seedlings is calculated as follows: from the average calendar (for a given area) date of planting seedlings in open ground, the time for growing seedlings is counted, adding the time for emergence of seedlings (6-7 days). So, for example, for planting 45 day seedlings on May 1, the seeds will need to be sown on March 7-9.

Premises preparation

Most gardeners prefer to sow tomatoes for seedlings right in the apartment. Only for commercial cultivation is this done in special greenhouses. In order for the tomatoes to sprout well and be ready for planting in the spring, you need to choose the right room for them. To do this, you need to know in what conditions the culture likes to grow. Basic Rules:

• good illumination by the sun or a lamp;
• humidity is high at the level of 50-70%;
• daytime temperature - 25 ° С, at night - 15-18 ° С.

Seedlings for varietal tomatoes grow at home better if grown in a south window. If this is not possible, additional lighting is used. Additional lighting is also useful when planting tomatoes in winter, when the day is short and young sprouts lack natural light.

To maintain humidity, the room is sprayed from time to time with water from a sprayer.It is important to ensure that no drops fall on the leaves. If the apartment is too cold, an additional heater is installed.

Soil preparation

How to grow healthy tomato seedlings? This can only be achieved if the soil for cultivation has been chosen correctly. Some gardeners believe that it is best to take the land from the garden where the crop will grow in the future: then the tomatoes are less stressed. This makes sense, but only if the land is not contaminated with diseases and is fertile enough. Other farmers prefer to buy soil or prepare mixtures with their own hands from different components.

Mixtures and substrates for sowing seedlings

Here are some good soil recipes for sowing tomatoes for seedlings:

• Mix equal parts turf, humus and pressed peat. Add 0.5 liters of wood ash, 2 matchboxes of superphosphate to a bucket of soil and pour the mixture with water.
• Mix equal parts of garden (sod) soil, river sand and peat. Add to 3 buckets of the mixture 20 g of potassium sulfate, 10 g of carbamide, 30 g of superphosphate. Pre-dilute the fertilizer with 10 liters of water.
• Mix 2 parts of humus with 1 part of black soil.
• Take black soil, special soil for garden plants and river sand in equal parts, add a few tablespoons of vermiculite.
• Mix peat (3 parts) and sand (1 part).

You can prepare the soil for planting yourself

Ready-made coconut substrate has proven itself well. Strong and healthy plants with a developed root system grow in it. Recently, many crops have been advised to grow in peat tablets. This method does not require picking - transplanting into the ground is greatly simplified, since the roots are not damaged. Tomatoes are grown in peat tablets with a diameter of 3-6 cm. In one it is recommended to sow 2-4 seeds, and then put the tablet in a half-liter container and water. The plant is transplanted together with the substrate.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

Coconut substrate (cocovite) and peat pellets have good physical properties. They are water-absorbing, i.e. well absorb and retain water, porous - the root system of plants does not experience difficulties during growth. But it contains very few nutrients. In industrial greenhouses, coconut substrate is used when growing tomato crops in hydroponics (instead of obsolete mineral wool). Every day, in small doses, a solution of mineral substances is supplied to the coconut substrate through drip irrigation. When growing tomato seedlings at home on kokovite or peat, it is necessary to provide for more frequent watering with a fertilizer solution.

Soil disinfection

Even purchased soil for plants can be contaminated with fungi and bacteria. Before sowing tomatoes on seedlings, the soil must be disinfected. There are several methods:

• Steaming in the oven at 180-200 ° C.
• New techniques - heating in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. at a power of 850.
• Warming up in a double boiler for 10-15 minutes.
• Land cultivation with boiling water.
• Preparation of potassium permanganate solution: the water should darken. Water is poured over the soil.

Each method is quite effective. Sowing varietal tomatoes for seedlings in the ground, after proper disinfection has been carried out, will avoid many problems. If you ignore this procedure, the development of diseases will be very difficult to stop.

Seed preparation

If we talk about how to properly grow tomato seedlings, it is imperative to mention the preparation of seeds. This increases their germination, helps protect against many diseases in the future, and wait for a good harvest. Some gardeners do not recommend using self-harvested seeds. The seeds are checked before germination.

Selection and disinfection

To select the best planting material, it is necessary to separate small and empty seeds. To do this, they are immersed in salt water for 5-10 minutes. Floated seeds are discarded.Seed material collected with one's own hands and purchased on the market must be disinfected. Factory seeds can be germinated immediately. There are several ways to decontaminate inoculum:

• 1 g of potassium permanganate is added to 100 ml of water (a 1% solution is obtained). The seeds are soaked in the composition for 15-20 minutes, then washed with running water.
• For 100 ml of water, take 0.5 g of baking soda (0.5% solution). The material is soaked for a day. This method of disinfection stimulates the early fruiting of tomatoes.
• Aloe juice is diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio. The seeds are kept for 12-24 hours. The juice not only disinfects, but also stimulates the root formation of seedlings, allows you to strengthen the plant's immunity.
• For 100 ml of water give 3 ml of hydrogen peroxide. The composition is heated to 40 ° C and the seed is soaked in it for 10 minutes.
• Disinfection with phytosporin is carried out. For 100 ml of water, take a drop of a liquid agent or 0.5 tsp. powder. Soaking is carried out for 1-2 hours.

Germination and hardening

Seeds should be germinated before planting.

When planting tomatoes for seedlings, the seeds are pre-germinated.

To do this, you need to put the seed on gauze or a linen rag so that the seeds do not touch each other, then fill them with water at room temperature, wrap them in a rag like a diaper, and put them in a warm place (preferably on the windowsill near the battery). If the rags dry up, they are poured over with water. Tomatoes germinate in such conditions in 2-3 days, after which you can proceed to planting them.

In order for the planting of tomato seedlings to be more successful, and the germination capacity is better, it is recommended to warm the seed for several hours at a temperature of 30-40 ° C. Seeds can be wrapped in a rag, filled with warm water and closed for 5-6 hours in a thermos. For hardening, the swollen seeds are placed in the refrigerator for a day, after which they are kept warm for some time.

Sowing seeds

How to sow tomatoes for seedlings correctly? First you need to take a suitable container. Often they use cardboard or plastic cups with a volume of 0.5 liters. Also, containers with a height of no more than 7-8 cm are suitable. It is convenient to plant tomatoes in glasses with a removable bottom. The grown seedlings are easy to take out and plant in the garden: the roots are not damaged. Before planting, the dishes must be washed and disinfected (wipe with 72% alcohol, a strong solution of potassium permanganate, 6% peroxide or boil). Disinfection is carried out even when the containers are new.

The soil is poured into a container and lightly tamped. The distance between the top layer of soil and the edge of the cup (container) should be about 0.5 cm. Drainage 0.5-0.7 cm thick is laid on the bottom (crushed shells, coarse sand, crushed expanded clay). It prevents black root rot.

Before sowing any tomatoes for seedlings, water the ground and wait 5-6 hours. To grow tomato seedlings in a container, grooves are made 0.7-1 cm deep.The distance between the rows should be about 5 cm. 2-6 seeds are sown in a half-liter cup, after making depressions up to 0.7 cm.

Sowing seeds is best done with tweezers. They are carefully placed on the bottom of the groove, and sprinkled with earth on top. If the ground is watered before, additional moisture is not needed. From above, the container is covered with a film, but not tightly so that there is air access. Several times a day, the crops are ventilated, the moisture of the soil is monitored. If the soil is dry, it is moistened with a spray bottle.

The first shoots appear within 4-10 days. This largely depends on the air temperature. Here's how a tomato emerges under different heat conditions:

• 28-32 ° C - 4-5 days
• 24-26 ° C - 6-8 days
• 20-23 ° - 7-10 days.

The optimum temperature is 25 ° C. Seedlings that appear in a week are considered the strongest. It is desirable that the difference between day and night temperatures does not exceed 3-4 ° C.Some gardeners suggest growing tomatoes at home for seedlings at the same temperature, but then they adapt less well to open field conditions.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

When germinating seeds, the temperature should be 3-5 degrees higher than the optimum temperature for growth. For example: for a tomato, the optimum temperature for growth is 24-27 degrees, which means that a temperature of 27-31 degrees is needed for seed germination. For comparison, cabbage has an optimal temperature for growth of 15-18 degrees, but the seeds need a temperature of 18-21 degrees.

Weak and diseased seedlings should be removed Do not be afraid if too many plants have sprung up: they always sow with a margin, then they can be planted in another box. The main thing is that there is enough space on the windowsill. If some seedlings are too weak, they are pruned. Particular attention is paid to the shoots that have come out of the ground together with the seed: their development slows down. It is best to remove such sprouts: they do not give a normal harvest.

Seedling care

We have figured out step by step how to sow tomatoes for seedlings at home, now let's talk about how to grow tomato seedlings. It is important to water the plants correctly, to provide them with the required temperature, air humidity, and adequate lighting. Let's take a closer look at each of these points.

Lighting

Young shoots require a lot of light, so the boxes are best placed on the south side of the windowsill. If the tomato seedlings at home were planted early, at the end of winter, additional lighting will be required. Some methods provide round-the-clock lighting, but 16-19 hours is sufficient. A fluorescent lamp is used for additional lighting.

Watering and humidity

In the first 2 weeks, it is recommended to keep the seedlings under a film at a humidity of 80-90%, then it is gradually reduced to a level of 60%. You can humidify the air in the room using a spray.

Watering should not be too abundant. Until the first true leaves appear, plants are generally not advised to water. But if the soil dries up, it can be slightly moistened. Then the tomatoes are watered once a week. When 5 true leaves appear on the seedlings, the amount of watering is increased to 3-4 times a week.

In any case, you need to monitor the condition of the soil and the seedlings themselves. If the pot is dry or the leaves have wilted, the amount of water is increased. If it is time to water, and the ground is still very wet, the procedure is postponed for a day.

Temperature

After the emergence of seedlings, the temperature in the room is lowered to 15-16 ° C. After a week, during the day, it can be raised to 18-20 ° С, and at night it can be maintained at the level of 14-16 ° С. It is important that there are no drafts in the room where tomato seedlings are grown. If you grow tomatoes for seedlings at too low temperatures, their foliage will turn blue and wither. When overheated, the bush dries up, its leaves turn yellow, and the stem breaks.

Airing

If the temperature outside is set at 15-20 ° C, there is no wind, the pots can be taken out into the fresh air. First, they are left there for 5 minutes, then the time is gradually increased. Growing tomato seedlings at the last stage can be carried out on the street all day, taking home only at night.

Top dressing

Opinions differ about the introduction of fertilizing. Some argue that tomato seedlings at home can grow without feeding at all. Others advise additional nutrition, apply natural fertilizers: vermicompost diluted in a ratio of 1:10 manure, ready-made feeding Guano, Gumi, Baikal EM1. You need to feed the plants 2-3 times a week.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

You need to feed the seedlings 7-10 days after picking and another 1-3 times before planting in open ground with an interval of 1.5-2 weeks. It is better to use water-soluble mineral fertilizers Aquarin, Solution and ready-made liquid organic fertilizers (not manure!). One of the best fertilizers for young seedlings is Gumat +7.In addition to the necessary organo-mineral substances, it contains humates necessary to stimulate growth and development.

Seedling picking and preparation for planting

Plants tolerate transplanting well

A pick of tomatoes is carried out if the seedlings are too thick. It begins after the appearance of 3-4 true leaves. Plants are transferred from containers to small cups. If 2 picks are planned, tomatoes are planted in small containers of 0.2 liters. At the second pick (after about 2 weeks), they are transferred into 0.5 liter glasses. If there is room in the room, tomatoes are planted in larger boxes (1-1.5 liters per plant).

Tomato seedlings tolerate transplanting well, their roots grow quickly, but you still need to be careful when digging out tender young sprouts from the soil and transferring them to another container. It is better not to pinch the main root, then it will grow deeper in the garden bed, extracting water for the bush from deep layers. This will reduce watering even during the hottest and driest summers. Trimming or cropping the roots will make them grow wider. This is also not bad, but more water will be required for irrigation.

Tomato seedlings are grown at home for approximately 45-60 days. 2 weeks before transplanting to a garden bed or greenhouse, it is tempered. To do this, the temperature in the room is reduced to 14-16 ° C, the pots are exposed to the open air. The day before being transferred to open ground, the plants are left outside for the whole day. Living in a city apartment tempering tomatoes on the balcony.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

It is better to grow seedlings not in glasses, but in cassettes. There are different types of cassettes. They differ in the number of cells (from 4-6 to 50) and in their size. For hobbyists, cassettes with 6 cells are suitable. These seedlings are easier to carry from place to place and take up less space than cups. Cassettes are durable and will last for more than one season.

Transfer to the garden

We have figured out how to properly grow tomato seedlings at home. Now is the time to learn how to plant it outdoors. There are several signs that the plants are ready for this procedure:

• the height of the stem is about 30 cm, there are 6-7 true leaves on it;
• a thick flower cluster appeared (there may be two of them in early varieties);
• internodes were shortened.

After the appearance of these signs, ready-made tomato seedlings are planted in the beds no later than a week later. If this is done too late, the flower cluster blooms, the yield drops, and the plants remain weak and stunted. Tomatoes are grown for seedlings so as to transfer them to the ground, when there is no longer a threat of frost. The time depends on the region: in the south it is the end of April, in the middle lane - in the middle of May, in the northern zones - in the beginning of June.

How to plant tomato seedlings outdoors? It is best to choose a garden bed protected from the wind on the south side of the garden. The predecessors of the culture can be legumes, pumpkin seeds, onions, cabbage. For 1 sq. m you can plant 3-4 tall bushes or 4-6 undersized. The distance between plants should be 30-40 cm.

The depth of the holes depends on the size of the containers in which the stocky seedlings grew. The bottom can be sprinkled with ash before planting. It is better to apply organic fertilizers in the fall: this will reduce the risk of fungal diseases. For 1 sq. m you need 4-6 kg of manure or humus. Planting tomato seedlings is carried out in holes at an angle of 45 °, then the stems are sprinkled with earth and watered with a small amount of water.

Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):

Don't try to grow too large seedlings. This is the main mistake of amateur gardeners. Farmers - professionals consider the most technologically advanced in planting in open ground 30-40-day seedlings, which have a height of 15-18 cm. It is easier to transport to the planting site, it quickly takes root on the spot. Large 60-day seedlings usually take longer to take root and lose the race gained from early sowing.

Problems when growing seedlings

How to grow healthy tomato seedlings? It's not always easy. Novice farmers often make mistakes, which is why it grows dead and frail, and is affected by diseases. The most common problems are:

• late blight;
• blackleg;
• septoria;
• brown spotting;
• black spot (bacterial);
• root and apical rot;
• mosaic;
• aspermia;
• streak.

Sick vegetation dries quickly, leaves curl and spotty appear, and the stems rot. Many of these pathologies cannot be cured and it is not possible to save the plants. Often, the entire tomato population dies, therefore it is better to prevent damage in time by disinfecting the soil and seeds. Sowing any tomatoes for seedlings should be carried out exclusively in clean, disinfected containers.

With a lack of calcium, the leaves turn yellow at the tips, with a lack of manganese, their shade becomes light yellow. If there is a lot of iron in the soil, the foliage turns red. If the yellowness covers the leaf completely or only from the bottom, it has received a sunburn or the tomatoes lack moisture. White spots may also be a sign of a burn. With poor watering, the tomato withers, can wither and dry out, its leaves fall off. You can revive it by well moistening the soil and air in the room.

Slow growth can be a sign of a lack of nutrients: plants need feeding. If the inside of the leaf turns blue, the room temperature is too low. With a lack of lighting, the foliage will brighten, the sprouts become weak and stretch up too much. To keep the slim fit from falling, she needs a garter and secure reinforcement.

Good agricultural technology helps to avoid problems or stop the process of plant death. Read carefully how to properly grow tomato seedlings. If you plant weak plants, the tomato blooms poorly and bears little fruit, therefore, you need to select tomatoes for seedlings very carefully, stop all unusable plants, and prevent them from planting.