Among all vegetable crops, tomato occupies a worthy place due to its taste and marketability. A guarantee of a high harvest is high-quality seedlings that can be grown at home, subject to a number of simple rules.
Preparatory work
First you need to determine the timing of sowing seedlings for seedlings: you should focus on the approximate end of the frost in the region, counting 55-65 days from this date back. This will be the day of the recommended planting of seeds. Growing tomato seedlings at home is a simple process; seeds germinate quickly enough - within a week from the moment of planting. Therefore, it is recommended to grow young tomatoes on the windowsill for 45-60 days, not longer. Otherwise, an inhibition of the adult bush can occur and, as a result, a decrease in productivity. When planning planting seedlings in a greenhouse (not in open ground), the beginning of sowing can be moved forward a couple of weeks.
Growing tomato seedlings in an apartment requires the following conditions:
- A lot of light. With its shortage, there is a need for artificial lighting with lamps.
- Optimum humidity. Young plants should be sprayed twice a day with humidifiers.
- The daily temperature for young plants should vary from 18 to 25aboutC, night - 12-15 about WITH.
Growing seedlings at home
For planting seeds on seedlings, it is recommended to use special soil sold in stores. If the soil is brought from the garden, then for safety reasons it is better to disinfect it. You can do this:
- with potassium permanganate, a strong composition of which it is recommended to water the soil;
- by heating in the microwave (at a power of 850 - for 1-2 minutes);
- 10-15 minutes annealing in an oven at a temperature of 180-200 ° C.
Growing tomato seedlings at home will be effective when carrying out the above methods in combination. It is not recommended to plant seeds immediately after tillage. The earth needs to be moistened and allowed to stand for a couple of weeks at plus temperature. During this period, it will begin the multiplication of bacteria necessary for the plant.
Growing seedlings of tomatoes and peppers requires a number of preparatory work aimed at obtaining high-quality and high yields. This is seed treatment, provided that they have not undergone the necessary decontamination at the factory. To eliminate a possible infection (pathogens of various viral, bacterial and fungal diseases), you can use:
- 0.5% soda solution (per 100 grams of water 1/2 gram). Tomato seeds must be kept in it for a day. In addition, in addition to disinfection, this composition determines the early fruiting of plants.
- 1% solution of potassium permanganate (for ½ cup of water 1 gram). Seeds need to be wrapped in gauze and aged for 15-20 minutes, no more. Otherwise, their germination capacity may decrease. After treatment, the seed should be washed with water.
- Aloe juice solution. This tool can be bought in a pharmacy or made independently by squeezing it from the leaves of the plant, which are previously recommended to be kept in the refrigerator for about a week. Seeds need to be immersed in aloe juice diluted with water at a rate of 1 to 1, for about a day. Plants that have undergone this type of disinfection are characterized by increased protective properties and good fruit quality.
- The drug "Fitosporin." 1 drop of a liquid solution must be diluted in 100 ml of water; if the product is in powder form, then ½ teaspoon. 1-2 hours - seed exposure time.
Seeds: Preparing for Planting
You should also reject seeds by immersing them for about 10 minutes in a 4-5% saline solution. After that, rinse and determine for swelling in clean water: put a paper towel moistened with water in a saucer, spread the seeds on it, cover with a lid. Leave in a warm place for swelling for 10-12 hours, and then sow in the prepared soil. Most often, this operation requires old seeds (for example, collected 3-4 years ago). When using fresh seed, soaking is not necessary at all, since in dry form a high percentage of germination is observed.
Sowing tomato seeds for seedlings should be done in moist soil, preferably sown with grooves to a 1-centimeter depth. The row spacing is 3-4 cm. The less seeds are sown, the longer it will be possible to keep plants in seedling containers without diving them. To ensure a constant microclimate with a humidity of 80-90% from above, the container must be covered with glass or film. When drying, the soil needs to be abundantly irrigated from the spray gun. With excess moisture, the tank must be opened in order to dry the soil. Sometimes excessive moisture can cause mold to form on the soil surface. This problem is eliminated by removing the upper infected layer of the earth and watering with the antifungal agent Fundazol or Fitosporin or a solution of potassium permanganate.
Lighting
Growing tomato seedlings requires compliance with one of the important growth factors - optimal lighting. Therefore, containers with emerging seedlings must be placed on the lightest window sill.
Since this often happens in February-March, young plants require an additional portion of light, which can be arranged using fluorescent lamps. There is a version that a good development of seedlings is possible if provided in the first 2-3 days from the appearance of sprouts of round-the-clock lighting. Then you can switch to the usual 16-hour backlight mode.
When young shoots appear, it is necessary to open the film gradually, for several minutes a day, providing access to fresh air. You can completely remove the covering material in a couple of weeks. It is required to water tomato seedlings gently, under the stem. To do this, you can use a syringe (without a needle) or a pipette. As daylight hours increase, plants will begin to grow more actively - therefore, the need for moisture will increase, so watering will need to be done more often.
With the onset of warm spring days, seedlings are recommended to be taken out to fresh air, or you can simply open the window. This is a kind of hardening process, contributing to the stability of future garden plants.
After the first shoots appear, after about 2-3 weeks, it is recommended to feed the seedlings. It is preferable to use natural fertilizers (grass, manure) or biohumus. The concentration should be half that indicated on the package. When properly fed, large and beautiful tomatoes will be the result of invested labor.
Seedlings: growing in a plastic bottle
The real first leaves in tomato seedlings appear on the 7-10th day. At this time, if the plants sprouted in heaps, you can dive them in separate cups. Although the tomatoes tolerate the transplant well, it needs to be done carefully, with lumps of earth on the roots. After a couple of weeks, if necessary, you can re-transplant in larger containers, which can be used cut plastic bottles.
At 1.5 months of age, the seedlings will delight the first flower brushes.After 2 weeks, young tomatoes can be planted at a constant place of growth in open or closed ground. The most comfortable for this operation will be calm and cloudy weather. High-quality seedlings before planting should be characterized by thick stems, large leaves, developed buds and a powerful root system. If tomatoes are planned to continue to be kept at home, then 4-12 liters of land should be allocated per plant. For undersized varieties, 4-5 liters of soil will be sufficient, large varieties will require 10-12 liters.
Features of the care of greenhouse seedlings
It is important that the greenhouse, in which it is planned to further grow tomato seedlings, is very bright, equipped with ventilation windows. It is recommended to fertilize the soil planned for planting: add 1 bucket (per sq. M) of sawdust, peat or humus plus a spoonful of potassium sulfate or 2 tbsp. tablespoons of superphosphate. It is recommended to plant the beds for planting in advance, in about a couple of weeks, leaving between the rows an interval of about 60 cm.
3 days before planting on each plant, you need to remove the three lower leaves, which will reduce the likelihood of diseases and cause the normal development of the flower brush.
Growing tomato seedlings in a greenhouse requires compliance with the interval between plants - 30-40 cm, not more. Otherwise, the tomatoes will begin to branch strongly, giving extra flower brushes and stepsons: the ripening of the fruits will be delayed, and the yield will drop sharply.
Planting is done after two weeks from the moment of planting. Traditionally, tomatoes are formed into a single stem, leaving up to 8 flower brushes. The remaining stepchildren are preferably removed.
The formation of fruits will provide artificial pollination of plants. To do this, in sunny warm weather, flower brushes should be slightly shaken. Immediately after this operation, the soil needs to be watered or the flowers themselves sprinkled with water. A couple of hours after pollination, in order to reduce air humidity, the greenhouse needs to be ventilated.
Watering and feeding young plants
Growing tomato seedlings in a greenhouse will be successful when observing such an important factor as watering. Before flowering, seedlings are recommended to be watered every 5-6 days at the rate of 4-5 liters of water per square meter. During the flowering period, watering should be increased: 10-15 liters per square. meter. Water temperature - 20-22 about C. It is recommended that watering be done early in the morning - this will prevent the formation of excess moisture, and only under the root - in order to avoid getting water on the leaves, which can lead to the development of diseases.
Growing tomato seedlings in open ground is carried out according to the same principle, including timely watering and top dressing of plants.
During the growing season, it is recommended to carry out from 3 to 4 dressings, the first of which should be carried out three weeks after the planting of tomatoes at a constant place of growth. In 10 liters of water should dissolve 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska or ½ liter of mullein. The second time the plants need to be fertilized after 10 days; composition: 1 tbsp. spoon of the organic preparation "Fertility" and 1 teaspoon of potassium sulfate, diluted in 10 liters of water. The third time (after 12 days) for plants should apply this fertilizer: dissolve 2 tbsp. In 10 liters of water. tablespoons of wood ash or 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate. Watering should be done at the rate of 5 liters of funds per 1 square meter.
As soon as the ripening of the first fruits begins on the first inflorescence, it is necessary to remove all the lower leaves, especially those located near the ground. This procedure is best done in warm sunny weather in the morning to allow the wounds to heal. Growing tomato seedlings in a greenhouse for sale is a cost-effective option for running your own business, which can quickly pay off and bring a good profit to the farmer.It is important only to calculate your capabilities and invest in your favorite job maximum labor and knowledge.
Growing tomato seedlings in peat tablets
For the cultivation of tomato seedlings by gardeners, such material as peat tablets is widely used, which is peat compressed in the form of a small washer (diameter about 4-7 cm, height 8 mm), tightened on the sides with a finest natural mesh. Peat tablets contain seedlings, fungicides and growth stimulants, and peat acidity is ideal for most plants. Due to the presence of the nutrients required for seedlings in the early stages of development, the seedlings are not affected by the “black leg”, and the cuttings do not rot. The top of each tablet is equipped with a small recess for seeds.
Soaking the peat tablets in a high tray with warm water will be the first step towards a high and quality crop. Literally after a few seconds, they repeatedly increase in height (about 5-7 times). The result is a finished container for sowing seeds.
Then seeds should be placed in special cavities (using a match or a toothpick), which should be gently pressed in and gently cover 1-2 mm of peat from tablets. Seeds can be used in dry form, or can be pre-soaked for faster germination.
No picking method
Growing tomato seedlings without picking is a popular and popular method among gardeners. Peat washers with seeds planted in them must be placed in seedling cassettes or specially prepared containers. The ideal option would be to use propagators - special heated containers and a transparent lid. It is recommended that each row of peat tablets be signed to avoid future confusion. Before seedlings appear, the container should be ventilated at least once a day, after germination - completely remove the lid (or film). Watering is recommended using a spray gun. Prior to transplanting seedlings into a more spacious container, additional top dressing is not required - nutrients are available in the substrate itself.
An important advantage of peat washers is the absence of the need to dive seedlings - they are transplanted together with the tablet. Growing tomato seedlings in this way causes the plants to get the right amount of oxygen, which speeds up their growth and development by an order of magnitude. Also, young tomatoes are not damaged during the transplant, which is required to produce with the appearance of roots on the surface of the peat washer. It is not recommended to allow situations of entanglement of the roots of neighboring tablets, so they initially need to be placed not very tightly.
"Diaper" method of growing seedlings
Growing tomato seedlings without diving in plastic bottles is a rather interesting and gaining popularity method. Its advantage is low cost and space saving, which is very important for small areas. Growing tomato seedlings in a bag will require the availability of materials such as:
- cropped plastic bottle;
- bag or plastic film;
- toilet paper;
- spray gun.
From a film or bags, it is required to cut strips 10 cm wide, onto which to put toilet paper and sprinkle future beds obtained with water from a spray bottle. Then they need to lay tomato seeds on them, be sure to step back from the edge of 1 cm or more in order for the seedling to grow. The distance between the seeds is recommended about 3 cm. Then, on top of the seeds, you need to again put toilet paper and strips of film. The resulting tapes need to be rolled up, focusing on the diameter of the bottle where the entire structure will be placed. In the container, the roll should be tight, and the seeds should be closer to the top.
Next, you need to fill the bottle with water, about 3 cm, then put it in a warm, well-lit place. Water needs to be changed periodically, pouring out the old and adding a new one. In irrigation water, you can add a couple of drops of the drug to stimulate growth. Growing tomato seedlings in a diaper is a very simple method that determines the appearance of high-quality tomato seedlings. With proper care, seedlings will please with green sprouts. With the advent of the first developed leaves, seedlings can be planted for growing in a greenhouse.
To do this, you need to carefully unwrap the roll, removing the upper polyethylene-paper strip, under which sprouts with roots of 5-8 cm are located. Plants can be planted in the ground with wet paper, as it is problematic to free the roots from it. This technology of growing tomato seedlings is quite in demand due to space saving. With this method of planting, the plants will not get the “black leg”.
Growing tomato seedlings is an interesting and profitable occupation. After all, the end result of the labor invested - strong plants that give a good high-quality crop - is worth it to test your abilities in a new field for yourself and love this useful occupation forever.
