Growing seedlings of tomatoes at home - the subtleties of proper planting and picking

Tomatoes are one of the most favorite vegetable crops. If a person has a piece of land and likes to process it, then be sure - he will certainly plant at least a couple of tomato bush. It can not be said that growing tomato seedlings at home is simpler than a turnip rep, but, with the necessary information, the case is affordable and even profitable.

Planting of tomatoes on sprouts

Ogorodniku should know not only how to plant tomatoes on seedlings correctly, but also how to grow healthy tomato seedlings at home, how to care for plants and prevent fatal errors that will ruin the shoots or adversely affect the subsequent growth, development of tomatoes and the future crop.

Soil preparation for tomato seedlings

This is an extremely important stage in the cultivation of tomato seedlings at home. Soil for seedlings of tomatoes can not be used without prior preparation, just typing it, wherever it is. To clean the soil from the larvae of pests, seeds of weeds, pathogenic bacteria and so on, it is frozen for 1.5 months, then brought into a warm room, thawed and again carried to the frost. Do not be lazy and buy in the store the soil of an unknown producer. The best result will be if you have prepared the earth yourself since autumn.

The composition of the soil can vary depending on what components you find easier and cheaper to use. Mix in a 2: 1: 1 ratio (the possible options are shown in parentheses):

1. Soddy land (leafy earth, garden soil from under the planting of legumes, zucchini or from a molehill).
2. Completely reparted compost (humus).
3. Coarse-grained, non-clay sand (perlite, peat, sawdust-overgrown or treated with urea solution)

Preparation of seeds of tomatoes for planting on seedlings

Growing seedlings of tomatoes at home begins with the preparation of seed. Processing of tomato seeds before planting on seedlings includes the following agrotechnical techniques:

1. Sorting. The first way is visual inspection of seeds: remove damaged, changed color, empty. The second way is to dilute 1 tablespoon of salt in a liter of slightly warm, purified water, put the seeds there and stir. The surplus seeds should be removed, the rest washed with clean water, filtered, dried, spread on paper or gauze.
2. Check for germination. A strictly counted amount of seeds is placed on a cotton pad, covered with another cotton pad, moistened and germinated for a week. Then the percentage of seeds that have been seeded is counted. With low germination, the seeding density is increased. With an emergence below 10-15%, the seeds are not used for planting (unless you are trying to save and preserve some kind of your favorite)
3. Warming. Gauze sack with seeds suspended for a couple of months near the heating batteries or spread, regularly mixing, under the influence of sunlight for a week. It is not carried out for seeds of hybrids and for intended for landing in southern regions.
4. Disinfection . Typically, the seeds are disinfected in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate (1 mg per 1 liter of water), lowering the seeds into the gauze bag for 15-20 minutes. After the seeds are washed and dried.
5. Soaking . It is best to conduct in gauze pouches in thawed water for 12-18 hours. The water temperature is maintained at 22-25 ° C. Water change 3 times. Seeds should not float in water, but they should not be dry. From time to time, remove seeds from the water to saturate with oxygen. Soaking should be done before planting. Drying of seeds between soaking and planting is not allowed.

When to plant tomatoes on seedlings?

Too early sowing seeds for seedlings at home can lead to the fact that the sprouts "outgrow", their trunks too stretch, which will complicate the landing in the open ground and can affect the rooting of seedlings. If you are late with the planting of seeds, you will not get an early harvest, and for higher latitudes, there will not be enough time to ripen the fruit in the last ovaries. The interval, when planting tomatoes on seedlings, is not the same for tomatoes of different maturity:

• early ripening - 40-50 days before the appearance of the first fruits;
• mid - ripening - 50-65 days;
• late ripening - 70 days.

Methods of planting tomato seeds on seedlings

Planting tomato seeds for seedlings is one of the most important stages of cultivation, the success of which directly affects the yield of tomatoes. In addition to the traditional method (sowing in boxes, picking in cups with further planting of plants into the open ground) growing tomato seedlings at home can be carried out by more interesting methods that facilitate care of seedlings and promote yield increase.

Growing seedlings of tomatoes in peat tablets

Seedlings of tomatoes in peat tablets do not require picks, so the process of growing it is simplified. Advantages of this method:

1. Can be used to grow rare, expensive varieties or, when there is a small amount of seeds.
2. Compact, easy to move containers with pills.
3. Seeds do not need additional feeding, since the pill already contains growth stimulants and mineral supplements;
4. The root system is well supplied with air.
5. The plant does not get stressed when planted in the ground, the root system is not injured.
6. After planting the seedlings, the membrane impregnated with fungicides protects the sprouting seed from fungal diseases for some time.

Growing tomato seedlings in the cochlea

This interesting method has not yet become widespread, so not all vegetable growers know how to grow tomato seedlings in a snail. And completely in vain! The method is promising and has a lot of positive sides:

• simplicity and accessibility;
• considerable space saving;
• there is not a lot of money;
• You can use improvised materials;
• Rare watering is required;
• the root system develops well;
• it takes less time for the pick.

Chinese way of growing tomato seedlings

The Chinese method of cultivation of tomato seedlings looks very radical. Its main difference from all other methods is that during the picking the root system remains in the soil: the sprout is simply cut over the surface with sharp small scissors and immediately transferred either directly into the soil or into a container with water to germinate new roots. This method is particularly effective for tall varieties . Pluses:

1. For a month and a half, the time from sowing seeds to transplanting the seedlings is reduced.
2. Fruit brushes are formed already at an altitude of about 20 cm.
3. Plants are more resistant to disease.
4. The height of the bush is shortened, the trunk thickens, the plant is more wind resistant.

Care of seedlings of tomatoes

A responsible and important period is the care of seedlings of tomatoes after germination. The quality of planting material and the future harvest of tomatoes directly depend on it. Observance of light and temperature conditions at home, timely watering without excessive moisturizing, feeding, time spent picking plants - without this it is difficult to get a decent result in the fall.

Top dressing of tomato seedlings

In order to obtain a plant that is resistant to diseases and unfavorable weather conditions, with a well-formed rosette of leaves, a strong trunk that does not suffer much when planting it in the open ground, it is necessary to ensure young growths of tomatoes by proper feeding. How to feed tomato seedlings and how to determine that there is a shortage of trace elements:

1. Nitrogen - yellowing of the lower leaves, slow growth under normal temperature conditions and timely watering. Addition of urea, ammonium nitrate.
2. Phosphorus is a purple hue on the back of the leaves. Addition of superphosphate after landing in the open ground.
3. Potassium - is inhibited the growth of the root system, necrosis of the leaves. Addition of potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate.
4. Magnesium - spots between streaks on the lower leaves, the leaves dry and fall off. Top dressing with magnesium sulfate.

Temperature for seedlings of tomatoes

The temperature regime for tomato seedlings is extremely important for obtaining healthy, robust seedlings. During the entire process of tomato growth, the optimum temperature will be:

• germination of seeds 25-30 ° C;
• seed emergence after sowing 23-25 ​​° C;
• the contents of the seedlings a few days before and after the picking of 16-18 ° C;
• growing seedlings in the daytime 20-22 ° C;
• the content of seedlings at night is 14-16 ° C.

Refreshing of tomato seedlings

Why and how to lighten seedlings of tomatoes: for normal photosynthesis, tomato needs 12-16 hours of daylight. Seedlings with a lack of lighting stretches, it has thin weak stems and pale leaves. To lighten the seedlings should be on a cloudy day from 6 hours to 20 hours. On a sunny day, the lamp can be turned off at the brightest time of the day, and in the mornings and evenings, do not stop the refreshing. Recently, LED lamps have been used for illumination. They are economical, long-term use, easy to install.

Diseases of tomato seedlings

How annoying, when grown up with such care and a lot of effort, seedlings suddenly begin to ache and die! Seedlings can damage such diseases:

1. Fungal. Occur during temperature changes, from excessive watering and stagnation of moisture, from contaminated soil, excessive thickening of plantings.
2. Viral. The reasons are unfavorable conditions of seedling maintenance, virus infected seeds, pests spreading the disease, lack of nutrients in the soil.
3. Bacterial. Infection occurs from substandard seeds, infected soil at high temperatures of content and humidity.
4. Non-infectious . Plants can suffer from a lack or an overabundance of mineral substances in the soil (nitrogen, iron, copper, potassium, calcium and other elements).

To prevent this from happening, pre-sowing seed treatment, processing of tomato seedlings from diseases will help. Properly prepare and disinfect the soil, do not thicken the planting, observe the watering regime and the temperature regime. Carefully follow the development of seedlings, at the first signs of the disease try to determine its cause, remove sick plants and begin treatment.

Pickling tomato seedlings

The pickling of seedlings is done with the aim of getting the fungal from the rod root system. The core root goes deep into the soil, into layers that are not too rich in nutrients. The fibrous root is located in the upper, well-nutrient-rich soil layers, which favors the development of a strong plant and a good yield of tomatoes.

To determine when to dive tomato seedlings in, it will not be difficult: on a germ should appear two real leaves (in addition to a pair of cotyledonous leaves). This occurs approximately on the seventh-tenth day after emergence. It is desirable to use the same soil in which you planted the seeds. To do this, initially in the home, prepare more land to have enough for planting seeds and still left for picking. Stem the plant into the soil to the level up to the cotyledonous leaves.

Growing seedlings of tomatoes at home is not such a simple matter, but to learn how to properly conduct all its stages is quite possible even for a very sophisticated gardener. In order not to make mistakes in terms, keep a record. Let it be a special magazine or notebook, in which you enter information about the day of planting seeds, soil composition, timing of picking, feeding and other important information. They will help you, if necessary, determine where the mistake was made or, conversely, remember and subsequently use the most successful steps.