The main difficulty in caring for many vegetables is in proper watering. It is important to observe the fine line between copious irrigation and culture flooding. Tomatoes in this respect are quite demanding, because it is important and right to choose the frequency of this event, and also take into account several nuances. They will be discussed below.
How many times a week to water tomatoes?
So, almost always the formulation of the question is exactly in this form, but do not think that just in time to moisten the soil will be sufficient. The fact is that this culture needs a soil moisture of almost 90%, but at the same time its roots will begin to rot in a few days if the moisture does not go away.
Here you can say about tomatoes in the open ground, which should be watered as a proverb: rarely, but aptly. In other words, once or twice a week, pour all the plantings is the right decision. And why not water tomatoes in the heat as often as possible, but little by little? Of course, this type of moistening of the earth is one of the most common, but for tomatoes is not good. It will affect not only the growth of culture, but also the quality of the crop, and will only affect negatively.
In many ways, how you will water in the heat, depends on the growth period of the tomato. In different regions, the heat comes with large gaps, so that it is better to orientate on the period of growth of seedlings . When you just moved it to your site and planted, the plant needs constantly moist soil. Therefore, you can take a few watering. This regime we will repeat in the future, when the period of mass setting of fruits will come. Between these intervals we return to watering twice a week, but abundantly.
Can I water the tomatoes from above?
No less interesting question, because not every culture likes to take a shower, and the tomato prefers wet roots, but completely dry stems. You might think that in the hot season it is better to water all the plantings with your head in the evening and thereby cool them, but we immediately refuse this idea. Only in the root, in the furrows. You can pour on top, but only in the aisle, and at the same time to see if moisture has fallen on the sheets.
Even if you decide to refresh the planting from above, when the sun has already set, this will not guarantee security. And in the future you will have to face such "pleasant" moments, as late blight or burns on the leaves. And remember that a strong stream of water can blur the ground and expose the roots, which is also detrimental to planting.
When is it better to water tomatoes in the open ground?
Next, we touch the water itself. Cold water from a well is not the best solution. The simplest answer to the question, whether it is possible to water with cold water, is the fact that the temperature of water and soil for tomato seedlings should, if possible, coincide. If the earth is warmed to about 24 ° C, then the water from the cold well is clearly a wrong decision. Not for nothing at many sites there are large barrels for collecting rainwater. They will be the most optimal option: the water is much softer and will taste your planting, and in a barrel it will be heated in any case.
And finally, another no less interesting moment - at what time of day it is better to water tomatoes. It is clear that on a hot, hot day, you should always refuse to water a plant, as this will only harm him. Ideally, this is early in the morning, it is possible in the evening, but at least a couple of hours before sunset, so that water can soak into the soil. If in the yard there is a bit of cloudy weather, the time of irrigation is not particularly important, since without the sun there is no risk of evaporation of moisture before it can absorb. And by the way, watering and forgetting about loosening is impossible, since without access to air, tomatoes in the open ground are killed by the roots. Alternating irrigation, loosening and resting landings will give excellent results.