As you know, tomatoes are planted in the spring, and the ground for them needs to be prepared in the fall. This is very important and no one should forget about it. The very first fertilizers for tomatoes need to be applied to the ground in advance, in the fall, so that the soil is saturated with the necessary components and becomes fertile. Thus, fertilizing the soil for tomatoes in the fall is the key to a good harvest in the summer. Today, there are a large number of different fertilizers that can improve the quality of fruits; the main thing is to follow the exact dosage instructions and time of application to the soil. With the help of autumn fertilizing, you can grow an excellent crop of tomatoes on soil that is not particularly fertile.
Preparing the soil in the fall for planting tomatoes
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Autumn so as not to delay the fall plowing period. The best predecessors for tomato are cabbage and cucumber, under which high doses of organic fertilizers are usually applied. A day or two before planting the tomato, fertilizers (humus, superphosphate and potassium salt) are applied to the plot and it is again cultivated to a depth of 15-18 centimeters.
Improving soil structure and nutritional value
To maintain fertility, or even increase it, it is necessary to constantly improve the structure of the soil, which will make it more air and water permeable.
For this purpose, it is best to use natural loosening materials in the form of sawdust and straw cuttings. It is best for these materials to be pre-composted, but adding even fresh sawdust will greatly lighten the soil. In this case, preparing the land for tomatoes in the fall will also involve adding an additional amount of ammonium nitrate, which will saturate the loosening materials.
After mowing the green manure, sawdust or straw chaff (a bucket per m2) is scattered over the surface, pre-watered with 2 tbsp of ammonium nitrate solution. spoons per bucket of water, stove ash (2 kg per m2) and fresh compost or humus (1 bucket per m2). In this situation, the question: “What fertilizers to apply for tomatoes in the fall” should no longer arise.
What soil acidity is needed for planting tomatoes?
Tomato is not very sensitive to increased soil acidity. The acidity of cultivated soils is usually low (not lower than 5.5), so liming them is not advisable. If the acidity of the soil is high, then it is recommended to apply lime to the previous crops in the fall: cabbage, cucumber, onion. The optimal acidity of the medium for tomato is within the pH range of 5.0-6.0.
Saturation of soil with humus
The following tips will not only allow you to properly prepare the soil in the greenhouse before planting tomatoes, but will also significantly improve the quality of the soil in general by saturating it with useful microelements. This treatment will increase the overall fertility of the soil, thereby increasing the yield of the greenhouse.
The benefits of earthworms. It must be said right away that this method of saturating the soil involves a large amount of physical labor in the form of working with a shovel, because the main condition for soil fertility is the presence of earthworms, which provide the required amount of humus.
The main activity of an earthworm is passing soil through itself and mixing the resulting mass with the soil. This process provides the soil with the entire necessary complex of natural fertilizers. If it were not for worms, the fertile layer of soil throughout the earth would have been depleted long ago and could only be replenished with chemical additives, which often negatively affect the quality of the crops grown.
The soil in a tomato greenhouse should contain 5-10 worms per square meter. To do this, small holes are dug into which the worms are placed and covered with earth. After placing the required number of earthworms over the entire area of the greenhouse, it is necessary to water all the beds. The intensity of watering depends on the air temperature - in the presence of night frosts, you can get by with light irrigation of the soil. Covering with film will minimize the evaporation of moisture from the soil. If the soil remains in such conditions until spring, the moisture level will remain, providing an optimal environment for the life of earthworms. Accordingly, the worms will fertilize the top layer of soil, increasing its level of fertility.
Consequently, the quality and quantity of tomatoes grown in a greenhouse is affected not only by the amount of water and light, air temperature, but also by the quality of the soil. Don’t make the mistake of a novice summer resident who, at the first problem, pours a lot of chemicals into the ground, which in most cases cause enormous harm to both the soil and future plantings. Use the methods suggested above, believe me, the results you get will pleasantly surprise you.
bashagroplast.com
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Application of mineral fertilizers in autumn for planting tomatoes
Plants can absorb all useful substances from the soil only in the form of an aqueous solution. Therefore, many people prefer to use liquid complex fertilizers: they penetrate to the roots more quickly and, naturally, are absorbed faster by plants.
What else needs to be taken into account: mineral fertilizers applied in the fall should have a minimum nitrogen content; on the packaging of such compositions it is usually written: “autumn” or “for autumn use.” These mineral mixtures contain almost no nitrogen, but contain phosphorus, potassium, calcium - microelements necessary for the ripening of shoots, strengthening plant immunity, and increasing resistance to low temperatures. Information on the rate of fertilizer application can also be found on the packaging. You should not exceed it: it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.
A set of activities with greenhouse soils
The productivity of tomatoes in closed soil is several times higher than in open soil, and accordingly this imposes special requirements on greenhouse soils. The application of increased doses of fertilizers, elevated temperatures, intensity of cultivation, abundance of watering and repeated mechanical treatments entail increased requirements for the fulfillment of agrotechnical conditions.
Preparing the soil in a greenhouse in the fall for tomatoes depends on what type of technology you have chosen:
- Replaceable use of soils;
- Permanent use of soils.
If at the end of the fruiting season you rake everything out of the greenhouse, and in the spring you lay the soil mixture prepared in advance from the fall, then the issues of pests and pathogens, as well as fertility, are resolved radically.
In this case, after cleaning the area, the greenhouse is treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate and opened to freeze during the winter. In the spring, soil mixture is delivered.
Applying organic fertilizers in the fall for planting tomatoes
They, in turn, are also divided into 2 groups: animal origin and plant origin. Plant fertilizers include composts and peat, and animal fertilizers include manure and poultry droppings. If you decide to use organic fertilizers, it is better to use compost. It is prepared quite simply: on an area of about 10 square meters. meters, straw is laid out 15 cm thick, then a layer of manure - 20 cm, a layer of peat - 15-20 cm. Phosphate rock and lime, mixed in a 1:1 ratio, are poured on top. For 1 sq. meter you need to sprinkle 50-60 grams of the mixture. A layer of manure 15-20 thick is once again poured on top. All layers are covered with a thin layer of soil and kept for 7-8 months. As for fertilizing with manure, in our time the number of cattle has decreased significantly, and therefore we have to look for an alternative. Anything that grows and rots can be used as products of plant origin for fertilizer: mown grass, fallen leaves, tops and weeds, etc.
Where to begin?
Ideally, plant debris should be removed immediately after the plant has finished fruiting. However, in practice it is not always possible to do just that. Therefore, cleaning up all leftovers is the main task.
If changing the soil is not part of your plans, green manure for tomatoes must be sown in the fall. The best green manure, regardless of what grew in the greenhouse this year, is mustard. This crop will quickly sprout, disinfect the soil, and by the onset of severe frosts it can be safely incorporated into the soil.
If crops are still delayed in some places, there is nothing to worry about. It is enough to lightly loosen the soil and it will perfectly accept mustard seeds. Shoots will appear quickly, and after a month the height of the plant will be sufficient for subsequent work.
Application of organic fertilizers in autumn for planting tomatoes
They are humic compositions of mineral and organic substances. Each drug is used individually, but there are general rules. For open soil, spraying is used, and for closed soil, surface watering, drip irrigation, sprinkling and manual spraying on the leaves are used. For seed treatment, use 300-700 ml of fertilizer per ton of seeds, for foliar feeding - 200-400 mm per 1 hectare of crops, for spraying - 5-10 ml per 10 liters of water, and for drip irrigation - 20-40 ml per 1000 liters of water for irrigation. Separately, it is worth mentioning plants that improve the soil. These include rapeseed, oilseed radish, rapeseed, turnip and others. Until recently, only lupine was used to improve the soil, which enriched the soil with nitrogenous mineral fertilizers, but recently other equally useful and effective plants have become known.
Preparation
Preparation measures depend on the type of soil.
To determine the type of soil, a small test is carried out: a handful of soil is slightly moistened, kneaded, and rolled into a ring about 5 cm in diameter.
The results are assessed as follows:
- The ring is obtained easily - the soil is clayey and heavy. It takes a long time to heat up and has high acidity.
- The sausage turns out, but the ring cracks - there is loam in the area. The acidity is optimal for tomatoes and retains moisture well.
- The sausage crumbles - the soil is light, the so-called sandy loam. It warms up quickly and dries quickly, as a rule, it is poor in nutritional components and has an alkaline reaction.
Structure
To change the structure of clay soil during autumn digging, add 1-2 buckets of rotted manure or peat per 1 m2. For better drainage, you can add river sand: one bucket per 1 m2. Leavening additives should be used every fall. It is useful to populate the area with earthworms, which loosen the soil well.
It is enough to loosen the loams and add humus and mineral fertilizers.
Organic matter will help increase the cohesion of sandy loam soil particles: at least two buckets of humus, peat or rotted manure per 1 m2.
Acidity
Ready-made indicators will help you independently determine the acidity of the substrate: strips of paper soaked in special reagents, or inexpensive field pH meters. They are sold in gardening stores.
Acidity is indicated by the large plantain, creeping buttercup, sedge, and horsetail growing on the site.
High acidity is eliminated by liming. On tomato beds, the procedure is carried out only in the fall.
Deoxidize the soil with substances or compounds with an alkaline reaction:
- slaked lime;
- dolomite flour;
- chalk;
- wood ash.
In clay soils add 4-5 kg of slaked lime per 10 m2, in sandy loam - from 1 to 1.5 kg, and then dig it up.
Important ! Liming is carried out no more than once every five years.
To maintain a pH level that is comfortable for plants, wood ash is scattered over the area every fall before cultivation.
Predecessors
Tomatoes should not be planted year after year in the same area, or after potatoes, eggplants, or peppers. Cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, and legumes are considered good predecessors.
When growing indoors, it is better to start 1-2 small greenhouses and alternate plantings. If you use one greenhouse, it is necessary to update the soil.
Fertilizers
Tomatoes are demanding in terms of nutrient content and do not produce a good harvest in poor soil.
Organic matter (rot manure, humus, compost) is added during autumn digging. Clay soils are recommended to be fertilized once every four years, sandy loam soils - once every two years.
At the same time, the beds are treated with mineral preparations containing potassium and phosphorus: monophosphate or superphosphate. Bone meal is often used as a phosphorus fertilizer. It is better to apply nitrogen fertilizers in the spring.
If time permits, it is good to enrich the substrate with green manure: sowing cereals, legumes or mustard in the tomato plot.
Humidity
Tomatoes need areas with good drainage. If groundwater comes close to the soil surface, it is better to choose elevated areas for the beds. Planting in marshy soil leads to rotting of the roots and death of tomatoes.
The optimal soil moisture for tomato growth is 75-80%.
Fertilizers for tomatoes in a greenhouse. The need and features of fertilizing tomatoes in a greenhouse
To get a good harvest of tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to maintain temperature conditions, maintain an optimal level of humidity and provide the plants with moisture and necessary nutrients.
Feeding tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse is required at every stage of plant development. In case of nutrient deficiency, the bushes develop incorrectly or die completely. Few ovaries may form, and ripening occurs later than expected. You need to understand how to feed tomatoes in a greenhouse to provide them with all the nutrients.
Excessive amounts of organic fertilizers lead to the fact that the bushes grow lush and strong, but the ovaries are few or small in size. And with excessive mineral feeding, the bushes become dehydrated, as a result of which they may die.
Tomatoes are a rather capricious crop, so they can cause problems even when grown in a greenhouse. However, by the appearance of the bushes, you can determine exactly what elements they lack in order to apply fertilizer on time. Please note if:
- The leaves and bush below take on a purple hue. The cause is phosphorus deficiency.
- The leaves curl and blossom end rot occurs on the fruit. The cause is calcium deficiency.
- The leaves turn yellow and the bush turns light green. Most often, this symptom occurs with nitrogen deficiency.
Tomato bushes need various mineral supplements during the period of development and active growth, flowering and fruiting.
