Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse in April 2022, when to replant according to the lunar calendar

How to determine the optimal time for planting tomatoes in a greenhouse

Tomatoes are heat-loving plants, and they can be planted if the temperature reaches +12...+15 °C and above, and at night does not fall below +5...+8 °C.

The soil should also warm up well. And its temperature can reach +8…+12 °C.

If the greenhouse is heated, and you can raise or lower the temperature at your discretion, then you don’t have to rely on these indicators.

ATTENTION! The crop experiences a short cooling to +3...+5 °C. But if the cool temperature persists for several days, the tomato may get sick and even die.

When to plant tomatoes in April 2022 in a greenhouse according to the lunar calendar, favorable days

According to the lunar calendar, it is necessary to plant tomatoes on the waxing moon. During this period, there is an accelerated development of roots and green mass.

Accordingly, when planted in a greenhouse, tomato seedlings quickly adapt to the new soil and immediately begin to grow.

And, according to the lunar calendar, the most favorable days for planting will be the following numbers: 1-5, 8-9, 13-17, 19, 24-26, 28.

What to add to the wells

Before fruiting, tomato bushes must produce new shoots on which the crop will grow. Therefore, it is necessary to add fertilizer to the holes when planting tomato seedlings.

Feeding options to increase yield:

1. A handful of rotted manure, wood ash and crushed eggshells.
2. A handful of humus, 2 tbsp. l. ash, 1 tbsp. l. Nitroammofoska or other complex fertilizer. The main thing is that the fertilizing composition includes 3 important elements - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.
3. Handful of compost, 1 tbsp. l. with a pile of ash, dried banana peel. When watered, banana peels very quickly become limp and begin to enrich the soil with nutrients.
4. A very good organic fertilizer Agrovit-cor, which contains all the elements necessary for plant development. To enrich the soil with useful elements, just add 1 tbsp to the hole. l. such feeding.

You may be interested to know what folk remedies can be added to the hole when planting tomatoes .

Mix the fertilizer with the soil from the hole, pour it onto the bottom and water it generously. When the water is absorbed, you can begin planting.

You will be interested to know: Dates for sowing tomatoes for seedlings in Siberia and the Urals

What to pay attention to when planting tomatoes in April?

Before planting tomato seedlings, evaluate the condition of the seedlings themselves, and also take into account the age of the seedlings.

Plants that are 50-70 days old can be planted in a greenhouse. By this moment, their height should reach 20-30 cm. The thickness of the stem is at least 0.7 cm, the number of true leaves is from 6 pcs. At least 20-25 days must pass from the moment of picking.

If the seedlings do not meet these indicators or look weak and sickly, then it is better to postpone planting.

When to replant in open soil

Unlike indoor soil, tomato seedlings are transferred to open soil in April only in the case of growing vegetables in the southern regions of Russia and areas close to them. In other parts of the country, the temperature is not yet high enough for the normal development of young plants. The remaining conditions are similar to those used when determining the possibility of transplanting grown tomatoes for their subsequent cultivation using the greenhouse method. Thus, the age of seedlings, taking into account their varietal characteristics, is from 50-60 days, seedlings have more than 6-10 true leaf blades, the thickness of the main shoot is at least 7 mm. But the minimum plant height should be greater - 25-30 cm.

How to properly transplant tomatoes into a greenhouse, tricks

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse in April is not difficult, but in order for the seedlings to adapt faster, you will have to harden them in advance.

You also need to prepare the greenhouse itself, make beds, and, if necessary, warm the soil. It is also necessary to carry out the transplant according to a certain algorithm.

Greenhouse preparation

The greenhouse should be prepared for planting tomatoes in April in advance, in the fall.

First of all, you will have to remove all the remnants of the previous harvest, remove the weeds around it and wash the surfaces with laundry soap.

The twine that was used to tie up the tomatoes needs to be replaced. But in order to save money, you can boil it.

To destroy pathogenic flora in the soil, you can remove the top layer and move it outside. Then the soil will freeze well over the winter, and most of the microbes will die.

Or you can generally replace the top layer of soil and add black soil. In such a nutrient medium, tomatoes will produce maximum yield.

In spring, when the air temperature reaches +10 °C, it is necessary to wash all surfaces with a solution of slaked lime. To prepare it, dilute 400 g of lime in 10 liters of water and leave for 4 hours. Add a little copper sulfate to the resulting solution.

After treatment, you will need to wash all glass surfaces with any kitchen detergent. You need to finish processing the greenhouse 7 days before you start planting tomatoes.

Preparing the beds

For culture, you need to arrange beds with a width of 60-80 cm and a height of 30-40 cm. They should be placed along the walls.

If row spacing is made, then their width should start from 60 cm. The soil must be dug to a depth of 20-25 cm, loosened and applied to each square. m humus or compost (3-4 kg), wood ash (100 g) bone meal (200 g).

REFERENCE. Within a week you will need to treat the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides.

How to warm up the soil

In April it can be quite cool, and the soil does not have time to warm up to the optimal temperature. But you can speed up this process if you follow these instructions:

1. Close all vents and windows in the greenhouse. Check surfaces for cracks and fix such problems.
2. If the greenhouse is glass or film, it is worth covering it with an additional layer of film.
3. Thoroughly dig up and loosen the soil. Cover with black film, which will “attract” the sun’s rays and speed up warming.

You can also install a household heater in the greenhouse, which will significantly speed up heating.

Preparing seedlings

Before planting tomatoes, the following preparations should be carried out:

1. Tomatoes need to be hardened. You need to start this process 2 weeks before planting. The seedlings need to be taken out onto a glazed balcony for 20-30 minutes, increasing the duration of the sessions daily.
2. 7 days before planting, seedlings need to be treated with a solution of boric acid (1 g per 1 l). Then, after the event, the tomatoes will not drop their buds, which will increase the yield.
3. 1-2 days before the procedure, it is necessary to remove the cotyledon leaves. Also cut off yellowed leaves.

REFERENCE! If the seedlings have become very elongated, then the lower shoots will also need to be removed. But such tomatoes should be planted deeper.

How to plant tomatoes

During the planting process, it is recommended to adhere to the following algorithm:

1. In 30 min. Before the procedure, water the plants generously with warm water.
2. In the beds, dig holes 20-25 cm deep. Keep a distance of 50-60 cm between them. Place pegs for garter near each depression.
3. Add 1 tbsp to the wells. l. superphosphate. Instead, you can use 200 g of rotted compost.
4. Carefully remove the seedlings from the containers and place them in the holes at a slight angle.
5. Cover the roots with soil, water them with settled water at a temperature of +18…+22 °C. When the moisture is absorbed and the soil settles, add a new portion. Lightly compact the surface of the bed.
6. Leaves and stems should be sprayed with copper oxychloride (40 g per 10 liters of water). You will need to repeat this procedure after 10 days.

ATTENTION! In April it is better to plant in the evening or in cloudy weather.

Greenhouse and soil treatment

To obtain healthy plants and a good harvest, it is important to observe crop rotation. Therefore, in greenhouse conditions, tomatoes should be planted in the garden after cucumbers. If this is not possible, the top layer of soil (at least 10 cm) is replaced. Having removed the old soil from above, the beds are watered with a solution from the drug Oksikhom (for 5 liters - one tablet) or disinfected with Copper sulfate (1 tbsp. L per 10 liters of hot water). After a few days, they are shed with a solution of Fitosporin so that beneficial fungi multiply in the soil.

It is imperative to disinfect the building itself in the fall or spring.

By the way! There are articles on our website that you can study how to disinfect greenhouses without replacing the soil in spring and autumn .

Caring for tomatoes after transplanting in a greenhouse

When you plant tomatoes in a greenhouse in April according to the lunar calendar, do not forget that the tomatoes will then need proper care.

The cultures should not be disturbed for a week after the procedure. At this time, they will recover from stress and grow roots to take root in new conditions. When the adaptation period has passed, it is important to provide the tomatoes with the following care:

• Watering . For tomatoes it is worth installing drip irrigation. If this is not possible, then you will need to irrigate the crops as the top layer of soil dries out (once every 5-7 days). For irrigation, use settled water with a temperature of +18…+22 C. The procedure should be carried out only in the morning. During the process, it is necessary to pour water strictly at the root, being careful not to get on the leaves and stems.
• Loosening . After watering, do not forget to loosen the surface of the bed. Otherwise, a dense crust will form on it, blocking the access of air to the roots.
• Mulching . To keep moisture at the roots longer, it is recommended to sprinkle the surface of the bed with straw or mown grass. But you can mulch tomatoes only 2-3 weeks after planting them in the greenhouse.
• Feeding . If fertilizers were placed in the soil before planting, then they will be enough for the normal development of tomatoes. And the crops only need to be additionally fed with potassium fertilizers during fruiting. Fertilizers can only be applied to moist soil.
• Garter . Tomatoes must be tied to supports so that their vines do not fall to the ground under the weight of the crop. Otherwise, they may get fungal diseases. For the garter you will need to use wide pieces of cotton fabric or twine.
• Pinching and pinching . Depending on the variety, the plant should be grown in 1, 2 or 3 stems.
• Pollination . During the flowering period, it is advisable to occasionally shake the bushes to improve pollination. This event should be held in the morning from 9:00 to 12:00.

You will also need to ventilate the greenhouse daily and maintain its temperature within +23...+28 °C during the day, and at least +15...+20 °C at night.

How to grow vegetable seedlings?

Pots for seedlings

Both beginners and experienced gardeners have to solve the problem with containers for seedlings. Despite the fact that many have developed a prejudiced attitude towards plastic, today it is the most accessible and harmless material in which vegetable seedlings grow and develop well. For the manufacture of such containers, a material without harmful substances is used, unlike cardboard containers, which are impregnated with protection against bacteria and fungi that cause rotting. Under the influence of these impregnations, vegetable seedlings slow down or even stop growing until the chemical wears off.

Plastic seedling boxes or seedling cassettes with a tray are the best choice if you have big plans for growing garden crops. It is better, of course, to grow a small number of seedlings in ceramic pots, since in this case you can avoid picking the seedlings, but the pots are bulky, and there is already not enough space on our window sills.

Instead of ceramic pots, seedlings with a long tap root, which is easily damaged during transplantation, can be sown in peat pots, which eliminate the need to pick plants, and the seedlings are planted in open ground without removing them from the pot, but directly in it: it does not prevent the plant roots from germinating through its walls and bottom deep into the soil. In addition, the porous walls allow the seedlings to breathe; they do not contain pathogens or harmful impurities.

Another wonderful invention will help you grow healthy seedlings - peat tablets for seedlings. They can be stored somewhere in a drawer, taking up almost no space, until they are needed. And when you need them, you simply throw them into the water, wait for them to swell, then lay out the seeds on them, which you sprinkle on top with a thin layer of soil. Then the tablets are put on a tray and placed on the windowsill to await germination.

Soil for vegetable seedlings

Land for seedlings comes in different compositions, but it must meet certain requirements:

• the soil must be fertile and balanced, saturated with macro- and microelements in the form in which plants can accept them;
• the soil for seedlings must have such qualities as lightness, porosity and looseness, so that oxygen can flow through it to the roots of the plants;
• the soil must be hygroscopic;
• the soil pH for seedlings should be within 6.5-7;
• the soil must contain beneficial microflora.

But what should not be in the soil for seedlings is:

• toxins that saturate the ground along airfields, major highways, and on lawns in smoky cities. It is better to take soil from a forest, grove or forest plantation;
• actively decomposing components, the decomposition process of which increases the temperature sometimes up to 30 ºC, from which the root system of seedlings can die;
• clay, the presence of which makes any soil unsuitable for seedlings.

Today there are soils on sale for literally all vegetable crops, and there are also universal compositions on the basis of which you can independently create the substrate you need. The following components are unsuitable for preparing a seedling soil mixture: various composts, leaf soil, rotted manure (humus), wood shavings, unprocessed lowland peat, sawdust of wood, varnished or impregnated with creazote, hay dust and chopped straw, unwashed sea sand, unwashed clay quarry sand.

Components used for the preparation of seedling soil mixtures: high-moor, transitional, as well as frozen and weathered lowland peat, high-temperature turf soil, sand and sandy loam from meadows, but not garden soil, sphagnum, pine sawdust, crushed bark of coniferous trees, fallen pine needles, shells peanuts, grain husks.

Backlight lamps

Let's make a reservation right away: we do not consider incandescent lamps as lighting for seedlings, since they generate too much heat and too little light. For seedlings, lamps with a different radiation spectrum are needed. To organize lighting at home, fluorescent fluorescent lamps or phytolamps with a violet-pink spectrum of light are most often used.

Of the fluorescent lamps for illuminating seedlings, those with a cold spectrum are more suitable. To organize the illumination of a window sill 80-100 cm long, you will need one fluorescent lamp with a power of 30 W of the cold spectrum, and in the electrical department you can purchase a lamp, lamp, plug and wire in a set. Phytolamps have become more popular recently because they emit even less heat and have a better light spectrum at the same power as fluorescent lamps. A good result is obtained by combining a phytolamp and a fluorescent lamp in one place, each 18 W.

At the initial stage of growing seedlings, when the shoots have just appeared, the lamps should be placed close, at a distance of 10-15 cm from the container. It would be appropriate to use reflectors that increase the efficiency of illumination, not allowing the light to spread in different directions, but directing it directly to the seedlings, and at the same time protect our vision from the tiring light of fluorescent lamps and the harmful radiation of phytolamps. Reflectors are made from self-adhesive mirror film glued to cardboard, foil for flowers, or just a sheet of Whatman paper - the most successful device for reflecting light, which does not form glare, but produces soft diffused light, which is so useful for plants.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes that gardeners make when planting tomatoes in a greenhouse:

• Choosing the wrong variety. Some varieties are not suitable for growing in a greenhouse.
• Planting overgrown seedlings without preparation. If the plants are very elongated, then before the event you need to cut off their buds and grow roots.
• Excessive watering. Tomatoes in a greenhouse should be watered sparingly, otherwise they will be affected by fungal diseases.
• Using cold water for irrigation. Cold moisture can cause plant roots to rot, leading to significant yield loss.