How to properly water seedlings on a windowsill, in a greenhouse and in the ground

Not every gardener knows how important proper watering of seedlings is, in which the regime is followed and due attention is paid to the properties of the water used to moisten the soil. Let's figure out how to get healthy and strong seedlings.

“Proper” watering of vegetable seedlings is the key to their good development, and later – a rich harvest. It is important to maintain a balance, because in the first stages of growth, excessive watering is especially harmful, and later problems can be caused by insufficient, superficial watering of the plant. Of course, the quality of the water with which you water the seedlings also plays an important role.

Water for watering seedlings

The optimal water temperature for seedlings is 20-25°C, so before watering the plant, the water is heated if necessary or allowed to stand in a warm room until the water temperature reaches room temperature.

It is not recommended to boil water for irrigation, as during this process the water loses oxygen, which has a bad effect on the seedlings.

Filtered water is an excellent option for moistening seedlings, and if there is no filter, you can let the water sit for 1-2 days. Acidified water will be useful for seedlings: dissolve 1 peat tablet or 1 g of citric acid in 10 liters of water.

The ideal water for watering seedlings is melt or rain, that is, as close as possible to the natural environment. But you can use such water only if you live far from industrial enterprises and big cities.

Best Watering Strategy

Growing bountiful and healthy crops begins with proper watering. This is the key to success even after transplanting vegetables and flowers into the garden. But at the seedling stage, when fragile shoots first appear from the ground and until planting, watering plays not just an important, but a vital role. The seedlings have nowhere else to get water; they depend entirely on watering. And the extent to which it provides its needs determines whether the plants will be healthy, strong and hardy.

The main secret of watering for any seedlings is the same: it must ideally meet the needs of young plants and not allow any mistakes or deviations. Mistakes in watering are dangerous and, most often, disastrous at the seedling stage and in the first weeks after diving. But for many plants and during the rapid growth of seedlings, any mistakes will not pass without leaving a trace for the future harvest or flowering.

All “polar” watering errors are equally dangerous for seedlings - overmoistening and insufficient watering. The greater risk of plant loss in the first weeks after germination is represented by excessive watering, and after diving - insufficient watering. But in fact, both of them are the main sources of all difficulties and problems. Seedlings are lost due to improper watering much more often than due to improper selection of growing conditions.

Finding the balance and ideal watering schedule is not so easy, but it is quite possible. And choosing the right strategy will only be possible through experience. After all, even a difference of one degree or half an hour in the length of daylight means that plants will use moisture from the soil differently.

Each seedling is individual and unique, as are the conditions of each house and window sill. Therefore, there are simply no universal recipes for watering seedlings. There is only one secret and key to success - to take a closer look at the plants, to be as careful as possible when watering both young seedlings and adult seedlings.

We need to forget about watering for everyone: any type and even variety deserves individual attention, timing and frequency of watering. An individual approach, even if it complicates care, is the best strategy. And trying to water all the seedlings indiscriminately at one time is one of the main mistakes. After all, cucumbers and cabbage, for example, love abundant moisture, but tomatoes, peppers and dried flowers are afraid of it.

The main secret to properly watering seedlings is to take a closer look at the plants.

How often should seedlings be watered?

Before emergence, the soil is moistened once a day with a spray bottle so that a crust does not form on the surface (provided that the soil is well watered before sowing the seeds and the boxes with seedlings are covered with glass or film).

When the seedlings sprout , the shelter must be removed and soil moisture must be stopped for 2-3 days to allow the sprouts to grow stronger. Then the seedlings are hilled up, thinned out and watered once a week.

After 2-3 true leaves appear, the seedlings' need for water increases, so you need to make sure that the water reaches the lowest layer of soil. If you are growing seedlings in opaque cups or a box, dip a wooden stick into the soil and check how wet it is. The frequency of watering also depends on what kind of vegetable crop you are growing.

How to protect seedlings from frost

Every gardener tries to achieve early fruiting of vegetable crops - tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, etc., so many plant seedlings in the ground when there is still a danger of night frosts. This way it is possible to get an early harvest and extend the fruiting period. But in this case, a lot of effort must be made to prevent the plants transplanted into the ground from dying from the cold. For example, young tomatoes can die even at a temperature of + 1°C, not to mention minus values. Most vegetable crops are also heat-loving, and if they do not die from the cold, their growth and development stops.

The most effective and simplest protection of plantings from the cold is a single film cover for each vegetable crop, protecting the entire row or ridge. To arrange it, wire arcs are stuck into the ground or plastic ones are dug in, and when the temperature drops, plastic film or other covering material is pulled over such a frame. If the daily temperature does not exceed 15˚C, then the shelter does not need to be removed for the day. But the temperature underneath needs to be controlled; if it becomes excessively high, the ends of the structure should be opened for ventilation.

Winter shelter Snowman 120x97cm

If it is not possible to build a general film shelter, you can get by with individual ones - paper caps, boxes, cut-off plastic bottles. All this helps to create a comfortable microclimate around the plant.

Low-growing seedlings can be protected from the cold by hilling them up high with soil if there is a threat of frost and digging them up after the air temperature has normalized. This method is used when growing tomatoes. The entire plant needs to be covered with soil. In this case, even a plant with frozen tops will be able to recover by sending out shoots from the surviving lateral buds.

How to water seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants

The rules for watering seedlings of peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are practically the same. Before sprouts appear above the soil surface, seedling boxes or cups with crops are kept under film, and the soil is sprayed with water once a day, preferably in the morning.

With the first shoots, the seedlings of these crops are no longer moistened for 2-4 days, and then the film (or other covering material) is removed and the seedlings are watered generously 1-2 times a week as the soil dries.

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For successful picking, it is necessary that the soil is crumbly, which means it has time to dry. Therefore, the seedlings need to be watered 1-2 days before performing this procedure. After picking, they take a break again for 4-5 days, and then watering is resumed once a week.

Before planting adult seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, the amount of water for irrigation is gradually reduced, and 1-2 days before planting, the seedlings stop watering altogether.

Watering and feeding adult seedlings

Adult seedlings older than 2-3 weeks can be watered from a regular watering can or water bottle. Now only one rule applies: water the seedlings only with warm water , carefully, without overwatering.

It is better to water a little more often than to overwater and then dry out. Young seedlings are still too weak for such changes. But at the age of more than 1-2 months, she will already be able to withstand slight forgetfulness of her owners.

You can start feeding seedlings at one month of age. Next, the seedlings are fed once every 10-14 days with a special liquid fertilizer for seedlings. Dry fertilizers and long-lasting, slow-release fertilizers are more suitable for mature seedlings and indoor plants. For young seedlings it is better to use liquid fertilizers.

In addition, it is useful to alternate watering with liquid fertilizers with foliar feeding (feeding with a weaker solution of fertilizers by spraying seedlings).

If there is excess moisture, the soil can be additionally sprinkled with perlite/vermiculite or sand.

Watering cucumber seedlings

Compared to the crops described above, cucumber seedlings need more moisture. The first watering of cucumber seedlings, or rather, moistening the soil, is carried out even before the seedlings germinate. After sowing the seeds, cover the container with a transparent plastic lid or film, and then make sure that the soil in the container does not dry out. To do this, it is enough to water the soil with a small amount of water every other day or spray it with a spray bottle.

With the appearance of sprouts, it is necessary to remove the film from the boxes, and when the seedlings grow and become stronger, watering should be increased to once a day. In this case, the soil must be loosened, preventing a crust from forming on its surface.

Tillage

Proper tillage is an important part of caring for vegetable crops, which has a great influence on how rich your harvest will be. It includes several types.

Loosening

Loosening is sometimes preferable to watering for some crops. By loosening the soil, we saturate it with oxygen and break the hard crust that often forms when the soil dries out after watering or rain. Loosening is especially useful for cucumbers, which are recommended to be loosened after each watering. At the same time, do not forget that their root system is superficial; you need to work carefully so that your care and efforts do not backfire on the plants. If cucumbers need to be loosened to a depth of 2-3 cm, then tomatoes and peppers need to be loosened to a depth of 10 cm.

Weeding and mulching

Weeds harm all cultivated plants, taking away nutrients and moisture contained in the soil, blocking the sun. Beds and row spacing need to be weeded regularly. Small weeds without seeds can be left on the beds as mulch, and also provide additional carbon dioxide needed by plants. Compost, humus, peat, and sawdust can also serve as mulch. It is better to start mulching the soil after the rooting of the transplanted plants has completed and their active growth has begun.

Protective strip for row spacing against weeds with UV 0.3x10m

Hilling

This type of work causes controversy among gardeners about the need to carry it out. Some believe that hilling plants, in particular tomatoes, for example, makes the bush more luxuriant due to lateral branches, and the harvest richer. Others consider hilling to be an unnecessary, or even harmful, procedure. In any case, hilling helps low-growing tomatoes become stronger so that they can do without a garter. And for tomatoes of determinate varieties, the root system of which is sufficiently deep, hilling is not necessary at all. Cucumbers spud only if their root system, located close to the soil surface, is partially exposed.

How to water cabbage seedlings

Cabbage “loves” water no less than cucumbers, so it is important to ensure that the soil is always slightly moist. Drying out the soil, as well as excess moisture, can destroy the seedlings. Before the first shoots appear, the soil with seedlings is watered daily, then as the top layer dries.

1.5 weeks after germination, cabbage seedlings are plucked, first, an hour before the procedure, after moistening the soil. Before “relocating” cabbage seedlings into open ground, watering is suspended for a week, and 2 hours before planting, the earthen ball is shed generously.

Feeding seedlings in the ground

To get a rich harvest of tomatoes and peppers, these vegetable crops are fed with fertilizers at least 4 times:

The first feeding is carried out after the plants have fully adapted to the new location, after about 20 days of planting. For it, use a solution prepared, for example, from “Ideal” fertilizer and nitrophoska, taken a tablespoon per 10-liter bucket of water. For one plant, 0.5 liters of this composition is enough;
The next feeding is done when the second fruit cluster begins to bloom. For this purpose, you can use the “Signor Tomato” product, diluting 1 tablespoon of the drug per 10 liters of water. Under each bush you need to pour 1-1.5 liters of this solution;
The third feeding of tomatoes and peppers is carried out 2 months after transplanting the plants into the ground, when a new cluster with fruit ovaries begins to bloom. For a bucket of water, take one tablespoon of “Ideal” or “Sodium Humate” fertilizer and add a spoonful of nitrophoska. Feeding consumption should be 5 liters per 1 sq. m;
The final fertilizing is carried out 70 days after planting seedlings of peppers and tomatoes in the ground. For every square meter of ridge, add 10 liters of superphosphate solution (1 tablespoon per bucket of water).

Feeding eggplants

This crop also needs fertilizer. The first fertilizing with the addition of superphosphate is carried out no earlier than half a month after planting. When the first flowers appear, eggplants are fed with humate, which contains twice as much potassium and phosphorus. The third feeding is carried out when the ovaries are formed and the fruits develop. During this period, plants also need phosphorus and potassium; in addition, you can water the bushes with a yeast solution. During the period of mass ripening of fruits, the blue ones are again fed with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus.

Fertilize cucumbers

Fertilizing cucumbers after transplanting into open ground is carried out approximately once every two weeks, and it is good to alternate complex fertilizers with organic matter. During the first feeding, half a month after transplantation, a solution is added to the soil, a bucket of which contains 1 tbsp. l. urea and 60 grams of superphosphate. At the beginning of flowering, water the cucumbers with a 10% mullein solution, use nitroammophoska or fertilizers “Stimul-1” (15 g) and “NRK 15-15-15” in the dosage specified in the instructions on the package.

During the growing season, you can feed cucumbers with liquid humic fertilizer “Living Force: Vegetable Abundance” and superphosphate. When the cucumbers begin to bear fruit en masse, you can spray the leaves a couple of times at intervals of 2-3 days with a urea solution. This foliar feeding will rejuvenate the leaves, improve metabolic processes and photosynthesis, which will have a positive effect on the harvest.

How to water seedlings on a windowsill

As you know, windows facing south are best suited for growing seedlings on a windowsill. If the windows in the room are not plastic, but have a wooden frame, the window sill on which you plan to place the seedling boxes should be insulated. The box or cups for seedlings must be placed in a tray so that excess moisture does not accumulate in the soil.

Watering seedlings on the windowsill must be done so that the soil does not have time to dry out, otherwise the plant may die due to the lack of sufficient moisture. However, overwatering plants is also dangerous - this can provoke the development of blackleg.

No. 4 Watering flower seedlings

Individual approach to watering flower seedlings of different ages

Many flowers have very small seeds. This creates difficulties during sowing and watering. To obtain reliable seedlings, some seeds are sold in the form of granules. They are coated with a layer of nutrients that facilitate germination.

Let's consider how often to water seedlings of flowers with small seeds:

The soil is moistened generously with water from a spray bottle.
The seeds are evenly spread over the surface and sprayed again.
The container is covered with film to maintain moisture. Periodically, the film is removed briefly to allow air circulation
When thin sprouts appear, the film is slightly opened and the ground is irrigated with a syringe so that the sprouts do not die
After a few days, the film is removed and the plants are watered as they dry, but not filled with water.
As they grow, thin out and reduce watering. Then the flower seedlings are picked and transplanted into separate containers
The first feeding is carried out a week after picking. If the stems are weak and the sprouts are pale, then growth stimulants or foliar feeding with microelements will help. The foliar application method makes it possible for the leaves to be saturated with the components necessary for growth, which quickly penetrate the plant

With the right approach to irrigation and other growth factors, healthy, strong seedlings are guaranteed

Not all flowers like spraying (for example, lobelias, petunias). “Root watering” is organized for them. The container is lowered into a basin of water and wait until the ground is completely saturated with moisture. Then they take it out, let the water drain and put it in a permanent place.

Watering seedlings of flowers with large seeds is not so difficult. Seeds are planted in pre-diluted grooves. Cover the top with earth and lightly compact it. It is not necessary to cover the soil, but gardeners make mistakes by allowing a soil crust to form on the surface. The sprouts are not able to get out through the dense layer of soil. After the seedlings emerge, the seedlings should be watered and fed according to a specific schedule.

The video below demonstrates how to properly water seedlings at different stages of development.

Video: “BEFORE” AND “AFTER” SPRINGS - CORRECT WATERING OF SEEDLINGS

Proper watering of seedlings on the windowsill, in peat tablets | TOP 5 Conditions for healthy seedlings | (Photo & Video) + Reviews

Watering planted seedlings

A few days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, they stop watering them. But 1-2 hours before replanting, the soil should be properly moistened to avoid injury to the roots of the plant. The planted seedlings are immediately watered abundantly, and the soil is mulched so that the moisture evaporates more slowly.

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The first watering of seedlings after planting in the ground is carried out only after 10-15 days, then the seedlings are watered every 3-7 days (water consumption per hole is 3-5 l), each time loosening the soil after watering to 8-10 cm in depth.

There are different methods of watering seedlings, the most popular are sprinkling (water from a watering can with a mesh is poured onto the leaves of the plant) and watering at the root (water is poured directly onto the soil, so that drops do not fall on the leaves of the seedling). Tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are watered exclusively at the root, since moisture on the leaves can cause late blight and other diseases.

Protecting plants from sunburn

Vegetable seedlings are planted in the ground on a cloudy day or in the late afternoon, when the midday heat subsides. And after planting, during the first days, while the plants are adapting to the new temperature regime, it is necessary to protect the delicate, fragile leaves and stems from the destructive effects of sunlight. For the first ten days after planting, all vegetable crops must be shaded. To do this, you can use modern covering materials - for example, spunbond, agrotex, lucrasil. But under the shelter, the plants must be ventilated; if you close them on all sides without leaving the ends open, the seedlings may die due to the high temperature.

Covering material double protection red-yellow

For shading, you can also use various available means. For example, watermelons, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, and cabbage can be shaded at first with inverted mesh plastic boxes in which vegetables and fruits are supplied to stores and markets. Young cabbage, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and other crops can be protected from the sun using paper caps folded from newspapers - such cover is removed only after the plants have a new full-fledged leaf. After this happens, it is believed that the plant has taken root and is no longer afraid of sunburn. Tree branches are often used for shading, on which old rags or burlap are hung to cast a shadow - this method also effectively prevents direct sunlight from reaching the plantings.

Watering in open ground

After planting tomato seedlings in open ground, it is extremely important to determine the quality of its watering. Water the seedlings infrequently, but abundantly. At the same time, infrequent watering using large amounts of water can negatively affect the condition of the roots. Water lowers the soil temperature, which has a negative effect on the possibility of ovaries appearing. If tomatoes grow in an excessively humid environment, they grow poorly, turn yellow, and practically do not bloom. The resulting ovaries turn black and fall off.

Tomatoes planted in open ground begin to lack moisture only after a few days. There is no need to water the seedlings immediately after planting. It would be a mistake to pour water directly into the dug hole. This is not worth doing. Abundant watering of seedlings 2 days before planting is usually sufficient for rooting. Seedlings begin to be watered in a special way only after they have taken root.

The soil should be optimally moist:

during the formation of ovaries;
after the start of flowering and before the first fruits appear.

If the air temperature during the day reaches +27-+35 degrees, then watering the seedlings is carried out exclusively in the early morning hours. In exceptional cases, tomato seedlings are watered 2-3 hours before sunset. If it is cloudy outside, the number of waterings is reduced, but watered at any convenient time. One tomato bush requires up to 2-2.5 liters of water per week.

Stop watering tomato seedlings approximately 2 weeks before the fruits reach maturity and harvest. Roots saturated with moisture will give all of it to the fruit, which will speed up ripening and reduce the risk of infection with various diseases that have developed as a result of high humidity.

Before flowering, tomato seedlings are watered every 5-6 days. Water is poured under the roots or into special depressions made between the rows. For 1 sq. A meter of soil with this type of watering requires up to 6 liters of water. As soon as the tomato seedlings begin to bloom, the amount of water is doubled. Water once every 3 days, carefully watching to ensure that the soil is saturated with moisture to a depth of 20 centimeters. The degree of moisture is checked as described above. After the start of fruiting, to moisten 1 sq. meter, again 5-6 liters of water are enough for low-growing varieties of tomatoes and 10 liters for tall ones. Regulating humidity depending on the variety helps to avoid the appearance of cracks and brown spots on the fruit.

The soil can be mulched with compost, straw or film. After the mulching procedure, the earth absorbs moisture faster, while at the same time the process of evaporation slows down.

Mistakes gardeners make that cause seedlings to stretch

In fact, there is only one mistake here - too frequent watering. Some people believe that there is no such thing as too much water - the plant will not take in excess. As practice shows, it takes and how. In addition, in the absence of high-quality drainage, rot of the root system may begin, which will lead to the death of seedlings.

Others are simply too lazy to spend time watering too often. Instead of giving the plants a little water every day, they prefer to water once or twice a week, but very generously. This is what causes the seedlings to stretch out.

The most pedantic can use a syringe

How to water

Water falling on the leaves of tomatoes, peppers or eggplants can trigger the development of late blight in these plants! Therefore, it is recommended to water the seedlings of these plants with a directed stream directly under the root to prevent drops from getting on the leaves. It is better to water cucumber and cabbage seedlings using the so-called sprinkling method - from a watering can with a mesh nozzle. The soil under cabbage seedlings should ideally always be slightly moist.

Important nuances

We have already talked about the importance of watering tomato seedlings with warm water at room temperature, but here we will talk about the features of watering tomatoes, knowledge of which allows you to obtain large yields. Extremely important:

Make every effort to keep tomato leaves clean. If watering is carried out manually, then the water should not flow at high speed. Its significant pressure leads to splashing and the appearance of soil spots on the leaves. A plant covered with dust and spots will not be able to receive the amount of solar heat it needs.
It is best to water tomato seedlings with rain or melt water. If this is not available, then water it with ordinary, pre-settled tap water. The water should be soft. You can soften it by simply boiling it. Naturally, it will not be possible to water large areas of land with boiled water, but for plants grown in a mini-greenhouse, even 1-2 kettles of boiled water will be quite enough.
The room is ventilated after watering. This has also already been mentioned. Ventilation allows you to equalize the humidity in the room, preventing the creation of a greenhouse effect in which plants will die due to the high concentration of water and heat.
The seedlings are watered in the morning. It was said above about the possibility of watering at any time of the day, provided the weather is cloudy, but during the day the water still evaporates faster. Evening watering can lead to condensation (we are talking about a greenhouse). Tomatoes grown in a mini-greenhouse are watered at any suitable time. The main condition is dry soil.
Tomato fertilizers and fertilizers are applied along with watering. All fertilizers and growth stimulants are pre-diluted in water. At the same time, the application of fertilizers does not affect the number of waterings. Fertilizers are added to the water 1-2 times a month.
The grown seedlings are watered from the tray. Such watering allows you to accumulate a significant number of strong roots immediately at the time of planting in the ground or greenhouse.
Excess moisture can cause the tomatoes to taste bad. They become watery and tasteless. Most often, such tastelessness is observed in tomatoes grown in a greenhouse in the winter season. To acquire a pleasant taste and aroma, such tomatoes lack light and heat.
The seedlings are not sprayed. Water that gets on the leaves can cause the development of late blight. That is why in rainy years, the fewest tomatoes grown on a small farm (in open ground) are sold on the market. Most of the crop simply dies.

Tomatoes tolerate a lack of water more easily than an excess of it. High humidity in a greenhouse leads to the development of viral and bacterial diseases, and in open ground it helps attract a large number of potential pests to the root system. Frequent watering of plants that are in the active growth stage contributes to improper development of the root system. The soil should be soaked to a depth of 15-20 centimeters.

The frequency of watering seedlings in open ground and greenhouses is related to its variety, age, height of the bush and the ability of the soil to retain moisture. Careful attention to watering allows you to get good harvests even during dry periods.

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Choice of water

Seedlings should not be watered with any tap water. Young plants are more sensitive to the composition, temperature and characteristics of water than adults. Seedlings are watered only:

rainwater, which has undergone long-term settling (at least 2 days), melted, filtered water (but in no case boiled);
soft, non-salty water - if the hardness is too high, additionally acidified;
water at the same temperature as the air in the room or a little warmer (indicators should not fall below 20 degrees, but hot water is also dangerous).

Watering seedlings in the classic way - overhead watering - is only one of the options. Bottom and drip irrigation methods and various options for automatic watering, which can be used not only for indoor plants, help to greatly simplify the growing process and reduce the risk of errors when watering.