We grow seedlings correctly - every gardener should know about this

To enjoy your favorite vegetables without thinking about the amount of nitrates, almost all gardeners grow heat-loving tomatoes in greenhouses, in open areas and even on the windowsills of city apartments. The calendar is still counting down the last days of winter, and residents of the southern regions are already starting to plant tomatoes.

To obtain a decent harvest, taking into account the long growing season, the crop is cultivated mainly by seedlings.

Why we love “golden apples”

Without tomatoes or tomatoes, as most Russians are more accustomed to calling them, today we cannot imagine our diet. At the market we choose weighty giants or miniature cherry tomatoes, painted in the usual red or other color, round or cylindrical for salads and winter preparations, not remembering that this South American plant was once an ornamental crop and its fruits were considered inedible.

By the 18th century, “golden apples” (pomo d`oro) began to appear more and more often in the diet of Europeans. In Russia they began to be eaten thanks to the famous traveler and scientist A.T. Bolotov.

Now the nutritional value of tomatoes is well studied and generally known.

These juicy, meaty vegetables are rich in vitamin C and lycopene, meaning they are a powerful antioxidant. They speed up metabolism, cleanse the body of toxins, and reduce the level of bad cholesterol. Indicated for anemia and low acidity of gastric juice. Due to their high potassium content, tomatoes have a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels.

We increase the “living space”

If the size of your window sill is not enough for all the seedlings, increase the usable area with the help of simple devices. For example, place a piece of plywood 40-50 cm wide on it. This will increase the usable area of ​​the window sill by 1.5-2 times and protect the seedlings from the dry and hot air of the radiator.

At a height equal to the middle of the window, you can make an additional shelf from boards, plywood or any other available material that can withstand a load of at least 10 kg. If the window is large, you can make a rack in several tiers.

Some particularly enterprising gardeners hang containers with seedlings in the air. To do this, they take a strong thread or rope, fix one end of it to a cornice or a specially attached strip above the window, and tie the other end to a pot with a plant. It turns out something like hanging flower pots.

How to calculate landing time

You can buy ready-made seedlings or grow them yourself. The first option is good provided that you are familiar with the manufacturer and are confident in the quality and varietal of the planting material. Having your own seedlings allows you not only to save money, but also to grow the required number of seedlings of the varieties and hybrids that interest you.

The time frame in which tomato seedlings need to be planted for a greenhouse or open ground depends on the time of planting it in a permanent place. Seedlings are moved into the greenhouse earlier, into the ground later, i.e., seeds of future greenhouse plants can be sown 2-3 weeks earlier than for ground plants.

When sowing is thickened, the grown seedlings are planted in individual containers

It takes about two months for seedlings to grow and become stronger. Five to seven days need to be added for seed pipping and germination. If picking is planned, it will take another week for the young plants to recover from stress.

Where to place seedlings in the apartment?

For many summer residents, the answer to this question is obvious - on the windowsills. But is any window sill suitable for growing seedlings?

The most illuminated are the southern windows. It is best to place seedlings on them. If your windows face north, west or east, use special reflectors that will help compensate for the lack of sunlight.

A mirror is perfect for this purpose. It is installed on the edge of the window sill with the front side facing the window. You can also use a sheet of plywood or cardboard covered with foil. Just be careful, because the mirror and foil reflect sunlight too brightly. Adjust the tilt of the reflector so that the reflected diffuse light falls on the plants, otherwise the leaves will not be burned.

Sowing time for seedlings

Specific numbers are chosen in accordance with the climatic conditions of the region:

When determining suitable dates, long-term weather forecasts and the duration of the growing season are also taken into account: late-ripening varieties are sown 1-2 weeks earlier than mid-season and early varieties.

It’s better to be a little late than to sow too early - small but healthy plants will subsequently take root more easily than elongated, weakened overgrowths

Tomatoes are very life-loving. In the south, they are often planted by seeds in open ground. Some varieties even sprout by self-sowing.

Many gardeners rely on the recommendations of the lunar calendar both when sowing seeds and when planting finished seedlings. They simply choose favorable days in the desired decade, calculated in advance by astrologers. In their opinion, it is correct to sow tomatoes for seedlings during the waxing Moon.

Principles of growing seedlings

Tomatoes grown from high-quality seedlings will have excellent taste, disease resistance and high yields. Despite the fact that the process of obtaining it cannot be called too complicated and troublesome, many nuances should be taken into account.

Why are tomatoes grown from seedlings?

Seedlings are seedlings grown from seeds in greenhouses or at home, intended for subsequent transplantation into open or closed ground. This technology is necessary for cultivating crops with a long growing season, which do not have time to produce a harvest when sowing seeds directly into the ground. These include tomatoes.

In particular, the seedling method is relevant for regions with a short warm period.

Rules for choosing a variety

When choosing seeds from a wide range of tomato varieties, you need to follow several recommendations:

1. Give preference to zoned varieties characterized by maximum adaptability to the climatic conditions of a particular area. In crops of southern varieties, all life processes occur less intensively, which provides them with high resistance to unfavorable factors. Northern varieties, on the contrary, are designed for short summers, so their fruit development and formation occurs faster.
2. Consider where exactly you plan to grow vegetables: in a greenhouse, in open ground, in boxes installed on a balcony or loggia.
3. Decide on the ripening period: if you need to get the harvest as early as possible, you should choose early ripening varieties.
4. In the absence of the opportunity to find time for pinching and tying, purchase low-growing varieties that do not require these procedures.

When choosing a variety, it is important to consider for what purpose the crop will be grown. Depending on their purpose, tomatoes are divided into several categories with different characteristics:

1. Dessert and salad . The fruits are distinguished by their large size, juiciness, fleshiness, pleasant taste and aroma. An example is "Bull's Heart".
2. For preservation . The small fruits have a strong skin and dense pulp. Most of these varieties have an oval shape, allowing for easy placement in jars. Common representatives of this category are “Icicle Pink”, “Lady Fingers”.
3. For storage . The small, dense fruits of these varieties are characterized by late ripening and a long fruiting period, for example, “Giraffe”, “Rococo”.
4. Universal . The varieties are well suited for both canning and fresh consumption. The most popular among them is Moskvich.

Important! It is necessary to give preference to varieties that are most resistant to diseases common in the area where they are planned to be grown.

Optimal conditions

Tomatoes are a light-loving crop, so their successful cultivation is impossible without good sunlight and long daylight hours.

Maintaining a temperature of +22-28°C during the day and +16-18°C at night and a high humidity level of 65-80% will allow you to obtain strong seedlings. It should be taken into account that at each stage of development a young plant needs different conditions.

Choosing seeds

Navigating the huge assortment of tomatoes is not an easy task. What a beginner needs to pay attention to:

1. Expiration date on the package. Expired seeds may not germinate.
2. Ripening and planting dates. Early varieties are sown later, mid-season varieties - earlier.
3. Manufacturer.

Information about seed manufacturers can be found in advance by looking at their websites or reading reviews on forums. It is better to find out data on the zoning and main characteristics of the varieties and hybrids of interest in the State Register of the Russian Federation.

The term determinant/indeterminate is often found on packages - it refers to the characteristics of shoot growth and further formation of bushes

Determinate varieties are more unpretentious and are better suited for open ground. They have natural limitations in the growth of green mass, are relatively resistant to diseases, ripen earlier and more quickly, managing to produce the main harvest before seasonal outbreaks of late blight. Accordingly, they need less space and care. However, their productivity is usually lower. Among the popular varieties, which are described in detail in articles on our website: tall “Bull's Heart”, low-growing “Sanka”, “Lyubasha F1”, “Siberian early ripening”.

Indeterminate tomatoes often exceed 2 meters in height and require intensive care: they need a garter, regular watering and fertilizing, protection from diseases and pests. They ripen later, but bear fruit until the cold weather, allowing you to get a bountiful harvest. The choice of varieties is very wide: “De Barao”, “Pink (Orange, Pepper, etc.) Giant”, “Honey Spas”, “Miracle of the Earth”, “Grandma’s Secret”, “Red Red F1” and many others. This group also includes most representatives of the cherry variety, loved by many gardeners. They bear fruit well in greenhouses and in unprotected beds, and are often grown as balcony vegetables.

Shading

To protect tomatoes from direct sunlight, it is recommended to create shade for them. For this, it is best to purchase lutrasil or spunbond (the material scatters the sun’s rays well and does not interfere with the passage of air), but any other fabric (old tulle, thin duvet covers and sheets) is quite suitable. Pegs are hammered around the perimeter of the bed and canvases are pulled over them.

Another effective method is side-by-side planting. But this should be taken care of in advance by planting corn or climbing beans in the beds. You can place tomatoes between the rows of grapes planted in rows from east to west.

In greenhouses and film-covered greenhouses, slaked lime is sprayed onto the walls, which provides high-quality shade.

Pre-sowing preparation

Preliminary preparation is required primarily for seeds collected independently.

Own planting material is obtained from fully ripened fruits of varietal plants

It makes no sense to take hybrid (F1) ones, since their characteristics are not passed on to the offspring.

The preparation of tomato seeds for planting is carried out in several stages:

1. Disinfection - the required number of seeds is wrapped in cloth (gauze) and placed for half an hour in a potassium permanganate solution of medium intensity at room temperature.
2. Germination - seeds are laid out on the surface of the fabric at a short distance from each other. Cover with the free edge of the same material. Additionally, moisten the cloth from a spray bottle and wrap it in cling film (a regular plastic bag or plastic container with a lid). Leave it in a warm place (on a sunny windowsill, next to a radiator, etc.), avoiding both drying out and waterlogging of the fabric. High-quality seeds will hatch within 1-2 days and should be planted immediately.

How many plants will fit on the windowsill?

The quality of seedlings depends on how much area its root system occupies and how much living space is allocated to each plant. Eggplants and tomatoes require the most space. For normal growth and development, no more than 14 eggplant or tall tomato seedlings of 8 weeks of age will fit in an area measuring 100x10 cm. A little more in the same area you can place low-growing tomatoes - up to 18 bushes 5-6 weeks old.

Cabbage and pepper are more compact; on an area of ​​0.1 sq.m, 30-36 bushes of 6-7-week-old cabbage seedlings and 20-30 pepper bushes can be placed without damage.

Sowing rules

Water the soil before planting; it should be slightly moist. At a distance of 5-7 cm from each other, grooves are made with a depth of 1.5 cm. Using tweezers, the hatched seeds are distributed, sprinkled with earth, and moistened with a spray bottle. The distance between future plants is about 5 cm. You can sow more often if you plan to plant seedlings in the future. The boxes are covered with glass or film until the seeds germinate and placed in a warm, lighted place without drafts. The first shoots usually appear on the 3-5th day.

Open the boxes with friendly shoots, water them periodically (2 times a week), and if necessary, very carefully loosen the soil

Tomatoes are planted in separate containers according to the same rules. The only difference is in the amount of planting material: 1-2 seeds are placed in 1 glass.

What soil to sow in?

To grow homemade tomato seedlings, it is convenient to use special enriched soil, which is sold in stores. However, it is easy to prepare a nutritious soil mixture yourself.

Approximate composition of soil for planting tomatoes for seedlings:

• garden soil (1 part);
• peat or store-bought substrate (1 part);
• turf land (1 part);
• sand (1/3 of the total weight);
• fertilizers (ammonium nitrate - 10 g per 10 liters of soil, superphosphate - 3 g, potassium chloride - 1 g). They are introduced after disinfection of the land.

Additionally, drainage will be required, for example, fine expanded clay, which is poured as the bottom layer

It is important to disinfect the soil taken from the garden. You can shed it with a dark solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin. They also use 30-minute calcination in the oven at a temperature of 100 ℃. After filling the planting containers, the soil is moistened.

Which containers are more convenient?

If the house has a separate room with a lot of free space for seedlings, of course, it is better to use individual containers. Peat pots and peat tablets are the best options for planting seedlings in the ground without removing them, as carefully as possible. The tablets are pre-moistened so that they swell and turn into a pot.

You can also use more economical plastic cups, boxes and similar containers, turning them into reusable ones. Seeds are even planted in plastic milk bags. It is easy to get such containers and they are inexpensive.

When there is little free space, use boxes and containers - wooden and plastic

Sowing seedlings in boxes is quick and easy. The main thing is to avoid thickening. It is more difficult to get plants for picking and replanting later. This must be done carefully, after moistening the soil and using special devices (spoons, shovels, scoops) so as not to cause much harm.

Possible problems

When growing tomato seedlings on their own, gardeners often encounter a number of problems.

Seeds take a long time to germinate

The cause of this problem may be planting low-quality seeds or not following the rules of agricultural technology during this procedure.

To prevent poor seed germination, it is necessary to use high-quality seed material and adhere to all rules in the process of germination and planting.

Fighting the "black leg"

Several factors can provoke this disease in tomato seedlings:

• excessive soil and indoor air moisture
• cold ground
• low temperature

If a disease is detected, perform the following actions:

• remove and destroy the affected specimen
• the remaining plants are treated with the following preparations: “Fitosporin”, “Fundazol”, “Previkur”, “Maxim”
• plants are planted in new containers with new soil mixture

Pulling tomato seedlings

This problem is due to a number of reasons:

• insufficient lighting
• non-compliance with the landing pattern
• increased air temperature
• excess humidity
• excessive feeding

To ensure that tomato seedlings are strong and plump, adjusting the lighting, lowering the temperature, reducing the frequency of watering and using growth-regulating drugs will help.

Outgrowing seedlings

The problem with overgrown seedlings can be solved with the help of drugs that slow down its growth. In addition, the frequency of watering and the amount of liquid used are reduced, and pots with plants are moved to a room with a lower temperature.

Seedling care

To obtain strong, disease-resistant seedlings, it is important to provide them with favorable conditions and proper care - optimal temperature, moderate watering and good lighting. Plus careful feeding and picking if necessary.

Temperature, lighting, watering

A temperature of +16…18 ℃ is considered favorable for the development of young plants. After a month, it is advised to begin hardening off the grown seedlings, reducing the temperature at night to 14 ℃. It’s good when in April it is possible to open a window and keep the seedlings in the open sun for 30 minutes to an hour every day. This is often practiced in the south, especially with tomatoes intended for planting in open beds.

There is still not enough sunlight in early spring. Seedlings need it 12-15 hours a day. Therefore, you have to use phytolamps and any additional lighting. You can do without it if you sowed seeds of ultra-early varieties at the last moment and plan to plant them at an age of less than 2 months. When sowing early, plants lacking light will stretch and weaken.

In short daylight conditions, tender seedlings require artificial supplementary lighting

Watering should be moderate. While the seedlings are small, they are carefully sprayed. Grown plants are watered with settled water at room temperature at the root. Use small watering cans and syringes. Usually, watering twice a week is enough.

Picking and feeding

It is customary to feed tomatoes after diving. The seedlings are picked, that is, transplanted into a larger container with the central root pinched, about two weeks after emergence, when the first true leaves appear (2-3).

Diving is used to form strong lateral roots. Not everyone uses this technique. Many gardeners sow tomatoes in separate cups so that they can later be planted in the ground without damaging the root system.

When planting unpicked seedlings, the development of additional roots is stimulated by burying the plants in the soil up to the cotyledon leaves.

The seedlings are fed according to a schedule: the first time - a week after the dive, the second time - after 7-10 days, the third time - a week before transplanting to a permanent place. For the first two feedings, nitroammophoska is used, for the 3rd - superphosphate (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water). Special complex fertilizers for seedlings also work well. It is important to apply them after watering.

When grown in a ready-made nutrient substrate, additional fertilizing is carried out only as necessary, if the plants have an unhealthy appearance or weak growth. In such cases, experienced gardeners recommend using a solution of succinic acid, which is sold in regular pharmacies in the form of tablets with different dosages (100, 200, 400 mg) of the active substance.

The product is suitable not only for spraying on the leaves, but also for watering at the roots

The solution is prepared at the rate of 200 mg of amber per liter of water. As an immunomodulator and anti-stress, it helps to invigorate and strengthen seedlings at the stage of the appearance of the first real leaves, then at the age of 3-4 weeks and a couple of days before planting in the ground. It is recommended to spray the picked seedlings 2-3 days after the procedure to speed up the recovery of injured roots.

Rules for growing seedlings

After planting, seedlings require proper care to ensure the health of the plants and the quality of the future harvest.

Care after emergence

The first shoots should be handled as carefully as possible, otherwise you can easily damage their still quite fragile above-ground and underground parts.

Optimal air temperature

After the emergence of seedlings, the air temperature is reduced to +14-16°C , which prevents the plants from stretching. This regime is provided to young specimens for 7 days.

After a week, the temperature for tomato seedlings is increased to the following levels:

• during the day – up to +20-22°С
• at night – up to +16-18°С

Lighting

It is recommended to install containers with seedlings on windows facing south or southwest.

The optimal daylight hours for tomato seedlings are 15 hours. If necessary, you will need to organize additional lighting using phytolamps; usually the need for this arises in the morning and evening, as well as in cloudy weather.

Important! Due to insufficient lighting, seedlings begin to stretch out in search of light, which makes them thin and weak.

Watering

In the first 4 days from the moment of emergence of seedlings, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle. Until the water has completely dried, the plant should not be exposed to sunlight, which can cause burns.

Possible errors during landing

To get a high-quality tomato harvest, you need to avoid common mistakes that worsen this indicator. What can a summer resident do wrong? We list the most common errors when planting tomatoes in open ground under temporary shelter:

1. Choosing the wrong variety. Firstly, you should select zoned tomatoes for yourself. Experienced gardeners have been experimentally selecting suitable varieties of tomatoes for many years, which give a good harvest in their conditions. When planting under cover, you should also choose determinate varieties with limited growth so that their size allows the construction of a low greenhouse. In addition, these plants tend to ripen more quickly.
2. The seedlings did not undergo hardening. When planting in open ground, hardening procedures are especially important. Otherwise, it will be difficult for plants to adapt to scorching sun rays, wind, low temperatures and other weather conditions. It is necessary to harden seedlings already at one month of age, gradually accustoming the seedlings to the effects of unfavorable factors.
3. Unsuitable soil. Tomatoes prefer slightly acidic soil with a pH of about 6-6.5. Too high or low acidity will prevent plants from properly absorbing valuable substances, and the development of bushes will be impaired. This may be indicated by yellowing of the leaves in the upper or lower parts of the crown.
4. Place the bed in a shaded area or in partial shade. No matter how you care for your tomatoes in the future, instead of a rich harvest of fruits, you will only get a thick green mass. Tomato beds should be exposed to the sun for at least 7 hours a day. It is the sun's rays that give plants the strength and energy to bear fruit.
5. Landing in cold soil. Heat-loving tomatoes require a soil temperature of 15°C or slightly lower. If the soil is not warm enough, the planted seedlings will suffer for a long time and may even die.
6. Fit too tight. Determinate bushes grow in width and should have enough space to develop. In addition, plants that are too thick are poorly ventilated, which increases the risk of late blight and other diseases. When planting seedlings under film, you should follow the recommended scheme.

Seed processing and germination

Seeds need to be prepared and processed before planting; these actions will help speed up the germination process and also increase resistance to various diseases. This procedure is especially necessary in cases where the seeds were collected and made independently, or purchased in bulk.

Treatment of tomato seeds before planting

The following methods can be used to treat seeds:

• Treatment with potassium permanganate. The seeds are kept for 20 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, after which they are washed with clean water (you need to take 1 g of the drug per 100 ml of water).
• Treatment with soda solution. The seeds are soaked in the solution for a day (0.5 g of soda per 100 ml of water).
• Treatment with aloe solution. You can also soak it overnight. The solution is prepared in the following ratio: 1 part aloe juice and 1 part water.

The effect of treatment on the germination of tomato seeds

The next step is to germinate the seeds. This is done to speed up the germination process of tomatoes. For this procedure you will need to prepare a damp cloth or gauze. Seeds are placed on a damp surface. Cover and leave for 4 to 5 days. It is important to ensure that the sprouts are not too large; a sufficient length is 2-3 mm.

Germination of tomato seeds

Pre-treated and germinated tomato seeds guarantee strong and healthy seedlings.

If the seedlings have been damaged by frost

If, after frost, seedlings planted or placed in a greenhouse have withered and withered, try to save them before you get completely upset and throw them away.

The main task is to insulate and warm the affected plants:

1. 1. Spray the plants with warm water, a solution of biological products or growth stimulants - there is a wide choice of drugs now.
2. 2. Cover the plants with spunbond covering material and keep them under cover for at least a day.
3. 3. If possible, bring the frozen seedlings into the warmth - from the loggia or from the greenhouse into the house.

Strong, healthy seedlings, not elongated or overgrown, usually withstand short-term temperature fluctuations.