What to do to help tomatoes
The main reason for poor reddening of the crop is the lack of proper climatic conditions and characteristics of the variety. Hybrids have the most uniform ripening and coloring of tomatoes, and therefore a lot depends on the correct choice of varieties.
Experienced gardeners use a number of proven methods to speed up ripening; there is nothing complicated in such procedures:
- ensuring good microclimatic conditions in the greenhouse. Tomatoes must receive sufficient sunlight. Excess leaves are removed and the shoots are turned so that they are not in the shade. To fix the desired position of the plant, it is recommended to tie it up;
- For foliar feeding, iodine is used, the product is diluted at the rate of 35 drops per 10 liter bucket of water. The solution is used to spray the leaves. After several feeding sessions, the ripening of tomatoes accelerates;
- removal of excess inflorescences, leaves and stepsons. The top part of the tomato bush is pinched or trimmed to stop the growth of new shoots. Thanks to this procedure, the consumption of nutrients is reduced. Without removing excess shoots, the crop is small in size and does not always have time to ripen;
- the use of alcohol injections, this technique also significantly accelerates the maturation process. Here you will need to use a syringe and vodka; alcohol consumption per tomato is 0.5 ml. After 14 days, complete reddening of the crop is observed. It is worth noting that the taste of tomatoes does not suffer from this;
- if sudden cold weather occurs and it is not possible to maintain the microclimate necessary for tomatoes in the greenhouse, then it is recommended to dig up the bushes and move them to a more suitable place; the supply of nutritional components should be enough to complete ripening;
- Often tomatoes do not turn red for a long time due to late blight; diseased plants may not ripen at all; on the contrary, they turn black. Garlic solution or other means are used as preventive measures.
Lack of light
Tomato is very demanding of light. In poor lighting conditions, the shoots become elongated, develop poorly, fruiting is delayed, and the taste and quality of the fruit deteriorate. Often, a lack of lighting occurs when bushes are planted in dense areas, which is especially common in a greenhouse. This also threatens the emergence of various diseases, since thickened bushes are poorly ventilated.
What to do
Regularly remove stepsons, as well as excess leaves that are in the shade and interfere with air circulation. First of all, you should remove the lower leaves up to the first cluster on the main shoot. Then you can cut off the leaves on the side shoots, directed into the bush and located below the first brush. In one day, it is enough to remove only a few leaves from the bush, otherwise the plant will experience severe stress. This work should be carried out in the first half of the day so that the sections dry in the sun. However, when removing leaves, it is also important not to overdo it: at least two leaves should remain above each bunch of tomatoes, which will provide the fruit with nutrition.
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Prevention
The main preventive measure will be the creation of an optimal microclimate in the greenhouse. Tomatoes ripen well in moist soil, but the plants do not like high indoor humidity at all.
Due to lack of light, certain problems with the ripening of tomatoes also arise, and therefore it is necessary to create suitable conditions in a timely manner. An alternative option is auxiliary lighting devices, thanks to which you can increase productivity.
The following activities include caring for greenhouse crops so that they feel good:
- periodic removal of weeds;
- ensuring regular watering;
- carrying out stepsoning;
- gartering as needed;
- application of mineral and organic fertilizers.
Helpful advice. To prevent the skins of tomatoes from starting to crack, it is recommended to water them in several stages.
You can protect plants from a number of ailments (gray rot, root rot, mosaic, brown spot, late blight, etc.) by systematically spraying plants, correctly selecting friendly tomato varieties and controlling soil moisture.
Factors affecting the growth rate of tomatoes in a greenhouse
In a normal situation, tomatoes, having formed an ovary, gain fruit volume within a month, after which they go through the ripening stage for 2-3 weeks. That is, in 40–55 days the tomato should reach marketable condition.
For this he needs:
- full lighting , which even in a greenhouse should be as sunny as possible, but if this is not possible, it must be significantly supplemented with artificial lighting;
- correct temperature regime , which should not go beyond +15...+35 °C with an optimal average temperature of +25 °C;
- sufficient watering while maintaining dry air;
- the distance between tomato bushes is at least half a meter, eliminating the density of plantings;
- with timely removal of excess leaves from the plant .
Did you know? During its short century of existence as a cultivated plant, which lasts less than 500 years,
the fruits of the tomato, which barely reached a weight of 1 g, turned into kilograms and more.
How to feed tomatoes
To obtain a bountiful harvest, plants must be fed in a timely manner. After the seedlings are planted, experts advise using complex fertilizers with precise dosages of components such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus.
During the beginning of flowering, a special fertilizer for tomatoes “Sudarushka” is used. It does not contain chlorine, but it contains the entire complex of useful substances necessary for the plant.
When the ovaries begin to form, you need to carry out foliar feeding. Many gardeners use wood ash for this purpose. Or rather, a solution is prepared based on it according to the following recipe:
- ash - 2 cups;
- hot water – 2 liters;
- mix thoroughly and leave for 48 hours to infuse;
- drain the sediment, add water to make 10 liters.
The resulting solution is used to treat shrubs in the evening or on a cloudy day to spray the leaves. They must be dry.
When fruiting begins, superphosphate is used for feeding. The product in the amount of two tablespoons is diluted in water - 10 liters, potassium humate is also added - 1 tablespoon. Used as root feeding at the rate of 1 liter per plant.
Fertilizers for intensive maturation
At the stage of fruit formation, tomatoes require increased amounts of phosphorus and potassium. Fertilizing helps speed up the reddening of vegetables. At the same time, most gardeners strive to use those means that cause the least harm to vegetables. These include:
- iodine. They spray the foliage with it. Dosage – 30-35 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water;
- ash with iodine. Suitable for watering. For 10 liters of water, 2 liters of ash powder are required. The ash mixture is kept for 7 days, and then 20 ml of iodine and 10 g of boric acid are added to it. The resulting concentrate for irrigation is diluted with water at a ratio of 1:9. Usage rate: 1 liter per bush;
- ethanol. Tomatoes begin to turn red after watering with vodka. 50 ml is poured under the root. Vegetables turn red 2 weeks after this feeding;
- superphosphate extract. 100 g of granulated superphosphate is poured into 1 liter of water brought to a boil. The mixture is kept for a day, stirring occasionally to dissolve the granules. 20 tbsp. l. the extracts are diluted in 3 liters of water. The resulting concentrate for watering at the root is diluted in the proportion of ¾ cup per 10 liters of water. Application rate: 1 liter per bush;
- potassium humate. 0.3 g is diluted in 10 liters of water and sprayed on tomato plantings or watered.
All these techniques and means are used, as a rule, at the final stage of tomato growing, when the growing season ends, the first autumn frosts are close, and there are no ripe fruits yet.
Useful tips
Based on the observations of gardeners, plants experience a sharp activation of all forces if a mechanical threat arises:
- you need to make a through cut in the stem part or tighten it slightly using copper wire. Due to the resulting deficiency of nutritional components, rapid reddening of tomatoes and their ripening are stimulated;
- You can also use a rather harsh method, which consists of slightly pulling the bush out of the ground until the faint crackling sound of exploding roots is heard. A small break of adventitious roots leads to a limitation in the supply of nutritional components to the bush. This will force the tomato to activate its forces to ripen the crop;
- Some gardeners, using a toothpick, make several pricks in the area of the stalk of a green tomato. This product serves to stimulate pigmentation;
- Another technique is a more humane remedy. You need to take a ripe tomato, put it in a plastic bag and put it on the brush where there are green tomatoes. The opening of the bag is tied with a soft fabric ribbon. A few days later, synchronous reddening of the unripe crop begins.
Why don't they turn red in open ground?
Tomatoes do not ripen in open ground for the same reasons as in the case of greenhouses. Accordingly, to speed up the ripening process, the measures indicated above should be used. Just creating comfortable climatic conditions will not do.
However, in open ground, lack of ripening may also be due to the following reasons:
- negative effects of ultraviolet radiation - in this case it is recommended to protect tomatoes from direct sunlight;
- late blight - such a pathology must be prevented using special means, but if the disease has already appeared, it is unlikely that anything can be changed;
- sudden cold snap - in this case it is recommended to cover the plants with film, having previously installed girths.
If tomatoes do not turn red, then the first thing to do is to identify the cause of this problem. Only after this can any action be taken to resolve it.
