Content
Tomatoes and peppers are undoubtedly some of the most popular vegetables. They have excellent taste, they contain many vitamins and minerals. In addition, tomatoes or peppers can be grown in any climatic zone. The variety of varieties and hybrids is such that it is simply impossible to count them. In addition to those included in the state register, there are many varieties of peppers and tomatoes of the so-called folk selection. Often they are in no way inferior to varieties bred by experienced specialists. Everyone who has even a piece of land grows tomatoes and peppers. Top dressing of tomato and pepper seedlings with folk remedies is of interest to many, our article is devoted to this.
Conditions for successful cultivation of peppers and tomatoes
Tomatoes and peppers belong to the same family - Solanaceae. They originate from the hot, dry regions of Central and South America. Their requirements for growing conditions are largely similar, but there are significant differences. Let's take a closer look at this. Indeed, in order to grow a healthy plant, you need to know its needs.
Temperature
Here, both cultures have similar preferences. Tomatoes and peppers love warm weather without sudden fluctuations in temperature throughout the day. They do not like heat more than 35-36 degrees, prolonged cold snap below 12-16 degrees, although they tolerate a short-term decrease in temperature painlessly.
Seedlings need to be kept warm, because at low temperatures, their development is suspended, and the absorption of nutrients is reduced.
Lighting
Tomatoes need a long daylight hours of at least 12 hours, they do not like cloudy weather. Seedlings need additional lighting, because their development occurs during the season when the daylight hours are short, and the weather does not indulge in sunny days.
Pepper is a plant of short daylight hours, it needs light no more than 8 hours a day. But supplementary lighting for seedlings is also necessary. Subsequently, we will plant the pepper in the ground so that the sun's rays reach it only during part of the day, otherwise we will not wait for a full harvest.
Watering, air humidity
Peppers and tomatoes do not like overflow and cold water very much. Moreover, pepper in this sense is a real sissy - watering water with temperatures below 20 degrees can cause problems. Tomatoes, if watered unevenly, will yield a crop with cracked fruits. Moreover, tomatoes do not tolerate high air humidity - it contributes to the development of late blight.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Tomatoes and peppers do not take out so much fertilizer from the soil, moreover, pepper is a lover of potassium, and tomatoes are a lover of phosphorus. Both plants do not like fresh manure and high doses of nitrogen.
Priming
Tomatoes and peppers prefer loose, air and permeable soil, moderately fertile, with a neutral reaction. Tomatoes can grow on slightly acidic soil. Both plants do not tolerate dense loams, acidic soils.
Picking, depth, planting density
This is where the features of pepper and tomatoes are fully manifested. Tomatoes love:
- Frequent transplants - if the roots are damaged, they quickly recover, grow even more;
- Recessed planting - a part of the tomato stem, recessed into the ground, grows overgrown with adventitious roots, increases the plant's nutritional area;
- Free planting - the plants should be well blown by the wind, this prevents the development of phytophthora.
Now let's see what peppers DO NOT like:
- Frequent transplants - damaged roots are restored for a very long time, the plant stops in development;
- Recessed planting - a part of the stem that is underground can rot and the plant will die;
- Loose planting - for fruit to ripen successfully, it should be in a light shade, facilitated by a slightly thickened planting.
Top dressing of pepper and tomato seedlings with folk remedies
On store shelves, we see a variety of preparations intended for feeding peppers and tomatoes. But more and more people, especially if they grow vegetables only for themselves, are trying to feed them with folk remedies. One can argue for a long time about the dangers and benefits of mineral fertilizers, but there is no doubt that good nutrition for seedlings can be provided without the use of chemicals. The main disadvantage of unconventional (maybe it would be more correct to call them alternative) dressings is their lack of instructions. Let's figure it out together.
Fertilizer value
Whatever we feed vegetable seedlings - folk remedies or mineral fertilizers, their nutrition should be balanced. They must receive a certain amount of nutrients in verified proportions. Just feeding vegetables with natural fertilizer is not enough - you need to know which nutrients it contains, whether it is suitable for seedlings.
- Nitrogen is vital for plants, it participates in photosynthesis, with its help peppers and tomatoes build up green mass.
- The plant needs phosphorus for flowering and fruiting. Its deficiency causes the ovary to fall off. If it is not enough in the means used for feeding, we will not get a full harvest.
- Potassium is essential for the development of the root system. If potassium is not enough, peppers or tomatoes will simply die.
The advantages of natural dressings include the fact that almost all contain trace elements, they often cost nothing, and are well absorbed by seedlings. The disadvantage is that we can never know exactly the dosage of the main elements.
The basic principles of feeding seedlings with folk remedies are the same as when feeding with mineral fertilizers:
- It is better to give the seedlings a lower dose of fertilizer than to exceed it.
- Top dressing is carried out only on wet soil.
- Seedlings are fed in the morning.
- Liquid top dressing should have a temperature of 22-25 degrees.
Signs of a battery shortage:
- The leaves brighten starting from the lower ones, the turgor persists - there is a lack of nitrogen.
- Seedlings acquire a purple hue - lack of phosphorus.
- The leaves dry out starting from the edge - potassium starvation.
- The leaves begin to turn yellow between the veins - a lack of iron.
- The leaves wither even with sufficient watering - perhaps a copper deficiency.
Ash
The most common folk fertilizer is ash... It is recommended to be used at all stages of plant life. It contains all the nutrients the plant needs, albeit in varying concentrations. Ash is remarkable in that it nourishes the seedlings, protects them from diseases. For example, dusting the ground with wood ash is used for overflow, the first signs of a black leg.
They can become a real disaster and destroy the seedlings. It is enough 3-4 times in the morning after watering to thickly powder the aerial part of tomatoes or peppers with wood ash, leave until the next watering. Make sure that the ash remains on the plant for no more than 4 days - otherwise we will overfeed the plant.For the northern regions, or if the conditions of detention allow watering peppers or tomatoes every few days, a single dusting may be enough.
Let's make a reservation right away that wood ash itself is suitable for feeding seedlings. It is often asked if the ash left over from barbecues or barbecues is suitable for fertilizing plants. The answer is suitable if you did not use gasoline or other harsh chemicals when lighting the fire.
It is remarkable that the ashes of different plants contain different doses of chemical elements. If possible, when feeding seedlings of peppers or tomatoes, consider this:
- Deciduous tree ash contains a lot of calcium.
- There is a lot of phosphorus in the ashes of coniferous trees.
- The ash of grapevine or herbaceous plants holds the record for potassium content.
- Peat ash contains a lot of lime, but little potassium, often (but not always) such ash contains a lot of iron.
- The best ash is obtained when birch chips, dried stalks of Jerusalem artichoke and sunflower are burned out.
It is better to give ash in the form of an extract - pour a glass of ash with 8 liters of boiling water, leave for 24 hours, then strain.
Natural stimulants
Soak pepper or tomato seeds before planting well in the following natural stimulants:
- Aloe juice is a great natural stimulant. Aloe leaf is cut, wrapped in gauze, placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 2 weeks or 2 days in the freezer. Then the juice is squeezed out (it should not come into contact with the metal), diluted 1: 1 with water, the seeds are soaked for a day.
- Ash infusion. The seeds of pepper and tomatoes are soaked for 6 hours in an ash extract prepared as described above.
- Dry mushrooms. Pour boiling water over dry mushrooms, let cool. Soak the seeds in the solution for 6 hours.
- Honey. Dissolve one teaspoon of honey in a glass of warm water, pour the seeds for 6 hours so that they are only moistened.
- Potato juice. Peel a few tubers and place in the freezer for 2-3 days. Squeeze juice, soak pepper seeds or tomato for 8 hours.
Fertilizers that can be applied to the soil
Some products can be applied to the soil before sowing peppers or tomatoes for seedlings - they improve the structure of the soil, feed the seedlings.
Sleeping coffee grounds. If you like good coffee, do not throw away the dormant coffee. In addition to great scrubs, it will make a good additive to the soil.
Ash. Add a small amount of ash to the soil when sowing seeds - it will not only serve as top dressing, but also protect against many diseases.
Fertilizers applied with irrigation
Feed with folk remedies, seedlings of peppers or tomatoes begin when two true leaves appear, and finish no later than two days before transplanting into the ground. Watering with infusions enriched with useful elements is done every 10-14 days. It is important here not to overfeed the plant.
If you are not sure of yourself, it is better to use mineral fertilizers. The most important helper here can only be experience.
In addition to wood ash, you can feed seedlings of pepper or tomatoes with the following self-prepared preparations:
- Banana peels are an invaluable source of potassium. Simply place four banana skins in a three liter jar and cover with warm water. After 3 days, the infusion is ready.
- Eggshell. Slightly heat the shell of 3-4 eggs, put in a three-liter jar, fill with warm water. After a few days, you can water the seedlings with infusion.
We offer for viewing a short video about feeding tomato and pepper seedlings with folk remedies:
What folk remedies can not be used to feed seedlings
There are a lot of excellent fertilizers that need to be used outdoors, but they are not suitable for seedlings of peppers or tomatoes:
- Any humus, green fertilizers, herbal teas are not suitable for seedlings due to excess nitrogen.
- Yeast - firstly, they decompose potassium, and, secondly, they contain a lot of nitrogen, stimulate growth, and we don't need peppers or tomatoes to stretch out.
- Sleep tea - contains tannins. When used in the open field for adult peppers or tomatoes, their effect is not so noticeable, but dormant tea can greatly inhibit the development of seedlings.
It should be noted that experienced gardeners successfully apply the above "forbidden" dressings when growing seedlings. But they do it very carefully, skillfully, often guided by intuition. With the experience gained, you may be able to use them.
Say goodbye to seedlings in advance and experiment. Thus, you will gain invaluable experience, and the harvest will not suffer. Perhaps the best seedlings will be in this box.
Good luck to you!
