Content
- 1 Growing tomato seedlings according to the lunar calendar
- 2 Choosing tomato seeds for seedlings
- 3 Preparing tomato seeds for sowing
- 4 Preparation of soil and containers for planting
- 5 Sowing tomato seeds in the ground
- 6 Top dressing of tomato seedlings
- 7 Seedling picking
- 8 Planting seedlings in a permanent place of growth
Gardeners' concerns begin in February. The last month of winter is important for those who grow seedlings. It is still frosty outside and there is snow, and the sowing work is in full swing in the house. In order for tomato seedlings to be successful, the vegetable grower needs to prepare seeds, soil, containers for planting, and do many more important things.
Growing tomato seedlings according to the lunar calendar
The question of when to sow tomatoes for seedlings begins to worry every housewife at the end of the New Year holidays. The fact is that the sowing dates for different regions are different due to the peculiarities of the local climate. However, we can say with confidence that it is necessary to start cooking tomatoes for seedlings in 2021 from February. This winter month is very cold, but the daylight hours are getting longer, and the last weeks are optimal for tomato seedlings.
If earlier our ancestors were engaged in agriculture, adhering to folk signs, then many modern gardeners trust the lunar calendar more. According to an important forecast made by astrologers, housewives determine the date of sowing seeds for tomato seedlings in 2021.
It is important to know, not only when to plant tomatoes for seedlings, but also a date favorable for their picking. Here the lunar calendar of 2021 will come to the rescue again. Good days for a dive fall on the waning moon.
Video about the secrets of growing seedlings:
Choosing tomato seeds for seedlings
Experienced vegetable growers select seed based on their experience of growing certain varieties of tomatoes last year. If the cultivation of tomato seedlings is a new thing, then first of all, preference is given to varieties and hybrids adapted to local climatic conditions. Typically, this information is displayed on the back of the seed package.
A beginner can grow a good harvest of tomatoes at home by planting crops that are less demanding to care for. Here it is also important to pay attention to the purpose and size of the fruit, the color of the pulp, the height of the plant. Indeterminate tomatoes are best suited for greenhouse cultivation. It is better to plant determinate or semi-determinant tomatoes in the garden.
The percentage and time of germination of tomato grains depends on the period, as well as the conditions of their storage. The date of seed production can be found on the packaging, but no one knows how they were stored. Because of this, many vegetable growers love to harvest their homemade seeds. They are larger, grow better, and are free.
Preparing tomato seeds for sowing
In order for the seeds to have a high percentage of germination, and the tomato seedlings to be healthy, the grains must be carefully prepared for sowing:
- It helps to ensure a high percentage of germination sorting seeds. You can manually pick empty and broken grains, but it's easier to dip them in a jar of warm water. All the pacifiers that come up are thrown away, and the seeds that have settled on the bottom of the can are filtered through cheesecloth. So they will go for sowing.
- Etching tomato seed is an important process of killing infection on the surface of the grain. The solutions are used very different, but the easiest way is to place the grains inside a gauze bag and dip them in a cool solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour.
- The next preparation process involves soak seeds. For these purposes, it is better to stock up on melt or rain water in advance. First, the grains are immersed for 30 minutes in a jar of water at a temperature of 60aboutC to wake up the fetus. Then they take water with a temperature of 25aboutC, and ordinary cotton wool or natural linen with grains inside is immersed in it for a day.
- After soaking, the grains are dried a little, laid out in one layer on a saucer and refrigerated for 48 hours for tempering.
The last stage of preparation involves germination. Tomato seeds are laid out on a plate between two layers of gauze, slightly moistened with water and placed in a warm place. Before pecking the embryo, care must be taken that the tissue is wet, but does not float in water.
Some vegetable growers are negatively put to the preparation process, and sow tomato seeds in the ground dry immediately from the pack. This is a personal matter, everyone has their own secrets of growing tomatoes.
Preparation of soil and containers for planting
It is optimal to plant tomatoes in purchased soil. It is already saturated with all the necessary trace elements. Home soil can be prepared from a mixture of garden soil with peat and humus. For looseness, you can add sawdust. In this case, the homemade soil will have to be fed with wood ash, potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate.
You can plant tomatoes for seedlings in common containers or separate cups. In any case, the container is disinfected with a steep solution of potassium permanganate. It is especially necessary to process the inner walls, which will be in contact with the roots of the tomato. If the planting of tomato seeds for seedlings takes place in separate cups, you still need to prepare boxes for them. So, it will be more convenient to transfer seedlings and take care of them.
It is important to think over the place where the containers with tomato seedlings will stand. Even for sprouts that have not sprouted from the ground, a daylight hours of at least 16 hours are required. You may have to take care of the organization of artificial lighting. The temperature in the room with seedlings should not be lower than 20aboutFROM.
Sowing tomato seeds in the ground
The planting of tomatoes for seedlings begins with filling the prepared containers with soil. The soil is slightly compacted, moistened, and then loosened. If sowing in common containers is envisaged, grooves are cut along the surface of the soil with a depth of 1.5 cm with a row spacing of 4 cm. Tomato grains are laid out at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other, after which they are sprinkled with soil. In cups, the procedure for sowing seeds is similar, only instead of grooves, 3 holes of the same depth are made. Of the three sprouted shoots, the strongest is left in the future, and the remaining two are removed.
After sowing all the seeds, the soil is slightly moistened from above with water from a spray bottle. Cover the top of the container with glass or film, put it in a warm place, and wait until the sown tomatoes for seedlings germinate. Remove the shelter after the emergence of all shoots. It is important here for at least 4 days to maintain the same warm temperature in the room with the seedlings, otherwise the sprouts will inhibit growth.
Top dressing of tomato seedlings
Seedlings require nutrients for good growth. The first feeding is carried out after the appearance of two full leaves. In total, before the pick, it is necessary to make 3 dressings, the last of which is performed 2 days before the plant is transplanted into another container. Mineral fertilizers sold in specialized stores are used as nutrients.
For experienced vegetable growers, growing tomato seedlings is a whole science.They are in no hurry to apply fertilizers on schedule, but monitor the condition of the plants. When tomato seedlings flaunt with powerful stems with brightly saturated dark green foliage, they are not fed. When yellowness appears and the lower leaves fall off the stem, the plants are fed with nitrogen fertilizer.
The purple color of seedlings indicates the need for phosphorus-containing fertilizers. The condition of the seedlings depends on the place of their stay. You can not keep tomato seedlings in a room with artificial lighting constantly on. Plants love day / night balance. In case of excessive light, the seedlings are fed with preparations containing iron.
Seedling picking
Tomato plants with three full leaves are allowed for picking. This usually happens 10-15 days after germination. There are many opinions regarding the usefulness and harm of a pick, but it must be performed in the following cases:
- when transplanting plants from a common container into cups;
- if desired, choose seedlings with a healthy root system;
- if necessary, stop the growth of tomato seedlings;
- when removing diseased plants.
Two days before the pick, the seedlings are watered, plus the last dressing is added at the same time. Each tomato plant is poured in with a special spatula or an ordinary spoon, and together with a lump of earth, they are placed in another container. All voids around the roots are covered with soil so that its upper level is equal to the location of the cotyledon leaves on the stem. The soil inside the container is lightly tamped, after which it is watered abundantly.
Planting seedlings in a permanent place of growth
Seedlings of tomatoes are planted in a permanent place of growth when they reach the age of 40-60 days. During this time, the plant should grow from 7 to 9 full-fledged leaves, and the height of the stem will reach 20 cm.The planting in open ground begins when the night temperature is not lower than +12aboutFROM.
A week before the start of planting tomato seedlings, the soil in the garden is disinfected with copper sulfate. The solution is prepared from 1 liter of water with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. dry powder. This volume of liquid is enough for processing 1 m2 beds. At the same time, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied.
For each plant in the garden, dig holes about 30 cm deep and watered abundantly. The tomato seedling is carefully removed from the glass, after which, together with a lump of earth, it is placed in a hole and covered with loose soil. The soil around the plant must be tamped a little, then watered with 1 liter of warm water. The next watering of the planted seedlings is carried out after 8 days or as it dries.
Video on how to grow tomato seedlings:
Now you know how plant tomato seedlings at home, and the lunar calendar will help determine the timing.
