Content
This is a completely unique technology for growing organic vegetables at home, a real innovation of the twenty-first century. The birthplace of a new method of growing seedlings is Japan. There is nothing surprising in this. Firstly, the Japanese are simply obsessed with the idea of environmentally friendly products, and secondly, they cannot afford large plots of land. Land in Japan is a commodity as expensive as it is scarce. Student T. Hasegawa designed a device based on a plastic container in which luxurious fruits grew. Soon method growing tomato seedlings in five-liter bottles was taken into service in post-Soviet countries. In fact, the garden on the balcony - what's wrong? It turns out that plastic eggplants are equally well suited for picking young plants and for obtaining tomato bushes.
Brief description of the method
It is an effective and economical way to obtain quality material for planting tomatoes. At the same time, seed germination is carried out not in the soil, but in ordinary toilet paper. Clean sprouts, not stained with earth, are easier to dive. In the same way, ready-made young seedlings are easier to finally plant in the ground. If you are preparing seedlings in a city apartment, this approach is also convenient from a hygienic point of view. The soil will not be scattered, there will be no dirt in the room. You can also use this method when growing flower seedlings (marigolds, petunias), as well as vegetables (eggplants, cucumbers).
Preparatory stage
The first stage is to calibrate the seeds and keep them in a strong solution of potassium permanganate (15 minutes) for disinfection. Now you can start preparing a kind of soil for sowing seeds. We will need:
- Plastic bags (those used for rubbish will do).
- Toilet paper.
- 1.5 L plastic bottle with cut neck.
The procedure is as follows:
- Cut the bags into strips 100 mm wide and the toilet paper into strips, each equal to the length of the bag.
- Place the paper on top of the bags, sprinkle it with water.
- Spread the seeds on top of the paper at 40 mm intervals.
- Roll the resulting strip into a tight roll so that its diameter matches the diameter of the plastic container.
- Pour 3 cm of water into the bottle, place the roll there.
- The resulting container must be placed in a well-lit place. Seedlings will appear in a few days.
You can germinate tomato seeds in another, so-called horizontal, method.
- Cut the clear plastic bottle lengthwise.
- Line the halves with several layers of toilet paper.
- Place the tomato seeds between the layers.
- Sprinkle water on the paper.
- Wrap plastic wrap over the bottle halves and place in a well-lit area. Additional watering is not required due to the greenhouse effect.
We continue the experiment
When two small leaves appear on the sprouts, the young plant must be dived - transplanted into individual pots. As a rule, two tomato sprouts are planted in one pot. This is especially true for tall varieties. If you plan to grow dwarf varieties in plastic containers, prepare a separate pot for each sprout.
Experts advise using peat pots, since you can plant the plant in the ground with them. However, this requires additional material costs.Therefore, to save money, you can use ½ liter plastic cups. Another way to save money is to use plastic bottles with cut necks for planting cut-off sprouts.
Growing tomatoes in bottles
Tomatoes are planted in bottles for growing on the balcony when the seedlings reach the age of 50-60 days. Hardening, despite all its usefulness, can be neglected, since the plant will develop in indoor plants. Now prepare the container for planting. Cut off the bottom of a plastic liter container (by about a third). You only need the neck part of the bottle. Remove the grown seedling bush from the glass and place it in the cut bottle so that the roots are in the container and the top comes out. Now fill the container with fertilized, good quality soil and water the plant abundantly. It is convenient to hang the structure like a flowerpot.
You can plant sown plants in five-liter containers. There, the plant will develop until the fruit is harvested.
Popular varieties for growing on the balcony
- Balcony miracle Is a popular undersized variety. Fruits with excellent taste. The plant is resistant to late blight and cloudy weather. There is no need to pinch it.
- Room surprise... Compact (no more than 500 mm) plant. Differs in good germination and productivity.
- Riddle... Low-growing variety (no more than 400 mm). Fruit ripening period is 85 days. The fruits are tasty, weighing up to 100 g. The variety is resistant to cloudy weather and diseases.
- Bonsai balcony has a height of no more than 300 mm. The fruits are small, round in shape, with excellent taste. The plant is fruitful, outwardly very attractive.
As you can see, there is nothing particularly difficult in growing your own garden on the balcony. You will be able to provide your family with tasty and healthy tomato dishes without much money.
