How to grow tomato seedlings and care. Planting tomato seedlings - we delve into the intricacies of growing tomatoes

Growing tomatoes in most regions of our country begins with sowing seeds for seedlings. Preparing seedlings at home requires knowledge and little experience, since you can waste time, and the result will be deplorable, and it will never come to a good harvest. But this work is not so complicated as to buy seedlings on the market every year, and every gardener is simply obliged to master it and grow tomatoes.

Is it necessary to grow tomatoes through seedlings

The growing season for tomatoes is very long, many months pass from sowing seeds to harvesting, and all work on growing tomatoes begins in March, when greater territory Spring has not really begun in our country yet. Therefore, no matter how sorry, almost nowhere without growing seedlings can not do without.

When in the 1980s we, graduates of Moscow State University, distributed in Saratov, have acquired summer cottages, one girlfriend could not understand the meaning of the word "seedlings". And I certainly didn’t want to believe that tomato seeds must first be planted in a pot or box, and then groomed and cherished in the apartment. In their village, on the Azov coast, where shafts sprout, there were only two stages of growing tomatoes: plant seeds in a garden and harvest.

In the conditions of central Russia, and even more so in the northern regions, growing seedlings is mandatory. Fortunately, unlike cabbage, which requires low temperatures for growing seedlings (from 6 to 16 ° C), everything is in order with tomatoes in this regard: the conditions of a city apartment are mostly suitable for seedlings, only the sun is sometimes not enough. Therefore, for about two months a year, gardeners occupy all the free space in the apartment with boxes and cups with tomato seedlings.

Lunar calendar 2019 for planting tomato seeds

Many gardeners compare their sowing, planting and caring for plants with the phases of the moon and other celestial bodies. It is difficult to judge how correct this approach is, but there is probably something in this, because everything in nature is interconnected. True, a working person does not always manage to do everything exactly on the days when the moon tells, but many pensioners try to adjust their gardening schedule to lunar rhythms. The trouble is that in different sources at the same time you can find slightly different lunar calendars.

In 2019, the following days will be favorable for sowing tomatoes for seedlings:

• February: 1, 2 (until 18:51), 3, 4, 7 (until 9:04), 8, 27, 28;
• March: 1, 2 (after 9:44), 3 (before 17:21), 6 (after 14:55), 7, 8 (before 17:00), 11, 29, 30;
• April: 1–4, 6–9, 11–13, 15–17, 20, 21, 24–26.

It is important not to plant seedlings on the days of the new moon and full moon:

• February: 5, 19;
• March: 6, 21;
• April:5, 19.

Preliminary preparation

An experienced summer resident performs all operations in preparation for sowing seeds automatically, knowing when to get the harvested seeds from the box, what to do with them first, where and what kind of soil to get, where he keeps reusable cups or wooden boxes or where and when to stock up on peat pots. He already has some fertilizers in store for spring and potassium permanganate, which has suddenly become scarce, which is very necessary for disinfecting both seeds and soil.

Seed preparation

In different manuals, you can find different descriptions of the preparation of seeds for planting, so I will try to briefly describe my more than thirty years of experience, without claiming that this is exclusively correct. But seasons without good tomatoes hasn't happened yet. I must say that I never bought seeds in a store, I use only my own and “from neighbors”. The remark is superfluous. First, in recent times a lot of seeds are sold, pre-treated in one way or another, they just need to be sown immediately in pots. Secondly, many tomatoes are not varieties, but hybrids (F1). Their preparation is very different from the preparation of varietal seeds and is also minimal.

The first sowing usually begins immediately after March 8th. At this time, I take out the seeds of early varieties. The disinfection procedure is combined with the rejection of seeds. To do this, I use a strong, very dark solution of potassium permanganate. Often in advice they miss a small nuance that people who are far from chemistry do not pay attention to. Potassium permanganate dissolves very slowly in cold water, and in the hot it decomposes to a large extent. Therefore, to obtain a solution, a small amount of the drug (on the tip of a knife) must be dissolved in warm water(40 degrees), stirring occasionally and checking that no crystals remain on the bottom. It is convenient to pour about half a can of water into a half-liter jar. If you hurry and put the seeds there ahead of time, the undissolved crystals will immediately burn them.

You can often see tips on preparing a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for this purpose, but some strange numbers are written next to it. Firstly, it is not easy to dissolve such an amount, although the maximum solubility at room temperature is 6 times greater. Secondly, this is already a bomb that burns all living things. Yes, and few in which apartment there are scales that allow you to take the necessary weights for making a glass disinfectant solution. Therefore, we do it by eye and are not afraid. Seed treatment with a slightly pink solution can hardly be considered disinfection, the solution should be dark. Will the seeds color? Yes, they will stain, no big deal. They will be covered thin layer permanganate recovery product - manganese dioxide, which is on right stage play the role of a trace element.

Potassium permanganate solutions of various concentrations are used as a disinfectant; I consider it possible to use a solution of dark purple color

I pour seeds of one variety into a jar with the prepared solution and keep them there for about 10 minutes, periodically shaking well. Those that have not drowned during this time, I mercilessly throw away, pouring the upper layers of the solution into another jar through a strainer. Then I filter through the same strainer good seeds and I rinse them very well under the tap with water. I put it in a wet cloth and keep it in a Petri dish for several days, observing in the morning and in the evening. (Those who do not have a Petri dish can be placed in any small container, covered with a lid that is not completely airtight).

As soon as at least a few pecked seeds are found, I send it to the refrigerator for 12 hours. Then I take it out and keep it for 8 hours at room temperature. I alternate cold and warm three times. Everything. You can sow.

With the planting of these seeds is already too late: it will be difficult not to break off the roots

There are tips on heating the seeds by the battery, using hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, growth stimulants (Epin, honey, agave juice, etc.), etc. They even use air bubbling! Most of the techniques have the right to use, each has its own methodology. But… Gardening should not turn into fanaticism, so we only do what is necessary. And disinfection and hardening (except for the southern regions) are necessary! But, for example, bubbling helps to hatch seeds covered with a strong oily layer (for example, carrots, parsley), it is absolutely useless for tomatoes.

As for hybrids, you still won’t collect seeds from them in the garden, it’s useless: you won’t understand what will grow. And conscientious producers pack them in our time already prepared for sowing, they recommend sowing dry. But ... It seems that it will not be superfluous to harden them in the conditions of the middle zone and the northern regions, if the plants do not have to live in a greenhouse.

Soil preparation

Seedlings will grow in almost any soil, unless it is infected, that is, not taken from a garden bed where vegetables grew and diseases raged last year. But, of course, it's not about her growing up in principle, but growing up strong and healthy. Now sold in stores ready ground for all garden crops. You can buy a package of such soil in order to grow a dozen roots, but our person does not associate with such a quantity.

Using such a package is convenient, but very expensive

In Saratov, tomatoes are almost "a matter of national pride", and few summer residents plant less than 150-200 bushes. Therefore, on purchased soil can be ruined. At the same time, it is problematic to make up the optimal soil, which is advised in most manuals, since these are equal parts of peat, humus and sod land. And if in central Russia peat is not a very big problem, then in the Volga region it is from the realm of exotic. So we take what we have.

And in the country there is heavy, clay, but at the same time black earth, on which almost everything grows, except, perhaps, carrots, but which requires obligatory loosening through a certain amount of hours after watering, otherwise - an impenetrable crust. Here are a few buckets of this earth and we bring it every autumn, leave it on the balcony. Partially, the infection freezes out, but before planting the seedlings, we must dilute the earth with sand (2: 1) and spill it well with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. If we do not forget to grab compost from the dacha, add it as much as we have. And some ash.

Steaming the soil in the oven is not a very good idea. Firstly, being in the apartment during this procedure is a dubious pleasure. Secondly, the soil must be alive, and not a simple inorganic substance. And at the recommended temperatures (above 100 ° C), not only pathogenic microbes will die, but all beneficial microorganisms.

So let's recap. You should not bother with the composition of the soil for tomato seedlings, but it should be as nutritious as possible and at the same time breathable, not too heavy. To prevent diseases of seedlings, it must be disinfected by watering well with a dark solution of potassium permanganate.

How to grow strong tomato seedlings at home

The traditional ways of growing tomato seedlings are in common boxes and individual cups, but, as M. Zadornov said, “our person is strong with improvisation,” and as a result of which options were not born on Russian land! Leaving aside such techniques as, for example, growing in coconuts, we will consider several different ways.

Growing on a windowsill in a house or apartment

In an apartment, the most successful place is usually a sunny window sill, but there are few such apartments (and such summer residents) where all the seedlings could fit on the windowsill, and tomatoes are only a small part of the future garden ... Many owners equip additional shelves across the window, and boxes with seedlings are installed in several tiers, but this approach is usually not enough, additional tables are used ... But in this case, additional lighting is indispensable. Best Options- day lamps of cold light or diode lamps; Special phytolamps are far from being allowed by everyone.

It makes no sense to immediately sow tomatoes in separate cups, since picking is very desirable for them. Therefore, the prepared seeds are first sown in common boxes, pouring soil into them with a layer of 5–6 cm and dividing the box with partitions according to varieties.

First, you can sow the seeds in any convenient container: they do not live here for very long

Extremely convenient for sowing tomatoes are liter (and larger) rectangular cardboard bags from juice or milk. By cutting off one of the large sides and making holes for drainage in the opposite side, we get an excellent disposable container for sowing one or two varieties of seeds, which, after picking the plants, can be thrown away without regret.

O. A. Ganichkina recommends transplanting seedlings twice: first dive into small cups, then, as the seedlings grow, into larger ones. The advice, of course, is not bad, the seedlings will only become stronger from this, they will not stretch much, but where can I get so much space in the apartment? And on the windowsill? The best seedlings grow in a liter pot. We consider: 150-200 pieces of such pots, and even peppers, eggplants, cabbage, celery, numerous flowers ...

So in big box, cups or peat pots, we keep seedlings on the windowsill or a table moved up to it until planting in a greenhouse or open ground, that is, until the time comes for this, and the seedlings do not grow to 15–30 cm. What is good about an apartment? You can always control seedlings, quickly take measures to correct the situation. What is bad? Usually it is still too hot, it is not always possible to observe temperature conditions. Well, there is simply not enough space!

Growing in a greenhouse

The presence of a greenhouse greatly simplifies the cultivation of seedlings of tomatoes, unless, of course, it is easy to get to the greenhouse, and it is not located in the country, which is tens of kilometers away. The advantages of the greenhouse are obvious:

• easier to regulate the temperature;
• sufficient illumination can be provided;
• a large amount of space allows you to grow an unlimited number of seedlings different varieties and terms of fruiting;
• in connection with these advantages, seedlings grow stronger, do not stretch, the root system is more powerful.

Well, if the greenhouse is heated, all problems are generally removed. Minus - one: the cost of greenhouse equipment.

In the greenhouse, each plant can be provided with space

Growing seedlings in greenhouse conditions consists of absolutely the same steps as growing at home, it makes no sense to repeat what needs to be done to get strong plants. However, there are some features, and above all, it concerns the timing.

If the greenhouse is unheated, the timing of sowing depends on the region and the current weather. So, in the northern regions (colder than, for example, at the latitude of Moscow), sowing seeds is possible in mid-March, unless, of course, winter is already raging at that time. AT middle lane it happens two weeks earlier. In a heated greenhouse, sowing is possible even in winter, if necessary.

The temperature in the greenhouse during sowing should be about 20 ° C, in the future the temperature regime is the same as at home. Fortunately, lowering the temperature in a greenhouse in March-April is much easier than at home. And in general, the greenhouse should be ventilated often: diseases develop more easily in stagnant air. Most often, in greenhouses, as in an apartment, they have boxes or pots, but no one bothers to sow seeds directly into the made beds. The most rational seems to be a mixed method: sowing seeds in common boxes and subsequent picking of plants already in a greenhouse bed. At the same time, if the greenhouse is used not only as a “transit point” between seedlings and open ground, but also the subsequent cultivation of tomatoes up to the harvest is supposed to be in it, you can dive seedlings immediately on permanent place.

Growing in a greenhouse

A greenhouse is usually understood as a small film (or with glass frames) shelter, that is, it is a kind of compact analogue of an unheated greenhouse. Heating in greenhouses is often provided by laying the so-called biofuel: fresh manure (preferably horse), straw, grass, etc., which, when decomposed, becomes very hot (for example, horse dung at the same time it has a temperature of about 60 ° C). Biofuels can heat a greenhouse for several months. Growing seedlings in such a greenhouse is the most reliable and effective method seedling cultivation.

The advantages of greenhouse cultivation over the apartment method are the same as in the case of a greenhouse, seedlings grow much stronger than at home; the advantage over an apartment is at a lower cost: it is greenhouses that most villagers use for this purpose, but this method should not be recommended for summer residents. The disadvantage, compared with a greenhouse, is that you need to monitor temperature conditions much more carefully: you can’t just open a window here, and it’s not easy to change the temperature by 1–2 degrees.

All procedures for growing seedlings in a greenhouse are similar to those discussed above, but putting boxes or pots in a greenhouse does not seem reasonable. Usually, beds are immediately prepared in a greenhouse for sowing seeds, where they are sown in the same way as in a box or box at home. Further care similar, it also includes picking seedlings, which is carried out here, in a greenhouse bed. With the onset of warm weather and the readiness of the seedlings, it is hardened, removing the shelter, and then seated in a permanent place.

Use of various landing capacities

Use of boxes or reusable cups - traditional tricks in growing seedlings. Using ice cream paper cups or homemade containers from plastic bags has also been used for a long time. But in recent years, other approaches to creating a "dwelling" for seedlings have become widespread.

The use of peat pots

Peat disposable pots have been known for a long time; they are made of peat, pressed in the form of pots: geometric options and sizes are very different. Pot peat can be treated with fertilizers and growth promoters. The advantages of using peat pots over paper or plastic ones are as follows:

• no need to remove seedlings when planting in the garden;
• when transplanting, the roots are not injured;
• the environmentally friendly material of the pots also serves as a fertilizer.

The only inconvenience in the work is that the watering pots get wet and soften greatly, so you need to be careful when moving them from place to place. And it’s better not to pick it up at all: put right amount pots in a pallet and so contain. True, with a dense arrangement, roots can grow from one pot to another (the roots of most vegetables easily break through this barrier), and this must be monitored.

The peat pot will go to the garden along with its lodger - seedlings

Some crops are immediately sown in peat pots and are not touched anymore, but it is better to plant the tomato seeds first in a separate box, and when the seedlings reach the desired age, pick them up in separate peat pots. Due to the need for picking for tomatoes, such a well-known analogue as peat tablets is poorly suited: seeds of those vegetables that do not like picks are sown in them.

Application of plastic bottles

We are so accustomed to plastic bottles that we don’t remember that quite recently they didn’t exist at all. And how did we manage without them? After all, now in many cases a PET bottle is a lifesaver. Light, strong, often transparent ... Wherever the inquisitive mind of a Russian person has adapted them! Adapted for growing seedlings, even for obtaining grape seedlings from cuttings.

In the case of tomato seedlings, plastic bottles are most often used only at the first stage: seeds are sown in them, grown for the time required for the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, and then dive into peat or plastic cups in the usual way. But there are lovers who, in large, five-liter plastic bottles grow tomatoes even before harvest, placing them on the balcony.

So, when growing seedlings:

1. Cut a regular bottle lengthwise to make two small plastic boxes for sowing seeds.
2. At the bottom, pour a centimeter layer of crushed eggshell: it plays the role of drainage and allows you not to make holes to drain excess water.
3. Pour a layer of soil, sow the seeds in the usual way and grow them right up to the pick.

Another option involves using the bottom half of a large (5- or 10-liter) bottle as a planting box, in which several seedlings are grown until they are planted in the garden. The advantage over bulky boxes is in compactness, the possibility of a simple rearrangement of bottles on the windowsill. But using them for individual cultivation (one tomato per bottle) is less economical. The pros and cons of using bottles are rather arbitrary: for some it is simply more convenient.

Some people use plastic bottles instead of large boxes.

Toilet paper application

Toilet paper is often used by gardeners at the first stage of growing seedlings of various vegetable crops. This is an example of the so-called hydroponics: growing plants without the use of land, where various inert materials can serve as a substrate. In the case of seedlings of tomatoes, except for paper, all the same plastic bottle or plastic bag. The simplest version of forcing sprouts looks like this:

Alternatively, they use paper in the form of a “snail”, winding it into a roll, having previously laid it out on polyethylene film, but this design is more suitable for miniature plants than for tomatoes.

The advantage of using toilet paper is that for at least two weeks less dirt settles in the apartment. The disadvantage is that it is not very easy to choose sprouts from paper: there is a risk of severely breaking off delicate roots.

Features of growing on the north side

To grow tomato seedlings, it is desirable that the windows of the apartment face the south side, the seedlings need warmth and sun. If the windows are located on the western, and even more so, the northern side, you will definitely have to highlight the boxes with seedlings. To begin with, they must be positioned so that the seedlings are as close as possible to the glass, but do not touch the glass.

You can use various reflective devices to increase the illumination: a mirror or at least aluminum foil. The screens should be positioned so that the maximum possible amount of light enters them, and the light is reflected on the seedlings.

In any case, if there are only northern windows, seeds for seedlings will have to be sown a little earlier. And even artificial lighting is not at all natural solar lighting! By the way, it is undesirable to illuminate with incandescent lamps: they heat the air very much, and even for tomato seedlings, excess heat is useless. Modern lamps on diode elements are the best option.

Is it necessary to pick tomatoes

Some vegetable crops do not tolerate picking at all, for others it is undesirable, but for tomatoes, picking is mandatory. Of course, the seedlings will grow without it, because in the south, the seeds are sown immediately in the garden to a permanent place. But it's one thing - immediately to a permanent place, and quite another - to survive the apartment conditions, where the temperature is not all right, and there is little light, and the breeze does not blow ... Seedlings in the apartment often just pamper, so you need to at least make the roots grow better , and this is achieved by picking, during which the central spine is necessarily pinched.

Seedlings are ready for picking when they have the first two or three leaves, and this happens about 12 days after sowing the seeds. Previously, it is not necessary to carry out a pick: after all, in fact, this operation is a breaking off of the lower segment of the central root to ensure the growth of lateral roots.

A few hours before the procedure, seedlings should be well watered. Seedlings should be dug up with a small scoop or with any suitable kitchen utensils. Do not be afraid to damage the spine, but with sudden movements it can simply be cut off. Why is the procedure so named? For its implementation, any convenient peg, similar to a pike, is used, often just a sharpened pencil. With this pike, a hole is made in the soil and with its help the seedling is lowered there, having previously pinched the root. tomato seedlings it is necessary to deepen almost to the cotyledon leaves. It remains to gently squeeze the roots with your fingers and water well warm water.

Good and strong tomato seedlings: how to grow it to get good harvest? It is necessary not only to observe the technology of selecting and planting seeds, but also to know some of the features of watering and feeding. Success is due to compliance with all stages of growing tomatoes from seeds.

Tomato seedlings can be obtained by growing at home. At the same time, a good harvest is ultimately ensured if the plant is healthy. To do this, you need to make every effort, to carry out proper care for tomato seedlings. To properly grow tomato seedlings, you need to acquire certain knowledge and skills. After all, most novice vegetable growers make many mistakes. Especially big problems occur when planting tomato seeds for seedlings. All flaws are reflected in the fruiting of an adult culture.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings? initial stage is to plant tomatoes with seeds. In this case, it is important to correctly determine the timing. final stage- this is planting tomato seedlings for growing in open ground. If the whole process is carried out on the balcony, then the cultivation of seedlings at the final stage is realized in special boxes.

Preparing seeds for sowing (video)

Use of planting material

It is necessary to plant tomato seeds at a certain time. Usually, experts recommend performing this operation on average 60 days before planting tomato seedlings in open ground, in boxes on a balcony or in a greenhouse (preferably made of polycarbonate).

Tomato seeds are characterized by a fairly quick ability to germinate after planting, but at the same time, all the necessary conditions. Depending on the variety, tomato seeds can germinate in 4-11 days. However, there are also options that are able to sprout after 5 days. In this regard, the average period of time during which it is necessary to keep tomato seedlings in room conditions has been determined - 53 days. The report is kept from the moment the seedlings appeared.

The cultivation of tomatoes is given Special attention if the whole process takes place on the windowsill in the apartment. Here it must be borne in mind that a long stay indoors is unacceptable for tomato seedlings. An adult bush ceases to develop normally, which leads to a poor harvest.

Before planting seeds, you need to focus on the climatic features of the region. For example:

• for the southern region of the country - from February 20 to mid-March;
• for the central part - from mid-March to April;
• for the northern regions - from early to mid-April.

Planting tomato seedlings in open ground can be done at the following times:

• for the southern region of the country - from mid-April to mid-May;
• for the central part - from the second week of May to the beginning of June;
• for the northern regions - from the 20th of May to mid-June.

You need to plant a tomato on these terms, but watch out for frosts, which often negatively affect the crops grown in the spring. If you plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, and not in an open area, then the timing of sowing tomato seeds will shift 2 weeks earlier.

Picking tomato seedlings (video)

Favorable conditions for growth

To grow tomatoes, special conditions must be created that allow the plant to remain healthy and bear fruit well. Before planting a tomato with seeds, you need to take care of some points. It is customary to plant tomatoes with seeds in small boxes that are placed on the windowsill. This place is considered comfortable so that the germinated seeds grow faster and turn into full-fledged seedlings. However, often in the indicated place, the planted seeds do not feel comfortable, and therefore they are slow to germinate. After that, the plants themselves grow slowly, which makes them weakened and not ready for transplanting.

Even on the windowsill for seedlings, special conditions must be created.

We plant tomatoes for seedlings only when there is a large amount of sunlight on the windowsill.If it is not enough, then you need to use artificial sources lighting. It is necessary that the shadow from trees and other objects does not fall on the window. It is better to place boxes with tomatoes on the southern windowsill.

For seedlings of tomatoes, a high level of humidity is very important, since due to it the plant is able to grow and grow faster, which will ensure further transplant. To maintain humidity within normal limits, it is necessary to spray plants several times a day. To do this, you can use a special sprayer.

At any time of the day, tomatoes should be in a temperature regime that is comfortable for them. During the daytime, this value fluctuates around 20°C, and at night - 13°C.

How to dive tomatoes (video)

Material preparation

Preparing tomato seeds comes down to several procedures (can be viewed in video 1), which are aimed at the rapid germination of seeds. The first step is to soak the seeds in a special solution. To prepare it, you will need the following elements: water - 100 ml and hydrogen peroxide - 3 ml.

In water room temperature dissolve hydrogen peroxide. After that, the solution is heated, and the seeds are placed in it for 10 minutes. This procedure is aimed at disinfection.

Preparation of tomato seeds for planting is not limited to the described action. It is necessary to provide conditions for their further development. Seed germination can be carried out using a cloth, which should be cotton. It needs to be moistened in ordinary water, after that, seeds are laid out on a part of the fabric flap, and the second part of the fabric needs to be covered.

In order for the germination process to occur faster, it is necessary to provide a comfortable temperature regime. Cloth with seeds must be placed in a special plastic container. It must be covered with a film, but loosely. Thus, it will be possible to save heat, but the necessary amount of air will also flow.

Stepchildren on tomatoes (video)

Soil preparation

Planting seeds for seedlings requires that the soil be prepared properly. Cultivation can only be carried out in fertile soil. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that it is not susceptible to infection by pathogens. It will be possible to grow tomatoes from seeds safely in the soil that is sold in specialized stores. However, most often vegetable growers choose soil on own site. He may not be good enough.

Soil cultivation is carried out at home:

• it is possible to calcinate the soil in the oven, while the procedure is carried out for 10 minutes at 200 ° C;
• you can warm the soil in the microwave (1 minute at a power of 850);
• boiling water treatment;
• treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate.

This will help to remove possible dangerous bacteria, organisms, etc. from the soil. High temperature copes with the task most successfully.

The procedure for planting seeds

To plant seeds, you need to take care of the container. There are a lot of options to choose from, as these can be special wooden boxes, pots made of peat, paper or plastic. It is quite convenient and practical to use glasses with a removable bottom. You need to plant tomatoes in them, and after a certain time the bottom is removed, which allows you to extract the plant without injuring the root system. You need to grow seedlings only in prepared dishes. Therefore, the containers are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Tomatoes grow better if there is a special layer of drainage at the bottom of the container. This is important enough, because it avoids infection with the black leg. It is correct to plant the seeds in a container, at the bottom of which there is a crushed shell rock. Its layer should not exceed 0.5 cm, soil is poured on top. Pour water into the container to moisten the soil, cover with soil on top so that the moisture is evenly distributed throughout the volume.

After 5 hours, tomatoes can be planted for seedlings. This will require a toothpick or any other similar tool. With its help, shallow holes (0.5 cm) are made in the soil, and seeds are placed in them. Cultivation will proceed correctly if the top soil is lightly sprinkled and not heavily compacted. Pour a little water.

You need to grow seedlings in a warm place, so the container is sent to comfortable conditions. Often the cups are covered with a film on top, but loosely, until the tomato sprouts.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse (video)

growth period

Care for tomato seedlings must be provided in a special way. Growing it from seeds, you need to monitor the moment of germination. This is a signal that the film has already fulfilled its function and can be removed. How to grow seedlings in the future? At first, the temperature regime should be maintained at the same level. Seedlings have not grown stronger and, when conditions change, they may die or weaken.

How to care for tomato seedlings to get a good result? All the time you need to monitor the moisture content of the soil. For grown tomatoes, it is important that the soil is not excessively wet, as this negatively affects the root system. Growing tomato seedlings will be optimal if watered with rainwater. Otherwise, you can use ordinary water, which is cleaned by a filter.

How to properly care for seedlings? 7 days after germination, the tomatoes are ready for reduction temperature regime. In this case, the temperature value can reach an average of 18 ° C. We grow plants in a ventilated room, but without a draft.

Dive activities

How to plant seedlings of tomatoes? Many vegetable growers are thinking about the need for picking. Seedlings grown to a certain size may feel bad in the previous conditions, so it can be safely transplanted. Video 2 shows this process. Grown seedlings are not afraid of a new place, and they grow well.

How to properly plant seedlings when picking? Need to focus on external signs tomatoes. You can plant tomato seedlings in another place if the cotyledon leaves are well developed. One of the sheets must be at least 5 mm.

How to plant seedlings when picking, so that it continues to grow and develop well? To do this, shorten the main root by 1/3 part, the root system will become more developed.

How to properly plant plants? To do this, you need to prepare a separate container. When planting seedlings, the depth is taken into account, on which the further development of the tomato depends. Optimal Level deepening of the plant - to the cotyledon leaves. Sometimes growers use special device for planting seedlings, which is a special blade. Its use allows you to leave the root system of the culture intact.

In order for the cultivation of tomato seedlings to be successful in the future, you need to compact the soil around the stem a little. Watering - required condition. Video 3 gives you a better idea of ​​the process. If we plant tomatoes for seedlings, after picking, do not forget about proper lighting. She will need additional light sources after 3 days. And in the early days, direct sunlight can adversely affect its condition, so cultivation should be carried out away from them.

Before planting seedlings in open ground or in a new place for picking, a week before this, you need to pluck the tips. However, the plants should have time to get stronger, as shown in video 4.

How to grow seedlings? To do this, it is necessary to carry out certain procedures that allow the plant to grow more successfully. Cultivation should take place at good lighting. The maximum number of daylight hours is 18 hours. It is this amount of light that is enough to get healthy plants that are suitable for sale and for other purposes.

On the present stage experienced vegetable growers are increasingly saying that additional light is not needed. Thus, we plant tomatoes for seedlings without providing alternative sources lighting that gives good results. But at the same time, you need to monitor the correct temperature regime.

How to grow tomatoes to ensure a good harvest? There are a large number of parameters on which the strength of seedlings depends, its ability to be taken in open ground. If we plant tomatoes for seedlings, then do not forget that they need to be fed. For this there is big choice natural and organic fertilizers (video 5).

For tomatoes, certain preparations are added to the soil before planting. They are also fed. For example, Gumi, which belongs to the category of biofertilizers. Its use allows seedlings to remain strong. After transplanting into open ground or a greenhouse, it is able to quickly bloom and produce an ovary. The number of fruits on the bushes cannot but rejoice.

Fertilizer called Baikal EM-1 is popular among vegetable growers. However, its use is possible only if the seedlings are weak and grow poorly. Otherwise, the tomatoes will become too strong.

You need to grow tomatoes when the gardener has thoroughly studied all the rules for this procedure. Only in this case the harvest will be high and of high quality.

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At home, it is better to sow tomatoes for seedlings in more late dates than in professional greenhouses. Not all books and reference books take into account the peculiarities of growing tomato seedlings at home, so be careful!

In the Moscow region experienced gardeners observe approximate sowing dates:

• early tomatoes for open ground- beginning of April;
• early tomatoes for planting in the ground under film shelters - the second half of March;
• tall tomatoes for greenhouses - the end of March;
• undersized tomatoes for greenhouses - early-mid April.

It is better to sow during these terms, even if the book or article you read recommends otherwise. Maybe it was written off from the recommendations for professional farmers who grow seedlings in heated greenhouses. These methods are not suitable for us. The conditions in greenhouses are different from a residential building, where seedlings are usually grown for their own use. It is dark and hot at home, even on the window, and tomato seedlings will “toil” for a long time if they are sown too early. Therefore, it is better to be a little late than to rush.

How to prepare tomato seeds for sowing

There are many ways to prepare tomato seeds for sowing: soaking, germinating, dressing and much more. There is no significant difference between them. Experience has shown that if a tomato variety does not produce strong seedlings from dry, untreated seeds, its viability and productivity are under big question. We do not fight for weak varieties and hybrids, but we buy several varieties of tomatoes with the necessary characteristics for safety net.

Whatever the regulars of Internet forums, leading Russian suppliers tomato seeds hold the mark. At search, Gavrish, Ilyinichny, Russian Garden, SeDeca and other well-known brands, the seeds are usually of excellent quality. In one case out of 8-10 there are "punctures", but this is normal. Seeds are a living commodity, and may be capricious or simply unsuitable for specific growing conditions.

It is not necessary to pickle purchased seeds from pathogens - they are already pickled. It makes sense to pickle the seeds of varietal tomatoes collected in own garden. Etch in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, wrapped in cotton pads:

After soaking in potassium permanganate, rinse the tomato seeds well in several waters before sowing.

Ideal soil for sowing tomato seeds: how to do it yourself

Tomato seedlings are undemanding to the soil - relatively resistant to drought, not voracious, tolerate high acidity. It grows well in soil prepared by one's own hands (with the addition of loam, humus and compost). And also in purchased peat soil - if only it is a conscientious product.

It is believed that soil prepared with one's own hands needs to be steamed, but purchased soil is not necessary. This is correct, but only on condition that you perfectly observe the technology of growing tomato seedlings: temperature, light, top dressing. In fact, this condition is almost impossible: seedlings at home are highly stressed and vulnerable even to fairly harmless fungi. Therefore, it is better to steam all the soil, regardless of origin. It won't get any worse.

Technology of sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

It is convenient to sow large tomato seeds individually with tweezers. Lay them out on compacted soil with tweezers, after 1 cm. Mark each groove with a tag with the name of the variety. Sprinkle soil on top with a layer of 0.5-1 cm, pour and cover the crops with a film. Keep the bowl at +20°C. As soon as shoots appear, put it on the windowsill and remove the film.

Before picking, it is not necessary to feed tomato seedlings, only water them. Dive tomatoes in the phase of 2 true leaves.

It's time for picking tomatoes.

Dive tomatoes one at a time into individual pots, deepening almost to the cotyledon leaves. In the soil for picking, add a tablespoon of full mineral fertilizer per 5 liters of mixture or 3 tablespoons.

Feed the seedlings 2 weeks after picking

Growing tomato seedlings at home requires certain knowledge and skills. Following the sequence of necessary manipulations and applying (data in the article) tips for growing and caring for tomato seedlings, you will receive high-quality, healthy and strong seedlings, which in the future will delight you with a rich harvest.

In the first 20 days after the appearance seedlings of tomatoes leaves grow slowly. In the next 15-20 days, growth becomes more noticeable.

To prevent tomato seedlings from stretching, lighting should be sufficient, it is important to monitor the temperature and carry out hardening. Within 7 days after germination, the temperature is maintained during the day (16-18°C) and at night (13-15°C). Then it is increased to (18-20°C) during the day and to (15-16°C) at night. This mode is observed until the second and third true leaves appear on the sprout. This usually happens 30-35 days after germination.

Over this time tomato seedlings watered and fed 3 times, which allows even in the period of low light (March) to get strong seedlings.

For the first time, the seedlings that have appeared are watered sparingly. The second time is watered after 1-2 weeks, combining watering with top dressing, in the phase of one true leaflet. The last time watered 3 hours before picking and transplanting seedlings.

Water for watering tomato seedlings should be at room temperature (20 ° C) and must be settled. It is preferable to water young seedlings under the root so that water does not fall on the leaves and they do not rot. Boxes or boxes should be turned daily to the other side. window glass- this will prevent the seedlings from stretching in one direction.

It is impossible to put the box directly on the windowsill; it is better to use some kind of stand so that air access to the root system is not limited.

When the seedlings have 1 true leaf, make the first root dressing tomato seedlings: dilute 1 teaspoon in 1 liter of water liquid fertilizer Agricola Fornard. This top dressing enhances the development of seedlings and strengthens the root system.

The second top dressing is done when the third true leaf appears: 1 tablespoon of the preparation "Barrier" is diluted in 1 liter of water. Water with solutions very carefully. Seedlings with 2-3 true leaves dive into pots measuring 8 x 8 or 10 x 10 cm, in which they will grow for only 22-25 days. To do this, the pots are filled with one of the soil mixtures recommended above and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate - 0.5 g per 10 liters of water (22-24 ° C). When picking seedlings, sick and weak plants are culled.

If the seedlings are slightly extended, then the stems, when picking into pots, can be buried halfway, but not to the cotyledon leaves (Fig. 1).

After picking tomato seedlings in pots for three days, the temperature is maintained during the day (20-22 ° C), and at night (16-18 ° C).

As soon as the seedlings take root, the temperature is reduced during the day to (18-20 ° C), at night to (15-16 ° C). Watering seedlings in pots 1 time per week until the soil is completely wet. By the next watering, the soil should dry out a little, but at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that there are no long breaks in watering.

12 days after picking, seedlings are fed: for 10 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska. Use about 1 cup for 2 pots. After 22-25 days, the seedlings are transplanted from small pots to large ones (12 x 12 or 15 x 15 cm in size). When transplanting, try not to bury the plants (Fig. 2).

After planting, the seedlings are watered with warm (22 ° C) water, trying to moisten the soil well. In the future, moderate watering is needed (once a week) as the soil dries. This inhibits the growth and stretching of seedlings.

Why do you need to dive seedlings first into small pots, and then plant them into large ones?

First of all , each transplant inhibits growth, and seedlings do not stretch.

Secondly , in small pots, plants with regular watering develop a good root system, since water in such pots does not linger and there is more air access.

If the seedlings dive immediately into large pots, it will be difficult to regulate watering and the water will begin to stagnate. With excessive moisture, there is a lack of air and the root system slows down growth, which, in turn, negatively affects the development of seedlings (it stretches).

15 days after transplanting into large pots, seedlings are fed.

At first feeding tomato seedlings for 10 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate or 1 tablespoon of dry fertilizer "Signor Tomato", stir well and water the seedlings at the rate of 1 cup for each pot.

After 15 days do second dressing: in 10 liters of water dissolve 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska or dry Fertility fertilizer and spend 1 glass per plant. Top dressing is combined with watering. If during the period of growing seedlings the soil in the pots has compacted, they make backfilling.

When strong pulling seedlings tomatoes plant stems can be cut into two parts at the level of the 5th or 6th leaf. Put the top cut parts of the plants in a jar of water. After 8-10 days, roots up to 1-1.5 cm in size will grow on the lower sections of the stems, and these plants can be planted in pots measuring 10 x 10 cm or in a box with nutrient soil at a distance of 10 × 10 or 12 x 12 cm each from friend. Then they will continue to grow, like ordinary seedlings, which are formed into one stem.

From the axils of the five lower leaves of the cut plant remaining in the pot, new shoots (stepsons) will soon appear. When they reach a length of 5 cm, the two upper shoots (stepchildren) must be left, and the lower ones removed. The result is a good standard seedling. It is advisable to do this operation 20-25 days before planting seedlings in a permanent place.

When planting such tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, they continue to form it in two shoots. Each shoot is tied separately with twine to a trellis (wire) and 3-4 fruit brushes are formed.

If tomato seedlings stretched out and turned pale green , need to do top dressing(For 10 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of urea or Ideal liquid concentrated fertilizer), spending 0.5 cups for each pot. Then for 5-6 days put the pots in a room with an air temperature of 8-10 ° C day and night and do not water for several days. Plants will stop growing, turn green and even turn purple. After that, transfer them back to normal conditions.

If the seedling develops rapidly at the expense of flowering , do root dressing: for 10 liters of water, take 3 tablespoons of superphosphate and spend a glass of this solution for each pot. A day after feeding, the seedlings are moved to a warm place with an air temperature of 926 ° C during the day, and at night (20-22 ° C) and also do not water for several days in order to dry the soil a little. Under such conditions, the seedlings are normalized, and after a week they are transferred to normal conditions. In sunny weather, the temperature is kept during the day (22-23°С), at night (16-17°С), and in cloudy weather during the day it is reduced to (17-18°С), at night to (15-16°С).

Many gardeners complain about slow growth tomato seedlings , in this case, it is fed with a solution of the sodium humate growth stimulator at the rate of 1 glass per plant. The irrigation solution should be the color of beer or tea.

In April - May, the seedlings are hardened, that is, they open the window both day and night. On warm days (from 12 ° C and above), the seedlings are taken out to the balcony and opened for 2-3 hours for 2-3 days, and then they are taken out for the whole day and even left overnight, but they must be covered with a film on top.

In the event of a decrease in temperature (below 8 ° C), seedlings must be brought into the room. Well hardened seedlings have a bluish-purple tint. During the hardening period, the soil must be watered, otherwise the plants will wither.

To save flower buds on tomato seedlings on the first flower brush, it is necessary to spray the seedlings with a solution (1 g of boric acid per 1 liter of water) 4-5 days before planting in the garden or in the greenhouse. Processing is carried out in the morning in cloudy weather.

In sunny weather, plants are NOT treated, otherwise burns will appear on the leaves. Seedlings should reach a height of 15-35 cm, have 8-12 well-developed leaves and well-formed inflorescences (one or two).

Often, gardeners buy seedlings on the market that are grown without observing the rules of agricultural technology, that is, densely sown at a later date. The plants themselves will tell you this: they are pale green in color, with large internodes, thin, elongated and without flower buds. Such thin, loose, easily broken seedlings always give a late and meager harvest, as a rule, they are affected by fungal diseases, especially late blight.

2-3 days before transplanting seedlings to a permanent place, it is recommended to cut off 2-3 lower true leaves. This is necessary to reduce the likelihood of diseases, better ventilation, lighting, which, in turn, will contribute to better development first flower brush. The leaves are cut so that stumps 1.5-2 cm long remain, which will gradually dry out and fall off themselves.

Fine( 5 ) Badly( 2 )

Tomatoes are the most common crop grown all over the world. seedling method reproduction allows you to accelerate fruiting. In addition, it allows you to grow tomatoes in almost any climatic conditions.

Growing tomato seedlings does not require special skills, but sometimes novice gardeners make mistakes, after which they abandon this venture. To grow strong seedlings, you need to know a few subtleties.

The main requirement for growing seedlings at home is good lighting in the room. The best place for a tomato, a window sill or a loggia on the south side is considered. In case of lack of natural light, special phytolamps are used.

Tomato seedlings need to ensure the correct temperature. The temperature during the day should be 18-25 degrees, at night - 13-16 degrees.

Young seedlings also need to be provided necessary quantity moisture. To do this, use a watering can without a nozzle, a spray bottle with warm water or an air humidifier. Watering is carried out once a week, spraying - daily.

Variety selection by region

Tomatoes can grow in many climatic zones, but most varieties are adapted to the characteristics of a particular area and in other conditions they can simply die or give a poor harvest.

In accordance with the varietal characteristics, the planting time of the tomato is distributed by region.

• In the South of Russia, tomato seedlings are sown from February 20 to early April.
• In the Moscow region - from March 15 to April 10.
• In the Urals and Siberia - from 1 to 20 April.

Based on this, varieties are selected.

Varieties for the South

• bull heart- late-ripening determinant variety. The fruits ripen at 120-130 days after sowing. The bush reaches 1.5-1.9 meters in height. The fruits are red or pink, heart-shaped. Weight - 300-900 grams. The variety is popular throughout Russia.
• Yablonka Russia- late-ripening determinant variety. The height of the plant reaches a meter. Ripening period - 118-135 days. Fruits weighing 100 grams.
• Adeline- early high-yielding low-growing variety. Tomato ripening period - 80 days. The fruits are oval. The coloring is red. The weight of a tomato is 60-100 grams. The variety is resistant to heat, diseases.
• Maestro is a productive heat-resistant variety. The fruits weigh 100 grams. The coloring is red. The disease resistance of the variety is high.
• Asterix- hybrid high-yielding variety. Cylindrical tomatoes. Weight - 85-100 grams. The taste is pleasant. The resistance of the variety to diseases and heat is high.

Also, in southern climatic conditions, you can grow such varieties and hybrids: Gazpacho, Babylon, Alcazar, Chelbas, Fantomas, Ramses, Portland, Verlioka plus and others.

Varieties for the Moscow region

• Abakan pink- large-fruited determinant grade of average term of maturing. Tomato ripening period - 109-120 days. Weight - 300-800 grams. The height of the plant in unprotected soil is 80 centimeters, in greenhouse conditions - 150 centimeters.
• Golden domes- determinant mid-season variety. The bush is tall, 0.9-1.5 meters high. Tomato ripening period is 100-115 days. Weight - 200-800 grams. The coloring is orange. The pulp is pleasant to the taste, fleshy, sweet.
• Eagle heart- large-fruited determinant variety of medium ripening. The weight of a tomato is 600-800 grams. The color is pinkish crimson. The pulp is tasty, sugary, sweet. In greenhouse conditions, the bush grows up to 1.7 meters, in unprotected ground - 1.5 meters.
• De Barao- late indeterminate variety. The ripening period of a tomato is 109-130 days from the date of planting. The height of the bush is 2 meters or more. The weight of a tomato is 100 grams. Cold-resistant, shade-tolerant and productive variety. It is grown in greenhouses, greenhouses and unprotected soil. The fruiting of the variety is stretched.
• eagle beak- semi-determinant mid-season variety. Tomato ripening period is 110-116 days. The height of the bush is 120-150 centimeters. Fruits weigh 200-800 grams. The pulp is sweetish in taste, dense, juicy.
• Cap of Monomakh- mid-early indeterminate variety. Fruiting occurs in 90-110 days. The weight of a tomato is 400-900 grams. The pulp is delicious.
• Iceberg- early cold-resistant high-yielding variety. The bush is not tall, up to 80 centimeters in height. The fruits are red. The weight of a tomato is 200 grams. The variety is resistant to cold, temperature changes.

Also here you can sow the following varieties: The Snow Queen, Penguin, Upstart, Snowdrop, Moskvich, Die Hard, Lapwing, Crimson Giant, Big Brother, Spasskaya Tower and others.

In greenhouse conditions, the following are most often grown: Snowfall, Perseus, Teremok, Viscount, Parrot, Dolphin, Ivanhoe, Druzhok, Farmer, Sprinter, Etude, Overture, Sweet Bunch.

Varieties for the Urals and Siberia

• Ultraearly - early variety. The bush is low, up to 50 centimeters high. The weight of a tomato is 100 grams. Fruiting occurs 1.5 months after sowing. The variety is grown in open ground and greenhouse conditions.
• Demidov- undersized variety, the height of which reaches 50 centimeters. The weight of a tomato is 200 grams. The taste is pleasant, sweet.
• Koenigsberg- indeterminate mid-season variety. The height of the bush is 2 meters. Fruiting begins 115 days after sowing. The average weight of a tomato is 280-350 grams. The variety is grown in open ground and in a greenhouse, a greenhouse.
• Heavyweight of Siberia- large-fruited variety grown in open ground. The height of the bush is 60-100 centimeters. Fruit weight - 400-900 grams.
• Wonder of the earth- greenhouse high-yielding variety. The bush reaches 2 meters. The average weight of a tomato is 500 grams. The coloring is pink.
• Altaic- indeterminate greenhouse hybrid. The bush is tall, 1.5 meters high. The variety begins to bear fruit at 110-115 days. Tomatoes are rounded and flattened. The pulp is fleshy. Weigh - 250-300 grams. The fruiting period is extended.
• Grandma's Secret- large-fruited variety. The weight of a tomato reaches 0.9-1 kg. The height of the bush is 1.5-1.7 meters.
  The variety is grown in greenhouse conditions, under film and unprotected soil. Fruiting occurs in 98-100 days.
• scarlet candles- simultaneously ripening variety. Fruits in 105-116 days. The bush is tall, up to 2 meters. The plant needs a garter. The fruits are elongated, weigh 100-120 grams.
• pink honey- greenhouse variety with pink fruits. The ripening period of a tomato is 109-115 days. The height of the bush reaches 70-120 centimeters. Tomatoes are sweet in taste. Fruit weight - 550-800 grams.

You can also grow varieties and hybrids such as: Coin, Intuition, Button, Nevsky, My Love and others.

How to plant tomato seeds for seedlings: step by step instructions

For sowing seedlings, you can use ready-made store-bought soil mixture or cook it yourself.

For this you need to take:

• piece of peat
• part of rotted humus or compost,
• part of sod or leaf land
• 0.5 parts of river sand.

For 10 liters of soil mixture, a glass of wood ash or crushed chalk and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizers are added. Everything is thoroughly mixed.

To disinfect the soil mixture, it warms up in the oven at a temperature of 100 degrees for 1 hour. The heated mixture is poured into containers for planting and spilled with a purple hot solution of potassium permanganate

The first thing to do when preparing seeds is to cull them. For this, a saline solution is used. 30 grams of salt is taken per liter of water, poured and stirred. Seeds are placed in the resulting solution for 15 minutes, all floating ones are removed.

The selected seed is then disinfected.

There are several options for this procedure:

• For half a glass of water, 1 gram of potassium permanganate is taken. The seeds dried on a napkin are poured into a bag of cloth or gauze and sent to the solution for 15 minutes.
• In a solution of Fitosporin, the seeds are soaked for 1-2 hours.
• Instead of potassium permanganate and Fitosporin, you can take a soda solution.
• For half a glass of water, 0.5 grams of soda is taken. Seeds are kept in solution for 1 day. Such a solution disinfects and accelerates the fruiting of tomatoes.
• Disinfection can be done with aloe juice. It is diluted 1:1 with water and seeds are placed in it for 12-24 hours. The solution also contributes to an increase in yield, improves the quality of fruits, and enhances plant immunity.

After disinfection, the seeds are soaked in a solution of boric acid (1 gram per liter of water) for 24 hours.

Then they are placed in a solution of any growth stimulator (for example, Epin, sodium humate, potassium humate, Virtana-micro).

For soaking the seeds, filtered or melt water is taken. tap water not suitable for this. Seeds are soaked for 1 day. After swelling, they go to the refrigerator for a day. After hardening, the seed bag is moistened and laid out on a saucer for germination.
After 4-5 days, the seeds begin to germinate, after which you can start sowing.

Landing

For planting, special boxes, containers or cassettes, pots, peat tablets, cups are taken.

Planting containers are filled with soil mixture. Peat tablets are placed in a transparent container.

Furrows are made in boxes (containers) at a width of 3-5 centimeters from each other and at a depth of 1 centimeter. Recesses are made in cups, cassettes or pots. Seeds are laid out in the furrows at a distance of 1 centimeter from each other. 3-6 seeds are planted in pots, and 2-4 seeds go into each peat tablet. They are covered with a thin layer of soil.

From above, the container with sown seeds is covered with a film or glass. For germination, the seeds need a temperature of 30 degrees, so the container is installed next to the heat source, but not on the battery. After the appearance of the first shoots, the protective cover is removed.

When shoots appear, the seedlings are transferred for a week to a cooler place, with an air temperature of 16 degrees. A week later, the seedlings return to the room, with a temperature of 20-25 degrees during the day and 16 degrees at night. Drafts are not allowed!

Watering

Tomato seedlings have very tender roots, and therefore, once a week, the plants are watered along the edge of the container from a watering can without a nozzle and sprayed with a spray bottle, an air humidifier. Spraying is carried out once a day, and when high temperature air - 2 times.

Backlight

Young seedlings need a lot of light. After they hatch, they are placed on a well-lit window sill, loggia. With a lack of light, a phytolamp is installed nearby. Light day should be 16 hours. From time to time, containers with plants need to be deployed so that the plants do not stretch in one direction.

If the seedlings grow in a heap, the first dive is carried out after the formation of the first true leaves, by about 10 days after sowing. Dive is carried out to a depth of 3-4 centimeters in pots, cups or boxes. The width between plants should be 5 by 5 or 7 by 7 centimeters (depending on the volume of the container).

A few weeks later, a second dive is carried out in separate 1-liter pots. Plants need to be transplanted earthy clod because plants have delicate roots. Sprouts in peat tablets move in with them.

What to do if tomato seedlings are stretched

2-2.5 weeks after the germination of the first shoots. Then top dressing is applied 1 time in 10 days. Diluted infusion of mullein can be used as fertilizer ( chicken manure), wood ash, crushed eggshells or complex mineral fertilizers with a mandatory nitrogen content, for example, nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per liter of water).

Top dressing is applied after watering in the evening or early morning.

Hardening of sprouts begins after the appearance of 3-4 true leaves on plants. Suitable temperature for hardening is 15-20 degrees.

You need to start hardening with a five-minute airing. Hardening time increases daily.
Hardened seedlings take root better.

Of the most common mistakes when growing tomato seedlings, the following can be distinguished:

• Incorrectly selected variety;
• unprepared or infected with pests, diseases soil for planting;
• too early sowing of seeds for seedlings;
• insufficient or vice versa excessive watering;
• non-compliance with the temperature regime of plants;
• overabundance or lack of lighting;
• untimely picking;
• lack or insufficient hardening;
• wrong choice of site for planting seedlings;
• planting tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse;
• wrong choice of film for the greenhouse;
• improperly carried out planting of plants on a permanent place of growth;
• planting plants in unsuitable conditions for the variety;
• excessive watering of plants;
• lack of pinching and pinching.

When growing a large volume, a tomato is better to choose hybrid varieties which are highly resistant to diseases and negative impacts environment.

The soil during sowing and planting must be treated with disinfectants.

At early sowing plant seeds outgrow before transplanting into the ground, which leads to poor rooting.

Tomatoes need to be watered as the soil dries up. Irrigation of seedlings is carried out daily.

The temperature of seedlings during the day should be 18-25 degrees, at night + 13-16 degrees.

Lack of light or round-the-clock coverage of plants weakens them.

Picking plants should be carried out when the first true leaves are formed.

Lack or insufficient hardening leads to weakening of plants after transplantation.

The site for planting a tomato should be well lit and be closed from gusty winds.

The neighborhood of tomatoes and cucumbers in the same greenhouse has a depressing effect on crops.

When choosing a film for a greenhouse or greenhouse, it is better to choose a hydrophilic one. It repels water and stays clear longer.

Plants should be planted in well-drained holes. Watering seedlings after planting is not worth it, as this affects the passage of air to the roots and makes it difficult for plants to take root in a new place.

Planting plants intended for greenhouses and, conversely, for open ground in inappropriate conditions leads to a decrease in yield, as the plants cannot form properly and gain strength.

The reasons for this: sudden changes in temperature, a short growing season, poor pollination due to high humidity in the greenhouse.

Tomatoes need to be watered no more than 1 time per week. Excessive watering leads to the development of phytophthora.

You can not neglect pinching and pinching. The yield of any variety depends on these procedures.

Tomato cultivation must be taken with responsibility. The entire future harvest depends on compliance with all factors that can harm plants.

Seedlings of tomatoes at home. Growing and diving tomatoes: video

How do I grow tomato seedlings: video

Growing seedlings of tomatoes, following all the recommendations is quite simple. Growing tomatoes in this way improves the survival of plants and increases yields. From strong and healthy seedling depends on the quantity and quality of harvested fruits.