How to care for tomato seedlings

Healthy, strong seedlings of tomatoes are the key to a good harvest of vegetables. Growing it is not at all easy, since tomatoes require some special cultivation rules. For young tomatoes, conditions should be created with proper humidity, lighting and temperature conditions. In the process of growth, seedlings must be fertilized, and immediately before planting in the ground, young plants should be hardened off. Detailed information on how to properly care for tomato seedlings can be found below in the article.

Seed sowing

It is necessary to sow tomato seeds for seedlings within the timeframe calculated based on the ripening period of the fruits of a particular variety. This period, from sowing the seed for seedlings to the start of active fruiting, is indicated by the manufacturer of the planting material. So, early ripening varieties can be sown for seedlings a month before the intended pick into the ground. Grains of tomatoes with a long ripening period should be sown for seedlings in mid-February. Also, when calculating the time for sowing seeds for seedlings, one should take into account the climatic features of the region in which it is supposed to grow tomatoes and the cultivation conditions (greenhouse, open ground). It is important to plant non-overgrown plants in the ground that can take root painlessly in new conditions, which is why when growing seedlings, the time for sowing grains should be carefully determined.

For growing seedlings, germinated tomato seeds treated with disinfectants should be used. In this case, the strongest, 100% germinating grains can be selected for sowing, which will quickly sprout and begin to grow and bear fruit evenly. You can find out in detail information on how to properly disinfect tomato seeds from the video:

It is necessary to sow germinated tomato seeds in nutritious, loose soil. It can be purchased at a specialized store or prepared independently by mixing garden soil with peat and humus.

To do this, the soil should be heated in the oven at a temperature of 170-200⁰C for several hours.

To grow tomato seedlings, you can use various containers, the choice of which depends on the further cultivation process:

• Tomato seeds can be sown in a single larger container, at least 2 cm apart. In this case, when two true leaves appear, the tomatoes must be dived into separate large pots, 1-2 sprouts each.
• You can simplify the process of growing tomato seedlings with the initial use of separate plastic containers. The diameter of the cup or plastic bag in this case should be at least 10 cm, the depth should be at least 12 cm. Drainage holes should be provided at its bottom. This method of sowing tomatoes will not require an intermediate transplant of plants, however, when diving into the ground, the roots of tomatoes will need to be removed from the container, and the process of such a transplant can significantly slow down the growth rate of tomatoes.
• The ideal container for growing seedlings are peat cups, the size of which should be no smaller than the plastic counterpart. When planting tomatoes in the ground, such containers can be immersed in the ground without taking out the roots, which will prevent the onset of a stressful situation for the plant. The disadvantage of this method is the high cost of peat pots.

Containers with sown tomato seeds should be watered and placed in a warm place. At a temperature of +24-+25⁰Seeds hatch in 7-10 days. After germination, tomatoes need abundant lighting, top dressing, watering.

Lighting

Tomatoes are very demanding on the intensity of lighting and the length of daylight hours. So, the optimal duration of the light period for tomatoes is 12-15 hours. Natural lighting in this case, of course, is not enough, so farmers artificially illuminate tomatoes with fluorescent fluorescent lamps.

Light intensity also plays an important role in the process of growing tomato seedlings. So, it is recommended to install containers with crops on the windowsills on the south side. You can additionally increase the intensity of daylight by installing mirrors and foil around the perimeter of containers with seedlings. They will reflect the light rays, improving the illumination of the seedlings from all sides. It is worth noting that reflective materials create uniform lighting, in which plants do not reach for the light source, grow even, equally leafy from all sides.

Temperature

The temperature regime is very important when growing tomato seedlings. At an early stage of growth, tomatoes should be provided with conditions with a temperature regime of + 23- + 25⁰C. In such conditions, young plants will quickly get stronger. At the age of 2 weeks, tomato seedlings need to be moved to conditions with a slightly lower temperature + 18- + 20⁰C. Night temperatures for tomato seedlings should be at +17⁰C. You can adjust the values ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbby opening and closing the window, however, in this case, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of drafts, since they can adversely affect the health of the tomatoes.

Watering

Caring for tomato seedlings is, first of all, regular watering. So, in the initial stages of growth, seedlings are watered once every 1-6 days as the soil dries. This regimen should be maintained for the first 7 weeks after emergence. In the future, it is necessary to moisten the soil 3 time in 1-4 days. When 5 true leaves appear on plants, tomatoes should be watered once every 5 days.

The volume of watering should be sufficient to wet the entire volume of the earth, but at the same time excessive moisture can lead to rotting of the roots. This is especially true for seedlings growing in plastic and polyethylene containers. In this case, drainage holes should be provided to drain excess water, which also perform an additional function of providing the roots with oxygen.

It is worth noting that not only soil moisture is important for tomatoes, but also indoor air. So, the optimal indicator of humidity is in the range of 60-70%. In conditions of low humidity, tomatoes dry out, their foliage turns yellow and fades. At humidity above 70%, there is a high probability of rotting of the roots and damage to plants by late blight. You can increase the humidity in the room by spraying, you can reduce this figure by airing.

Additional fertilizing

It is necessary to feed the seedlings in compliance with a certain schedule, but it is worth considering the individuality of the tomato variety and the characteristics of the soil in which the young plant grows. So, experts recommend adhering to the following schedule for feeding tomato seedlings, but at the same time visually assess the condition of the tomatoes.

1. First dressing of tomato seedlings should be carried out after the first true leaf of the tomato is formed. During this period, you should choose fertilizers with a high content of potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Such trace elements will allow tomatoes to take root better and gain the necessary strength for further growth. An example of such a complex fertilizer is Agricola. This environmentally friendly preparation can be used as a root or leaf top dressing.
2. Secondary top dressing Plants need it when their third true leaf appears. As a fertilizer, you should choose preparations with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. Such a complex of microelements will not only allow tomatoes to take root qualitatively, but also activate their growth. An example of such a complex fertilizer is Effekton. It contains natural, natural substances, which makes it an environmentally friendly tomato growth stimulator.
3. The third and subsequent top dressing of tomato seedlings should be done at intervals of 2 weeks. For this, it is recommended to use nitrogen-containing substances, for example, nitroammophoska. This substance should be dissolved in a proportion of 1 tablespoon per bucket of water.

It is necessary to make changes to the above feeding schedule when observing symptoms of a deficiency or excess of one or another microelement. So, visually you can observe the following signs:

• twisted young leaves of tomato seedlings indicate an excess nitrogen content;
• yellowing and falling of the lower leaves of tomatoes indicates a lack of nitrogen;
• a lack of phosphorus is manifested by an excessive purple color of the leaves, veins and stems of a tomato;
• wrinkled tomato leaves indicate a lack of potassium;
• with a lack of iron, the leaves of the seedlings become pale, and their veins are green.

It is worth noting that iron deficiency is characteristic of those plants that receive round-the-clock illumination. Potassium is very important for tomatoes, however, its deficiency is extremely rare. More often, problems in growing tomato seedlings are caused by an imbalance in the nitrogen content.

Hardening

Two weeks before the proposed planting of tomatoes in the ground, it is necessary to start hardening – adaptation to the conditions of a permanent place of growth. To do this, containers with seedlings should be taken out into the street, initially for a few minutes, then increasing the time spent in direct sunlight until full daylight hours. Such a measure will prepare the plants for open ground conditions. In the absence of hardening, plants experience severe stress after planting, slow down their growth rate and can get severe sunburn.

Dive into the ground

If the height of tomato seedlings is approximately 30 cm, there are 6-7 true leaves on the seedlings, then it is worth starting planting plants in the ground. The place for growing tomatoes should be well lit by the sun and protected from drafts. The best precursors for tomatoes are legumes, root vegetables, cucurbits and onions. In place of nightshade crops, tomatoes can be planted no earlier than after 3 years.

The soil for tomatoes should be loose and nutritious. Ideally, its composition should be similar to the soil in which the seedlings grew. Before diving seedlings in the ground, holes should be made with a size corresponding to the dimensions of the container with seedlings. The hole needs to be watered. The roots of tomatoes should be removed carefully while preserving the earthen clod. Tall tomatoes in the hole are recommended to be placed deep enough at an acute angle, undersized tomatoes are planted horizontally. Wells with seedlings should be dug in with soil, compacted and dug again, and then slightly moistened. Tall tomatoes can be tied to a peg immediately after planting.

Conclusion

After reviewing the above rules, everyone, even a novice farmer, will learn how to properly care for tomato seedlings. By observing the described growing conditions, you can get strong, strong plants that will easily take root in the place of constant growth and will soon delight you with delicious tomatoes. Every vegetable grower should know that quality seedlings are the basis of a good harvest.