Picking tomatoes in 2022
Many summer residents dive seedlings – this is how it is done, books and numerous online publications advise. But why is it needed? And is it needed at all? And what is a pick? Let’s figure it out

Ways to pick tomatoes

There is only one way to pick. But summer residents very often confuse terms and call picking a completely different manipulation. Therefore, let’s first understand the terms.

Transfer. Very often, summer residents say: “they dived the seedlings.” That is, they were seated from a box in separate cups. But the root was not pinched. So this is not a pick – this is a transplant. An important difference is that transplantation always takes place with a violation of the earthy coma and, as a rule, with damage to the roots – otherwise you simply cannot extract the seedlings from the box.

Transshipment. It looks like a transplant, but in this case the earth ball is not broken and the roots are not damaged. As a rule, transshipment is when you remove seedlings from a small glass and plant them in a larger container.

Pick. This is a transplant of seedlings from one container to another with pinching of the central root. It is root pinching that is the main difference between picking and other manipulations.

How to dive tomatoes

Tomato seedlings should be dived when 1–2 true leaves appear – approximately 18–20 days after germination (1).

There are two ways to dig seedlings out of a box.

Tablespoon. She simply digs each plant with a clod of earth and transfers it to a glass.

With a knife. In this case, the earth in the box is cut into equal parts like a pie, so that there is a seedling in the center of each piece. Then each piece is carefully picked up with the same knife and transplanted into a separate pot.

If you are diving tomato seedlings from small pots into larger containers, simply remove the plant with a clod of earth.

In both cases, it is necessary to carefully remove the earth from the end of the root and cut it by 1/3 – you can use a knife, or you can simply pinch it with your fingers. Then plant the plants in a new container.

Tomato seedlings should be planted in cups deeper than they grew in a box or an old container – by cotyledon leaves (2). In this case, additional roots are formed on the stem and the plant will be even easier to get food for itself.

Caring for tomatoes after picking

The most important thing at this time is frequent watering. The soil must not dry out. It is also useful to mulch the soil in cups with humus with the addition of ash – 1/2 cup per bucket of humus (3).

The first top dressing after picking can be done only after 2 weeks. But in general, it is not necessary to feed tomato seedlings – she spends little time in pots, she has enough of the nutrition that was originally in the ground.

Pros of picking tomatoes

The harvest is rising. If you pinch the central root of a tomato, the lateral roots begin to grow actively, the bush forms a powerful root system that can absorb more nutrients. And the better the food, the higher the yield.

You can select the best plants. You can sow many more plants in a box than in separate pots. And then just select the strongest and healthiest ones – pick them up in cups, and discard the weak and sick.

Seedlings do not stretch. Picking inhibits its growth for two weeks.

Cons of picking tomatoes

Extra work. Spreading seedlings is not an easy and fast business. And by and large, it is quite possible to do without picking – it is enough to deepen the seedlings when planting in open ground, and you will get the same additional roots.

Additional expenses. If you sow the seeds first in boxes or small cups, and then dive into other containers, then you will need to have both a box and cups. And the land is 2 times more. And these are additional costs.

Disease risk. A cut off or pinched root is an open wound. And even a small wound is an open gate for infection. And if there was some kind of infection in the soil, it can easily penetrate the plant.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about picking tomatoes and other plants with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

How to grow tomato seedlings?

If the seeds are sown immediately in cups, ordinary plastic ones with a volume of 200 ml will do. And after picking, it is transplanted into 500 ml cups. If seedlings are transplanted from a box, then immediately into cups of 0,5 liters.

Do you need to dive peppers?

Peppers do not tolerate transplanting very well, and even more so picking – for any damage to the roots can be critical. Therefore, it is better to sow them immediately in separate containers.

Do I need to dive eggplant?

Any transplant, even with the preservation of an earthy coma (and picking even more so) leads to root injury. For eggplant, this is critical because they have very large leaves that evaporate a lot of moisture. And if the roots are damaged, they will not be able to provide the plant with water. And the seedlings will die. Eggplants need to be sown in separate cups.

Sources of

  1. Romanov V.V., Ganichkina O.A., Akimov A.A., Uvarov E.V. In the garden and in the garden // Yaroslavl, Upper Volga book publishing house, 1989 – 288 p.
  2. Gavrish S.F. Tomatoes // M.: NIIOZG, publishing house “Scriptorium 2000”, 2003 – 184 p.
  3. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 – 416 p.

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