Soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers 

Growing your own seedlings is both an interesting and very rewarding activity for all keen gardeners who want to be able to choose certain varieties for planting themselves and are guaranteed to get a good harvest in the future. After all, many crops in our rather harsh climate require a mandatory seedling growing period. And the most important component on which good growth, development and well-being of seedlings depends is the soil. The two main and most beloved crops that require a seedling period to grow – tomatoes and peppers – are no exception. Soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers is the most important component of success for a really good harvest. What should it be and where to get it? These questions will be discussed in detail in this article.

Basic soil requirements for seedlings

Many beginners in crop production at first, in general, do not see the difference in which land to use, because at first glance it seems that it is all the same. But not everything is so simple. Soil has many characteristics, each of which is important in its own way and ultimately affects both appearance and yield.

The mechanical composition of the soil

It determines what is called the looseness of the soil. May be:

• Light – sand, sandy loam;
• Medium – light loam;
• Heavy – heavy loam

For seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, light or medium fur composition is best suited. It is regulated primarily by the content of sand or other inert fillers, such as perlite.

Soil type

The most common type of soil found on sale is peat. This means that peat makes up 70 to 95% of its components. This in itself is not bad. After all, peat has a porous structure and well passes both moisture and air. But peat is also of several different types:

• High peat – formed under the influence of atmospheric precipitation from plant residues (moss), characterized by a low degree of decomposition of organic matter (few minerals), a strongly acidic reaction. It has a reddish color and a highly fibrous structure.
• lowland peat – is formed under the action of soil moisture from low-lying soil layers in the almost complete absence of oxygen. It is characterized by a high degree of decomposition of organic matter (a lot of minerals), closer to neutral acidity. It has a dark brown and even black color and a crumbly texture.
• transitional peat – occupies an intermediate position in terms of its characteristics.

For seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, all types of peat can be used, it is only important that its share in the total mixture is no more than 70%. Depending on the type of peat used, auxiliary elements are added. For example, high-moor peat requires the addition of lime to reduce acidity.

It is the most fertile type of soil, it contains everything that plants need for full growth. But for the initial sowing of seeds, black soil will not be the best choice, because:

• seeds at an early stage of development do not need many nutrients;
• chernozem is often littered with weed seeds, which also grow with pleasure on it;
• it is too dense and heavy substrate for the germination of seeds of tomatoes and peppers.

There are also so-called seedling substrates – they mean the use of everything that can replace the soil for growing seedlings: sand, sawdust, perlite, coconut fiber, husks from grains and sunflower husks. With the addition of a certain amount of minerals to them, they do a pretty good job of growing seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, especially at the first stage of sowing and seed germination.

Soil acidity

This most important characteristic for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers should be in the range from 6,5 to 7,5, that is, close to neutral or even slightly alkaline. If this norm is not observed, the seeds either, in general, will not be able to germinate, or the roots will not be able to use even the nutrients available in the soil in the future, and the seedlings of tomatoes and peppers will gradually wither. There are two ways to check the acidity in the finished soil mixture:

1. Use a ready-made test sold in every specialized store to determine the acidity of the soil, or even an ordinary litmus test.
2. Use regular 9% table vinegar. On a flat dark surface, put a teaspoon of soil and pour vinegar. With an alkaline soil reaction, rapid foaming will be observed, with a neutral reaction it will be moderate, and in the case of acidic soil, foam will not appear at all.

Soil nutrition

This characteristic implies not only a sufficient content of nutrients, but also their balance. The main so-called macronutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, should be in the soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers in approximately the same ratio. However, in addition to them, the presence of the most complete set of meso- and microelements is mandatory.

But it can be used as one of the components of a self-prepared mixture for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers. The higher the content of these elements, the more this soil needs to be “diluted” with neutral components, for example, coconut fiber or sand, or perlite.

“Living” soil

In previous years, this characteristic was not given much attention, but in vain, because it is the presence of living microorganisms in the soil that allows the seedlings of tomatoes and peppers to form a more stable immunity, that is, to resist various diseases and pests both from the outside and sometimes contained in the plants themselves. Very often, many methods of disinfecting the soil mixture before sowing destroy the beneficial microflora present in it. Therefore, it is very important after disinfection (calcining or steaming) to shed the soil with one of the currently popular biological products: Baikal EM1, Shine, or Trichodermin.

What should not be in the soil for seedlings

There are substances and components, the presence of which is highly undesirable in the composition of seedlings for tomatoes and peppers:

• The soil should be free from fungal spores, insect eggs and larvae, pathogens, weed seeds;
• The soil should not contain toxic substances – salts of heavy metals, radionuclides, oil products, etc. It is impossible to take land for soil mixture from city lawns, near highways, from landfills, from airfields, etc .;
• The soil should not contain actively decomposing biocomponents, since the release of heat and additional nitrogen can adversely affect the development of seedlings of tomatoes and peppers;
• It is advisable not to use clay – its properties are completely unsuitable for growing seedlings of tomatoes and peppers.

Buying ready-made soil for seedlings

Many gardeners and summer residents living in cities have little opportunity to make a soil mixture for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers on their own, which is preferable, since you can control all the constituent components and their characteristics at every stage. But after all, stores and markets offer an amazing variety of ready-made soils for seedlings, including those specifically for tomatoes and peppers. How to understand this sea of ​​proposals and choose the most suitable option?

• First of all, pay attention to the specialized soil for seedlings. There are also universal soils, but it makes sense to buy them only if you want to use them to “dilute” specialized soils that are too concentrated to get more land for planting already grown seedlings. It would be a good option to purchase special soils for peppers and tomatoes, but, as a rule, for sowing seeds, they must be diluted with any baking powder (coconut fiber, perlite, sand);

  

• Whatever soil mixture you choose, carefully study its composition to understand if anything needs to be added to it later. In no case do not buy a land mixture without labels with full information about both the manufacturer and the product;
• Study the composition of nutrients, the acidity of the soil and act in accordance with the recommendations given in the previous chapter;
• As with any product, pay attention to the production date and expiration date of the potting mix;
• If you still face a choice of which soil to choose, take for the experiment a few small packages that you like the most according to the above parameters. At home, you can study them more carefully and control the acidity. A good soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers should not be dense, viscous or sticky. Should have a fibrous structure and contain baking powder (perlite – small white crumbs). Should not have a rotten or musty smell or traces of mold.

You can also focus on the most famous manufacturers that have been on the market for a long time. For example, according to the data of several independent expert organizations that conducted soil tests for their compliance with the declared parameters, only a few manufacturers comply with all standards in the manufacture of their products.

The leader among them is CJSC Fart St. Petersburg, the manufacturer of the famous Zhivaya Zemlya primer. Although for many years this primer has evoked extremely positive feedback from consumers, in the last two years even a number of complaints have arisen against them, or rather, against the “Universal” primer from this manufacturer.

Reviews

Below are some reviews:

Recipes for homemade soil

If you have the opportunity and desire, then you can’t imagine anything better than preparing the soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers with your own hands. Of course, you need to take care of this in advance, in the fall to dig up a few bags of garden soil. Bring home a bucket of sand. And cook or buy a bag of humus (well-decomposed manure or compost).

Additionally, you need to purchase a package of perlite, vermiculite, coconut fiber and peat. Gently mix all the ingredients, disinfect the resulting mixture, and then treat it with one of the aforementioned biologics available. It will be good if the seedling mixture lies down for some time (at least a week) and ripens. Therefore, it is better to cook it in the fall.

So, the best recipes for soil in which it is good to sow tomato and pepper seeds:

1. 1 part coconut fibre, 1 part peat moss, XNUMX/XNUMX part manure, XNUMX/XNUMX garden soil, XNUMX/XNUMX vermiculite, a little lime if horse peat was used.
2. 1 part fine river sand, 1 part sawdust or cereal husks, ½ part humus.
3. 1 part peat, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part perlite

For transplanting already grown seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, the following recipes are preferable:

1. 1 part humus, 1 part garden soil, 1 part perlite
2. 2 parts peat, 1 part humus, ½ part garden soil, ½ part vermiculite.

Now that you are familiar with all the possible characteristics of soil components and mixtures, choosing the right soil for your seedlings should not be difficult.