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Excellent tomato seedlings are half the success in growing juicy and ripe fruits. It is important to understand which seeds to choose, when to sow, how best to prepare the seedlings for planting.
How to choose the right tomato seeds?
When buying tomato seeds, do not rely on intuition or colorful packaging. You need to carefully study the characteristics of its contents. When doing this, be sure to consider the following criteria for choosing high-quality seed material.
Regionalization of the variety
This is the name of the suitability of the declared characteristics of a tomato variety to growing conditions in a certain climatic zone of the country. The main prerequisite for zoning is the total amount of heat and light, that is, positive temperatures at which a plant can develop. When breeding a new variety, breeders, first of all, work to improve the yield, drought resistance, and plant ripening time.
Zoning is an important criterion for choosing tomato seeds for seedlings. A heat-loving plant will not be able to bear fruit well in cold climatic conditions, in which there is little heat and light. And it will be difficult for a tomato bred specifically for a cool and humid climate to adapt to constant droughts and high temperatures.
Appointment of fruit
You need to decide for what purpose you will grow tomatoes. In accordance with the purpose, such parameters of the variety as sugar content, color, shape, keeping quality and size may come to the fore. Bright, large, juicy, fleshy and sweet fruits are suitable for salads. The parameter of transportability and keeping quality is not particularly important here, while for a tomato for sale and storage this criterion is of great importance. For canning, it is worth choosing round, medium-sized fruits, with dense skin, not too fleshy.
Elevated Height
Tall representatives of tomatoes can reach several meters in height. They are grown in greenhouses and formed into one stem. Such plants repeatedly bloom and bear fruit, are less susceptible to late blight. But they need additional care and mandatory installation of supports. Low-growing bushes easily adapt to open ground conditions and require pinching. The ripening period of fruits is much shorter than that of vigorous ones. However, the number of fruits on the bushes is less.
Terms of maturation
According to the period from germination to harvest, tomatoes are divided into early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. In the southern regions of the country, where the warm season lasts a long time, it is appropriate to grow late-ripening ones. Such varieties prolong the season for harvesting fresh fruits for a long time. In cold regions, early maturing crops will be optimal. Early fruits are small in size, but the short northern summer is enough for them to ripen. For regions with a temperate climate, early or mid-season varieties will be appropriate.
variety or hybrid
The variety consists of plants that are similar to each other on the basis of characteristic features selected by tomato breeding. Seeds of the variety retain all the characteristics of the previous generation, so they can propagate plants. Hybrids are bred by crossing genetically different forms to improve certain traits. It is useless to collect hybrid seeds for propagation, because they do not retain improved parameters in their descendants.
Hybrids, as a rule, are aligned in size and shape of fruits, have friendly seedlings, are resistant to diseases, are early and well-bearing. When making a choice in their favor, it should be borne in mind that they are poorly adapted to environmental changes. Therefore, in unstable weather conditions, it is better not to grow them. But the variety accumulates resistance to “bad times” for years and can produce a crop even in unfavorable periods.
When to sow tomato seeds for seedlings?
When determining the time for sowing tomatoes for seedlings, it is important to focus on several factors. First, the variety. In early ripening, ripeness occurs 90-100 days after germination. Mid-season varieties are sown 100-110 days before the first harvest. Late ripening requires 110-130 days. Of these terms, one week is allotted for seed germination.
The second factor is the growing region. In the middle zone of the country, it is appropriate to sow tomatoes in early March. In the southern regions, sowing seeds begins in early February. The Urals and Siberia differ in the later start of the crop season, so here the period from late March to mid-April is chosen for sowing.
The planting site also needs to be considered for sowing seeds at the right time. For a greenhouse, you can start sowing tomatoes from mid-February. For open ground with temporary shelter, seeds are placed in the ground from the beginning of March, without shelter – from mid-March.
Instructions for planting tomatoes for seedlings
Once the timing of sowing seeds is determined, you need to prepare all the necessary materials for planting tomato seedlings.
The substrate is ready
Tomatoes will grow quickly if the soil is loose, rich in nutrients and light. The easiest option is to buy soil in the store. It already initially contains all the necessary elements, tested for pests. You can prepare the land for seedlings yourself. This process begins in advance – a week before sowing the seed.
The ratio of parts in the ground should be as follows:
- one part of compost;
- one part of humus;
- one piece of turf;
- half of pure sand.
It has been experimentally verified that for better survival and resistance of future young shoots to outdoor growing conditions, it is advisable to add soil from your garden to the soil. The prepared substrate must be well treated from pests with a dark manganese solution or phytosporin, steamed in the oven. Here you can then make the first top dressing of seedlings – potassium sulfate and superphosphate. Also, to improve the quality of the created substrate, it is necessary to add wood ash – this is an excellent tool for lowering the acidity of the soil.
Choosing containers
The required volume and height will allow the seedlings to feel comfortable before transplanting into the ground. The stores offer a huge range of suitable containers for every taste. The only thing that must be guided without fail when choosing is the presence of drainage holes. An alternative to such a drain of water can only be a layer of expanded clay laid out on the bottom of the tank.
The most suitable packaging options:
- Peat pots and tablets. The main advantage of such containers is their environmental friendliness and the ability to plant them directly in the ground. The walls of such containers gradually decompose, the intact root system freely grows in depth and width. But they have negative points. Peat absorbs a lot of water, this provokes the appearance of mold, which prevents the development of the plant.
- The usual packaging option is wooden or plastic boxes. The advantages of the method of growing tomato seedlings in boxes are spaciousness and convenient transportation. But there is a significant drawback – the thickening of crops, the likelihood of damage to the root system during transplantation.
- An alternative to boxes is plastic cups. They can be used over and over and are inexpensive. It is convenient to get seedlings from such a container along with a lump without damaging it. But the cups are not always accompanied by drainage holes, so you have to make them yourself. Such a container also causes inconvenience during transportation – it easily falls.
Preparing seeds for planting
Even if you are going to sow your own seed, you need to do several procedures with it. After you select the best tomato seeds and sort out the empty ones, they must be decontaminated. Disinfection is carried out as follows:
- seeds are placed in a gauze bag;
- lower the bag into a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin;
- the seed material is kept in the solution for about an hour, then it is washed and dried.
Seeds can be treated with drugs that stimulate growth. This will increase germination and resistance to adverse conditions. Hardening is also an optional procedure. Swollen seeds are left in the refrigerator for a day.
Germination is considered the final point in the preparation of tomato seeds of a well-known agricultural company for sowing. They are laid out on a damp cloth, which is constantly moistened with water. After 4-5 days, germination begins.
Sowing seeds
Properly sowing seeds for seedlings is easy. But the scheme of landing in boxes or a separate container is different. In the first option, after the soil is well leveled, you need to make grooves. The depth of the groove is half a centimeter, the distance between them is three centimeters. Seeds are laid out in rows at a distance of 5-10 millimeters. The grooves are sprinkled with earth, sprayed with water from a spray bottle. The boxes are covered with plastic wrap or glass, put in a sunny place.
In cups, a recess of one centimeter is made in the center and 2-3 seeds are lowered into it. The hole is covered with earth, the soil is moistened with water from the spray gun. The glass is covered with the same materials as the box.
How to care for tomato seedlings
When the first leaves of tomato seedlings appear, the film is removed. The seedlings that have emerged need constant care. What do we have to do:
- Seedlings up to three days of age are moistened with a spray bottle. Then water should be poured with caution strictly under the root, the leaves should not be touched. For this, it is most convenient to use a syringe. The soil should not be left dry, it is advisable to moisten it twice a day.
- If a temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius is required for seed germination, when seedlings appear, seedlings should be removed to a cool place. A week later, the following temperature regime is set: during the day – about 20 degrees Celsius and at night – about 15 degrees Celsius.
- Young shoots need sunlight for more than half a day. Containers with seedlings are placed in the most lit place so that the seedlings do not stretch. It is advisable to turn the boxes several times a day so that young tomatoes do not stretch in one direction. Artificial lighting can be used as an additional light source.
- Two-week-old seedlings can already be fed with fertilizers – organic or mineral. This should be done only after watering, so as not to damage the roots. Young shoots very quickly draw nutrients from the soil, so it is advisable to feed them every 10 days.
How and when to dive and plant tomatoes in open ground
Plants with the first pair of true leaves are suitable for picking. As a rule, they become so under favorable conditions for growth in two to three weeks. The picking of tomato seedlings is carried out in order to provide the seedling with the opportunity to develop on a sufficient area, to form a strong root system. Before the procedure, you need to prepare the soil in advance. The technique is the same as before sowing the seed material.
The plant is carefully removed from the moist soil. The root can be shortened by a third in order to allow the development of lateral roots in the future. The seedling is planted in an individual container until the first leaves, slightly crushing the ground around it.
Proper tomato seedlings before planting in open ground are young healthy plants from 30 centimeters high, with 6-8 true leaves, a centimeter-thick stem, and a powerful root system. They reach this state after two to three months of growth in containers. Before planting, tomatoes are hardened off so that they can withstand new growing conditions. To do this, a week after picking, cups with tomatoes are taken out into the street. The time spent outdoors is gradually increased, starting from half an hour and ending with a full day.
Popular agricultural firms
Tomato seeds from Our Country are supplied by many manufacturers. We will name only popular companies in the seed market.
- For more than twenty years, the company “Gavrish” has been engaged in the production of seed material. Here they also develop hybrids adapted for growing in certain regions.
- Many gardeners have known Aelita tomato seeds for more than twenty years. They are distinguished by good germination, resistance to adverse conditions.
- Another old-timer of the seed growing market is SeDek agricultural firm. It is valued for its quality products, a wide range.
Conclusion
To achieve a full-fledged result in growing seedlings of tomatoes beloved by many, you must strictly follow the existing rules: observe the sowing and picking dates, follow the technology of care and processing. Only then can we hope for a rich, pleasing harvest.