Healthy tomato seedlings – guarantee bountiful harvest tomatoes. The mistakes that novice gardeners make at the stage of sowing seeds and growing seedlings will certainly affect the fruiting of an adult plant. There can be no trifles in this matter! Let's try to understand all the stages of growing tomato seedlings, starting with determining the timing of sowing and ending with planting the bushes in open ground(in boxes - if growing on the balcony is planned).
Approximately, tomato seeds should be sown 55-65 days before planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse. The seeds germinate quite quickly - 5-10 days after sowing. Therefore, the average period for keeping seedlings on the windowsill (from emergence) is 45-60 days.
It is important to determine the timing correctly so as not to overexpose the seedlings on the windowsill. This is fraught with inhibition of the growth of an adult bush and a decrease in yield.
Average sowing time for tomatoes:
To accurately answer the question of when to plant tomato seedlings, you need to know about the expiration date. spring frosts in your region. By counting 55-65 days back from this date, you can accurately determine the date of your desired planting.
If you plan to plant tomato seedlings not in open ground, but in a greenhouse or on a glassed-in balcony, then sowing work can begin 2-3 weeks earlier.
When growing tomato seedlings on a windowsill, create conditions for the seedlings with:
Preparatory work may include:
Packaged seeds famous manufacturers do not require additional pre-sowing treatment. They have already undergone the necessary disinfection at the enterprise. It’s a completely different matter if the tomato seeds used were collected with your own hands or purchased in bulk at the market. Such material can be infected with pathogens of various bacterial, viral and fungal diseases.
To eliminate the infection, use one of the following disinfecting solutions:
The soil can also be contaminated, especially if it is dug up from the garden. Soil purchased pre-packaged is safer. flower shops. But even here there may be unpleasant “surprises”, so the best way To protect yourself (and your seedlings!) from surprises is to till the soil yourself.
The most popular methods of disinfecting soil for seedlings:
Disinfection of tomato seeds in potassium permanganate All these methods can be combined with each other to obtain the most sterile and safe soil for seedlings.
You should not start planting tomatoes for seedlings immediately after preparing the soil! Moisten it and keep it at above-zero temperatures for 10-12 days. During this time, bacteria beneficial to plants will begin to multiply in the sterile soil. Only after this can sowing begin.
Fill containers (cassettes, peat pots, plastic cups, cottage cheese boxes, shallow boxes) with prepared moist soil and make grooves in it about 1 cm deep. The spacing between grooves is 3-4 cm. Place seeds in them at a distance of 1-2 cm, more is possible. The less often the seeds are sown, the longer it will be possible to keep the seedlings in a seedling container without replanting them. Sprinkle the grooves with soil.
Tomato seeds are sown in the ground to a depth of 1 cm You can make it even simpler: place the seeds on the prepared soil and cover them with a centimeter layer of soil.
Cover the top with film or glass to provide the seedlings with a constant microclimate with a humidity of about 80-90%. In order for the seeds to germinate, their temperature should be 25-30°C. Therefore, place the seedling boxes near a radiator or other heat source.
Check the soil moisture every day. When dry, spray it generously with a spray bottle. If there is excessive humidity, open the film (glass) and wait for it to dry. Sometimes high humidity leads to the formation of mold on the soil surface. Then carefully remove the top infected layer and spill the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or an antifungal drug (Fundazol, Fitosporin).
The first tomato shoots appear after 3-4 days at a surface air temperature of 25-28°C, at 20-25°C - after 5-6 days, at 10-12°C - 12-15 or more days after sowing.
Cotyledon leaves of tomato seedlings emerging from the ground More details about when to sow tomatoes for seedlings, how to choose tomato seeds and sow them correctly in the ground are shown in the video:
Lighting
Growing tomato seedlings is impossible without good lighting! Therefore, after germination, place the pots with seedlings on the brightest windowsill. In February and early March, there will not be enough light for the seedlings in any case, so, if possible, use additional lighting with fluorescent lamps.
There is a version (author - Tugarova T.Yu.) that better development of tomato seedlings can be achieved if the seedlings are illuminated around the clock for the first 2-3 days after germination. After this, you can switch to the usual additional lighting mode - 16 hours a day (total daylight hours).
Humidity and watering
Young shoots should be kept at high, almost extreme humidity; drying is unacceptable. Therefore, do not rush to immediately remove the film (glass) from the seedling container. Open it a little every day so that the seedlings get used to the fresh air, but at the same time remain in the “greenhouse”. After 1-2 weeks, the cover can be completely removed.
Tomato seedlings growing under a film at home may not need watering for a long time. Look at the condition of the soil: do not create a swamp, but at the same time do not allow the top layer to dry out (while the roots of the sprouts are still small and in top layer soil, so drying it will mean drying out the roots). Tomato seedlings should be watered carefully, under the stem. To avoid damaging the sprouts, you can use a syringe (without a needle) or a pipette.
After removing the film, the frequency of watering tomato seedlings should be proportional to the amount of heat and light. With increasing temperatures and lengthening daylight hours, tomatoes begin to grow and quickly “drink” moisture from the soil. Accordingly, the soil dries out faster and watering is required more often.
It is important not to dry out young tomatoes. Often, inexperienced gardeners encounter the following problem: when they come home from work in the evening, they notice their seedlings are completely wilted, although they still looked quite normal in the morning. You need to check the seedlings in the morning, when there is no hot sun yet. If you notice that the sprouts are a little sluggish, water them immediately. Otherwise, at noon, the rays of the sun can dry out the still weak young seedlings.
Bays can also be dangerous. It’s bad that flooded and dried tomato seedlings can look the same: the stems lose turgor, the leaves wither. When you see these symptoms, pay attention to the soil. If it is wet, do not add water under any circumstances - you will ruin the seedlings. Place the seedling container in a place protected from direct sun rays place, do not water until the soil dries. In the future, adjust the amount of watering.
Cold window sills combined with damp soil are especially destructive for young tomato sprouts. Therefore, watering in the evening (February-April) is not recommended. At night, the temperature can drop significantly, the sprouts will freeze and begin to hurt.
Fresh air
As soon as it is a warm, windless day, take the seedlings out to Fresh air: on the balcony, on the street or just open the window. Even in March, on a sunny day, on open balcony Temperatures can reach up to 15-20°C! If such a day coincides with the emergence of seedlings, it is a great success! Take the sprouts out to bask in the sun. The fact is that tomato sprouts on the first day after germination are protected from UV rays, which prevents them from burning. Such sprouts will be heat-resistant, hardened from infancy and can be “walked” in the sun regularly.
If you did not have time to expose the seedlings to the sun on the first day, then you can no longer do this after 1-2 days - the innate hardening has disappeared. In this case, you will have to gradually accustom the sprouts to the sun. The first day – 5 minutes is enough. Then, every day you can increase the duration of your walks by another 5 minutes.
Tomato seedlings, which were exposed every day sunny balcony(into the yard), by the time of planting for permanent residence, it quickly catches up in growth the seedlings that were sown a month earlier, but kept on the windowsill behind glass and without lighting.
Feeding
Tomato seedlings need feeding 2-3 weeks after the first shoots. In the future, fertilizers will have to be applied every week. It is best to use natural organic fertilizers, for example, from manure or grass. Good store-bought fertilizers include specialized guano-based fertilizers, humic fertilizers, vermicompost, etc. Use half the dose indicated for a specific fertilizer to fertilize seedlings.
The first true leaves of tomato sprouts appear on days 7-10. At this age, if the seeds were sown too crowded in one container, you can pick the seedlings into separate cups. Despite the fact that tomatoes tolerate transplantation well, this must be done carefully. Replant the sprouts with a clod of soil on the roots. Some gardeners advise pinching the central root of tomato seedlings when picking. However, we do not recommend doing this - the roots in any case, even with the most careful transplantation, are still damaged. There is no need to further injure the plant. Moreover, it can be harmful: pinching up to 1/3 of the root will delay the development of seedlings by 1 week.
When picking tomato seedlings, a lump of earth on the roots should remain The first transplant is carried out in small cups of 200 ml.
After 2-3 weeks, the seedlings can be planted a second time - into larger pots. If the seeds were initially sown in individual containers (cups, cassettes), then this transplant will be the first. It is not recommended to use pots smaller than 0.5-1 liters. Professional gardeners prefer even larger volumes - 3-5 liters per plant. But, you must admit, not every window sill can withstand such seedling plantations, especially in a city apartment. Yes, this is not necessary: 1 liter of soil for 1 plant is enough!
Picking tomato sprouts peat pots
You can learn how to grow tomato sprouts and plant seedlings by watching the video:
At the age of 1.5 months, tomato seedlings at home expel the first flower clusters. As soon as you notice them, know that after 10-15 days the seedlings need to be planted for permanent residence - in a greenhouse, on a balcony or in a greenhouse. You cannot delay replanting, otherwise it will lead to a decrease in yield.
If you decide to keep tomato seedlings on the windowsill for more than 45-60 days, then they should be provided with at least 1 liter of soil per plant. If you keep tomatoes in relatively small containers even 10 days longer than they should and allow them to bloom, they will stop their vegetative growth and will forever remain “undergrown.” Even in exhaust gas they will no longer be able to accelerate and will never turn into full-fledged plants. Accordingly, you won’t have to expect a full harvest from them either!
This problem can be partially solved by removing the first flower brush. The next cluster will appear only in a week, that is, it will be possible to delay planting seedlings for permanent residence for a week.
Good tomato seedlings should have thick stems before planting, large leaves, powerful root system and developed buds.
Characteristics of healthy tomato seedlings: powerful bush, large juicy leaves, thick stems, developed root system
The distance between tomatoes in a greenhouse or greenhouse should be 30-40 cm. If you decide to grow garden plantations on the balcony, then for each tomato bush you need to allocate 4-12 liters of land. 4-5 liters will be enough for low-growing “balcony” varieties: “Balcony Miracle”, “Dwarf”, “Hummingbird”, etc. Large garden varieties, suitable for OG (“Sashenka”, “Sunrise”, etc.), are grown in containers of 10-12 liters.
Fertile garden soil (chernozem) mixed with peat soil“Universal” or “For vegetables” in a 1:1 ratio.
It is best to plant tomato seedlings for permanent residence on a cool, windless and cloudy day. Plant the seedlings, deepening the central stem a couple of centimeters. After a few days, additional roots will begin to form along the buried stem. Overall, the root system will become more powerful and stronger.
After planting, water the tomato seedlings warm water and wait for the harvest!
Planting tomato seedlings in a balcony box for permanent residence And, finally, in order to better understand the intricacies of growing tomato seedlings and transplanting them for permanent residence in open ground, a greenhouse or on a balcony, we suggest you look short video posted below:
Hello summer residents and amateur gardeners! I continue the theme of the garden and today we will talk about tomatoes, or rather about how and when is the best time to sow them this year. After all, we all certainly love this vegetable for its beneficial features, and at the end of summer we do it.
Such handsome men are simply magnificent in both first and second courses. So let's figure it out so that our harvest turns out to be huge and we can make a lot of delicious delicacies.
Of course, with the arrival of spring, gardeners have a lot of troubles and work, because it is from this time that the work activity. This means that the summer season is open and it’s time to rush to the upcoming work. In the last article, we learned how to sow correctly and determined planting dates; today we continue this topic, but only with a different crop.
Everyone knows that February and March are the best times to plant seedlings. You definitely need to know which types of tomatoes are suitable for early sowing, and which for later ones, and you also need to determine where you will plant them in open ground or in a polycarbonate greenhouse. Well, don’t forget to take everything into account climatic conditions the part of Russia where you live.
Therefore, I propose, as last time, to use a special formula to calculate favorable days planting and take into account all the necessary external factors.
I remind you that a well-known method called reverse reporting is used everywhere, but you need to know all the characteristics from the growing season to the appearance of the first fruits. If you take early varieties of tomatoes, then it is 40-50 days, mid-ripening varieties - 50-65 days, late-ripening tomatoes - 70 days.
You should also remember that if you plant tomatoes in a heated greenhouse, the sprouts will be planted much earlier than in a regular greenhouse, or in open ground. Logical).
Don’t forget about the soil, it should already be warmed up, at least to 10-15 degrees Celsius. In this case, it must be measured at a depth of 10 cm. After all, if the temperature is below 10 degrees, the plants will not survive and will die or be constantly sick.
IN middle lane In Russia, the warm period begins already in the second half of May, what does this give us, and that the starting point will be approximately May 15th. We count down in reverse side- 50 days, and if you use early-ripening varieties of tomatoes, if a different type, then calculate differently by analogy. Add 5-7 days before germination and another 3 days for plant adaptation after picking. Using simple arithmetic, we get the sum of 60 days to count back.
Thus, it turns out that the best and most favorable day will be the fixed date of March 15th. In this case, tall tomatoes can be sown together with peppers and eggplants on the same day. This means that you need to choose the time period from February 10 to March 10. This is a period that is suitable for absolutely everyone, as well as for residents of the Moscow region, Siberia or the Urals.
Interesting! If you are an amateur folk signs, then focus on snowdrops, plant them after they bloom. And when the viburnum or mountain ash bloomed, it was time to replant them.
Calculate the date of sowing the seeds and adhere to the basic rule - undergrown seedlings will be more productive than overgrown ones. Take a look at the photo. The first sprout is quite huge, but it is not yet easy to plant; it will take a long and painful time to take root and may be susceptible to diseases and death.
But young seedlings will be able to quickly adapt to environment, will grow well and outpace the overgrown one.
Do you know this saying? If you rush, you’ll make people laugh, but here it’s like this among gardeners: if you rush, you’ll reduce the harvest. Therefore, do not strive to sow the fastest, even if you really miss gardening work. After all, early planted seedlings do not guarantee you an excellent harvest.
Well, now let’s look at the gardener’s and gardener’s calendar; if you still don’t have it, then you can easily go to and download it in its entirety.
Or use it right now by looking at this table (data is updated in January every year).
Well, now that we have decided on the timing of planting, let’s now deal directly with the seeds, because the key to an excellent harvest is, first of all, good and high-quality seeds, so that all your hopes can come true.
It happens that you sow seemingly amazing appearance achenes, but they do not sprout and do not live up to expectations. It is the poor germination of seeds or various kinds of diseases that can be due to the fact that you did the pre-sowing work incorrectly. If you have purchased bags, then you must be sure that the manufacturer has already processed them for you; such seeds are distinguished by their rather bright color.
Important! It is in this case that they do not need to be further processed.
The only disadvantage of such bags is that the price is much higher. Therefore, in order to save money, it is best to buy untreated seedlings and do all the preparation work yourself.
Germination test
In order not to guess whether the seedlings will sprout or not, perhaps you have doubts about the expiration date, then use the simplest and most proven method, remember we have already done this work with peppers.
To do this, about a couple of weeks before sowing, take several seeds from each pack and wrap them in a gauze bag and immerse them in warm water for one day. And this container will need to be placed in a warm place. After one week has passed, look into the container and check how many seeds have sprouted and whether they have sprouted. If you see that half of each batch has sprouted, that's an indication that you can confidently use that batch.
Next, you will need to determine whether there are seedlings in the batch that are empty and unsuitable for sowing. To do this, take a glass and pour water into it and add salt. Stir the liquid and pour out the entire bag, 20 minutes should pass and you will see the following picture, all the seeds should fall to the bottom of the glass, if some of them float, then remove them, they are unusable.
Wash good achenes in plain water and place on paper napkin and dry well. This way you will do the calibration. But, again, evaluate them based on their appearance, remove those that are ugly or too large or very tiny.
Disinfection
For disinfection, use a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, dissolve 1 gram of the substance in one bucket of water.
To carry out this procedure, wrap them in gauze and place them in the resulting solution for about twenty minutes. And of course, don’t forget to rinse and dry them afterwards.
If you don’t have potassium permanganate, then you can take phytosporin, for example. To prepare it, use four drops of liquid preparation and one glass of water.
Remember! That seed disinfection should be carried out not long before planting (do not store it for more than a day), otherwise there is a high probability that they will not sprout.
Stimulate growth and nutrition
But in order to increase the germination of seeds and so that they get sick less, are resistant to diseases and the environment, you have to do the following steps.
You will need to stimulate their growth, to do this, soak in the solution nutrients, you need to use ash for this. Make an ash solution, and then let it stand and infuse for one day. Then place the tomato seeds in a gauze bag and immerse them in this solution for about 4-5 hours.
And of course, do not forget that now on our market there are environmentally friendly and healthy options, such as zircon or epin - these are modern biostimulants of growth, they very well accelerate the germination process and will not keep you waiting long for the result. Choose for yourself what you like best, or what you are used to; you can act the old fashioned way, or you can use the latest inventions of the 21st century.
Soaking and germination
After all this, soak the seedlings and germinate, this will increase germination.
Important! But again, if you simply soak them in water and do not give them access to oxygen for up to 18 hours, then they can easily suffocate.
How to do this correctly at home on a windowsill in an apartment in winter? Quite simple and easy. You just have to take ordinary cotton pads, which I think everyone has now, and moisten one part of the pad with water, place the achenes on them and be sure to cover with a second wet pad.
Next, place such packaging in a container with a lid so that a greenhouse effect can be created; in such conditions, you will see that sprouts will appear in 3-4 days. After this, it's time to plant them in moist soil.
Preparing the right soil
As for the soil itself, you need to take soil from your favorite garden or cottage and combine it with sand and vermicompost. Or use this diagram.
This is one of the options; you can also make a mixture of such important and necessary components, take them in the indicated proportions and cook according to these recipes.
Or take ready-made natural peat soil, which you can buy at any gardening supermarket.
If your soil has become quite dense, you can add perlite or vermiculite to it. Under no circumstances should soil for tomato seedlings be sifted through a sieve! Because as soon as you start watering it will immediately thicken.
Landing in the ground
First, decide on what you will sow in, these can be boxes, containers, all kinds of paper cups cut from tetrapacks, etc. It is important to know that for sowing you need devices about 12 cm high, and for transplanting (picking) You need cups that will have a volume of 200 ml.
In stores you can now easily find and select suitable forms. Check if there are holes at the bottom of each container; this is an important drainage condition so that excess moisture can drain away well. Don't forget to purchase a tray or take a plate.
Stages of work:
1. So, take a cup and place drainage in it, for example pebbles, you may be using eggshells this is also a great option.
2. Fill the cups with soil and pour well with warm water.
3. You need to sow the achenes to a depth of no more than 2 cm; you can use a stick to initially make and measure the required depth yourself so as not to scorch. Next you need to spray the ground.
4. Then cover the cups with cling film or a bag and place in a warm place.
5. Keep an eye on the glasses, because very soon they will delight you with their sprouts. And be sure to remove the film after you see green shoots.
You can also use another method for growing, this is using a special film.
6. Next, place the cups with seedlings in a room with a temperature of 18 degrees, preferably even more, your apartment where you live will do. And the place should be lit. Always water moderately with warm water and do not overwater.
Hardening and care
After the sprouts get stronger and you see about 4-6 leaves on them, start taking them outside. Until then, just ventilate the room well.
You don’t need to water so often; look at the condition of the soil; the ground should never be very dry or cracked.
Don't neglect preparatory work before planting in the soil, because it depends on what kind of seedlings you grow. After all, only from healthy and strong seedlings will strong and hardened plants grow that will delight you with a rich harvest.
So, I repeat, in order to plant seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, they must be healthy and strong, the sprouts must be about 20-30 cm long and have 6-8 leaves.
As for the timing of planting in the greenhouse, it is best to again focus on your climatic conditions; you should already be informed in advance, because you know at what time warming occurs in your area and frosts do not occur. For Siberia, for example, this is May, for the Moscow region - April. You can learn more about this and other recommendations if you watch this video:
This question is asked quite often and experienced gardeners and just beginners. Theoretically, each crop should be planted separately from each other. But, you must admit that not always and everyone has a lot of space. personal plot and several greenhouses to make it possible to place everything separately.
If you ask and look at the opinion experienced agronomists, then you will see the following: nightshades, such as peppers and eggplants, get along quite easily with tomatoes, which means their cohabitation is acceptable.
Let's look at some of the differences you can use to achieve maximum yield. Tomatoes need to be watered a little less frequently than peppers. Peppers need more moisture, especially when they bloom and bear fruit.
It is important to water these crops so that where the root system is located does not dry out, this is approximately at a depth of 20-30 cm. To reduce moisture evaporation from the beds, the row spacing should be mulched.
Don't forget that tomatoes need slightly less heat than peppers - this is a significant difference. Therefore, you will have to save the pepper from very hot days during the flowering period.
The microclimate for tomatoes and peppers is the same. This makes me happy). This means that they have the same requirements for air humidity. But if the humidity rises, the tomatoes may die. The soil should be loose and moist in both cases.
When forming the beds, you need to plant the tomatoes in a checkerboard pattern, this is option number one. And a little later, plant pepper between them. With this method of planting, when you remove the lower stepsons up to the first bunch of tomatoes, this place and lighting will be enough for the pepper.
Second option. Plant peppers along tomato rows. Then he will not be attacked by aphids.
Third option. On one side, place tall varieties tomatoes, and in another set up a small greenhouse for peppers. After all, he does not like unstable temperatures and will not withstand sudden changes.
Fourth option. Allows you to combine three vegetable crops, these are tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet bell pepper. But the greenhouse must be large. Inner space Divide into three zones: place tomatoes in the middle, because this is where the best ventilation is.
Plant cucumbers on the south side, because they need frequent watering. And don’t forget that you need to do this in the morning, and ventilate during the day so that the moist air does not stagnate.
Well, accordingly, there is a place left on the north side, stick the peppers there. They are not afraid of aphids, and proximity to tomatoes will be a good condition for fruiting.
That's all for me. This is the note for today, I hope you found answers to your questions. Write your reviews and comments. Come visit more often, there will be many more interesting things. Add the site to your bookmarks and join the group in contact. See you soon everyone!
Sincerely, Ekaterina Mantsurova
Once you have decided on tomato seeds and were able to buy seedlings according to your climate zone, you can think about planting the seeds. If you have prepared seeds for tomato seedlings, obtained from tomato fruits with your own hands, then an example of planting and growing will help you.
How nice it is to pick up a tomato and even more pleasant to realize that you yourself planted its seeds in the ground, raised seedlings and then planted them in a real garden bed. With certain skills and experience, this is not so difficult.
All gardeners sow tomato seeds differently. It all depends where you purchased them: bought them in a store or collected them from your own tomatoes.
If you bought them in a store in factory packaging, you can plant them dry or wet and apply only hardening.
And when you make seeds with your own hands at home, you need to calibrate, warm up, disinfect, treat with growth stimulants, and harden.
The timing of sowing seeds for tomato seedlings depends on the growing zone. In the Urals, Siberia and central Russia, there is no need to sow before February 20. With more early When sowing, the seedlings will be overgrown and weak. This will lead to the loss of a significant part of the crop.
Now we live in 2018 and according to the Lunar calendar, the landing (favorable) days are:
Non-landing (not favorable) days in 2018 are:
For all events pre-sowing preparation seeds require 10 days. This means that they need to start ten days before better day sowing according to the lunar calendar.
If you prefer to sow dry seeds, do so two days before the best sowing day according to the Lunar calendar to give the seeds time to swell and for the biochemical process of cell division to begin in them.
The container for planting (be it a wooden box, peat pots or plastic cups) should not be very deep - no more than 6-7 cm in height. It must be filled with well-moistened soil mixture, not reaching the top edge 2 cm.
Compact the soil with a tablespoon, add soil if necessary, compact again and spread the seeds on the surface of the soil at a distance of 1 x 1 cm. Pour 2 cm of dry soil on top and compact again with a spoon.
Cover the container with glass or film and place in a dark place.
At a temperature of 28-32 degrees, the seeds will sprout in 4-5 days, at 24-26 - in 6-8 days, at 20-23 - in 7-9 days. They will sprout even at lower temperatures, but only after two weeks, or even later.
The best seedlings are those that appear after a week at 25 degrees. The very first shoots do not mean the best. The best ones are those that sprout together, as a whole group. Plants that are significantly (4-5 days) behind the main group should be immediately discarded.
Weak plants germinate later, without shedding the seed coat, they have fused cotyledons, the first true leaves - irregular shape, they lag behind the rest in growth and development. But if some of the seeds were sown a little deeper than the rest, they will sprout later.
And at the same time, a good, strong plant will not shed the shell from a seed that was sown too small, or the soil was not compacted after sowing. Hence the conclusion:
Seeds must be sown at the same and desired depth (from 1 to 2 cm), and the soil must be compacted after sowing.
After following these simple rules, you can easily discard weak plants.
Not all gardeners are guided by the Lunar calendar, so we will frankly discuss the timing of sowing seedlings. It is known that for different varieties and hybrids - the timing is different. For large-fruited tall tomatoes, the age of seedlings should be 60-75 days after emergence. Taking into account another 5-10 days for these shoots to appear, the seeds should be sown approximately 70-80 days before planting the seedlings in the ground.
There is no need to sow too early. The seedlings will grow and may even bloom; these first flowers will still have to be cut off, because the plant does not yet have a good enough root system.
For the Non-Black Earth and North-Western regions, you want to harvest tomatoes already in mid-July, and this will take about 150 days, then sow tall ones large-fruited tomatoes follows at the very end of February - beginning of March. Then plant them in greenhouses in early to mid-May.
For small-fruited, early-ripening, low-growing varieties seedlings can be planted in greenhouses in the middle - end of May, and in the ground after the end of frost in order to harvest in mid-July. For this, seedlings at the age of 60 days are best suited, and therefore the seeds can be sown on tomato seedlings at the end of March.
There are super-fast-growing tomatoes that are sown in open ground without seedlings. However, in cold regions (Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Volgograd regions and others) you still have to grow them through seedlings. Sowing can be done at the beginning of April at home or directly in the greenhouse if you add biofuel or heat the greenhouses. And when they leave spring frosts, you can plant them in open ground.
And no matter what deadlines are discussed now, it’s all the same for everyone knowledgeable gardener With the experience of the past years, there are times for planting both seeds and seedlings. And the best thing is to keep your gardener’s diary.
In order for a good tomato bush to grow from seeds specially selected according to all the rules, you need to take care of the soil for seedlings in advance. It is best to prepare the soil for it in the fall.
If you have black soil in your garden, then mix it with sand, ash and humus and you will get a nutritious and light soil, in which it will be easy for seeds to germinate. Mix black soil, humus and sand in the following ratios 2:2:1. Then sift through a large sieve with 6-9 mm cells.
If you do not have black soil or you are afraid of introducing pests with your garden soil, then you can use ready-made peat mixtures. But they may lack nitrogen and phosphorus. You can make your own soil mixture using the same peat.
For each bucket of peat, take half a bucket of sand and a liter jar of wood ash. Stir - done!
Instead of peat, you can use sphagnum moss, pine needles or sawdust. They must be taken in the same proportions with sand and ash as peat. Only sawdust and pine needles must first be poured with boiling water, cooled, the water drained, poured with boiling water again, cooled, the water drained and only then sand and ash added. When using fresh sawdust, it is a good idea to add 5 tbsp to the mixture. spoons of any nitrogen fertilizer.
Such soil is good because the organic component in it rots slowly, and therefore, while the seedlings are growing, the chemical composition of the soil does not change, the temperature is approximately constant, and there are no pathogens or pest larvae in it.
In general, there are a lot of recipes for preparing land for tomato seedlings. Gardeners try, experiment, observe, record and draw conclusions in their own way. best recipe soil mixtures.
It is better to store the prepared soil in the cold - this will help further disinfect it. Store it on a cold balcony or garage. The cold will not only kill microorganisms, but will also help get rid of earthworms. There is no place for them in a box or seedling pots; they will simply eat the young roots of the plants.
As you already understand, it is more convenient to sow tomato seeds first in a common container (box), and then transplant them into small cups and larger containers.
Their advantage is that one variety can be sown in one container.
Tomatoes easily tolerate transplantation and in general - the more transplants, the stronger the plant. In tomatoes, the damaged root system quickly recovers and, when broken, the sucking hairs begin to grow even thicker.
To grow seedlings, you can use various containers that have drainage holes in the bottom. It is better not to use wooden containers, since it is difficult to remove pathogens from wood.
Plastic trays or bowls are best. Some people use kefir or milk bags - cut out the side wall and the sowing box is ready. Again, lactic acid bacteria can remain in such bags, which will then pass into the soil and mold will appear on its surface.
Therefore, it is better to use other available containers, for example, plastic rectangular boxes with lids for cookies, sweets, and juice. You can use plastic or paper cups. They need to be prepared in large quantities and do not forget to make 2-3 drainage holes with a diameter of 0.5 cm in the bottom of each.
You can buy a set of special pots with a removable bottom on a pallet. When replanting, it will be easy, by pressing your finger on the bottom, to push the entire lump of earth with roots out of the pot. The result is neat cubes of earth entwined with roots.
If we consider a budget option, then you can plant the seedlings in plastic bags, where the volume and shape are given with the help of a stapler, make holes and place them tightly in any cardboard box covered with plastic film.
It all depends on your capabilities and imagination.
Popular wisdom says: Forewarned is forearmed! And one more thing: Knowledge is power!
The reasons for the failure of seeds to germinate on tomato seedlings can be different and here are some of them:
So, we have prepared the soil for seeds for tomato seedlings, determined favorable days for sowing, recommended containers for growing seedlings, and in the next article we will talk about caring for seedlings and how to properly grow them at home.
Tomatoes are one of the favorite crops of all summer residents, so with the onset of the new season, each of them begins to plan sowing tomato seeds for seedlings. After all, it is very important to initially plant correctly and then grow strong seedlings, which, after planting in open ground or a greenhouse, can quickly gain strength and begin to bear fruit.
To get strong and healthy seedlings tomatoes, you need to follow a number of simple recommendations.
The sowing procedure must be carried out according to all the rules, and first:
Note! The site already has a detailed article about, including favorable days for planting in 2019, according to the lunar calendar.
Advice! Read more on pre-sowing preparation and processing of tomato seeds You can .
As a rule, the main measures for preparing and processing tomato seeds before sowing include the following:
You can also pickle tomato seeds in chlorhexidine, brilliant green, garlic infusion and aloe juice.
Alternatively, you can soak the seeds in an infusion of wood ash (1 tablespoon per 500 ml of water, let stand for 2 days), in which you need to soak the seeds, wrapped in a gauze bag, for 4-5 hours.
Note! You also need to germinate it correctly: if you simply immerse the seeds in water, then no effect will follow, because they require oxygen to awaken them. Therefore, the seeds need to be soaked in a damp cloth (precisely in a cloth or cotton pads, since they can grow roots into the gauze) so that both moisture and air have access to them. For example, putting them (seeds in cotton pads) on a saucer or in a jar, and covering the top with a plastic bag (cling film) so that the inside is moist. Next, put it in a warm place where the temperature is above +22 degrees, but not above +30, optimally - + 24-28 degrees.
Video: preparing tomato seeds for sowing - pre-sowing treatment
Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to watch the following videos, which debunk many myths about seed treatment methods, especially about the use of potassium permanganate and hydrogen peroxide.
Video: preparing tomato seeds for planting - disinfection and dressing of seeds
Note! If you purchased coated, granulated, glazed purchased seeds, they do not require any pre-sowing preparation. Manufacturers have already processed these seeds and covered them with a special organo-mineral coating. They need to be sown immediately, and dry.
To activate everything vitality tomatoes, you need to choose a suitable substrate.
The soil mixture itself should be loose, light and nutritious, and its acidity should be close to neutral (6-6.5 pH).
In garden stores you can purchase ready-made special soil for tomato seedlings (it is also suitable for growing peppers and eggplants), which already contains all the necessary components.
But if you wish, you can prepare the substrate for tomato seedlings yourself at home using one of the following recipes:
Recipe No. 1:
By the way! As a leavening agent(i.e. instead of sand or moss) can also be used perlite.
Or here's another recipe:
Another option:
And one more recipe:
Important! A week before sowing tomato seeds, the soil should be disinfected.
For this you need soil bake in the oven(a couple of hours at a temperature of about 70 degrees), and also spill the solution potassium permanganate richly Pink colour. Or use a more powerful drug.
Video: soil for tomato seedlings
There are several common types of seedling containers for sowing tomatoes. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, and therefore any gardener selects exactly those that he likes best, and also based on his capabilities.
The main thing is that the planting container has drainage holes to drain excess water. Or it is worth pouring a drainage layer (for example, from expanded clay) onto the bottom of the container.
In addition to the main types, many gardeners use improvised containers: yogurt cups, carton boxes from dairy products, plastic buckets from pickles or preserves (jams) and others.
Video: containers for seedlings: pros and cons
For proper cultivation seedlings should maintain a certain distance between seeds, since seedlings will need some space during growth
Important! When the seedlings are dense, the tomato seedlings will begin to stretch out, and the risk of developing fungal diseases will also increase.
When sowing in a common container, it is recommended to place tomato seeds in shallow (1 cm) grooves with a mandatory distance of 1-2 cm. And between the rows (grooves) themselves, it is necessary to leave a distance of 3-4 cm.
Naturally, the less frequently tomato seeds are planted, the longer the seedlings can remain in the seedling container. However, you will still have to dive them, so there is no point in doing too much long distances between the seeds.
Naturally, when planting individually in individual containers, you need to sow 1 seed in each, although to be more sure, especially if you do not germinate the seeds, it is better to sow 2 in order to leave the strongest plant in the future.
Actually, with this method of sowing, you can grow without picking, you just need to immediately take 0.5 liter containers.
Only by following all stages of planting can you count on the desired result ( strong seedlings tomatoes), which means that strict implementation of the recommendations will help to avoid annoying mistakes that will jeopardize the future harvest.
Step-by-step instruction planting tomato seeds for seedlings:
Video: sowing tomato seeds for seedlings
The further development of seedlings depends entirely on proper care.
In order for the seedlings to grow strong, it is worth taking into account the basic conditions of their maintenance and care rules.
After the first shoots appear and the shelter is removed, it is necessary to reduce the temperature of the seedlings to +14-18 degrees during the day and +10-14 at night for 5-7 days.
This measure will reduce the active growth of green mass (the seedlings will not stretch) and will allow roots to develop.
In the future, for normal growth of tomato seedlings, it will be necessary to create a temperature difference - during the day - +22-26 degrees, at night - +14-18 degrees.
Temperature changes contribute to the hardening of plants.
For full growth and development, tomato seedlings require 11-12 hours of daylight.
Most suitable place there will be a southern window sill to accommodate seedlings. East or west will also work, and even better if it is southeast or southwest.
If you only have a northern window sill or you often have cloudy weather, then you will definitely need supplement the seedlings with special phytolamps.
Watering tomato seedlings should be done as the substrate dries, avoiding overwatering and drying out of the roots. It is necessary to moisten carefully, especially the soil, avoiding moisture getting on the foliage. At the same time, you need to water it abundantly so that the entire earthen lump has time to soak. The water should be warm or at least room temperature, pre-settled.
Note! Waterlogging of the soil, combined with insufficient light and elevated temperatures, leads to strong elongation of plant stems.
Video: caring for tomato seedlings from germination to picking
Tomato seedlings (unlike peppers and eggplants) tolerate picking well.
Further care for tomato seedlings is similar: you need to continue to maintain temperature and light conditions, as well as water on time and start fertilizing, if necessary.
If you properly prepare the soil, then you don’t have to feed the seedlings at all, especially before picking. But if poor soil was initially used, then fertilizing is recommended even before picking. Moreover, if the appearance of the seedlings clearly hints that the plant lacks some macro- or microelements. In this case, fertilizing is simply necessary.
10-14 days before planting tomato seedlings on permanent place you should start hardening the seedlings.
This is necessary so that the seedlings adapt to harsher outdoor conditions, because before that they grew in a comfortable home environment.
This is quite simple to do: you need to gradually begin to take the seedlings into a greenhouse or onto a balcony (loggia), where the temperature is lower (both day and night), first for 1-2 hours during the day, and finally for the whole day.
Video: tomato seedlings - from picking to planting
Growing tomato seedlings is painstaking work, the result of which can be jeopardized by simple mistakes in caring for young seedlings. There are a number of problems and diseases of seedlings that can negate all the efforts of the gardener:
By the way! About, what to do if tomato seedlings begin to turn yellow, and you cannot identify the disease, read.
Video: problems when growing tomato seedlings and how to solve them
As for timing, tomato seedlings are planted only when the threat of the last spring frost has passed and the soil has warmed up sufficiently.
Note! The site already has 2 materials about when and how to plant tomato seedlings correctly, and also about its rules further cultivation :
Video: when and how to plant tomatoes - detailed instructions from sowing to harvesting
In contact with
Preface
Many beginners in gardening ask the question: “How to plant tomato seedlings correctly?” Let's look at the intricacies of preparing seedlings, caring for them and transplanting them into open ground.
To plant seedlings, first of all, you need to grow them. The first step on the path to sowing will be preparing the purchased seeds for planting. To do this, prepare a solution by adding 2 tablespoons of salt to water and boiling it. Next, pour the purchased seeds into the liquid and after 5 minutes, remove the seeds that float to the surface. Wash the remaining seed thoroughly and use it for growing.
Strong tomato seedlings
The next step is to disinfect the seeds. To do this, they will need to be treated with a one percent solution of potassium permanganate and rinsed again. After this, the seeds are enriched mineral fertilizers. You can buy ready-made mixtures or prepare fertilizers yourself. To do this, take:
Mix all ingredients in 1 liter of water and soak the seeds in the mixture for a day. After this, drain the solution and place the seeds on a wet cloth.
To get healthy tomato seedlings, you will need to prepare soil for seed germination. The soil should be moderately moist, nutritious and loose. For cultivation large varieties For tomatoes, it is best to prepare turf soil with the addition of sand and humus. To normalize the acidity of the soil, 0.4 liters of resin and 150 g of chalk are added to every 10 liters of soil. This mixture will be an excellent analogue of expensive soil from the store.
In most cases, gardeners grow a large number of tomatoes. Therefore, we advise you to sow the seeds in wide containers, and after germination, plant the seedlings in separate containers. Some lovers use paper milk containers as containers. This is quite convenient, but lactic acid bacteria remain on the walls of the containers, which can cause mold to appear in the soil. Further transplantation vegetables can be carried out in containers made from plastic bottles or peat pots. Drainage holes must be made at the bottom of each vessel so that water does not stagnate in them.
Before you start, you need to first fill the containers with prepared soil 2 cm below the top edge. After this, the soil must be watered, covered with glass or plastic wrap and left for 24 hours. The next day, remove the cover and make longitudinal grooves no more than 5 mm deep. We plant the seed in these grooves, bury it and water the soil on top with a solution of potassium permanganate. Next, the vessels are again covered with film and placed next to the battery.
The first shoots will appear within a week after sowing. As soon as you notice them, remove the film to allow the seedlings to breathe. Move the containers with seedlings to a cooler, well-lit area. After another week, the air temperature in the room will need to be increased to 23 °C.
Tomato seedlings
After several true leaves appear on the stems of the seedlings, the plants need to be transplanted into separate containers. Correct fit Tomato requires pinching the main roots of the seedlings so that in the future the root system develops even more actively. In addition, the seedlings need to be hardened off. To do this, lower the room temperature to 16 °C.
The process requires regular feeding. The first time additives are made 10 days after picking. A solution of 8 liters of water, 50 g of superphosphate and 4 g of urea is suitable for this purpose. The second time, the seedlings need to be fed after another 15 days. After applying fertilizers, the soil needs to be watered and loosened. After planting tomato seedlings, you need to constantly monitor the amount of water and light intensity. Many beginners grow seedlings incorrectly, pouring very large amounts of water into containers. As a result, the plants begin to rot and die.
In early May, grown and strengthened tomato seedlings should be planted in protected soil. After a month, the seedlings will be completely ready for planting into open soil. The planted plants will grow quickly and give good harvest, if you choose for them a well-lit area of the garden with sandy or loamy soil.
Landing in the ground
In order to protect the seedlings from fungal diseases, 10 days before planting in the garden, the area needs to be treated with a solution of copper sulfate. Next, holes are made in the ground, 5–6 cm deep. Seedlings are placed in each of them and covered with soil. Immediately after transplanting the plants, it is necessary to water them and stick a small peg near each seedling. In the future, the seedlings will be tied to pegs so that the wind does not break them.
By following the tips listed above, you can grow healthy seedlings and reap a rich harvest in the future. However, you shouldn't relax. After all, very often pests appear in the garden - your direct competitors for tasty and vitamin-rich tomatoes.
Having learned how to properly plant tomato seedlings, you need to pay attention to pest control. Very often, tomato seedlings suffer from mole crickets. This pest reproduces well on wet soils. The mole cricket loves potatoes, but often it does not disdain tomato seedlings, gnawing the underground part of their stems.
To combat mole crickets, you can use various folk and chemical remedies. Among the latter it should be noted "Grizzly", "Medvetox", "Phenaxin Plus" And "Thunder". These drugs have a strong effect, but their fumes are quite dangerous to human health. Therefore, when working with these chemicals, you need to use a protective mask and gloves.
Seedlings after mole cricket
To prevent and control this pest, you must adhere to the following rules:
Another dangerous pest tomatoes - wireworm. He prefers to feast on the underground part of the stems and roots. As a result, the seedlings turn yellow and die. To distract the wireworm from tomato seedlings, you need to bury small pieces of carrots or potatoes in the soil in the garden bed. The places where you buried the vegetables should be marked. After 3 days they will have to be dug up and burned. You can also use “Bazudin” for fighting. It needs to be mixed with sand and sawdust and buried near each bush.
At night, tomato seedlings may be attacked by cutworms. At first, the larvae of this butterfly eat the upper parts of the leaves, and later they are mistaken for flowers and ovaries. However, the matter does not end there. As soon as green fruits appear on the bushes, the grown larvae begin to feed on them. To combat the cutworm population, it is necessary to plant calendula around the perimeter of the garden bed. The bed itself should be sprayed twice a week with a tincture of garlic arrows and infusion of burdock leaves.
Well known to many summer residents powdery mildew It affects many vegetable crops, including tomatoes. This disease occurs as a result of the appearance of a fungus that forms in a greenhouse under conditions of high humidity. To overcome the disease, it is necessary to spray the seedlings with fungicides in time. The best means for this would be: “ Fundazol", "Topaz" And "Vitaros". When using these drugs, you must strictly adhere to the dosage and safety regulations.
Sign of necrosis
A rather dangerous disease is stem necrosis. This viral disease forms on the stems of fully formed bushes and then spreads to the fruits. At the same time, cracks appear on the bottom of the tomatoes, in which, in turn, aerial roots form. Necrosis can appear not only on grown bushes, but also on seeds. Before sowing, the seeds must be treated with potassium permanganate, and the sprouted bushes must be sprayed with a 0.2% Fitolavina solution.
Macrosporiasis is included in the list of the most dangerous viral diseases that affect the leaves and stems of plants. At the same time, brown oval spots appear on the bushes, which merge over time. As a result, the leaves fall off and the stem dies. To combat macrosporiosis, you need to use copper-based preparations. Diseased branches and leaves should be removed from the bushes immediately.
Another viral disease of tomatoes is mosaic. This dangerous disease affects bushes at high temperatures, coloring their leaves in the form of a mosaic. In this case, sometimes brown spots form on unripe fruits, which develop into rot. The main carrier of the mosaic is considered to be unprocessed tomato seeds. Before planting, they need to be kept in a solution of potassium permanganate. When the first signs of disease are detected on grown bushes, the seedlings should be sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.
