Mulching tomatoes in the greenhouse and in open ground refers to the main and mandatory requirements for the care of tomatoes. It is necessary to do it to increase the quantity and quality of the crop. Not every gardener knows what mulching is and how to mulch tomatoes correctly so that they bear fruit abundantly.
Mulching tomatoes in open ground differs from mulching in a greenhouse. It is necessary to study how the mulching of tomatoes occurs in the greenhouse and in the open space. Various materials are suitable for mulching, which serve well as protection against various diseases, drying out of the soil, direct sunlight, as well as the growth of weeds.
The essence of this process
Tomato mulching is the process of covering the soil around the plants various materials... Mulch is a layer of fine material that sits on top of the soil. The action of this process has a very beneficial effect on the harvest.
The main functions of mulching:
- Decorative - that is, it is used as a coating in order to decorate the beds, make them better, more beautiful;
- Maintaining the right level moisture and acidity;
- Protective function - protects from cold, rain, weeds, from pollution;
- The soil under the mulch needs to be loosened less often, as it hardens less. As a result, more oxygen is supplied to the roots;
- The material used for mulching can later be used as fertilizer, making the soil fertile for tomatoes.
The essence of this process is quite simple: choose suitable material, chop it up, lay tomato bushes around on top of the soil. Anything can be used as mulch: moss, stones, hay, bark, paper, and even film.
What material can be used
The type of matter that can be used for the mulching process is divided into organic and inorganic. The choice of material depends on the means of the summer resident, imagination, on the availability of improvised items and what grows next to the site.
Organic matter is natural, natural matter, under which the soil will breathe better, then it can still be used as fertilizer. Not everyone knows what types of organic mulch are allowed to be used for tomatoes, whether it is possible to mulch tomatoes with sawdust, needles, bark, foliage.
Each material has its own advantage over cultivated plants... Sawdust protects against pests, saturates the soil with oxygen, nutrients easily get to the root system. Hay and straw prevents harmful insects from settling, keeps warm and moisture, which tomatoes love. Peat protects well from overheating, rain, wind.
You need to be careful with materials such as coniferous needles, foliage, grass. Although they are an excellent accessible item, they increase the acidity of the soil, they can rot, reproduce harmful insects. Moss or sphagnum is often used to mulch tomatoes. Moss is great for retaining moisture, protecting from weeds, and it also looks very beautiful in the beds.
Inorganic substances mainly have decorative function... There is nice pictures on sites where mulch is used specifically for design purposes. It can be cardboard, paper, stones, shells, crushed stone, expanded clay, film. They are used mainly on open soils, rarely for tomatoes. Sometimes they put a film, but pests will easily start under it, there will be strong overheating, the air will not pass well. But inorganic mulch does not allow weeds to grow, keeps moisture and warmth.
General rules and requirements for mulching
There are a few important rules for mulching, which must be performed in order to have a bountiful harvest.
- The soil is mulched when it is sufficiently warmed up by the spring sun, it is worth waiting for the end of the frost.
- The soil, before mulching, must be well loosened, dug up, watered, and weeds removed from it.
- The thickness of the flooring should be approximately 3-6 centimeters. Mulch is placed under the tomatoes, leaving a little distance from the stem and leaves.
- Full cleaning of mulch is carried out in the fall. But if these are organic matters, then you can dig up the soil with them, and use them as humus. This is usually moss, husks, hay.
- Lime or chalk can be sprinkled on the top layer so that the soil does not oxidize strongly from mulch items.
- It is not recommended to use a transparent film, under it the earth is very hot from the sun, air exchange is disturbed, the roots may die.
There is a description of how to properly mulch in a greenhouse and on open beds for a tomato.
How to do it right in a greenhouse
The question of how to mulch tomato bushes in greenhouses exists among many novice summer residents. It is very important to wait for the soil to warm up. You can do this in early summer. If the greenhouse is heated, mulching can be done immediately after planting the seedlings. Before mulching tomatoes in the greenhouse, you need to prepare the ground.
It is loosened, weeds are removed. Then layers of crushed substances are placed on it.
Mulched artificial materials laid on the beds and sprinkled lightly with earth. Cardboard, paper and film are stacked in one layer. The film should be darkened. It should sometimes be opened to ventilate the plants.
Among organic substances, moss is perfect for greenhouses. , bark, sawdust, peat, dry straw. They allow the root system to breathe and improve soil fertility. Mulching will significantly increase yields, allow you to forget about watering for a while, and reduce the threat of fungal diseases.
Open ground
Mulching tomatoes outdoors is similar to mulching in greenhouses. it the best option protect tomatoes from wind, rain, sun and pollution. But here it is important to wait until mid-June, when the earth warms up well, when night temperatures become normal, and there will be no frosts.
Of artificial materials, they mainly use dark film, cardboard or paper. Spunbond is a more breathable covering material that allows air to pass through, keeps you warm, and protects against the growth of weeds.
From organic matter, moss, small sawdust, dry straw are better suited. It is laid in an even layer of 5 centimeters, retreating from the stem. Husks, dirt, rind should not be used, as they do not contain required amount nutrients... Bark conifers and the needles are not suitable for tomatoes.
It is important to remember that organic materials are laid out after planting the seedlings, and inorganic materials - before.
Soil mulching is a process that requires a careful and judicious approach. It is necessary to figure out how to mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse, how to do it in the open field, what to use as a material for mulch, at what time it should be done. If everything is done correctly, then the tomatoes will answer bountiful harvest and rich taste.
Even having a greenhouse on the site, it is not always possible to get early harvest tomatoes. After all, success in this endeavor largely depends on the microclimate. To create favorable conditions for tomatoes grown in the greenhouse, gardeners have resorted to various methods. One of the most effective is mulching, thanks to which you can significantly accelerate the ripening process of the crop and increase it.
Not everyone knows that mulching also makes it easier to care for plants. And if you decide to use this technique to increase the yield of tomatoes and its quality, then you need to know a number of features regarding the correct conduct of this procedure.
In principle, tomatoes can be grown without mulching. However, in this case, it is hardly possible to guarantee that the gardener will receive an equally high-quality and rich harvest of this crop.
Speaking about the essence of mulching, it should be noted that it refers to the placement of organic or artificial materials on the surface of the soil where the crop is grown, which should help in regulating the process. soil saturation oxygen and moisture.
Regarding tomatoes, it should be noted that mulch helps significantly reduce drying time the top layer of the soil, leading to the appearance of a surface crust, which does not allow air to circulate normally in the soil. But this is not the only plus that this agrotechnical technique provides. And also mulching has other advantages:
- Thanks to the layer of mulch located on the surface of the soil with plants, protection from the sun's rays is provided, and a barrier is created that does not allow weeds to germinate, causing considerable harm to vegetables.
- The use of grass and other organic materials as mulch contributes to the slow heating of the lower layer, which becomes an excellent food for worms that process it into humus. Mulching allows you to abandon the use of additional fertilizers or reduce their amount.
- Thanks to mulching in the greenhouse, the soil remains moist longer, and it also prevents the top layer from drying out after watering. Due to this procedure, you can simplify the care of plants, reduce the frequency of watering and loosening the soil.
- Greenhouse mulching can solve the problem of moisture evaporation from the ground. Considering that in a closed space, plants have to be watered abundantly and often, in the greenhouse, due to evaporation, it is constantly maintained high humidity, and this has an extremely negative effect on the growth and development of tomatoes and creates favorable conditions for the appearance of late blight and other diseases.
- Regular mulching can significantly facilitate the process of watering tomatoes, since the water supplied to the plants does not erode the topsoil.
- Mulching allows you to accelerate the ripening of fruits and increase their number.
Mulch types
To carry out mulching of horticultural crops, gardeners use two types of materials:
- organic origin;
- special coatings produced by industrial enterprises.
Organic Mulching Materials
Organic materials are best suited for mulching tomatoes. This is explained by the fact that during the entire gardening season, such mulch performs two main functions.
In addition to creating a favorable microclimate for plants, it decomposes over time, turning into humus, which is known to be a very good fertilizer.
The choice of materials for mulching largely affects which microelements will enter the soil in the form of fertilizer. Based on this, it is possible to choose materials that provide the entry into the soil of precisely those trace elements, the lack of which is present in a particular area.
Organic mulch should include such materials known to every gardener as hay, shavings, dry leaves, weeded out young syrniki with unripe seeds, humus, straw, newspapers and cardboard.
For mulching tomatoes in the greenhouse straw is perfect... It should be placed on the surface of the soil with a thickness of 10-15 cm. As a result of this procedure, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing diseases such as anthracnose, early rot, leaf spot.
Straw not only perfectly retains heat in the soil, but also perfectly permeates oxygen to the roots of plants. But at the same time, it can be a great place for rodents and insect pests. Therefore, in order to prevent this, it is necessary to regularly check the straw mulch.
Meadow grass or weeded young weeds that did not have time to form seeds. However, it is recommended to lay the grass around the tomatoes in such a layer that, after settling, its thickness is at least 5 cm.
Deciding to use as mulch meadow grass, you should prepare yourself for the fact that it will have to be updated regularly. This is due to the property of the herb to decompose quickly. But at the same time, the mulch option under consideration has its advantages, the main of which is that it is able to provide plants with such useful micronutrient like nitrogen.
Plants can be of great benefit forestry mulch... It can also provide them with protection from weeds and drying out of the soil, and in addition to this, increase the content of trace elements and beneficial bacteria in the soil.
So, if you have doubts about the advisability of using such material for tomatoes, then just go to the forest and stock up on this mulch, after which you yourself will see how effective these materials can be.
If there is such an opportunity, then mulching tomatoes can be carried out with materials from mixed and coniferous forests. Woody material is preferred due to its high strength unlike vegetable.
From this it follows that it will not require renewal for a longer time and at the same time it will perfectly retain moisture. In most cases, crushed bark garden trees and fruit bushes mulch. It can also be used for vegetables grown in greenhouses.
To get the most out of mulching the soil with wood material, you need to follow these guidelines:
- Be sure to dry under cover before using wood material.
- After you lay the crushed bark or sawdust in a layer of 8 cm, be sure to pour them with a 5% urea solution.
- Keep in mind that the soil will oxidize over time. This can be avoided by sprinkling chalk or slaked lime on the surface immediately after mulching.
A good effect is the use of compost as mulch for tomatoes. For its preparation, you can take any waste that can decompose. Surely everyone on the site has a fairly large number of weeds, household waste, old papers, rotten hay.
From all this you can get excellent nutritional mix for vegetables. If you decide to use compost for tomatoes, remember to spread it on the surface in a layer of 3 cm.
For the best effect, it is recommended to mulch not with compost alone, but in combination with other types of materials. Then it will be processed much faster by worms. As an alternative to the above materials, you can use for mulching greenhouse tomatoes and newspapers.
Remember that paper is made from processed wood. Mulch soil for tomatoes you can use any newspapers, and not only black and white, but also colored. However, they must first be finely cut and cover the plantings with a thickness of 15 cm. Such a procedure will not only increase the temperature of the soil, but will also allow much longer not to update the mulch, unlike other materials.
Inorganic materials
Today, special artificial materials for mulching can be purchased in shops for gardeners. But experienced summer residents they are suspicious of them, since they believe that the same result can be achieved with the help of polyethylene, burlap and other more affordable means.
While organic materials are more useful, inorganic materials also have their advantages. One of the main advantages is that they can serve the gardener for at least one season. The use of such materials allows create a greenhouse effect in the greenhouse, to which tomatoes respond well to increased growth.
If you decide to use as a mulch film, you need to choose the right material. Pay attention to the fact that it is necessarily red, opaque and strong to protect against weeds.
When you are going to mulch with film, lay it as tightly as possible. This will help raise the soil temperature by one to two degrees. This mulching option should be used in the cold season. With the onset of summer season the film must be removed so that the soil does not overheat.
As mulch for tomatoes, you can use and non-woven fabric with a porous structure that can pass moisture and air.
Such mulching material is very durable - it can be used for 3-5 seasons, and during all this time it protects plants well not only from pests, but also from fungal diseases. True, this material can scare off some gardeners with its high cost.
Never use roofing material as mulch for greenhouse tomatoes. Let it serve you for several seasons and protect you from weeds, keep in mind that this very toxic material... As a result, it can do much more harm than good and negatively affect the future tomato harvest.
Unsuitable material for mulching tomatoes is pure peat... The reason for this is its ability to strongly oxidize the soil. If you do decide to use it, be sure to first mix it with compost or other materials that can neutralize the acidity of the soil.
Have experienced gardeners in the arsenal there are many agrotechnical techniques that help them to consistently receive high yields tomatoes. One of these is mulching - ground cover special materials helping to create favorable conditions for plants.
However, in order to get the most out of this procedure, you need to know how to use correctly this or that material. Please note that not all mulching materials are equally safe. It may turn out that all your efforts will be in vain and you will receive little fruit and low quality at the end of the season.
Growing, you can achieve their earlier ripening, as well as reduce the risk of death of plantings from frost and fungal diseases. However, even when growing a vegetable in a greenhouse, measures are needed to create the maximum favorable conditions... tomatoes in the greenhouse - this is an agronomic technique necessary to accelerate the process of crop maturation and increase its quantity.
Plus, mulching not only benefits the vegetables, but also makes them easier to grow and care for. In order to get the best result in terms of the quantity and quality of the crop, you need to know some of the features of correct mulching. In this article, we will look at how you can mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse in order to achieve good yields.
Why mulch tomatoes
Of course, tomatoes can grow without mulching, the only question is how productive such a cultivation will be. So, mulching is the covering of the soil surface with plants with materials of organic or artificial origin in order to regulate the process of saturation of the soil with oxygen and moisture.
Thus, tomatoes under mulch are protected from drying out the topsoil, in which a surface crust forms, which interferes with air circulation. But the benefits of mulching aren't just that. Consider the main advantages of this agrotechnical event:
- a layer of mulch that covers the ground under the tomatoes does not allow direct sunlight to pass through, preventing germination, which is harmful to vegetables;
- when mulching plantings with grass or other organic materials, their lower layer gradually melts, it is eaten and processed, thus forming and. So, you can do without additional ones or reduce their number.
- under the mulch, soil moisture remains longer, its top layer does not dry out after watering. This makes it easier to care for the planting of tomatoes, eliminating the frequent need for and loosening the soil;
- tomato mulch in the greenhouse prevents moisture from evaporating from the ground. Since they are watered abundantly and often, in an enclosed space, water, when evaporated, creates high humidity, which is detrimental to tomatoes and contributes to the formation of other diseases.
- when mulching, the procedure for watering tomatoes is simplified, since the flow of water does not erode the top layer of the soil;
- under the mulch, ripening is accelerated and the yield increases.
Mulch types
Materials for covering the soil for any crops, including tomatoes, are divided into two groups: materials of organic origin and special coatings that are produced by industry. Below we will take a closer look at how you can mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse, the pros and cons of using various materials.
Organic
Organic materials are preferred for mulching tomato c than artificial, because throughout the year organic mulch, in addition to its main task, performs another important function. Gradually decomposing, organic matter turns into humus and becomes an additional fertilizer for tomatoes. The type of materials also depends on what kind of microelements the soil is nourished with as a result, therefore, you can choose the most suitable ones.
As organic mulch, hay or straw, humus, shavings, small tree bark, dry leaves, needles, husks of cereals and pomes, weeded out young weeds that did not have time to form seeds, as well as cardboard and newspapers are suitable.
Straw as mulch - great stuff for use in a greenhouse. A layer of straw 10-15 cm thick can protect tomatoes from diseases such as early rot,. Straw passes oxygen well to the root system, while being an excellent heat insulator. However, it is worth periodically checking the straw layer of mulch, as rodents or insects can settle in it.
As mulch, meadow grass or weeded out young weeds that have not had time to form seeds are suitable. It is necessary to take a sufficiently thick layer of grass so that after it settles, a height of at least 5 cm remains. This mulch will have to be renewed frequently, since the grass quickly decomposes. But mulching with grass has its advantages: the soil will be constantly fed with microelements.
Shelter for tomatoes made from forest materials is very useful. Such mulch not only protects against weeds and drying out of the soil, but also saturates the planting with microelements and beneficial bacteria... Therefore, those who have doubts about whether it is possible to mulch tomatoes with needles , must definitely find an opportunity to go to the forest and prepare this type of mulch and fertilizer at the same time.
Materials from mixed and coniferous forests are well suited for these purposes. Wood material for mulching (sawdust, bark) is stronger than plant material, therefore it is more durable and better retains moisture. Shredded tree bark is mainly used as mulch for garden trees and fruit bushes as well as for. When mulching with wood material, you must adhere to simple rules:
- use only well-dried wood material;
- the laid layer of sawdust or crushed bark 8 cm thick must be watered with a 5% solution;
- to prevent soil oxidation, sprinkle chalk or slaked lime on top of the mulch layer;
It is also effective to mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse using compost, which can be prepared from any decomposable waste. Over a long period, household waste, old paper, rotten hay and other organic materials become an ideal nutrient mixture for vegetables, including tomatoes. A 3 cm compost layer is sufficient for mulching tomatoes.
It is best to mix compost with other types of mulch as it is quickly processed by worms. Mulching tomatoes in a greenhouse with newspapers is also quite effective, because paper is processed wood. To do this, you can use both black and white and colored newspapers, which are pre-crushed and covered with a layer of about 15 cm thick. Such mulching helps to warm the soil and will last longer than other materials.
Inorganic
There are special artificial materials for caring for tomatoes in greenhouses, for example, agrotex. However, many experienced summer residents consider the purchase of such materials a waste of funds, since they are successfully replaced by polyethylene, burlap, etc. Consider how to properly mulch tomatoes using artificial materials.
Inorganic materials have a number of advantages over organic materials, since they can last much longer: the whole season, or even two, or three. Thanks to the greenhouse effect created by artificial materials, tomatoes grow and develop more actively.
When mulching with film, you need to choose the right material. The film for mulching tomatoes should be red, opaque and strong to prevent weeds from germinating. Cover the tomatoes tightly with foil, this will increase the temperature of the soil by 1-2 degrees. This type of mulching is suitable for the cold season. In summer, the film must be removed to avoid overheating the soil.
Modern gardeners are increasingly resorting to technologies (for example, mulching), thanks to which they manage to get a rich harvest. Most of methods of increasing yields have been known for a long time, but they have recently begun to be actively used in small areas. Today we will tell you what mulching is, and also analyze in detail how and how best to mulch tomatoes.
Mulching tomatoes in a greenhouse is an important agricultural technique
With the onset of the new season, every gardener asks questions: "How to effectively and without special labor costs completely and completely get rid of the hated weeds, preserve moisture in the soil, protect crops from possible overheating, and finally?" The correct answer, surprisingly, is only one - timely mulching of tomatoes growing in greenhouse conditions or in open ground throughout the entire growing season.
Experienced gardeners say that mulching the soil in a greenhouse greatly simplifies the care of tomatoes.
Mulching tomatoes is an effective agrotechnical manipulation that involves covering the soil around a vegetable crop with a special organic material. Due to the influence of microorganisms, after a certain period of time, the friable material decays, and humus forms in its place.
Interesting! Mulch significantly complicates the growth of weeds (they simply do not grow through this layer), retains soil moisture, which is especially appropriate in dry weather.
In terms of its effectiveness, mulching more than replaces the following agricultural work:
- loosening and regular weeding of the earth from unnecessary grass;
- protection of the root system from winter cold;
- preventive measures against diseases and bacteria.
Under a layer of mulch, the earth does not dry out or crack
Regular mulching of tomatoes in the greenhouse guarantees not only obtaining the highest possible yield, but also:
- improving the structure of the land;
- saturation of the soil with microorganisms, so necessary and beneficial for better growth and fruiting plants;
- reduction of moisture losses due to minimal evaporation;
- preservation of air permeability of the soil - a layer of mulching material prevents the earth from caking from rain, which is important when growing tomatoes;
- mulch protects the lower leaves of plants from soil that can get on them, which means that it reduces the likelihood of the appearance of infectious and fungal diseases (spotting, rot, late blight).
Tomatoes in the greenhouse
The problem of protection vegetable beds from stubborn weeds - alas, a headache for gardeners. According to leading breeders, the damage from weeds is commensurate with the total damage from:
- overheating of the soil during a sultry period;
- frosts in early spring;
- excessive precipitation;
- losses from pests.
Mulch types
To achieve a quick result in the fight against weeds will allow the use of herbicides - chemicals for plant protection. However, they all contain toxins, which subsequently accumulate in alarming amounts in vegetables and the human body. Mulching with organic and inorganic means will help to get rid of weeds with little labor costs, and even as safe as possible.
The role of mulch can be played by both natural and artificial material.
The first type of mulch includes compost, straw and hay, mown grasses, needles and fallen leaves, tree bark.
The second type includes polyethylene film, paper and cardboard (unpainted) and non-woven covering materials.
Choosing a material for mulching
Film
Dignity. The material is affordable and very convenient in everyday use. Serves at least 1 year. Ideal for areas where automated drip irrigation is installed. The film is sold in transparent, black and white colors.
Disadvantages. Due to poor ventilation under the film coating, tomatoes are threatened with drying out of the root system, the appearance of fungal diseases and bacteria.
Black film for mulching beds
Flooring technology. The use of the film is possible only after performing a number of measures for preliminary preparation: the planting holes are filled organic fertilizers taking the shape of craters. Then a film is laid over the ground, and its edges are fixed with a small load. In the elevation zones, small cross-shaped incisions are made and tomatoes are planted.
Covering material of non-woven type
Dignity. Despite their high cost, materials of this type are more economical, and their term of use often reaches 5 seasons. Covering black material is spread over the ground, and transparent material is used to cover vegetable crops directly through the bushes.
Geotextile in a greenhouse
Non-woven coating helps to protect plants from frost, insulates root system, prevents the appearance of pests and fungal diseases, ensures the normal development of the culture. Due to their excellent light transmission and porous structure, the materials allow moisture and air to pass through, and in hot weather they cover the soil from the sun.
disadvantages... Nonwovens practically do not have them, except for the high price.
Flooring technology... The method of shelter is similar to that of a film covering.
Paper and cardboard
Dignity... It has a very good effect, therefore it is recommended by specialists, especially if you have the opportunity to get enough material. Paper and cardboard should be unpainted, and it is better to abandon the use of newspapers right away: they contain a large number of lead paint, which is considered the strongest carcinogen.
Cardboard is inconvenient because it requires frequent replacement.
Disadvantages. It gets soaked quickly, looks unpresentable, moldy at high humidity, slugs can start in it - the main disadvantages of this material.
Advice! Such mulch needs periodic turning and tedding, and by the end of the season, the cardboard is removed to the compost pit.
Flooring technology... Before laying, paper and cardboard are shredded.
Mulch from hay, straw
Dignity. Excellent organic material with excellent thermal insulation properties protects against weeds, leads to good yields both in greenhouse conditions and when growing tomatoes in open spaces.
Disadvantages. The straw cover attracts rodents and insects to the root system of horticultural crops. And mulching with herbs often leads to their insemination right on the beds with tomatoes.
Mulching tomato beds with hay
Flooring technology. The material is laid out in the planting zone.
Compost
Dignity. Compost is designed to be the best and most effective mulching material for tomatoes. However, it should be used with extreme caution, because it contains great amount nutrients. It is important not to overfeed the culture, otherwise the bushes will "go away" in growth, and practically will not tie the fruit.
Compost will not only mulch the soil, but also saturate it with mineral elements
Processing technology... Ideally, the compost is mixed with other mulching materials (sawdust, grass cuttings).
Mulch from needles, sawdust, spruce and tree bark
One thing can be said about these materials: they are rarely used as mulch for beds with tomatoes, but if it is necessary to cover for the winter, then it is better not to find the material.
Advice! If you nevertheless decide to cultivate the soil with these wood materials, keep them for a year: the aged material will bring great value and will not acidify the soil.
As a result, note that correct technology mulching tomato beds will bring the gardener a delicious, rich harvest of tomatoes. Believe me, if they knew how to speak, they would certainly thank you for your concern!
Mulching the soil in the greenhouse: video
Mulching the soil for tomatoes: photo
Modern gardeners are increasingly resorting to technologies (for example, mulching), thanks to which they manage to get a rich harvest. Most of the methods for increasing yields have been known for a long time, but they have only recently begun to be actively used in small areas. Today we will tell you what mulching tomatoes in a summer cottage is, and we will also analyze in detail how and how best to mulch tomatoes.
Mulching tomatoes in a greenhouse is an important agricultural technique
With the onset of a new season, every gardener asks questions: "How to effectively and without special labor costs completely and completely get rid of the hated weeds, preserve moisture in the soil, protect crops from possible overheating, and, finally, achieve an early fantastic harvest?" The correct answer, surprisingly, is only one - timely mulching of tomatoes growing in greenhouse conditions or in open ground throughout the entire growing season.
Experienced gardeners say that mulching the soil in a greenhouse greatly simplifies the care of tomatoes.
Mulching tomatoes is an effective agrotechnical manipulation that involves covering the soil around a vegetable crop with a special organic material. Due to the influence of microorganisms, after a certain period of time, the friable material decays, and humus forms in its place.
Interesting! Mulch significantly complicates the growth of weeds (they simply do not grow through this layer), retains soil moisture, which is especially appropriate in dry weather.
In terms of its effectiveness, mulching more than replaces the following agricultural work:
- loosening and regular weeding of the earth from unnecessary grass;
- protection of the root system from winter cold;
- preventive measures against diseases and bacteria.
Under a layer of mulch, the earth does not dry out or crack
Regular mulching of tomatoes in the greenhouse guarantees not only obtaining the highest possible yield, but also:
- improving the structure of the land;
- saturation of the soil with microorganisms, which are so necessary and useful for better growth and fruiting of the plant;
- reduction of moisture losses due to minimal evaporation;
- preservation of air permeability of the soil - a layer of mulching material prevents the earth from caking from rain, which is important when growing tomatoes;
- mulch protects the lower leaves of plants from soil that can get on them, which means that it reduces the likelihood of the appearance of infectious and fungal diseases (spotting, rot, late blight).
Tomatoes in the greenhouse
The problem of protecting vegetable beds from stubborn weeds is, alas, a headache for gardeners. According to leading breeders, the damage from weeds is commensurate with the total damage from:
- overheating of the soil during a sultry period;
- frosts in early spring;
- excessive precipitation;
- losses from pests.
Mulch types
Achieve a quick result in the fight against weeds will allow the use of herbicides - chemical preparations for plant protection. However, they all contain toxins, which subsequently accumulate in alarming amounts in vegetables and the human body. Mulching with organic and inorganic means will help to get rid of weeds with little labor costs, and even as safe as possible.
The role of mulch can be played by both natural and artificial material.
The first type of mulch includes compost, straw and hay, mown grasses, needles and fallen leaves, tree bark.
The second type includes polyethylene film, paper and cardboard (unpainted) and non-woven covering materials.
Choosing a material for mulching
Film
Dignity. The material is affordable and very convenient in everyday use. Serves at least 1 year. Ideal for areas where automated drip irrigation is installed. The film is sold in transparent, black and white colors.
Disadvantages. Due to poor ventilation under the film coating, tomatoes are threatened with drying out of the root system, the appearance of fungal diseases and bacteria.
Black film for mulching beds
Flooring technology. The use of the film is possible only after a number of preliminary preparation measures have been completed: the planting holes are filled with organic fertilizers, taking the form of craters. Then a film is laid over the ground, and its edges are fixed with a small load. In the elevation zones, small cross-shaped incisions are made and tomatoes are planted.
Covering material of non-woven type
Dignity. Despite their high cost, materials of this type are more economical, and their term of use often reaches 5 seasons. Covering black material is spread over the ground, and transparent material is used to cover vegetable crops directly over the bushes.
Geotextile in a greenhouse
The non-woven coating helps to protect plants from frost, insulates the root system, prevents the appearance of pests and fungal diseases, and ensures normal development of the culture. Due to their excellent light transmission and porous structure, the materials allow moisture and air to pass through, and in hot weather they cover the soil from the sun.
disadvantages... Nonwovens practically do not have them, except for the high price.
Flooring technology... The method of shelter is similar to that of a film covering.
Paper and cardboard
Dignity... It has a very good effect, therefore it is recommended by specialists, especially if you have the opportunity to get enough material. Paper and cardboard should be unpainted, and it is better to refuse to use newspapers right away: they contain a large amount of lead paint, which is considered the strongest carcinogen.
Cardboard is inconvenient because it requires frequent replacement.
Disadvantages. It gets soaked quickly, looks unpresentable, moldy at high humidity, slugs can start in it - the main disadvantages of this material.
Advice! Such mulch needs periodic turning and tedding, and by the end of the season, the cardboard is removed to the compost pit.
Flooring technology... Before laying, paper and cardboard are shredded.
Mulch from hay, straw
Dignity. An excellent organic material with excellent thermal insulation properties, protects against weeds, leading to good yields both in greenhouse conditions and when growing tomatoes in open spaces.
Disadvantages. The straw cover attracts rodents and insects to the root system of horticultural crops. And mulching with herbs often leads to their insemination right on the beds with tomatoes.
Mulching tomato beds with hay
Flooring technology. The material is laid out in the planting zone.
Compost
Dignity. Compost is designed to be the best and most effective mulching material for tomatoes. However, it should be used very carefully, because it contains a huge amount of nutrients. It is important not to overfeed the culture, otherwise the bushes will "go away" in growth, and practically will not tie the fruit.
Compost will not only mulch the soil, but also saturate it with mineral elements
Processing technology... Ideally, the compost is mixed with other mulching materials (sawdust, grass cuttings).
Mulch from needles, sawdust, spruce and tree bark
One thing can be said about these materials: they are rarely used as mulch for beds with tomatoes, but if it is necessary to cover for the winter, then it is better not to find the material.
Advice! If you do decide to treat the soil with these woody materials, keep them for a year: the aged material will be of great value and will not acidify the soil.
As a result, we note that the correct technology for mulching tomato beds will bring the gardener a tasty, rich harvest of tomatoes. Believe me, if they knew how to speak, they would certainly thank you for your concern!
Mulching the soil in the greenhouse: video
Mulching the soil for tomatoes: photo