When is the best time to germinate tomato seedlings. Secrets of growing quality seedlings

Good and strong seedlings tomatoes: how to grow it to get good harvest? It is necessary not only to observe the technology of selection and planting of seeds, but also to know some of the features of watering and feeding. Success is due to the observance of all stages of growing tomatoes from seeds.

Tomato seedlings can be grown at home. At the same time, a good harvest is ultimately ensured if the plant is healthy. To do this, you need to make every effort, to carry out proper care of tomato seedlings. To properly grow tomato seedlings, you need to acquire certain knowledge and skills. After all, most novice vegetable growers make many mistakes. Especially big problems occur when planting tomato seeds for seedlings. All flaws are reflected in the fruiting of an adult culture.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings? initial stage is to plant the tomatoes by seeds. In this case, it is important to correctly determine the timing. The final stage is the planting of tomato seedlings for growing in the open field. If the whole process is carried out on the balcony, then the cultivation of seedlings at the final stage is realized in special boxes.

Seed preparation for sowing (video)

Involvement of planting material

It is necessary to plant tomato seeds within a certain period of time. Usually, experts recommend that this operation be performed on average 60 days before it is supposed to plant tomato seedlings in open ground, in boxes on the balcony or in a greenhouse (preferably polycarbonate).

Tomato seeds are characterized by a fairly fast ability to emerge after planting, but at the same time all the necessary conditions... Depending on the variety, tomato seeds can sprout in 4-11 days. However, there are also options that are capable of sprouting after 5 days. In this regard, the average period of time has been determined during which it is necessary to keep tomato seedlings in indoor conditions- 53 days. The report is conducted from the moment the seedlings appeared.

The cultivation of tomatoes is given Special attention, if the whole process takes place on the windowsill in the apartment. Here it must be borne in mind that for tomato seedlings, a long stay in a closed room is unacceptable. An adult shrub stops developing normally, which leads to a poor harvest.

Before planting seeds, you need to focus on the climatic features of the region. For example:

• for the southern region of the country - from February 20 to mid-March;
• for the central part - from mid-March to April;
• for the northern regions - from early to mid-April.

Planting tomato seedlings in open ground can be carried out in the following terms:

• for the southern region of the country - from mid-April to mid-May;
• for the central part - from the second week of May to early June;
• for the northern regions - from the 20th of May to mid-June.

You need to plant a tomato according to these dates, but watch out for frosts, which often negatively affect the crops grown in spring. If you plant tomato seedlings in a greenhouse, and not in an open area, then the timing of sowing tomato seeds will move 2 weeks earlier.

Picking tomato seedlings (video)

Favorable conditions for growth

For growing tomatoes, special conditions must be created that allow the plant to remain healthy and bear fruit well. Before planting a tomato with seeds, you need to take care of some points. Usually, it is customary to plant tomatoes with seeds in small boxes that are placed on the windowsill. This place is considered comfortable for the germinated seeds to grow faster and turn into full-fledged seedlings. However, the planted seeds often do not feel comfortable in the indicated place, and therefore hesitate to germinate. After that, the plants themselves grow slowly, which makes them weakened and unprepared for transplantation.

Even on the windowsill for seedlings, special conditions must be created.

We plant tomatoes for seedlings only when there is a large number of sunlight.If it is not enough, then you need to use artificial light sources. It is necessary that the shadow from trees and other objects does not fall on the window. Better to place boxes of tomatoes on the southern windowsill.

Very important for tomato seedlings high level humidity, since due to it the plant is able to grow and get stronger faster, which will ensure further transplantation. To maintain the humidity within normal limits, you need to spray the plants several times a day. For this, you can use a special spray.

Tomatoes should be in a comfortable temperature regime at any time of the day. In the daytime, this value fluctuates around 20 ° C, and at night - 13 ° C.

How to dive tomatoes (video)

Material preparation

Tomato seed preparation comes down to several procedures (can be viewed in video 1), which are aimed at rapid seed germination. The first step is to soak the seeds in a special solution. To prepare it, you will need the following elements: water - 100 ml and hydrogen peroxide - 3 ml.

Hydrogen peroxide is diluted in water at room temperature. After that, the solution is heated and the seeds are placed in it for 10 minutes. This procedure is aimed at disinfection.

The preparation of tomato seeds for planting is not limited to the described action. It is necessary to provide conditions for their further development. Germination of seeds can be carried out with a cloth, which must be cotton. It needs to be moistened in plain water, after that seeds are spread on a part of the cloth, and the second part of the cloth must be covered.

In order for the germination process to proceed faster, it is necessary to provide a comfortable temperature regime... The cloth with seeds must be placed in a special Plastic container... It needs to be covered with foil, but not tightly. Thus, it will be possible to keep warm, but also required amount air will flow.

Stepsons on tomatoes (video)

Soil preparation

Planting seeds for seedlings requires that the soil is properly prepared. Cultivation can only be carried out in fertile soil. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that it is not susceptible to contamination with pathogens. It will be possible to grow tomatoes from seeds safely in the soil that is sold in specialized stores. However, most often vegetable growers choose soil on their own site. It may not be good enough.

Tillage is done at home:

• you can calcine the soil in the oven, while the procedure is carried out for 10 minutes at 200 ° C;
• you can warm up the soil in the microwave (1 minute at 850 power);
• boiling water treatment;
• processing with a solution of potassium permanganate.

This will help remove possible dangerous bacteria, organisms, etc. Copes with the task most successfully heat.

Seed planting procedure

To plant seeds, you need to take care of the capacity. There are a lot of options to choose from, since these can be special wooden boxes, pots made of peat, paper or plastic. It is quite convenient and practical to use glasses with a removable bottom. Tomatoes need to be planted in them, and after a certain time the bottom is removed, which allows you to extract the plant without injuring the root system. You need to grow seedlings only in prepared dishes. Therefore, the containers are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Tomatoes grow better if there is a special drainage layer at the bottom of the container. This is important enough to avoid blackleg infection. Plant the seeds correctly in a container, at the bottom of which there is a crushed shell rock. Its layer should not exceed 0.5 cm; soil is poured on top. You need to pour water into the container to moisten the soil, cover it with soil on top so that the moisture is evenly distributed throughout the volume.

After 5 hours, tomato seedlings can be planted. This will require a toothpick or any other similar tool. With its help, shallow holes (0.5 cm) are made in the soil, and seeds are placed in them. Cultivation will proceed correctly if the soil is lightly dusted on top and not heavily compacted. Drizzle a little with water.

You need to grow seedlings in a warm place, so the container is sent to a comfortable environment. Often the cups are covered with foil on top, but not tightly, until the tomato sprouts.

Planting tomatoes in a greenhouse (video)

Growth period

Care for tomato seedlings must be provided in a special way. Growing it from seeds, you need to monitor the moment the shoots appear. This is a signal that the film has already fulfilled its function and can be removed. How to grow seedlings in the future? At first, the temperature regime should remain at the same level. Seedlings have not matured and may die or weaken when conditions change.

How to care for tomato seedlings to get good results? All the time you need to monitor the moisture content of the soil. For grown tomatoes, it is important that the soil is not excessively moist, as this negatively affects the root system. Growing tomato seedlings will be optimal if irrigated with rainwater. Otherwise, you can use plain water that is cleaned by a filter.

How to properly care for seedlings? Tomatoes are ready for temperature reduction 7 days after emergence. In this case, the temperature value can reach an average of 18 ° C. We grow plants in a ventilated area, but without a draft.

Dive activities

How to plant tomato seedlings correctly? Many vegetable growers are thinking about the need for picking. Seedlings grown to a certain size may feel bad under the same conditions, so they can be safely transplanted. Video 2 shows this process. The grown seedlings are not intimidated by the new place, and they grow well.

How to plant seedlings correctly when picking? You need to focus on the external signs of tomatoes. You can plant tomato seedlings in another place if the cotyledon leaves have developed well enough. One of the sheets must be at least 5 mm.

How to plant seedlings when picking so that they continue to grow and develop well? To do this, shorten main root 1/3 part, the root system will become more developed.

How to plant plants correctly? For this you need to prepare a separate container. When planting seedlings, the depth is taken into account, on which the further development tomato. The optimum level of deepening of the plant is up to the cotyledonous leaves. Sometimes vegetable growers use a special device for planting seedlings, which is a special spatula. Its application allows you to leave the root system of the culture intact.

In order for the cultivation of tomato seedlings to be successful in the future, you need to tamp the soil around the stem a little. Watering is a must. Video 3 gives you a better understanding of the process. If we plant tomatoes for seedlings, after picking, do not forget about correct lighting... She will need additional light sources after 3 days. And in the early days, direct sunlight can negatively affect its condition, so cultivation should be carried out away from them.

Before planting seedlings in open ground or in a new place for picking, you need to pluck the tips a week before. However, the plants should have time to get stronger, as shown in video 4.

How to grow seedlings correctly? For this, it is necessary to carry out certain procedures that allow the plant to grow more successfully. Growing should take place in good lighting. The maximum amount of daylight hours is 18 hours. This amount of light is enough to produce healthy plants that are suitable for sale and for other purposes.

At the present stage, experienced vegetable growers more and more often say that additional light is not needed. Thus, we plant tomatoes for seedlings without providing alternative sources lighting, which gives good results. But at the same time, you need to monitor the correct temperature regime.

How to grow tomatoes to ensure a good harvest? There are a large number of parameters on which the strength of the seedlings depends, its ability to be taken in the open field. If we plant tomatoes for seedlings, then do not forget that they need feeding. For this there is a large selection of natural and organic fertilizers(video 5).

For tomatoes, certain preparations are added to the soil before planting. They also feed them. For example, Gumi, which belongs to the category of biofertilizers. Its use allows the seedlings to remain strong. After transplanting into open ground or a greenhouse, it is able to bloom and ovary quickly. The number of fruits on the bushes is good news.

A fertilizer called Baikal EM-1 is popular among vegetable growers. However, its use is possible only if the seedlings are weak and grow poorly. Otherwise, the tomatoes will become too hard.

It is necessary to grow tomatoes when the gardener has thoroughly studied all the rules for this procedure. Only in this case will the yield be high and of high quality.

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Tomatoes are one of the favorite crops that summer residents grow in their plots. From what kind of seedlings are planted in a permanent place, whether it is a heated greenhouse, a small laundry or open bed, the amount of the future harvest depends.

When growing seedlings at home, you must adhere to the basic recommendations. Observing them, you can get strong, hardened plants that are not afraid of acclimatization after transplanting to a permanent place and minor temperature changes.

Tomato seedlings at home - growing conditions

To grow good seedlings a number of rules must be followed. First of all corresponding to the place of cultivation(open ground, heated greenhouse, cover bed). Selection seed material must correspond to the climatic zone.

Take care of high-quality soil mixture for seedlings. You can make it yourself in advance or purchase it from your gardening store. At the end of winter, many formulations are sold for a variety of plant species.

Determine the place where the seedlings will be grown. It should be not too sunny, but not shaded either. When landing in early dates, during a short daylight hours, it is necessary to purchase special lamps for illumination. Otherwise, the plants will stretch out due to lack of light. He will tell you about beekeeping for beginners.

Prepare fertilizers for feeding in advance. It can be ordinary ash or special compounds.

For sowing seeds, boxes or special containers with drainage holes in the bottom are prepared.

It is better to take separate dishes for each variety or prepare markers with the variety name if all seeds are sown in one container.

Perhaps someone prefers to sow in ready-made peat tablets or in small tofu pots. In this case, sowing is done one at a time. This is quite convenient when transplanting seedlings into a more spacious container, so they are less injured. It is also necessary to take care of the cups for picking plants.

When to plant tomato seedlings

Planting tomato seeds for seedlings depends on the ripening period of tomatoes, the area where it is planned to plant in a permanent place(greenhouse, cover bed, open ground) and climatic zone.

All should be ready by mid-February. necessary materials: seeds, boxes, soil, fertilizers.

Exists several options for composing nutritional mixtures:

• three measures of peat, two - sod land, four - humus or compost, one - old sawdust or river sand, to make the soil friable;
• humus, turf soil, sawdust or sand - taken in equal proportions;
• 5 parts of compost take part of sawdust and 3 parts of peat.

When cooking, all components must be mixed well, adding a handful wood ash for each measure of soil composition. If the mixture has not been frozen, then it must be disinfected before planting seeds in it. Most often, the soil is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, hot water with addition copper sulfate or steamed in a water bath. A good result is obtained by heating the nutritious earth mixtures in the oven, sprinkling them on a baking sheet or placing them in the microwave for a minute at full power.

After that, the soil must be shed with warm, settled water and left for 10-12 days for the development of microorganisms in it. Some people prefer to buy ready-made soil primers in specialized stores. They are already completely ready for sowing seeds. The prepared soil is laid out in prepared boxes, lightly tamped, watering warm water, and start sowing.

The rules for planting tomatoes are not complicated:

• shallow grooves are made at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other (from 0.5 cm);
• the seeds are laid out in the grooves with tweezers at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other;
• sprinkle with earth on top, pressing slightly, so that when watering the seeds are not washed out;
• boxes or containers marked by grade, covered with glass or foil on top and set in warm place.

Seedlings should appear in a few days, depending on the variety of tomato. At this time, the boxes should be warm, the maintained temperature should not be higher than 25 degrees.

After the appearance of the first seedlings, the film or glass is removed, the seedlings are transferred to a well-lit place, the ambient temperature drops to 18 degrees.

How to water

Periodically, as the earth dries up, it is moistened from a spray bottle, but without fanaticism, otherwise the seedlings may get sick. plants need to be taken well-settled. You can take melted snow. Watered with warm water in the morning, trying not to wet the seedlings. As the seedlings grow, it must be fed with nutrient solutions. This can be done by combining it with watering.

Correct feeding is better in a simple way: First, slightly watered with warm water, then the fertilizing mixture is added, then watering again with warm water. This is done in order to wash off the fertilizer, and not to burn the seedling or its roots.

How to feed seedlings to be strong

For feeding unpickled seedlings can be prepared with a weak solution of "Kemira-Lux". This is a universal fertilizer suitable for all types of plants and for indoor flowers, so you can direct it without fear that you will not be able to use it up.

The solution is kept for a long time.

Seedlings respond well to feeding with infused ash. A tablespoon is taken for one liter, infused for 4-7 days. After that, the infusion is added to the water for irrigation, at the rate of 1: 1.

When the seedlings are pulled out strongly, watering is reduced or stopped altogether., the ambient temperature is reduced to 10-12 degrees.

Picking tomato seedlings: is it necessary?

After the appearance of two true leaves, the tomatoes must be unpacked into separate containers. So they will have more space for root formation, which means they will grow and develop faster. Seedlings will have enough space and light, which means they will stretch less. The composition of the soil mixture can be taken the same as for sowing seeds. On the eve of the pick, the seedlings are watered, so it will be easier to transplant and it will more easily tolerate the procedure.

The picking process can be carried out as follows:

• the glass is half filled with soil, slightly tamped;
• seedling, removed from the box with a fork or stick;
• placed in a cup and sprinkled with earth, gently rammed.

Separate the plant from others, removing it from the box, you need to carefully, trying not to damage the roots, with a small lump of earth. You need to fill it with soil up to real leaves. After transplanting, all plants are watered with warm water and placed in a shaded place for 2-3 days.

Diseases of tomato seedlings

When picking for further cultivation, you need to take only healthy, undamaged seedlings. At this time, the plant is fully visible - both its roots and the aerial part.

After transplanting, the seedlings should be periodically examined for diseases and fungal infections. All diseases are divided into two main groups: excess or lack of fertilizer and resulting infections. By balancing the feeding, you can avoid both underdevelopment of seedlings and fattening of plants. Phytofluorosis manifests itself in the form of dark spots with a light frame on the leaves and stripes on the stems. The disease can be prevented by disinfecting the planting soil, the seedlings are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

The lower leaves first get sick with white spot. They darken, black dots appear on them, then the leaves dry out and fall off. It can be cured in the same way as with late blight. If this is not a rare variety, then it is better to destroy the diseased plants.

When to plant tomato seedlings in the ground

In a heated greenhouse, seedlings are planted in accordance with the climate of the region. So for central Russia it will be the end of April or the beginning of May. Into simple glass or polycarbonate greenhouses- at the end of May-beginning of June.

Covering beds and it is better to transfer tomatoes to open ground after the threat of return frosts. This is usually early to mid June. Depending on the climatic zone and the current weather, the timing may vary in one direction or another.

By this time, the seedlings are usually reaches a height of about 30-35 cm, depending on the variety. It should be a well-developed and leafy strong plant if the cultivation was carried out in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology. The distance between the planted tomatoes should be at least 35-40 cm. Two rows are usually made on the ridge. For better lighting tomatoes are recommended to be planted in a checkerboard pattern.

It is better to transplant seedlings to a permanent place in open ground in the afternoon or in cloudy weather. Overgrown seedlings are planted obliquely or twisted the stem in a ring in the hole. This must be done very carefully, as the plant can be broken.

It is better to tie tall tomatoes directly to a peg installed in a dug hole.

For the first few days (about a week), the plants should be left alone for acclimatization. They should not be watered, much less feed or loosen the soil near the bushes. It is certainly not easy to grow strong, healthy and seasoned seedlings, but observing all the recommendations and rules of agricultural technology, it is quite possible to provide yourself with delicious fruits for summer salads and winter preparations.

At home, sowing tomatoes for seedlings is better at a later date than in professional greenhouses. Not all books and reference books take into account the peculiarities of growing tomato seedlings at home, so be careful!

In the Moscow region experienced gardeners observe the approximate sowing dates:

• early tomatoes for open ground - early April;
• early tomatoes for planting in the ground under film shelters - the second half of March;
• tall tomatoes for greenhouses - end of March;
• undersized tomatoes for greenhouses - early to mid-April.

It is better to sow within these terms, even if the book or article you read recommends otherwise. Maybe it comes from a recommendation for professional farmers who grow seedlings in heated greenhouses. These methods do not suit us. The conditions in greenhouses are different from a residential building, where seedlings are usually grown for their own use. It is dark and hot at home, even in the window, and tomato seedlings will "toil" for a long time if sown too early. Therefore, it is better to be a little late than to rush.

How to prepare tomato seeds for sowing

There are many ways to prepare tomato seeds for sowing: soaking, germinating, dressing and much more. There is no significant difference in them. Experience has shown that if a tomato variety does not give vigorous shoots from dry, untreated seeds, its vitality and productivity are in question. We are not fighting for weak varieties and hybrids, but we buy several varieties of tomatoes with the desired characteristics for safety net.

Regardless of what the regulars of Internet forums may say, the leading Russian suppliers of tomato seeds keep their mark. Have Search, Gavrish, Ilyinichny, Russian Garden, SeDeca and other well-known brands of seeds are usually excellent quality... In one case out of 8-10 there are "punctures", but this is normal. Seeds are a living commodity, it may show self-will or simply not fit the specific growing conditions.

It is not necessary to pickle purchased seeds from pathogens - they are already pickled. It makes sense to pickle varietal tomato seeds collected in your own garden. Etch in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, wrapped in cotton pads:

After soaking in potassium permanganate, rinse the tomato seeds well in several waters before sowing.

Ideal soil for sowing tomato seeds: how to do it yourself

Seedlings of tomatoes are undemanding to the soil - relatively resistant to drought, not gluttonous, tolerates increased acidity. It grows well in self-prepared soil (with the addition of loam, humus and compost). And also in purchased peat soil - if only it is a bona fide product.

It is believed that self-prepared soil needs to be steamed, but purchased soil is not needed. This is correct, but only on condition that you perfectly follow the technology of growing tomato seedlings: temperature, illumination, feeding. In fact, this condition is almost impossible to fulfill: seedlings at home are highly stressed and vulnerable even to rather harmless mushrooms. Therefore, it is best to steam all soil, regardless of origin. It won't get any worse.

Sowing technology of tomato seeds for seedlings

It is convenient to sow large tomato seeds one by one with tweezers. Spread them out on the compacted soil with tweezers, every 1 cm. Mark each groove with a tag with the name of the variety. Sprinkle on top with soil with a layer of 0.5-1 cm, water and cover the crops with foil. Keep the bowl at + 20 ° C. As soon as shoots appear, place it on the windowsill and remove the film.

Before picking, you do not need to feed tomato seedlings, just water. Tomatoes dive in the phase of 2 true leaves.

It's time to pick tomatoes.

Dive the tomatoes one at a time into individual pots, burying them almost to the cotyledonous leaves. Add a tablespoon of complete mineral fertilizer for 5 liters of the mixture or 3 tablespoons to the soil for picking.

2 weeks after picking, feed the seedlings

It stands on the same step with crops such as cucumber and pepper - these vegetables are grown on their site by almost all gardeners. But in order to get a decent harvest of tomatoes, it is necessary to provide for the cultivation of tomato seedlings at home. Our climate most often does not allow the planting of seeds of this native of the south directly into open ground.

When to plant tomatoes for seedlings?

For central Russia, tomato seedlings are planted at home from mid-February to late March- depending on where the culture will subsequently be grown, outdoors or in the greenhouse... To determine when to sow tomatoes for seedlings, you should adhere to the following time intervals:

• February 15 - March 15- sow a crop if it is planned to plant tomato (tomato) seedlings in a greenhouse;
• March 1 - 20- carry out planting of tomatoes for seedlings when grown in open ground using spunbond or other covering material;
• 15 - 31 March- plan to plant tomato seedlings for open ground.

Preparing tomato seeds for sowing seedlings

Culling

In the question of how to properly plant tomatoes for seedlings, you need to start with the preparation of the seeds. The first stage is culling. Growing tomato seedlings at home is possible only from healthy, strong seeds with a dense shell. Separating unusable seeds is quite simple - just place planting material in salt water (1 tsp salt in half a liter of water) and empty low-quality seeds will float up on their own.

ON THE PICTURE: "Empty" tomato seeds float in water and are easily separated from suitable planting material.

Disinfection

If the cultivation of tomato seedlings at home is planned from seeds from your garden, it is necessary to decontaminate them in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. The planting material in gauze bags is dipped in liquid for 20 minutes, after which it is washed twice with water. Fresh seeds of well-known manufacturers do not need such a procedure.

On a note! Too concentrated solution of potassium permanganate reduces seed germination. Those who are afraid to overdo it can use (8 drops in half a liter of water). This biological product copes well with many diseases of fungal and bacterial origin.

Soak

Preparing tomato seeds at home also involves pre-soaking them. This is done a few days before disembarkation. The seeds are placed in warm water (about + 25 ° C) and kept in it for about 18–20 hours, then dried with paper towels.

In principle, they usually soak old seeds that have been stored for 3-4 years. Young planting material grows well in dry form!

Instead of water for soaking, you can use growth stimulants (1-2 drops per 100 ml. warm water), for example, epin-extra, zircon. In this case, caring for tomato seedlings at home will be simplified - these growth stimulants help to increase germination and plant resistance to diseases.

Hardening

Another possible stage in seed preparation is hardening, which accelerates the emergence of seedlings. The planting material, immediately after soaking, is placed in a damp gauze in a refrigerator, kept there for about a day and dried. After that, the seeds are immediately planted in the prepared soil.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings?

Soil preparation

The easiest way is to take ready-made soil intended for growing vegetable seedlings. Coconut substrate and peat tablets with a diameter of 30–40 mm are also suitable. The advantage of the latter option is that diving of tomato seedlings is not required.
ON THE PICTURE: Peat tablets are successful when growing seedlings, the main advantages are the absence of the need to prepare the soil for seedlings and picking.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings using garden soil? There are no special requirements. A mixture of turf and sand, with the addition of sawdust or peat, is suitable. Before use, such soil must be steamed or calcined in the oven to get rid of pathogens.

Choice of capacity

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings correctly - in a common container or in separate cups? There is not much difference, except that the seeds planted in separate pots are easier to dive. It is even more convenient to use cassettes - containers with cells, each of which contains one seedling - and it is convenient to carry and transplant.

Sowing

In small pre-moistened holes 1–1.5 cm deep, 1-2 seeds are planted (the distance between the holes is 3-5 cm), sprinkled with earth on top and tamped a little. Planting before the emergence of seedlings is covered with polyethylene or glass and placed in a warm place (+ 22-25 ° C). Ventilate periodically.

Caring for tomato seedlings at home

The first seedlings of tomatoes appear already on the 4-7th day. The main condition for caring for them from this period is a lot of scattered light (that is, without direct sunlight). Daylight hours for young seedlings should last about 16 hours, therefore, it is advisable to supplement the seedlings with fluorescent or phytolamps in the first few weeks.
ON THE PICTURE: Supplementing the seedlings accelerates their growth and makes the seedlings stronger.

A couple of days after the emergence of seedlings, the containers must be moved to a well-ventilated room, the temperature for tomato seedlings is + 14–16 ° С. After a week, the growing temperature should be brought to + 18 ° С, and the night temperature should be kept at the same + 14–16 ° С. To do this, it is enough to leave the window open overnight, avoiding drafts. Withstand this temperature regime for a month.

How to water tomato seedlings?

Before the first true leaf appears, the seedlings do not water, but only slightly irrigate the soil. Then the soil is moistened on average once every five days. The hardened plants after picking are watered under the root as the top layer of the soil dries up.

How to dive tomato seedlings?

Caring for tomato seedlings at home includes the obligatory picking of grown seedlings with two or three true leaves into separate containers with a volume of about 0.5 liters. Two days before picking tomato seedlings, the soil is watered so that the delicate roots are not damaged during extraction.

When transplanting, the tip of the root of each plant must be pinched to stimulate the growth of lateral roots. The seedling itself is deepened to the cotyledonous leaves, after which the soil is spilled with water at room temperature.

ON THE PICTURE: From such cassettes, seedlings can simply be transferred into larger containers.

If seedlings are grown in peat tablets, there is no need to dive. Seedling tablets are simply placed in containers and covered with soil.

How to feed tomato seedlings?

In the question of how to feed tomato and pepper seedlings (the principles of growing seedlings of these crops are generally similar), the main thing is not to overdo it. If the seedlings are strong with dark green leaves, then additional fertilization can be omitted. Otherwise, feeding tomato seedlings involves adding nitrogen fertilizers... The most commonly used scheme is:

• The first feeding - 2 weeks after the pick. It is best at this stage to feed the urea solution along the leaf and at the root (1 tablespoon / 10 liters of water). It is also permissible to use potassium nitrate, fertilizer "Agricola-3" according to the instructions for tomato seedlings;
• The second feeding is done 1-2 weeks after the first one. During this period, "Nitrofoska" is suitable (1 tablespoon / 1 liter of water for watering 25-30 plants). With an overly elongated stem, you can use a superphosphate solution (1 table l / 3 liters of water);
• Further, "Nitrofoska" can be applied every 10 days, having completed all fertilizing at least a week before planting the seedlings in the ground.

TO folk methods environmentally friendly feeding of tomato and pepper seedlings includes feeding with yeast. According to the reviews of amateur gardeners, yeast helps to significantly increase the immunity of seedlings, accelerate root formation and the growth of vegetative mass. We recommend that such experiments be carried out on a separate batch of seedlings, which is not a pity to lose.

Fertilizer preparation is very simple:

• Based on live yeast: dilute 1 kilogram of yeast (usually sold in briquettes) in 5 liters of slightly warmed water, let it brew for about a day. Before watering, the solution is additionally diluted with water, the ratio is 1:10;
• With dry granular yeast: dissolve 50 g of dry yeast in 5 liters of warm water and add 1 tablespoon of sugar. After insisting (several hours), add more water to the solution, the ratio is 1: 5.

ON THE PICTURE: "Penny" yeast is a good stimulator of growth and development of tomato seedlings.

It is not enough to know how to feed tomato seedlings after a pick, you need to know and how to do it. It is best to add fertilizer in the morning, to the pre-moistened soil. After feeding, it is advisable to lightly spray the plants with water so that no traces of fertilizers remain on the leaves.

Hardening tomato seedlings

How to grow tomato seedlings so that they do not die in the open field due to a sharp change in growing conditions? Hardening of young plants, which begin For two weeks before the intended disembarkation. The temperature at which the seedlings are kept is gradually reduced from + 20 ° C to + 14 ° C, opening the vents and windows in the room for this. You can take seedlings to the balcony for a day, provided that the temperature does not fall below + 10 ° C. At the very beginning of hardening, the seedlings are shaded, from the fourth day they will no longer be afraid of sunlight.

ON THE PICTURE: Hardening of seedlings - mandatory procedure when growing tomatoes, otherwise young plants planted in open ground may die at the slightest cold snap.

When to plant tomatoes?

You can visually determine if tomato seedlings are ready for growing outdoors. Plants can be planted if:

1. The seedlings have acquired six to seven leaves with short internodes;
2. The stems are thickened, reaching a height of 30 cm;
3. One or two flower clusters have appeared on the tomatoes.

For Central Russia and the Moscow Region, it is possible to plant seedlings in a greenhouse from May 1 to 10, when using a film shelter - from May 15 to May 25, directly into open ground - from May 25 to June 15.

In the Urals and Siberia, it is advisable not to plant tomato seedlings before the middle June, but a lot depends on the variety.

ON THE PICTURE: When planting tomato seedlings, only the "soil" cup is deepened.

Diseases of tomato seedlings and their treatment with a photo

Although tomato is not considered the most whimsical crop, there are problems with its cultivation. And difficulties can begin with young seedlings. How plants signal malaise, why tomato seedlings die - consider below the most common diseases of tomato seedlings and their treatment with a photo.

Black leg of tomato seedlings

Darkening in the lower part of the stem, lodging of seedlings are signs. The main causes of this disease fungal origin- Excessive moisturizing of immature plants, coupled with a lack of lighting. It is necessary to remove the affected specimens, sprinkle the soil under them with ash, and cover the rest of the soil surface with sand. In the future, overflows should be avoided and the plants should be well lit.

ON THE PICTURE:Thinning, blackening of the base of the stem of a seedling is a sure sign of a "black leg".

Leaves curled

Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings curl? There may be several reasons:

• Increased room temperature;
• Insufficient watering;
• Low humidity;
• There is not enough space for the plant - the volume of the container for seedlings is incorrectly selected;
• Too dense soil;
• Excess nitrogen fertilizers.

All these reasons are associated with plant care and are most often removable.

ON THE PICTURE: Twisted lms in grown seedlings may indicate the need to transplant the seedling into a more spacious container.

Spots on the leaves of tomato seedlings

With spots on the leaves, not everything is so simple. They can appear as a result of improper care, and as a result of fungal or viral diseases.

Whitish spots on the leaves:

1. Most often, they indicate white (septoria), a disease of fungal origin. Contribute to this high humidity and high temperatures. Such plants should be removed, and the remaining seedlings should be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture. Similarly, with brown spotting - in this case, the spots on the leaves are initially gray, gradually the entire leaf turns brown and dies.
2. Whitening of leaves can be a consequence of sunburn if the seedlings were placed in a lighted place for a long time without preparation. Young plants should be taught to the sun gradually.

ON THE PICTURE: Tomato leaves damaged by septoria.

ON THE PICTURE: Brown spot of tomatoes.

Dark spots on lower leaves:

They can cause a chemical burn when, during root feeding, droplets of liquid fertilizer fall on the leaf blades.

Variegated leaves:

Light and dark spots on the leaves are caused by the mosaic virus. The reason is contaminated seed. There is no cure for this type of disease yet; the affected plants need to be burned.

ON THE PICTURE: Mosaic on tomato leaves.

Yellowing leaves of tomato seedlings

Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow? Depending on the nature of the yellowing of the leaves, the reasons may be different. If, for example, the lower leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow, then the plants are most likely experiencing a lack of nitrogen fertilizers. Urea will help to correct the situation - 20 g (tablespoon) is diluted in 10 liters. water and introduced into the soil with seedlings, and the leaves are sprayed with a solution.

Also, yellowing of the leaves can be caused by excessive watering and lack of lighting. It is enough to rearrange the tomato seedlings closer to the window, adjust the watering and the problem will be eliminated.

ON THE PICTURE: The leaves of tomato seedlings turned yellow, there is a high probability of overflow of the plant.

As you can see, there should not be any particular difficulties in growing tomatoes. You can see more clearly how to sow tomatoes for seedlings in the video below.

Tomatoes come from South America, therefore, when growing tomato seedlings at home, you need relatively dry air, a lot of light and heat. In this article, we will take a closer look at how to properly plant and care for young seedlings.