Tomatoes are one of the favorite crops among many gardeners in our country. It is difficult to imagine at least one vegetable garden in which these juicy and ripe red-sided and yellow-sided vegetables would not grow. Unfortunately, growing delicious tomatoes is not easy. The first difficulty that gardeners face in difficult business getting an excellent harvest is sowing tomato seeds. Unfortunately, in many regions of our country, characterized by long winters and short summers, about planting seeds in open ground out of the question. Tomatoes simply do not have time, not only to begin to bear fruit, but even to grow on open area... It is for this reason that gardeners plant tomato seeds for seedlings at home.

How to start the process of growing tomatoes correctly? Many gardeners are asking this question. After all, it is from correct fit seeds, adherence to sowing dates, as well as the strength and strength of seedlings depends on the success in growing tomatoes. Today we will dwell on the consideration of such an issue as planting tomato seeds for seedlings.

You need to know this! Many gardeners follow the instructions on the back of the seed bag when planting tomatoes. However, very often following such recommendations leads to very sad consequences. The seedlings are small in size, with thin stems and leaves, weak and very fragile. Planting such tomato plantings in open ground is dangerous not only in May, but also in June. Most likely, such seedlings will simply die. Why does this happen? The fact is that seed producers, in most cases, give recommendations for favorable climatic zones. But what will grow beautifully somewhere in southern region, does not necessarily come up in climatic conditions Central Russian strip. That is why it is important to consider and natural conditions your region, and the recommendations that we will give you in this article.

Tomatoes and stars. How to sow seeds correctly according to the lunar calendar
Many novice gardeners will think that the dependence of the phases of the moon and planting seeds is a relic of the past. However, experienced gardeners know that this is absolutely not the case. Even our distant ancestors were guided precisely by the moon, which allowed them to get excellent harvest... We will not contradict our ancestors and will plant tomato seeds for seedlings according to the required phase of the moon.

It is interesting! Many gardeners purchase special lunar calendars, where each day is detailed in detail, the corresponding phase of the moon, as well as the rules for planting seeds on each of these days. If you do not want to purchase a calendar or you simply do not have time for this, use the recommendations of our ancestors. For our great-grandfathers, the coming new moon meant a taboo on planting seeds. It was believed that the plants sown on the new moon would either not grow, or would not yield a good harvest, or would die altogether. It is for this reason that seeds for seedlings should not be planted either on the new moon, or two to three days before it, or for several days after.

Now let's decide on which phase of the moon the tomato seeds should be planted. On this score, our ancestors also had their own opinion. It was believed that crops such as beets or carrots should be planted on the waning moon. The fact is that both beets and carrots bear fruit in the ground (after all, we are not interested in the crop tops). But tomatoes should be planted on the growing moon, as they bear fruit above the soil surface. FROM lunar calendar we figured it out. Now let's decide what conditions should be created for growing healthy and strong seedlings.

Preparing tomato seeds for planting
Any experienced gardener will tell you that successful planting of seeds for seedlings is impossible without preliminary preparation the seeds themselves. What is worth doing? First of all, you need to check them for full weight. Indeed, in many respects, the yield of tomatoes depends on this quality of seeds. It is very easy to check the weight of tomato seeds. You just need to place the seeds in a container containing 5% saline solution. All those seeds that float to the surface can be collected and safely thrown away. The rest (submerged to the bottom) should be collected and thoroughly dried.

Further processing of seeds is reduced to washing them in a solution of potassium permanganate and further drying. This completes the preparation of tomato seeds for planting. Now you need to prepare the soil for the seedlings.

Soil preparation for sowing tomato seeds
Tomatoes are a rather finicky crop. Therefore, the soil for growing seedlings should be prepared as carefully as possible.

There are two main ways to prepare the soil for growing tomato seedlings. The first is the purchase of a ready-made mixture in a specialized flower shop. Tomatoes love loose, porous, as well as moisture and permeable soil. It is on the soil with such properties that you should pay attention if you decide to purchase ready-made packages of soil. The second way to prepare the soil is to prepare the soil mixture at home.

On a note! Preparing a soil mixture is a rather difficult task. But the efficiency of growing seedlings will largely depend on the composition of the soil. For this sole reason, if you have never sowed tomato seeds for seedlings before, it is better to purchase ready-made soil in a specialized store.

There are many different options preparation of nutritious soil mixture for tomatoes. Here is one of them: you need to take one part of the peat, humus and sod land. All components must be thoroughly mixed. To prepare one bucket of potting soil, you need to add two matchbox superphosphate and five hundred grams of wood ash to the above composition as an ingredient.

Planting tomato seeds for seedlings
You can plant tomato seeds for seedlings in boxes or in pots. If we plan to grow seedlings in a box, then the distance between plantings should be at least five or even six centimeters. There should be no more than two seeds per pot. Compliance with the planting density is very important, because the health of the seedlings depends on it. Planting too densely can lead to blackleg development and plant death. The planting depth of seeds should not exceed one centimeter.

Initially, the planting is abundantly watered and covered with polyethylene or glass on top. Thus, a mini greenhouse is formed. After the first shoots appear, the greenhouse is removed. Watering the seedlings should be moderate. It is preferable to moisten the soil in the morning. After the seedlings are old enough, they dive in separate pots. From about March, the plantings begin to harden, bringing them to fresh air in the garden. The duration of such "walks" can increase from several minutes to one or two hours. This will allow in the future to successfully transplant seedlings into open ground.

Compliance with simple, but at the same time very important rules will allow you to get beautiful juicy tomatoes from seeds that will decorate your table with their magnificent and incredibly appetizing look and will come in handy with any meal. Love your garden, take care of your plantings, and then all your dreams of a rich harvest will definitely come true!

14.10.2015 14 381

Planting tomato seedlings in open ground - subtleties and secrets

Planting in open ground is certainly a meaningful stage in growing tomatoes. This largely determines how the plants will grow and develop in the future. There are several important points, considering which, you can plant tomato seedlings without damage. So how to plant the culture correctly?

We prepare the soil correctly and make the beds

In order for the tomato planting to be successful, and the seedlings to start quickly, it is necessary to take care of future beds. Since tomatoes are thermophilic, it means for good growth they need a large number of sunlight and heat. To do this, the tomato bed should be located where the place is sunny, but in no case in the shade. Low and damp areas where groundwater pass too close, also not suitable for growing tomatoes. Not worth planting here!

It should be remembered that the manipulation should not be carried out in the place where peppers, eggplants, and also the tomatoes themselves were previously grown. Best of all, tomatoes take root and grow in places after cucumbers, cabbage, green manure, and onions and potatoes.

Well-prepared soil and a well-chosen plot are the key to success in growing tomatoes. Before starting to plant seedlings, it is necessary to disinfect the soil. To do this, make a solution copper sulfate (one tablespoon of the drug per bucket warm water) and spill the earth, at the rate of one liter of the resulting liquid square meter... Disinfection is carried out no later than one and a half weeks before planting tomato seedlings.

in the photo - planting tomato seedlings

To saturate the soil with useful microelements, it is necessary to apply fertilizers. It could be dung wood ash, humus. Among the complex fertilizers, nitroammophoska is best suited, which contains potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Superphosphate is very popular with summer residents, which also contains useful elements for plant growth.

After scattering fertilizers on the prepared bed, dig them up to the depth of the shovel bayonet. Now we make holes. Depending on the variety of tomatoes planted, they are used various schemes planting seedlings. But gardeners give their main preferences to beds with two rows, where the width between them is about half a meter. Between the plants themselves, somewhere between 30-40 centimeters.

Correctly prepared seedlings and the subsequent planting of tomatoes have always been a responsible matter. Seeds and soil should be prepared in time. Favorable conditions for the growth of seedlings and careful care they lay good foundation for the subsequent successful ripening of tomatoes in the open field.

Seedlings of tomatoes without picking give a harvest 7-10 days earlier

Growing quality seedlings is not an easy job that requires carefulness and caring attitude.

Seed preparation

In early March, decide on the varieties. It is recommended to take both early, and mid-ripening, and late-ripening varieties so that the tomatoes ripen gradually. Calculations are made on the assumption that about 100-140 days pass from the moment of planting to ripening.

Rejection of seeds. When buying, pay attention to the date on the bag, how many seeds are already stored. The best germination rate is in seeds that are stored no longer than 1-2 years.

If more than 3 years have passed since their release, it is necessary to reject seeds a few days before sowing.

Otherwise, even subsequent high-quality care of the seedlings will not give the expected results. Soak them in sodium chloride solution. Put the seeds in a pre-prepared 4-5% solution and keep it for no more than 10 minutes. Then rinse and transfer to swell in a container with clean water.

Soaking and disinfection of tomato seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate

Disinfection. Within 20 minutes, the seeds are pickled in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. Be sure to carry out this procedure if you took seeds from friends, and did not buy specially prepared material for planting. Vegetable growers who know how to properly plant tomato seedlings should themselves recommend this treatment to you.

Soak. It is widely believed that fresh seeds will germinate well, even if they are dry. But you can increase their chances of good germination.

The seeds are soaked in a saucer, spread out on a paper towel dipped in water. Cover the saucer with a lid so that the water does not evaporate too much. Now the seeds need to stand in warm place from 10 to 20 hours. Then sow them immediately. Another approach is to leave the seeds on a saucer until they germinate. Then, before sowing, you need to slightly moisten the soil so that the water does not stagnate, and the soil allows air to pass through.

Stimulation. If you are not very sure about the quality of the seeds or want to additionally strengthen them before planting, use biostimulants or fertilizers. This will reinforce your seedling care efforts. In this case, a long preliminary soaking in water is not required, a maximum of a couple of hours. As soon as the seeds swell slightly, they can be moved from the water to a prepared container with a biostimulant. Use stimulants only as directed!

Epin is the best tomato stimulant

This cannot be done without soaking in water, otherwise the seed will absorb too much of the solution and may be poisoned from oversaturation.

Time to plant seeds

The seedlings must be sufficiently mature by the appointed date of placement on the ground or in the greenhouse. Experienced gardeners know how to plant tomatoes correctly, from personal experienceaccumulated over the years. Some transfer the seedlings to greenhouses in mid-April, while others decide to do this only by the end of May - early June. For beginners, it's best to follow the instructions on the seed bag.

It is not necessary to sow too early, as the seedlings may outgrow by the time of planting.

Before spring, caring for seedlings is complicated by the fact that it is necessary to simulate long daylight hours. If the seedlings grow in a greenhouse, then sowing seeds in middle lane must be produced within March 15-20. For seedlings that will be planted in open ground, the time is right at the very beginning of April.

Seedling soil

You can plant tomatoes for seedlings both in the ground and in a variety of mixtures for plants. Avoid only clay and acidic soil. Whichever option you choose, be sure to disinfect the ground first. Thus, you will carry out the prevention of the "black leg" harmful to seedlings.

The causative agent of the disease Black leg remains in the ground

The easiest way to disinfect is to put the earth in boxes and spill it with boiled water from a kettle or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Processing is carried out 1-2 days before planting seeds. After processing, do not take the soil out onto the balcony or shed where it will become too cold. Leave it at home, as seeds need to be planted in soil at room temperature, do not plant in chilled soil. Stir the prepared soil, breaking all lumps to achieve a homogeneous consistency.

You can create soil mixture for seedlings yourself

Soil selection

• Purchased soil specialized for growing tomatoes.
• Universal primer " Living earth". It can be mixed 1: 1 with regular soil like from your greenhouse.
• The classic way: turf and humus soil in equal proportions. For looseness, add peat or sawdust to the mixture.
• Coconut substrate. The seedlings that grow on the coconut have strong healthy roots, they quickly gain in growth.

Sowing seeds in peat tablets

For those who consider picking an unnecessary step in caring for seedlings, growing tomatoes in peat tablets 33-36 mm in diameter is suitable. 2 seeds are planted in one tablet, but planting and 3-4 pieces are permissible. If any shoots are weak, they are pinched.

Planting seeds

The landing procedure looks like this.

1. Prepare clean, low-rise containers.
2. Place drainage on the bottom of the containers to ensure good care and improve air exchange. Use small pebbles or egg shells.
3. Place prepared soil in containers. Pour so that the soil level does not slightly reach the top edge of the container.
4. Level the soil and moisten well with warm water.
5. Make holes 1 cm deep in the ground, forming rows from them along the entire length of the container.
6. Make the distance between the rows 4-5 cm.Place tomato seeds in each groove so that the holes go with an interval of 1 cm.
7. Lightly cover the seeds with soil from above, sprinkle lightly with water from a spray bottle. So that no tomato seed remains on the first leaves during germination, sprinkle the soil with sand on top. A layer of 1-3 mm is enough.
8. Cover the containers with foil or glass and place in a warm place protected from sunlight.

Sowing seeds in a mini greenhouse

Seedling care

In the early days, to air the seedlings, remove the cover (film) from the container, removing condensation from it.

Maintain the optimum temperature for germination: about + 24-25 ° C. Too high a temperature will stop the seedlings from growing.

Make sure that the humidity of the air and soil is moderate, but the soil must not dry out. Care for seedlings to the first true leaves does not imply watering, but you need to spray the soil with water if it begins to dry out.

Tomato seedlings appear in 5-7 days

When the first shoots appear, move the container to the window, removing the cover (film). This occurs at the end of the first week after sowing.

Seedlings need a lot of light. Provide backlighting with lamps. In the early days, when a "loop" appears from the ground, it is better to illuminate the sprouts around the clock. Then make sure that the daylight hours for seedlings are 12-16 hours.

When all the seeds germinate and it will be seen that their cotyledons have opened, reduce the temperature to + 14-15 ° C, and at night to + 10 ° C. After a week, the seedlings will get stronger, and the daytime temperature is kept within + 18-20 ° С, and the nighttime temperature + 14-16 ° С. This hardens the seedlings and prevents them from stretching. The temperature is lowered by opening the window.

Tomato seedlings grow quickly in warmth

Make sure that the seedlings are protected from drafts.

Picking

The picking begins when the seedling's cotyledon leaves become horizontal and the first true leaf that is in a folded state grows.

Prepare boxes or small containers with a diameter of 8 to 10 cm in advance. It is convenient to use disposable fiber peat cups. Fill the container with the same soil as for germinating seeds. Leave 1-1.5 cm up to the top. Remove the seedling carefully, with a spatula or small spoon, along with a clod of earth.

Pinch the end of the main root to form a more ramified root system.

A pick of seedlings is needed if they are sown in one container

Make holes in the soil and submerge the seedlings so that the soil reaches almost to the cotyledon leaves. Gently but firmly squeeze the roots with your finger. When diving into boxes, place them in an 8x8 or 10x10 cm pattern. A closer planting will lead to the seedlings losing their quality. A large distance between seedlings increases their quality (the stem thickens, the leaves develop better).

Place the seedling boxes on the floor for a couple of days or provide shading. Then return the tomatoes to a well-lit windowsill.

Preparation for planting in open ground

Top dressing needs to be done twice. The first time is fed about 2 weeks after the pick. One of the best compositions for this: 10 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate and 10-15 g of potassium chloride per 10 liters of water. The second feeding - after another 2 weeks. Fertilizer ingredients should be taken in double the amount.

It is preferable to take complex fertilizers for feeding, which completely dissolve. You need to take no more than 50 g per 10-liter bucket of water (the solution will be at a concentration of 0.5%).

Watering the seedlings should be abundant, but not frequent

Watering should be not too frequent, but plentiful in order to well moisten all the soil in the container. The ideal water temperature for irrigation is + 18-22 ° C. It is better to water in the morning and then be sure to ventilate the room. Always keep the soil moist and the air dry enough. An approximate watering schedule is once a week. More frequent watering begins after 5 true leaves appear. Then the soil should be moistened every 3-4 days.

Continue quenching observing temperature regime... In the first few days, when taking the boxes out to the balcony, shade the plants from the direct sun. Gradually, the tomatoes should get used to staying uncovered throughout the day. To prevent the seedlings from growing sharply, water less often than usual during hardening, but make sure that the plants do not fade. When less than a week is left before planting, start keeping the boxes with seedlings on fresh air day and night.

Hardening of seedlings should be started 2 weeks before planting

Water the seedlings the day before planting, sparing no water.

For prophylaxis, treat plants with Bordeaux mixture or other compounds with copper.

Potless seedlings are cut with a knife into squares, when seedlings have 3-4 leaves.

And a week before disembarkation, you need to do the same, leading with a knife in the same tracks. Tomato roots are easily regenerated. After cuts, they will branch strongly. Separated lumps with seedlings can be easily removed from the box, they will easily take root after such a procedure.

Seedling different varieties tomato can be different heights under the same growing conditions

It is easy to determine that the care was correct, and the seedlings are ready for planting in open ground.

Each plant should have from 7 to 9 leaves, the stem is thick, bluish in color, the height is at least 25-30 cm and one inflorescence is formed.

Selection and processing of soil on the site

Choose a sunlit area that is sheltered from the cold wind. Low humid places where groundwater is nearby are not suitable for tomatoes. Plants will be difficult to care for, they can die in adverse conditions. The land is suitable, where last season they grew legumes or greens.

After pepper, physalis and potatoes, you cannot plant tomatoes.

Garden prepared for planting

A week before planting, you need to treat the soil with a solution of copper sulfate. Take 1 tbsp. 10 liters of water. 1 m² requires 1 liter of mortar. Add to loamy soil organic fertilizers... The bed must be dug to a depth of 25 cm and poured with a solution of potassium permanganate, brought almost to a boil. Requires 3 liters per 1 m².

Planting seedlings in the ground

Transplanting

1. Plant seedlings when frost is low and the day is cloudy to allow the plants to acclimate.
2. Make holes with a side of 30 cm. Add compost with ash or superphosphate there.
3. Water.
4. Move the seedlings with a clod of earth taken out of the cup (box) into the hole.
5. Arrange the plant so that the soil reaches the first leaf.

After planting, loosen the soil in a timely manner, feed and water the crops. Now that the tomato planting is successfully completed, and caring for the grown plants no longer requires hourly attention, the harvest will delight you.

In order to get a high-quality crop of tomatoes, you need to carefully prepare for planting and growing them. One of key points in this matter is the choice of good seedlings. If you have the time and desire, then it is better to grow it yourself. Thus, you will be sure of its characteristics and origin.

Growing tomato seedlings, like other plants, begins with the preliminary preparation of the seeds. Regardless of where you got the seeds (purchased from the store or collected yourself), they must be well prepared. To do this, you need to do the following:

• calibrate;
• disinfect;
• stratify;
• stimulate.

Calibration

Calibration is a selection process good seedssuitable for planting. In the process, empty, inconspicuous copies are thrown out. It is necessary to leave only large and good seeds that can germinate into strong seedlings.

Calibration needs to be done in two stages:

1. First, it is sorted by size. It can be made manually, or you can take a special sieve with an equal mesh size. In this way, all the wrong sized seeds will fall out.
2. Then the seeds are sorted by density. To do this, you need to prepare a saline solution. It is made from table salt or ammonia fertilizers. Seeds are placed in a 3-5% solution. After a couple of minutes, some of the seeds will float, and some will remain at the bottom. The latter are the most suitable for growing high-quality seedlings.

Disinfection

The second stage in the preparation of seeds will be their disinfection. Before that, they must be thoroughly rinsed under running water from brine. Disinfection can be done in one of several ways:

1. Warming up. To do this, you need to heat the water in a saucepan to 50-60 degrees. The seeds are placed in a tissue bag and dipped in hot water for 20-30 minutes. After this time, the bag is removed and kept under cold water within 3-4 minutes.
2. Soaking in a manganese solution. This method of disinfection is the most effective. In a jar, it is necessary to prepare a solution of dark pink potassium permanganate and place the seeds in it. They are pre-wrapped in cotton pads or cloth. It is necessary to keep the seeds in potassium permanganate for half an hour.

Stratification

Stratification is the third step in seed preparation. In the process of stratification, the correct distribution of nutrients occurs, which are important for seed germination.

Stratification can be done using cold. To do this, the seeds are spread on a cotton cloth, which is rolled up. Then it must be placed in a container and soaked in water. It is placed in the coolest part of the refrigerator (but not the freezer) for several weeks. In order to maintain constant humidity, you can place sphagnum moss in a container.

The process of preparing seeds for stratification

Stimulation

The final step in seed preparation is stimulation, which will allow good seedlings to grow. Conduct it this way:

• with the help of a biostimulator (Alibit, Epin, Energen);
• using natural stimulants (for example, aloe juice).

Priming

When the seeds are ready for planting, you need to take care of the soil. The substrate is an important component in growing good seedlings. You can either purchase it from a store or prepare it yourself. If you settled on ready-made soil, then choose varieties based on peat, but with the amount of trace elements not exceeding 400 mg per liter.

You can also prepare a soil based on a purchased substrate. To do this, you need:

• purchased soil (with more than 400 mg of microelements per liter);
• river sand;
• land from the site.

All these components must be taken in equal parts and mixed.

The soil must be steamed for disinfection.

If you do not want to use purchased soil, then you can prepare the following substrate:

• river sand;
• humus;
• soil from the site or from the forest.

All components must be mixed in equal parts and steamed for about two hours.

Planting capacity

You can grow seedlings either in separate cups or in large capacity... The first option is more suitable, since it eliminates the following problems:

• mass infection of seedlings;
• improper distribution of nutrients;
• root injuries when diving.

For growing, ordinary plastic glasses or boxes of milk or kefir are suitable. If you decide to choose as a container plastic cups, that is, one secret that will allow you to painlessly transplant seedlings into open ground. To do this, you need to use two cups per plant. One of them needs to cut off the bottom and cut along the sides of the wall. After that, it is placed in another glass and filled with a substrate. During transplanting, you can carefully remove one glass from the other without damaging the roots.

Landing

Pour the substrate into the prepared container. In this case, the soil can be pre-moistened. Small depressions (1–2 cm) are made in it. Seeds must be placed in them. You can put two seeds in each hole.

After planting the seeds, the containers must be covered with foil to create a greenhouse effect. They are placed dark and warm place... After the emergence of seedlings, the container with seeds is transferred to a lighted place and freed from the film.

Video - How to successfully plant tomatoes

Temperature regime

When planting seeds, the temperature must be maintained at 22 degrees. As soon as the first shoots have appeared, it can be lowered to 15 degrees for about 5 days. As soon as the seedlings get stronger, they are again raised to 24 degrees during the day (at night, a temperature of at least 12 degrees is permissible).

The optimum temperature for mature seedlings is 24 degrees

Lighting

To grow good seedlings, you should think in advance about good lighting... There are two options: passive and active lighting. In the first case, the seeds are placed on a windowsill and a reflective screen is placed on it. In the second case, lamps are used for lighting. Good light especially important in the first few days after sowing seeds.

Watering and humidity

Tomato seedlings like moderate watering. In the early stages, a teaspoon will be enough for each plant. Otherwise, you run the risk of overflowing the plants. This can lead to poor root development or lack of oxygen. Gradually, the amount of fluid must be increased. In this case, weather conditions are important. If it's cold outside, then watering is reduced. In hot weather, increase slightly.

Care

Seedlings require periodic feeding. To do this, ten days after the pick, you can use the following solution:

• 30 g superphosphate;
• 4 g of urea;
• 10 liters of water.
• 10 g of potassium sulfate.

Transplanting

In order to determine whether the seedlings are ready for planting, you must carefully examine them. The finished seedlings have a thickened stem no higher than 30 cm in length and 6–7 leaves, as well as a flower raceme and short internodes.

Hardening must begin about a week before. To do this, the seedlings are taken out in a cool room (on the balcony or outside) for several hours. Landing is carried out when there is no threat of night frosts. This usually happens in late May or early June. You should also consider your location and climate zone.

Problems and errors

There are some mistakes that can lead to poor quality seedlings. Among them:

• too elongated stem - this means that the seedlings did not have enough lighting;
• yellowing - this indicates too much watering;
• insufficient development of the root system - this indicates that the seedlings were under the influence of too high temperatures.

In addition, improper water and temperature conditions can lead to falling flowers, buds and fragility of leaves.

In terms of taste, tomato is the leader among the rest vegetable crops... Tomatoes are very thermophilic, so they are grown mainly through seedlings. It is possible to get a good harvest at home if you know how to plant tomatoes for seedlings.

Forcing seedlings is very important stage growing tomatoes, which begins with the preparation of seed. Seeds sprout unevenly: it all depends on their size, density, degree of maturity, hereditary characteristics, etc. Therefore, sowing tomatoes for seedlings is not complete without preliminary preparation to increase the germination and productivity of plants.

Seed preparation

Even knowing how to plant tomatoes for seedlings won't be helpful if the seeds are of poor quality. Their choice is a very important and crucial moment. You should not use the seeds of last year's harvest, they will not give a good result. It is advisable to purchase several varieties in specialty stores or in the market. After several seasons, it will be possible to determine which one gives the best harvest.

Good tomato seedlings will only come from quality seeds. First of all, you need to sort them out, removing empty, small and damaged ones. You can pour the seeds with salt water, mix thoroughly and let stand for about five minutes, then remove the ones that have floated to the surface, and rinse the remaining ones at the bottom with clean water several times and dry. It is advisable to store seeds of different varieties separately. To do this, they can be wrapped in pieces of gauze, placing a packet label inside.

After that, the seeds are disinfected. Keeping the seeds in 0.8% acetic acid solution for 24 hours helps to avoid diseases such as bacterial cancer and apical rot. One percent helps to prevent viral diseases in which the seeds are kept for 20-30 minutes. After that, they need to be rinsed with running water.

To improve the germination of seeds, they need to be warmed up with hot running water for several hours (you can use a thermos by dropping bags there). After that, the seeds are kept in a damp burlap for two to three days at a temperature of about 25 ° C. The seeds that have hatched are sown in moist, loose soil. After such preparation, seedlings appear in 1-2 days.

So that the seeds are resistant to low temperaturesuse hardening. For this, the swollen seeds are placed in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. To increase the yield, you can lower the seeds for a day in a solution of ammonium nitrate (4%) or a solution of potassium salt (2%). A good result can be achieved by placing the seeds in a 0.5% aqueous solution of manganese sulfate for twelve hours.

For processing, growth regulators can be used, which awakens the embryos of seeds to life, disinfects them and helps to improve the taste and nutritional value of the fruit. The seeds are processed for six hours at a temperature of 18 ° C. In this case, only fresh solution is used. After processing, it is necessary to dry the seeds.

If the above preparations are not available, you can use wood ash. To do this, about ten tablespoons of ash are diluted in five liters of water, which was previously warmed up in the sun. Throughout the day, the solution must be stirred periodically (4-6 times), then filtered and poured into jars, in each of which gauze bags with seeds of the same variety are lowered for three hours.

Soil preparation

For sowing tomatoes for seedlings to give good results, it is necessary to properly prepare the soil. The substrate should have the following characteristics: light texture, air and moisture permeability, absence of pathogens and weeds, sufficient amount of nutrients and organic substances, looseness.

Possible soil options for seedlings

For the first option, garden soil, humus, black or pressed peat (1: 1: 1) are used. Wood ash is added (half a liter per bucket of soil mixture), superphosphate (about two matchboxes). In addition, water is needed to moisten the mixture.

The second option - they take garden soil, black or pressed peat, and replace humus river sand (all one by one). Are added mineral fertilizers in the form of an aqueous solution (for 10 liters of water, take 20 g of potassium sulfate, carbamide - 10 g, superphosphate - 30 g).

Planting tomatoes for seedlings without picking can be done using peat tablets... Two seeds are planted in a diameter of 33-36 mm. When the plant has roots, it is planted in a half-liter container.

Tomato seedlings at home can also be grown in ready-made potting mixes from the store. Conscientious manufacturers add all the necessary additives and nutrients to the soil.

Growing seedlings

Before planting tomatoes for seedlings, the soil mixture must be moistened and poured into a container. The earth is leveled and compacted, furrows are made one centimeter deep with a distance of five centimeters between them. Then seeds are lowered into the furrows and sprinkled with soil.

The soil surface must be moistened. The container with the seedlings must be covered with foil and placed in a bright place at a temperature of at least 22 0 C. After five days, when shoots appear, the film can be removed, and the box with seedlings should be placed in a place with a lower temperature (up to 15 ° C) by 4 -6 days. After about a week, when the sprouts become strong, the temperature rises to 24 degrees during the day, and up to 12 degrees at night.

After the tomatoes have two or three leaves, they are dived into pots filled with a mixture of soil poured with potassium permanganate (for 10 liters of water - 0.5 g of potassium permanganate). Weak and damaged plants are discarded. For active growth of the root system of tomatoes when picking main root pinch. Dived seedlings are watered every week, making sure that the soil does not dry out between waterings.

Plant care

Seedlings need to be fed. For the first time, this is done ten days after picking with the following solution: 10 liters of water, superphosphate - 30 g, urea - 4 g, - 10 g. The finished fertilizer can also be purchased in the store.

After 14 days, a second feeding is performed. After feeding the seedlings, you need to water and loosen the soil. Care must be taken not to over-water the seedlings: this can cause disease or plant death.

Lighting

In addition, tomato seedlings at home need good lighting. The backlight is passive and active. In the first case, in window opening place a reflective screen. When active method illumination is provided using lamps. For the first few days, round-the-clock lighting is desirable, since tomatoes are very demanding on lighting.

Good sun exposure is necessary condition in order to get quality seedlings a tomato.

How to properly water the plants?

Water the seedlings sparingly, on initial stage a teaspoon is enough. As a result of excessive watering, roots that lack oxygen will develop poorly. Watering is increased gradually, observing the weather conditions. In the cold season, watering and feeding is done less often, on sunny and hot days - more often. You need to water as needed, preventing the soil from drying out. It is better to use not water for this, but a weak solution of mineral fertilizers.

Tomato seedlings for a greenhouse must undergo a hardening procedure, for which ventilation is increased. Then the tomatoes must be transferred to an unheated greenhouse and kept there for several weeks with the vents closed. If there is no frost, you can gradually leave the vents ajar for a while, and then leave them open at night for a week. After that, hardened seedlings can be planted in the ground.

How to determine the quality of seedlings?

A correct tomato seedling has green, well-developed leaves without white bloom and stains. A weak plant emerges slowly, while not always shedding the seed coat, has irregular shape, grows and develops poorly.

But it should be borne in mind that the plant may later emerge for the reason that it was sown to a greater depth than the others, and the shell cannot be thrown off due to unconsolidated soil. Therefore, the soil must be compacted, and the seeds must be buried in the same way - then seedlings with a capsule will be a clear signal that the quality of the seeds is low, and good harvest can not be expected.

Seedling picking

It is more convenient to dive tomato seedlings if an individual container with a volume of 0.5 liters is prepared for young plants. A plumper root system can be achieved by pinching the main root.

Pick methods

There are two options for this agrotechnical technique:
- planting one plant. This ensures a strong seedling with a good root system;
- planting two plants in one container. The resulting plants have two roots. To do this, the stems of the plants, when they reach a height of about 15 cm, must be tightly tied. After the growth of the shoots, the thread must be removed. Then pinch the top of the weaker plant. Growing this way helps to increase yields. It is used most often for tall varieties.

When to plant seedlings?

Many gardeners are concerned about the question of when to plant tomato seedlings in the ground and how to determine its readiness? The seedlings ready for planting have a thickened stem no higher than 30 cm with 6-7 leaves. As well as short internodes and a flower race.

Planting in open ground should be done when the threat of frost has passed, that is, in late May - early June. Answering the question of when to plant tomato seedlings, it is necessary to consider in what climatic zone it happens. Covering material must be used to protect the plants. It must be remembered that temperatures below 15 ° C can adversely affect growth and flowering.

Mistakes when growing seedlings

Many gardeners know how to plant tomatoes for seedlings, but still they are not immune from mistakes. The decrease in quality and yield is facilitated by:
- low quality soil;
- disturbed temperature conditions, lack of light, improper watering;
- planting tomatoes for seedlings too early;
- the use of varieties that are not resistant to pulling;
- lack of hardening.

Too moist soil, insufficient lighting and high temperatures lead to stretching of the stem of seedlings, its yellowing and poor development of the root system. Violation of temperature and water regimes causes thinning and lodging of plant stems, leaves become fragile, flowers and buds fall off.

Planting tomato seedlings

Are home seedlings planted from their seedlings in a place protected from the wind, well lit and warmed up? To do this, you must adhere to some rules.

Tomatoes can be preceded by pumpkin, cabbage, legumes, carrots and onions. The place where peppers, eggplants, potatoes were grown can be used for tomatoes after three years.

Tomatoes are not particularly demanding on soil fertility, but it is still preferable to use light, loamy or sandy loam soils.

To plant shoots, you need to prepare the holes and water them with water. Strong seedlings are planted at right angles. Tall varieties or seedlings that are elongated are planted at an angle of 45 °.

Then the hole must be covered with soil, compacted and watered. You need to stick a peg near the stem as a support for the plant.

An interval of about 70 cm is maintained between rows, and between plants - 30-40 cm.

At home - not an easy task, but quite doable. If you follow the planting rules, even inexperienced gardeners will be able to harvest an excellent harvest. And knowledge about how to plant tomatoes for seedlings will help in this.