How to grow tomato seedlings at home. Tomato seedlings at home Proper cultivation of tomato seedlings

Growing tomato seedlings at home requires certain knowledge and skills. Following the sequence of necessary manipulations and applying (data in the article) tips for growing and caring for tomato seedlings, you will receive high-quality, healthy and strong seedlings, which in the future will delight you with a rich harvest.

In the first 20 days after appearance tomato seedlings leaves grow slowly. In the next 15-20 days, growth becomes more noticeable.

To prevent tomato seedlings from stretching, lighting must be sufficient, it is important to monitor the temperature and carry out hardening. For 7 days after emergence, the temperature is maintained during the day (16-18°C) and at night (13-15°C). Then it is increased to (18-20°C) during the day and to (15-16°C) at night. This regime is observed until the second and third true leaves appear on the sprout. This usually happens 30-35 days after germination.

During this time Tomato seedlings are watered and fed 3 times, which allows you to get strong seedlings even during low light periods (March).

The first time the emerging seedlings are watered lightly. Water the second time after 1-2 weeks, combining watering with fertilizing, in the phase of one true leaf. Last time water 3 hours before picking and transplanting seedlings.

Water for watering tomato seedlings must be room temperature(20°C) and must be settled. It is preferable to water young seedlings at the root so that water does not get on the leaves and they do not rot. Boxes or crates should be turned the other way every day. window glass- this will prevent the seedlings from being pulled to one side.

You cannot place the box directly on the windowsill; it is better to use some kind of stand so that air access to the root system is not limited.

When the seedlings have 1 true leaf, make the first root feeding tomato seedlings: 1 teaspoon of Agricola-Fornard liquid fertilizer is diluted in 1 liter of water. This feeding enhances the development of seedlings and strengthens the root system.

The second feeding is done when the third true leaf appears: 1 tablespoon of the Barrier preparation is diluted in 1 liter of water. Water the solutions very carefully. Seedlings with 2-3 true leaves are planted in pots measuring 8 x 8 or 10 x 10 cm, in which they will grow for only 22-25 days. To do this, the pots are filled with one of the soil mixtures recommended above and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate - 0.5 g per 10 liters of water (22-24°C). When picking seedlings, sick and weak plants are culled.

Rice. 1. Picking tomato seedlings into pots: a - planting a non-stretched plant; b - planting an elongated plant;

If the seedlings are slightly elongated, then when planting them in pots, the stems can be buried halfway, but not to the cotyledon leaves (Fig. 1).

After picking tomato seedlings into pots for three days the temperature is maintained during the day (20-22°C) and at night (16-18°C).

As soon as the seedlings take root, the temperature is reduced during the day to (18-20°C), at night to (15-16°C). Watering seedlings in pots 1 time per week until the soil is completely wet. By the next watering, the soil should dry out a little, but at the same time it is necessary to ensure that there are no long breaks in watering.

12 days after picking, the seedlings are fed: For 10 liters of water take 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska or nitroammophoska. Use about 1 cup for 2 pots. After 22-25 days, the seedlings are transplanted from small pots to large ones (size 12 x 12 or 15 x 15 cm). When transplanting, try not to bury the plants (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Transplanting tomato seedlings from small pots to large ones: 1 – small pot; 2- large pot; 3 – soil layer;

After planting, the seedlings are watered with warm (22°C) water, trying to moisten the soil well. In the future, moderate watering is needed (once a week) as the soil dries out. This inhibits the growth and elongation of seedlings.

Why do you need to plant seedlings first in small pots and then plant them in larger ones?

Firstly , each transplant inhibits growth, and the seedlings do not stretch.

Secondly , in small pots, plants with regular watering develop a good root system, since water in such pots is not retained and there is more air access.

If you plant seedlings directly into large pots, it will be difficult to regulate watering and the water will begin to stagnate. Excessive moisture causes a lack of air and root system slows down growth, which, in turn, negatively affects the development of seedlings (they stretch out).

15 days after transplanting into large pots, the seedlings are fed.

At first feeding tomato seedlings For 10 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate or 1 tablespoon of dry fertilizer “Signor Tomato”, stir well and water the seedlings at the rate of 1 glass for each pot.

After 15 days they do second feeding: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska or dry Fertility fertilizer in 10 liters of water and use 1 glass per plant. Fertilizing is combined with watering. If during the period of growing seedlings the soil in the pots becomes compacted, add additional filling.

When strong pulling of seedlings tomatoes Plant stems can be cut into two parts at the level of the 5th or 6th leaf. Place the top cut parts of the plants in a jar of water. After 8-10 days, roots up to 1-1.5 cm in size will grow on the lower sections of the stems, and these plants can be planted in pots measuring 10 x 10 cm or in a box with nutrient soil at a distance of 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 cm each from friend. Then they will continue to grow, like common seedling, which is formed into one stem.

New shoots (stepchildren) will soon appear from the axils of the five lower leaves of the trimmed plant remaining in the pot. When they reach a length of 5 cm, the two upper shoots (stepchildren) should be left and the lower ones removed. The result will be good standard seedlings. It is advisable to do this operation 20-25 days before planting seedlings on permanent place.

When such tomato seedlings are planted in a greenhouse, they continue to be formed into two shoots. Each shoot is tied separately with twine to a trellis (wire) and 3-4 fruit clusters are formed.

If tomato seedlings stretched out and turned pale green , need to do feeding(for 10 liters of water, take 1 tablespoon of urea or liquid concentrated fertilizer “Ideal”), spending 0.5 cups for each pot. Then, for 5-6 days, place the pots in a room with an air temperature of 8-10°C day and night and do not water for several days. Plants will stop growing, turn green and even turn purple. After this, transfer them back to normal conditions.

If the seedlings develops rapidly to the detriment of flowering , do root feeding: for 10 liters of water, take 3 tablespoons of superphosphate and spend a glass of this solution for each pot. A day after feeding, the seedlings are moved to a warm place with an air temperature of 926°C during the day, and at night (20-22°C) and are also not watered for several days in order to dry the soil a little. In such conditions, the seedlings normalize, and after a week they are transferred to normal conditions. In sunny weather, during the day the temperature is kept at (22-23°C), at night (16-17°C), and in cloudy weather during the day it is reduced to (17-18°C), at night to (15-16°C).

Many gardeners complain about slow growth tomato seedlings , in this case it is fed with a solution of growth stimulator “Sodium Humate” at the rate of 1 glass per plant. The watering solution should be the color of beer or tea.

In April - May, seedlings are hardened off, that is, the window is opened both day and night. On warm days (from 12°C and above), the seedlings are taken out to the balcony and opened for 2-3 hours for 2-3 days, and then taken out for the whole day and even left overnight, but be sure to cover the top with film.

If the temperature drops (below 8°C), the seedlings must be brought indoors. Well-hardened seedlings have a bluish-purple tint. During the hardening period, the soil must be watered, otherwise the plants will wither.

To preserve flower buds on tomato seedlings on the first flower cluster, it is necessary to spray the seedlings with a solution (1 g per 1 liter of water) 4-5 days before planting in the garden bed or greenhouse boric acid). Treatment is carried out in the morning in cloudy weather.

IN sunny weather DO NOT treat plants, otherwise burns will appear on the leaves. Seedlings should reach a height of 15-35 cm, have 8-12 well-developed leaves and formed inflorescences (one or two).

Often, gardeners buy seedlings at the market that were grown without following the rules of agricultural technology, that is, densely sown in late dates. The plants themselves will tell you this: they are pale green in color, with large internodes, thin, elongated and without flower buds. Such thin, loose, easily broken seedlings always produce a late and meager harvest and, as a rule, are affected fungal diseases, especially late blight.

2-3 days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, it is recommended to cut off 2-3 lower true leaves. This is necessary to reduce the likelihood of diseases, better ventilation, lighting, which, in turn, will contribute to better development first flower brush. Cut off the leaves so that stumps 1.5-2 cm long remain, which will gradually dry out and fall off on their own.

Great( 5 ) Badly( 2 )

Tomato, or tomato, is a plant from the Solanaceae family, native to South America. Europeans became acquainted with it only after the discovery of the New World and the tomato, like everything new, “took root” quite difficult and for a long time. Despite this, the tomato is now one of the most popular and sought after vegetables all over the world. It's hard to imagine any of the national cuisines, where no tomato would be used. Some dishes cannot be imagined without tomatoes - just remember Ukrainian borscht, Italian pizza, Mexican chili, American ketchup and much more.

An important condition for obtaining a plentiful and high-quality harvest is correct landing tomato for seedlings. Only strong and healthy ones will quickly and easily take root in the soil or in a greenhouse, begin to actively bloom and set large and tasty fruits.

In order for tomato seedlings at home to be healthy and of high quality, you need to follow simple but very important rules:

Correct timing for sowing tomato seeds for seedlings.
Temperature maintenance.
Stable water balance.
Competent selection of soil.
Selection of varieties for open ground and greenhouses.
Proper planting of tomatoes in the ground.

When to sow tomatoes for seedlings according to the growing season?

Tomatoes come in early, mid-ripening and late varieties. Between these three varieties there are intermediate ones with a difference in ripening of 5-15 days, but basically this division is competent and correct.

Early tomato varieties have the shortest growing season from sowing to flowering, therefore, they bring the earliest and most valuable harvest. Early tomato seedlings allow you to get delicious fresh vegetables, but requires more attention and effort to grow.
Medium-bearing varieties produce fruits at the height of the season; they are the most delicious and healthy. The growing season is longer than that of early tomatoes.
Late tomatoes bear fruit from the second half of summer until late autumn; in warm weather, tomatoes remain fresh on the bushes until frost. These tomatoes have the longest growing season.

Usually, early tomatoes are a pleasant delicacy for the table after a long winter, mid-season tomatoes accompany food throughout the season, and late ones are used for canning and processing.

When is the best time to plant tomato seedlings?

For growing tomato seedlings on a windowsill, they are most suitable early varieties, since they need to be sown as seedlings early in the spring, in order to be planted in the ground after the end of return frosts.

If you plant tomatoes as seedlings too early, they will quickly grow and form, and weather conditions will not allow planting in the ground or under film. Such seedlings will stretch out, become fragile, pale and sickly, will have difficulty taking root in the soil and will bear fruit poorly.
Sowing too late means getting small, unformed seedlings. The timing of planting seeds depends on the weather conditions of the area where it is planned to grow seedlings; usually it takes 1.5-2.5 months to grow tomato seedlings.

According to the type of growth, all tomatoes are divided into two large groups:

Indeterminate (vigorous).

For cultivation in greenhouses, tall and vigorous varieties of tomatoes are usually selected, since they are the most productive in conditions closed ground and give a large harvest.
If you plan to grow tomatoes in open ground, grow good seedlings tomato can be made from low-growing varieties, they are less in danger of being pulled out and outgrown. Such plants form squat, strong bushes that often do not require further tying to a trellis or stakes.

How to properly plant tomato seedlings indoors?

To get good seedlings you need to choose healthy planting material, pick up suitable soil and containers for planting, maintain the correct temperature and watering.

Healthy calibrated seeds are selected for planting; puny and damaged ones are thrown away. There are two ways to sow seeds - in a common container, followed by picking, and directly into individual cups.

Since tomatoes tolerate picking and transplanting well, in order to save money and space, you can sow tomatoes in boxes or other suitable containers. Subsequently, the seedlings are planted for the first time, planted at a greater distance, and then transplanted into separate containers, where the seedlings remain until planted in the ground.
In the second option, seeds are sown 2-3 in pots or cups; weaker plants are subsequently simply pulled out. This method is more expensive, plantings will take up a significant area, a large number of It will not be possible to grow seedlings in an apartment.

Almost any non-soaking container can be used as a container for planting seedlings. Amateur gardeners successfully use wooden and even cardboard boxes lined with plastic film, disposable plastic or paper cups, sour cream and yogurt containers, juice boxes or milk cartons. For used containers, it is important to thoroughly clean the remaining contents, otherwise it can rot, contaminate the ground and destroy the seedlings.

When deciding how to properly grow tomato seedlings, you need to remember that this plant is very demanding on room temperature, lighting and watering. Wet air is harmful to tomatoes, therefore, when we plant tomato seedlings, it is important to regularly ventilate the room where they grow, avoiding strong temperature changes and drafts, which are detrimental to this plant. There is no need to spray crops with water; they can easily get sick and die.

Tomatoes are sown in trays or boxes, lightly sprinkled with sifted nutrient mixture and sprayed generously, covering with film. Air humidity is needed only until the seeds germinate, and then the film is removed.

The soil for tomato seedlings should not be too acidic, that is, pure peat is absolutely not suitable for this plant. At home, the easiest way to remove diseases and pests is by freezing. To do this, leave a bag or box of soil on outdoors, where frosts will quickly kill everything harmful to seedlings. The container with soil must be covered from precipitation, which can wash nutrients from the soil.

Healthy seeds hatch and germinate very quickly, and within 2-5 days, first “loops” appear from the soil, and then full-fledged cotyledon leaves. At this time, the room temperature should not fall below 25 degrees, and then it is gradually lowered slightly. Low temperatures are dangerous for this plant, serious damage begins already at 10 degrees - it turns yellow, buds and ovaries fall off, and growth stops.

In order for tomato seedlings on the windowsill to be strong and green, they need a lot of light. If there is a lack of natural light, planting will have to be done, sometimes this needs to be done around the clock. Tomatoes need to be provided with stable and uniform watering without waterlogging and drying out, which are equally detrimental to the plant.

Grown tomato seedlings are picked for the first time, and after a pair of true leaves appear, a second picking is carried out into seedling cups. When performing this operation, young plants are carefully buried along the cotyledon leaves. There is no point in damaging or even cutting off the cotyledons - they are the source nutrients for a plant that has begun to develop. Subsequently, they will fall off on their own when they are no longer needed.

With the help of picking, you can slightly reduce the effect of stretching the plant by early stages- by deepening the seedling and adding light, you can make the seedlings stronger and healthier. The part of the stem that, after picking, will be in the ground, will give roots and will additionally nourish the plant. In order for the picked seedlings to take root quickly and without loss, the soil must be warm enough and the watering must be uniform without flooding. If we plant tomato seedlings correctly, we end up with plants with strong, stable stems, lush green leaves and an overall healthy appearance.

The question often arises: how to feed tomato seedlings?
During the growth period, plants need complex fertilizers with a predominance of nitrogen and a mandatory content of microelements. Grown-up seedlings need potassium more; if there is a lack of this element, the plant becomes covered in spots, stretches out, turns pale and gets sick.

Properly grown tomato seedlings quickly take root in the soil and form a strong green plant, begins to bloom and bear fruit within the time limits established for this variety.

Growing tomato seedlings at home (video)

Tomatoes are one of the favorite crops that summer residents grow on their plots. The amount of the future harvest depends on what kind of seedlings are planted in a permanent place, be it a heated greenhouse, a small garden or an open bed.

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

Tomato seedlings at home - growing conditions

In order to grow good seedlings, you must follow a number of rules. First of all , corresponding to the place of cultivation (open ground, heated greenhouse, covered bed). Selection seed material must correspond to the climate zone.

Take care of a high-quality soil mixture for seedlings. You can prepare it yourself in advance or purchase it at a specialized gardening store. At the end of winter, many formulations are sold for various types plants.

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

Prepare fertilizers for feeding in advance. This can be ordinary ash or special compositions.

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

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

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

When to plant tomato seedlings

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

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

Exists Several options for preparing nutritional mixtures:

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

When preparing, all ingredients must be mixed well, adding a handful of wood ash for each measure. soil composition. If the mixture has not been frozen, it must be disinfected before seeds are planted 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 nutritious earth mixtures in the oven, scattering them on a baking sheet or placing them in the microwave for a minute at full power.

After this, the soil should be shed with warm, settled water and left for 10-12 days for microorganisms to develop 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 compacted, watered with warm water, and sowing begins.

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 placed in grooves with tweezers at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other;
sprinkle with earth on top, pressing lightly, so that the seeds do not wash out when watering;
Boxes or containers marked by grade are covered with glass or film on top and placed in a warm place.

Shoots should appear in a few days, depending on the tomato variety. At this time, the boxes should be kept warm, the temperature maintained at no higher than 25 degrees.

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

How to water

Periodically, as the soil dries out, it is moistened with a spray bottle, but without fanaticism, otherwise the seedlings may get sick. plants need to be well-settled. You can take melted snow. Water with warm water in the morning, trying not to wet the seedlings. As the seedlings grow, they need to be fed with nutrient solutions. This can be done in combination with watering.

It is better to apply fertilizing correctly in a simple way: First, lightly water with warm water, then add a feeding mixture, then water again with warm water. This is done in order to wash off the fertilizer and not burn the seedling or its roots.

How to feed seedlings to keep them strong

For feeding For unpicked seedlings, you can prepare a weak solution of Kemira-Lux. This is a universal fertilizer, suitable for all types of plants and indoor flowers, so you can apply it without fear of not being able to use it up.

The solution lasts for a long time.

Seedlings respond well to feeding with infused ash. Take a tablespoon per liter and leave for 4-7 days. After this, the infusion is added to the water for irrigation at a ratio of 1:1.

If the seedlings are strongly stretched, watering is reduced or stopped altogether., the ambient temperature is reduced to 10-12 degrees.

Picking tomato seedlings: is it necessary?

After two true leaves appear, tomatoes must be dispensed into separate containers. This will give them more space for root formation, which means they will grow and develop faster. The 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 picking, water the seedlings, this will make it easier to transplant and they will more easily withstand the procedure.

The picking process can be carried out like this:

the cup is half filled with soil and lightly compacted;
sprout, removed from the box using a fork or stick;
placed in a cup and sprinkled with earth, carefully compacted.

You need to carefully separate the plant from the others by removing it from the box, trying not to damage the roots, with a small lump of earth. You need to fill it with soil up to the real leaves. After transplantation, 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 completely visible - both its roots and the above-ground part.

After transplantation, seedlings should be periodically inspected for diseases and fungal infections. All diseases are divided into two main groups: excess or lack of fertilizers and resulting infections. By balancing feeding, you can avoid both underdevelopment of seedlings and fattening of plants. Late blight appears 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 and spraying the seedlings with Bordeaux mixture.

White spot disease occurs first lower leaves. They darken, black spots appear on them, then the leaves dry out and fall off. It can be cured in the same way as for 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

Seedlings are planted in a heated greenhouse in accordance with the climate of the region. So for middle zone In Russia it will be the end of April or the beginning of May. In simple glass or polycarbonate greenhouses- late May-early June.

To cover beds and It is better to move tomatoes into open ground after the threat of return frosts. This is usually early to mid June. Depending on the climate zone and 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 according to all the rules of agricultural technology. The distance between planted tomatoes should be at least 35-40 cm. Two rows are usually made on the ridge. For better lighting, it is recommended to plant tomatoes 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 twisting the stem into a ring in a hole. This must be done extremely carefully, as the plant can be broken.

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

For the first few days (about a week), the plants should be left alone to acclimatize. They should not be watered, much less fed or loosened the soil near the bushes. Growing strong, healthy and hardened seedlings is certainly not easy, but by following all the recommendations and rules of agricultural technology, it is quite possible to provide yourself with tasty fruits for summer salads and winter preparations.

To get a rich harvest of tomatoes summer cottage, you need to know how to grow tomato seedlings at home. Some gardeners prefer to buy bushes at the market, but there are many disadvantages to this. There is no certainty that you are purchasing exactly the right variety. In addition, such seedlings often get sick and do not take root well in open ground.

Seed preparation

The key to a good harvest is correctly selected seeds. You can acquire them yourself by selecting from the best fruits grown last year. In order for them to germinate, they must be thoroughly dried and stored properly.

When buying seeds, carefully read the data on the packaging, which allows you to determine the germination percentage, fruit ripening time, frost resistance and much more. Choose varieties that suit your climatic conditions, and be sure to check the expiration date so as not to purchase an expired product.

Having decided on the variety, you need to prepare the seeds for sowing. This important condition how to grow strong tomato seedlings.

Pour the seeds onto a sheet of white paper and sort them thoroughly.
Discard deformed and small ones.
Fill the remaining material with salt water. Good seeds will sink to the bottom, and empty ones will float to the top.
Collect high-quality seeds, wash them running water and dry.

Selected planting material must be disinfected. A weak solution of manganese is suitable for processing. Stir some crystals into warm water. You should get a light pink liquid. Pour it over the seeds for 15 minutes. This time is enough for pathogenic bacteria to die and future seedlings to become resistant to diseases.

Many gardeners germinate seeds before planting. This greatly increases germination and makes the seedlings stronger. It is useful to use aloe juice, an excellent natural growth stimulator. It increases productivity and carries out additional disinfection of seeds.

You will need the leaves of a mature plant. Rinse them with water, chop them and squeeze out the juice. Mix it with boiled water in the same proportion. Place the seeds in gauze, tie tightly and lower into the solution. After a day, take it out, wrap it in cellophane and place it in a warm place. Check the seeds periodically. When they hatch, start planting.

You can plant seeds without germination, but then germination will decrease and the seedlings will take longer to grow.

Landing dates

Novice gardeners are interested in how to properly grow tomato seedlings. It is important to clearly calculate the landing time. Remember that seedlings should not be in the apartment for more than 60 days. If it overgrows, it will be difficult for it to take root in the garden bed, and if planted in open ground too early, it may freeze.

To get good tomato seedlings, consider your climate. When warm weather typically arrives in early May, count back 55 days from that time. This will be the time when you need to start preparing seeds and planting.

If you listen to lunar calendar, sowing tomatoes should not be done during the full moon or new moon. This impairs their development. It is recommended to plant seeds in the second phase of the waxing moon, which improves the growth of tops and makes the seedlings stronger and stronger.

Soil selection

Experienced summer residents advise preparing soil for planting in the fall. You should collect soil from the garden and combine it in equal proportions with fine sand and humus. Stir, add a couple of tablespoons of powdered chalk and wood ash to each bucket of the mixture. The soil should be airy and loose to quickly allow moisture and oxygen to pass through.

When it is not possible to prepare the soil in advance, you can use another recipe. Take:

70% turf soil;
15% humus;
15% ash, chalk and peat, mixing the ingredients together.

Any substrate must be disinfected before sowing to remove pathogens. There are several proven methods.

Heat the soil in the oven for a quarter of an hour, setting the temperature to 200 degrees.
Water the ground with boiling water.
Place the mixture in the microwave and turn on the unit for 2 minutes.
Fill the soil with a strong manganese solution.

Choose the appropriate method, disinfect, moisten the soil if it is dry, and place in a warm place for 2 weeks before planting.

If you don’t have time to work with soil, purchase soil mixture at the store. High-quality products go through all stages of purification, so they do not require additional processing.

Sowing seeds

Choose a convenient container for seedlings. It can be:

plastic cups;
cardboard boxes of yogurt or milk;
small pots.

Can be built wooden boxes or buy special pallets with cassettes. The main thing is that the container has good drainage. In cups, boxes, pots and boxes, you need to make several holes for water to escape.

Fill the prepared soil, dig holes 3 cm deep and place the seeds at a distance of about 3 cm from each other. Water gently warm water, cover the seeds with soil, cover the container with glass or stretch the film. It is needed to create greenhouse effect. When mass shoots appear, the covering can be removed.

If you need a way to grow healthy tomato seedlings, purchase peat pots for seeds at a specialty store.
These are small round-shaped containers.
Seedlings grown in them do not need to be removed for replanting.
This significantly reduces injuries to the root system and plant death in open ground.

The cups are made of peat with the addition of paper and humus. You need to make holes in them, pour broken eggshells for drainage, put nutritious soil on top, water and sow seeds. When the seedlings grow and are ready to take root in the garden, you need to transfer them there along with the pot. The peat will quickly begin to decompose, fertilizing the soil and increasing the yield of tomatoes.

Growing seedlings in peat pots, do not forget that it needs to be watered much more often than the one that sits in plastic trays and cups. The moisture in this container evaporates quickly.

Temperature

Until the seedlings appear, you need to maintain the air temperature at about 27-30 C. Usually the seedlings hatch on the 4-5th day. Then the degree must be reduced so that the seedlings do not begin to stretch upward. Optimal temperature- 16 C.

During this period, tomatoes need good lighting. Place them on the windowsill. If there is not enough natural light, you need to do additional lighting. At first, it is advisable to leave it on around the clock.

Remove the film daily for ventilation, otherwise mold may appear on the seedlings. When most of the bushes have sprouted, remove the protection and increase the temperature during the day to 22 C. At night it should be 4-5 C lower. Protect the seedlings from drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Watering and fertilizing

For irrigation you need clean water at room temperature. It must be passed through a filter or left in a jar. Seedlings should be moistened carefully; too much moisture may cause their roots to rot. A deficiency is also dangerous and can destroy the plant.

Check the soil regularly and water it as it dries out.
Watering should be done once every 5-6 days.
Spray water under each root from a spray bottle.
When the seedlings begin to grow and have more than 5 leaves, it is recommended to increase watering and carry out once every 3-4 days.

Whether it is necessary to fertilize seedlings can be seen from its appearance. We feed plants when there are not enough nutrients. In this case, the leaves turn yellow and the trunk looks stunted. To know what to feed the sprouts with, you need to understand what microelements are missing.

Brittle yellowish leaves indicate a lack of nitrogen.
The purple tint of the seedlings indicates a lack of phosphorus.
Curling of the leaves is a sign of a lack of potassium.
White spots on the tops form when there is no iron in the soil.

For the first time, seedlings can be fed two weeks after they have sprouted. The frequency of fertilizer application is once every 10 days. It is best to use purchased complex drugs. Agricola Vegeta, Kornerost and Effekton-O have proven themselves well for tomatoes. Use them according to the instructions and try not to get any liquid on the trunk or leaves when processing.

Picking seedlings

How to grow good tomato seedlings? At a certain stage of development you will need to pick the plant. This means that it needs to be transplanted into a new container. The procedure is necessary for the development of the root system. This can be avoided if you initially plant the seeds in peat cups.

When three fully formed leaves appear on the sprouts, you can start diving.

Prepare 500 ml containers, make holes in them and pour some soil inside.
Water the seedlings, carefully remove them from the soil and pinch the main root a third of the way.
Place in a prepared pot, sprinkle with soil, lightly tamp it down with your fingers and water with water.
Take the picked seedlings to a brightly lit place and increase the room temperature to 25 C.
After two days temperature regime need to be lowered again to 22 C.

Some summer residents use interesting way, To obtain strong seedlings tomato from seeds. To do this, they are picked and planted 2 pieces in one pot next to each other. The trunks are tied together with nylon thread. Plants grow together quickly. Then the top of the weaker trunk is pinched and the thread is removed. The result is powerful seedlings with developed roots.

Planting in open ground

Planting in the garden occurs when warm weather is firmly established outside, excluding night frosts. You cannot keep tomato seedlings in an apartment. When she is one and a half months old, she needs to prepare for a transplant. Plants need to be hardened off.

To do this, gradually reduce the air temperature in the room.
Lower it daily by 2-3 degrees and bring it to 14-16 C.
When there are 4-5 days left before transplantation, start taking the seedlings out onto the balcony.
On the first day, leave the plants outside for 2 hours.
Secondly, for 4 hours, and then do not bring the sprouts home around the clock so that they fully adapt to the new temperature conditions.

Seedlings are considered ready for rooting in the ground when they grow about 30 cm. They have at least 7 leaves, a powerful stem 1 cm wide and produce a flower raceme.

Every person can have a strong healthy seedlings tomatoes, but how to grow it is up to you. You can use any in an accessible way and provide yourself with powerful seedlings that will give a generous harvest.

Kirill Sysoev

Calloused hands never get bored!

Content

The resulting harvest largely depends on the quality of the seeds and seedlings. Growing tomatoes yourself is a serious and very painstaking task, but from an economic point of view it is very profitable; it requires a lot of knowledge and work. To provide good harvest, you will need to learn in advance how to grow tomato seedlings at home yourself, because it is very important to choose and prepare the seeds and soil correctly, and also to sow on time and provide proper care to the seedlings. But how to do that?

How to grow tomato seedlings from seeds at home

Seedlings grown at home have high quality and takes root well in open ground, it has minimal susceptibility to disease. Only by choosing high-quality planting material can a gardener be able to provide for himself good plants and a rich harvest. How to choose seeds or collect them in advance yourself? Do they need to be processed, and if so, how? Such questions confuse many beginning gardeners.

Preparing seeds for sowing

There is no consensus on whether it is worth buying planting material or collecting it yourself in the fall. Experienced gardeners often choose self-training seeds, but for this you need to understand which fruits are best suited. Those who want to save money also get by with planting material from their own plots. One way or another, at least for the first time you will need to buy them, and this will also have to be done by those who decide to grow new varieties in their garden. I would like to note that independently collected seeds suitable for sowing up to 7-8 years.

In both cases, planting material must be prepared in advance. This is done 1-2 days before the planned sowing. How? To begin with, quality seeds are selected. A container of water into which you pour them will help you do this: the empty seeds will float to the surface, while the good ones will remain at the bottom. The water is drained along with the unusable grains.

After selecting the seeds, it is necessary to disinfect them, and for this a solution of potassium permanganate is often used. Disinfection is carried out as follows:

A few grains are diluted with water to produce a rich purple color.
The seeds are dipped into the resulting solution for about 20-25 minutes. If several are used for planting different varieties tomatoes, it is better to place them in napkins to prevent mixing.
When the seeds are disinfected, they are placed in clean water room temperature for swelling. Fresh seeds will last 8-10 hours, and if they are older than 3 years, it will take more time.

Soil

Properly selected soil for sowing is an important task for those who want to grow tomatoes at home. You need to take care of the soil in advance. Some gardeners believe that soil from the plot with the addition of humus, greenhouse soil and peat is suitable for growing seedlings. Others believe that it is necessary to prepare a mixture of humus, turf soil, peat, urea, superphosphate, and potassium sulfate.

Whatever mixture you choose, the soil must be disinfected so that the seeds are not damaged: for this, the prepared soil is subject to heat treatment. But it’s easier to make a soil mixture in the fall and leave it so that it freezes well in winter. If it was not possible to prepare the land for sowing in advance, purchased mixture, which is easy to find in a flower shop.

Sowing tomatoes

When the seeds and soil mixture are ready, you can proceed to sowing. Seedling containers need to be taken care of earlier. Wooden boxes, plastic or special peat glasses and modern containers with lids that can create a greenhouse effect are suitable for this.

Sowing begins by moistening the soil, making holes about 0.5-0.7 cm deep. When using boxes, a distance between holes of 2-3 cm must be maintained. When tomatoes are sown in special containers, 1-2 are needed per cell grains After this, the seeds are covered with a little soil. There is no need to water them additionally. If unsoaked grains are sown, the holes are made deeper - 1.5 cm, and after planting they are carefully watered.

How to care for seedlings

Properly selected and prepared seeds and their sowing are not all that is needed to obtain good seedlings. Appropriate care – important point in the whole process. Correct Actions will help seedlings emerge faster and avoid diseases when growing tomatoes at home. First, the containers are covered to achieve a greenhouse effect.

It is best to place home greenhouses in a well-lit place with a temperature of 20-24 degrees. This temperature is maintained until germination, after which it is lowered to 18 degrees. During germination, the soil is moistened as necessary using a sprayer; water is taken at room temperature. We must not forget about the condensation that appears on the film; it must be removed regularly. After the shoots emerge, the film or other covering is removed. Water when dry, otherwise there is a risk of rot.

How to feed seedlings

When the first full pair of leaves appears, the plants begin to be fed - this stimulates growth and strengthens the tomatoes. But it is important not to overdo it, otherwise it will turn out good greens, but without fruit it dies completely. Determine the need for fertilizing early stages The color of the seedlings will help - dark green leaves and dense stems with a purple tint indicate that it is not worth fertilizing the seedlings yet.

Experienced gardeners advise choosing for feeding organic fertilizers, and which ones, the plants themselves will tell you:

When the lower leaves of tomatoes turn yellow and fall off, this indicates that they do not have enough nitrogen, but be careful - if all the leaves turn yellow, this indicates an excess of it.
If the seedlings turn purple, this indicates a lack of phosphorus.
Plants that are kept in a constantly lit room need iron and a day-night balance.

How to pick tomatoes

When the seedling has 3 full leaves, it can be picked. But gardeners have ambivalent attitudes towards this process: some believe that picking is unnecessary stress for plants, others say that this is a way to weed out bad shoots. But no matter what opinion you hold, it is imperative to pick tomatoes if:

the seeds were sown in a box and more shoots appeared than planned in advance;
want to get tomatoes with healthy roots;
unhealthy plants appeared;
It is necessary to slow down the growth of seedlings so that they do not overgrow.

The picking is done approximately 10 days after germination; you need to prepare for the process. 2 days before the planned picking, water the tomatoes. If you water earlier, the soil will dry out, and if just before picking, the soil will be heavy, which will complicate the process. It is recommended to remove the plants using a teaspoon - this will ensure transplantation is safe. Place the plant in a prepared container for pickled seedlings, immersing it up to the cotyledon leaves, after which the soil is compacted and watered.

When to plant in open ground

Timely planting of seedlings is the key to the fact that they will take root better in open ground and produce a good harvest. Early-planted tomatoes are at risk of sudden frost, and late planting affects harvest time. Perfect time for moving tomatoes into open ground depends on the climate of the region. It mainly falls from mid-May to early June. To protect tomatoes from frost, cover it at night. After this, ensure timely watering, loosening and staking of plants.

Common problems when growing seedlings and their solutions

When growing for the first time, gardeners often encounter problems when the seedlings become weak, become very elongated, overgrown or, on the contrary, stop growing, the tomato leaves change and spots appear on them. Thin, pale tomatoes indicate that they are sick, but do not rush to get upset and send such plants to the trash heap - many of them can still be saved and get a wonderful harvest. Following the recommendations can save tomatoes and turn the growing process into an exciting experience.

Stretched out greatly

Very often this is due to insufficient lighting or the film not being removed in time.To solve the problem, you need to take care of a good light source, and picking plants will help correct the situation. Some people advise moving them to the cold, but this is not recommended. In some cases, if the sprouts are elongated, growth regulators (Epin, Zircon, etc.) are used.

Stunted in growth

Stunted or slow growth of tomatoes is a common problem. To solve it, you first need to determine the reason for this behavior of the plant. The most common reasons why tomatoes grow slowly are:

Wrong soil – too acidic or alkaline.
Lack or excess of nutrition.
Improper watering - the soil is flooded or too dry.
Diseases.
Presence of a cat in the house (if she went to the toilet before sunrise, she turns blue and dies).
Incorrect picking.

They solve the problem by eliminating the cause of stunted growth, creating optimal conditions for tomatoes: lighting, temperature, timely watering and fertilizing. If even after this the seedlings do not grow, use growth stimulants. The most common solution is sodium humate. The color of the liquid should resemble strong tea or beer. Water at the rate of 1 cup of solution per 1 tomato plant. It is also sprinkled with yeast.

The leaves have changed color and spots have appeared

If the leaves dry, curl, and become covered with spots, this indicates that there was too much fertilizer for the plants, or there was sea sand in the soil mixture, which poisons the roots, or the plants were not provided with normal watering, the soil is dry. Correct the situation by washing the soil with plenty of water, only the water should drain freely. If sea sand was used in the soil, only replanting it into another soil and washing the roots will save it.