The secrets of growing and caring for tomato seedlings

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables. Without them, perhaps, can not do on any garden plot. Vegetables are very tasty, great for harvesting for the winter and have many useful substances. Often, purchased seedlings may be weak or do not correspond to the variety that you want to purchase. But the seedlings of tomatoes can be grown and most. The article describes the basic rules for the cultivation of tomatoes by growing seedlings from seeds.

How to prepare tomato seeds before planting

Tomatoes are planted in open ground seedlings and growing it at home can be done by anyone. Of course, this will take some time and effort, but you will be sure that you will get it in the end. Most people for growing seedlings collect seeds from ripe fruit they like, dry them, and soak them for a couple of days before planting. That's the whole process.

However, if you want to grow good strong seedlings that are resistant to diseases and give a rich harvest, the seeds must be prepared before sowing. This procedure goes through several stages:

• drying;
• seed selection;
• disinfection;
• soaking;
• germination;
• quenching.

Seeds need to be selected from intact diseases and pests of ripe fruit. They should be dried for a couple of days in a well-ventilated and lighted room (avoid direct sunlight). To select the best material for planting, the seeds must be immersed for a few minutes in saline. For its preparation, a teaspoon of salt is stirred in a glass of water and infused for 10 minutes. Then the seeds are immersed in water: those that come up need to be removed, as they are empty or dried out and will not be suitable for growing seedlings.

After sampling the seeds are Packed in bags and stored in a dark place at room temperature. If the seeds were stored in the cold, a month before planting it is recommended to warm them up for a couple of days on the battery in fabric products.

Most of the diseases of tomatoes take root on the seeds and can exist there for a long time, regardless of climatic conditions. therefore It is recommended to decontaminate the material before planting. For this, the seeds are immersed for 15 minutes. in 1% solution of potassium permanganate or for 7 minutes. in a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, preheated to 40 degrees.

To soften the rind of the seeds and facilitate their germination, planting material before sowing should be soaked in water at room temperature for 10 hours. Seeds spread in a piece of gauze and immersed in a container. The amount of water should be 30% less than the volume of seeds. After five hours, the water will need to change.

To speed up the process of sprouting sprouts, it is recommended to germinate the seeds for five days in a saucer with moistened wet gauze at a temperature of 20-22 degrees.

In order for the seedlings to be resistant to temperature extremes and cold snaps, it is recommended to harden the seeds. In addition, such seedlings bloom earlier and will bring a lot more harvest. For this purpose, the seeded seeds are placed in a refrigerator for the night (the temperature should be from 0 to +2 degrees), and in the daytime they are stored at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. Manipulations are carried out several times.

Selection and preparation of soil

Tomato seedling is not very demanding on the ground. The soil for seedlings of tomatoes at home can be both purchased and prepared independently. When buying, preference should be given to peat soil.

To prepare the soil yourself, you need to take a loamy soil and add a little humus, compost. Seedlings will grow well in loose soil. To do this, you can add peat or sawdust to the mixture.

A coke substrate is also used for planting seeds. It contains many nutrients, prevents rotting sprouts, promotes the development of a powerful root system.

Capacity for growing seedlings

The choice of capacity for growing seedlings is important. Seeds can be sown in these types of dishes:

• boxes for seedlings;
• trays, cassettes;
• pots for seedlings;
• peat tablets or pots;
• disposable cups.

In addition, each option has its pros and cons. Boxes, trays and cassettes are more convenient and economical. They can grow a large number of seedlings, while caring for all the shoots. Also, in which case, such a capacity can be easily transferred to another place. They do not take up much space and will cost less at a cost. However, shallow containers are suitable for growing seedlings only before picking. In deep boxes and trays, adult sprouts can be entangled by roots, then it will be very difficult to separate them without damage. In case of damage, the seedlings will take a long time to settle down, and maybe even the abyss. From these options it is best to choose trays with partitions or cassettes.

Pots for seedlings and disposable cups - the best option from the inexpensive. In them, seedlings can be grown until transplantation into open ground. However, such containers take up a lot of space and are not very convenient if the seedlings need to be transferred to another place. At the bottom of the tanks for planting seeds must be drainage holes.

Peat tablets - ideal. They contribute to the development of a strong root system in sprouts, prevent seedling rot. However, this pleasure is not cheap.

Sowing tomato seeds for seedlings

Sowing tomato seeds in seedlings should be carried out March 15-20. The first shoots will appear in a week. Another two months will pass before the flowering of early-grade tomatoes, and another week will be needed to restore the plant after a dive. In early June, seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground. Before planting the soil should be slightly wet. Seeds are dug into the soil no more than 1 cm and at a distance of 5 cm from each other. Then you need to cover the container with a film or glass.After sowing the vessel should be placed in a warm place with a temperature of about 25 degrees. Under these conditions, seedlings will appear within a week.

Care and cultivation of tomato seedlings

After seedlings appear, the seedlings need to be moved to a lighted and cool room. Temperature range should be from +14 to +16 degrees. The room is bright. If there is none, you can arrange the illumination of sprouts with the help of lamps.

After a week, the temperature needs to be slightly raised to +20 degrees, and at night to drop a couple of degrees. To do this, you can open the window, but do not allow drafts.

Watering seedlings of tomatoes for growing at home should be moderate and carried out with water at room temperature. Until the first good sheet appears, lightly spray the soil with water when it becomes completely dry. After the appearance of the leaf, watering is carried out once a week, and after the formation of five good leaves, the seedlings are watered every 3-4 days.

Dive tomato seedlings

A dive is a transplanting of seedlings into separate containers. This contributes to the formation of the root system. There is a growth of lateral roots, improved plant nutrition. The seedling becomes stronger and will easily take root in the open field, will give a good harvest. The pickling of tomato seedlings is carried out on the tenth day after the first shoots appear. However, in each case it is necessary to approach individually. The general rule is that the seedlings dive on the second day after the appearance of the first true leaflet.

A couple of days before picking, the seedlings need to be watered slightly so that the shoots can be taken out more easily. You need to remove seedlings from the ground very carefully so as not to damage the still weak roots. It is advisable to undermine them with a stick or toothpick. Replace need in deeper capacity. To do this, you can use pots, disposable half-liter cups or plastic bottles withneck trimmed.

After picking, sprouts are watered abundantly and transferred to a cool place with moist air. On the seedlings should not fall direct rays of the sun. After a week, the seedlings are returned to their former warm place.

Hardening tomato seedlings

Hardening of seedlings is recommended so that when planted in open ground it does not freeze, it is resistant to temperature changes that often occur in the summer. Let us consider in more detail how to temper tomato seedlings. When it gets warmer outside and the temperature reaches 15 degrees, the containers with the seedlings are taken out onto the street or balcony. Before this, the plants are watered. During tempering, you need to monitor the temperature. When the temperature drops below 8 ° C, containers should be brought to a warmer room. It is better to take out seedlings after four or five o'clock in the evening, when the sun is a little falling. Otherwise, it may fry. You also need to monitor the soil, it should not dry out. If the soil is dry, it needs to be watered a little. Never leave containers in direct sunlight. The hardening period is two weeks.

Prevention and protection of tomato seedlings from pests and diseases

Growing tomato seedlings is often overshadowed by fungal diseases and pests.In order not to face such troubles, it is recommended that tomato seedlings be treated with fungicides, insecticides or folk remedies.

The most common diseases of tomatoes are:

• late blight;
• macrosporosis;
• spotting;
• brown rot;
• septoriosis;
• viral diseases.

Almost all of these diseases have a fungal nature. To deal with them is quite difficult. Therefore, it is better to carry out preventive measures. These include the following:

• periodically loosen the ground;
• avoid thick planting;
• do not flood the seedlings;
• tear off the lower darkened leaves;
• before planting in open ground, process the seedlings with a 0.5% Bordeaux liquid;
• process the plants and the soil with kiln ash (handfuls of ash should be scattered in the direction of the wind);
• in the first feeding of seedlings is recommended to add a little copper sulfate (2 g per 10 liters of hot water).

The most common pests include:

• Colorado beetle;
• thrips;
• aphid;
• cicadas;
• whiteflies;
• ticks;
• Medvedka.

To prevent damage to plants by pests, it is necessary to refrain from excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers. It is also useful to treat the soil and plants with ashes, remove the lower yellowed leaves. At the first signs of damage to seedlings by pests, it must be treated with insecticides.

Now you know how to grow tomato seedlings from seeds, the main secrets with which you can protect plants from adverse climatic conditions, diseases and pests. Compliance with the described rules also guarantees a high yield of tomatoes.