Secrets of healthy tomato seedlings and ways to avoid "tomato diseases"

Frequent complaints on dacha forums: diseases of tomato seedlings destroyed the work of a whole month, after picks the bulk of the plants died, and you can't look at the surviving specimens without tears: deformed stems, spots on the leaves. It seems that tomatoes are to taste not only for people, but also for pathogens: fungi, viruses, bacteria. The problem has 2 solutions: buy already grown seedlings and immediately plant them in a greenhouse, or learn to understand what changes in the stems and leaves of your green pets signalize, how to help them survive and grow stronger. Those who have chosen the first path, we wish to find an honest seller who sells quality goods and does not put sick and broken plants inside the bundle. Those wishing to independently understand the causes of tomato ailments and master the treatment of plants at home need to be patient: there are many diseases, and each of them requires a special approach.

Malnutrition results

Unlike representatives of the animal kingdom, plants cannot move and choose their own food on their own. What kind of soil exists in the garden or in the greenhouse, this is what the green world feeds on, absorbs both useful and harmful substances. After such a diet, there is an excess of some components and a lack of others. Such an imbalance has a bad effect on the state of the body; whole forests of twisted, undersized or deformed trees are known. When growing seedlings, you need to provide them with a balanced diet.

Noticing an uncharacteristic change in your pets, first of all, exclude the simplest reason - an excess or lack of minerals and trace elements. It is most convenient to inspect plants during a dive: both the roots and the aerial part are clearly visible. Home treatment is simple: balance your pet's menu.

Pay attention to the following signs.

• Deformed bumpy leaves, decay of roots - calcium deficiency.
• Young leaves become wrinkled - there is an excess of calcium in the soil, which prevents the plant from assimilating potassium.
• The leaves turn yellow, and the veins remain green - excessive feeding with potassium permanganate, because of this, iron deficiency occurs.
• Leaves lose their elasticity - copper deficiency.
• Pale color of plants - lack of nitrogen.
• Sluggish sagging leaves - lack of chlorine has dehydrated the plant.

To avoid this problem, purchase special soil for seedlings tomatoes in specialized stores. You cannot know for sure the composition of the soil in a garden bed, in a greenhouse or in a forest; you cannot determine which components are insufficient. Choose a product in branded packaging, there should be instructions on when and how to feed the seedlings. If the manufacturer does not bother himself with such nonsense, packs the soil in ordinary bags without identification marks, then inside there may be soil completely unsuitable for a tomato, in which the entire periodic table is present. High-quality products are always packaged and completed in accordance with all the rules.

Seedling fungal diseases

Most often, tomato seedlings die due to fungal infection. The pathogen settles on the leaves and stems, after which it penetrates the tissues and begins to eat the plants. Spots and ulcers appear on the stem and leaves. Light spores are carried by air, get into water and soil - healthy specimens become infected.In a greenhouse with high temperature and humidity, the parasite soon invades the entire space. Plants are especially vulnerable after picking and transplanting. It is very difficult to stop the spread of diseases, it is easier to prevent its occurrence.

The most common disease affecting young plants is blackleg... The pathogen from the soil passes to the lower part of the stem, spreads around the circumference, after which the sore spot becomes thin, the seedling falls and dies. The fungus loves warmth and excessive moisture, when growing tomatoes in a common container without picking, it often affects too dense plantings on the windowsill and in the greenhouse. Before sowing, you need to treat the soil with copper sulfate. Diseased plants should be destroyed immediately.

Delivers no less trouble late blight... The disease can be transmitted by air, water, and soil. Stripes appear on the stem, dark spots with a light frame appear on the leaves. Diseased plants need to be destroyed, seeds for prevention should be disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, and seedlings should be sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

White leaf spot first affects the lower leaves, which become brown with black dots, then dry and fall off. You can try to cure valuable specimens with Bordeaux liquid. Perhaps they will survive and even bear fruit. If the seedlings do not belong to rare varieties, it is better to destroy diseased plants and disinfect the soil.

Diseases caused by viruses

Viruses that infect tomato seedlings can lurk in seeds or soil in a greenhouse, or they can be carried by pests. The plant looks healthy for a long time, and gardeners need to carefully examine the seedlings during the pick in order to notice discoloration, spots, root damage and other signs of the disease and prevent its spread. Often viral diseases go unnoticed at the seedling stage and appear only after transplantation into the ground. If you feel sorry for destroying diseased plants, you want to save them, arrange a kind of insulator on another windowsill, where you will place all the seedlings that arouse suspicion.

Advice

To make it easier to destroy or isolate diseased plants, grow them not in boxes, but in individual containers: cassettes, cups, pots.

If you noticed that brown streaks appeared on the seedlings, most likely it was struck by a streak. Over time, the stripes turn into ulcers, parts of the plant lose their elasticity and easily break off. Often the virus is seed-borne; to avoid contamination, use a reliable seed.

If the leaves on the seedlings have different intensity of color, lighter leaves are visible among the green mass, the plant is affected by mosaics. Destroy diseased specimens, and treat the rest of the seedlings with potassium permanganate and solution urea... The virus can live outside living plants for no more than a year, do not use fresh grains for sowing, postpone them until next season.

Among the friendly tall seedlings, there are small deformed specimens - possibly aspermia in seedlings. Bushes can grow and begin to bear fruit, but the tomatoes will be unusual in shape, small, completely seedless. Often, the disease becomes visible already in mature plants in the greenhouse. To prevent the virus from spreading, during picking and transplanting, leave only strong, well-developed plants, discard the rest.

Diseases caused by bacteria

Bacteria are also not averse to eating tomato seedlings. Harmful microorganisms live in soil and seeds. Home treatment is hindered by the fact that the industry has not learned how to make effective and safe antibiotics to fight tomato infection. The only way to fight is to prevent and increase plant immunity.At the end of the season, disinfect the greenhouse to prevent germs from overwintering in the ground and wooden structures.

Black bacterial spot appears at high humidity and high air temperatures. Black dots and stripes appear on the stems, watery black spots on the leaves. In seeds, the causative agent of the disease of tomato seedlings can live for a year, in soil - for several years. In good conditions, there are no visible signs of the disease on the seedlings, but bacteria get into the fruits and seed.

Brown leaf spot. Yellow and gray spots appear on the surface of the leaves, and a greenish bloom on the underside. The higher the humidity of the air and soil, the faster the disease spreads. It is better to destroy diseased specimens, if the seedlings are valuable, you can try to spray it with a fungicide in which copper is present.

The pillar changes the color of the seedlings, it acquires pink and purple hues. Then the seedlings become small, coarse. The pathogen is carried by insects. If the infection occurs at a young age, the fruits will not set on the tomatoes; if adult plants become diseased in the greenhouse, stripes and spots will appear on the tomatoes, the pulp will become tough and tasteless. Such vegetables are not suitable for fresh consumption, and you cannot make preparations from them.

Prevention of tomato diseases

As with any organism, the best prevention of plant infectious diseases is hygiene and cleanliness. If, after planting the seedlings, dirty boxes remain lying in the barn until spring, and then you pour the soil dug out in the garden into them and sow seeds bought from your grandmother in the market, only a miracle can save the planting from an epidemic. Compliance with simple rules will save your seedlings from death.

1. Thoroughly wash and disinfect the container for seedlings.
2. Purchase soil from trusted companies designed for tomatoes.
3. Use good quality seed.
4. Immediately destroy or isolate any seedlings that show stains, deformations, or other signs of disease.

If you want to try to heal diseased plants, move them to another window. Use separate tools and gloves to care for infected seedlings. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling diseased plants. Treat healthy plants first, then move on to diseased ones.

Create good conditions for seedlings to grow. Pathogens are especially active in hot, humid environments; do not over-water. Avoid plantings that are too dense: plants grow poorly in crowded conditions, but fungi and bacteria thrive. Hide seedlings from strong drafts, but complete stagnation of air is undesirable, create reasonable ventilation. If it is not possible to purchase special soil, use the land from the garden where the Solanaceae family cultures have not grown for the last 3 years. Spill the soil with a disinfectant solution before sowing.

Strong seedlings with strong immunity are not as susceptible to disease as weak and depressed ones. Use preparations to increase the resistance of seedlings to diseases, process the roots in the process of picking and transplanting. Compositions containing beneficial microorganisms will heal the soil, saturate it with elements that plants can easily assimilate. Adequate nutrition will strengthen the cells and organs of tomatoes, the infection will not be able to break through a solid barrier.

Output

All diseases of tomato seedlings are divided into 2 categories: infections and excess or lack of minerals and trace elements. Take your land choice seriously and feeding: an excess of fertilizer is more dangerous than a lack. Excessive levels of certain minerals in the soil can block the absorption of other nutrients. Carefully read the instructions for the soil: some manufacturers put a nutrient composition into it, which will be enough until planting seedlings in a greenhouse, no additional fertilizing is necessary.

Infectious agents are divided into fungi, viruses and bacteria. Plants can become infected from each other, through air, water, soil or seeds. The main signs of infection are spots and damage to leaves and stems. Use reliable soil and seed to avoid contamination. Disinfect seedling containers and tools after use. After harvesting, treat the land and all structures in the greenhouse with antiseptics.

It is better to destroy diseased plants immediately, and treat the soil and remaining specimens with a disinfectant solution. Keep tomatoes cool, air out, and don't over-water them. When picking, reject all suspicious specimens. Keep diseased tomatoes separately from healthy ones. Follow the rules of prevention, and self-grown seedlings will be better, healthier and more productive than plants bought on the market.