Content
Planting tomato seedlings is one of the most important agricultural activities. It depends on how well the seedlings and soil are prepared, the timing of transplanting and even the distance between the beds, whether it will be possible to grow tomatoes and harvest a good harvest.
The time when the seedlings need to be planted can be determined visually. Plants have strong stems that are more than 20 cm tall (ideally 25-35 cm). There should be 6 to 8 true leaves on the stem and one flower cluster can be formed. If the tomato seedlings were well cared for, the feeding rules were followed, the distance between the leaves will be small - about 5 cm. A distance of more than 5 cm indicates that the plant is weak, it will not be possible to grow a healthy tomato bush with good yields.
Transplanting in open ground is stressful for plants, so they need to be given special care before planting tomatoes in garden beds. Preparations begin a few weeks before the time when the tomato seedlings are supposed to be transplanted. During this period, the room with the seedlings is regularly ventilated so that the temperature drops by several degrees.
About a week (7-10 days) before planting tomatoes, watering is reduced, and on the day of transplant, on the contrary, it is abundant watering seedlings... If a flower brush has already been formed on the tomatoes, then before planting they need treat with boric acid solution... Spraying is carried out several days before the intended transplant. The solution is prepared based on the proportion: 1 teaspoon of boric acid per 1 liter of water (hot).
The "weakest point" of tomatoes is their susceptibility to late blight. This disease manifests itself as gray-brown spots on the leaves and stems, and subsequently on the fruits. To grow healthy plants, it is better to start the fight against late blight at the stage of planting seeds. But the seedlings also need to be processed before transplanting them to the garden.
To date, there are many drugs for late blight on sale, ranging from the well-known but ineffective "Bordeaux liquid" to modern systemic fungicides. They penetrate the plant tissue and are not washed off by atmospheric precipitation. Such drugs as "Tattu", "Previkur", "Quadris" have proven themselves well. Caring for tomatoes with systemic fungicides protects plants best against late blight.
To increase the resistance of tomatoes to various fungi and diseases, 10 days after the dive, the seedlings are sprayed with the following solution of trace elements:
Further, between treatments, a time of 10 to 15 days should pass, after planting in open ground, they are stopped.
The calendar dates for planting tomato seedlings depend on the geographical location and are not a determining factor. In order for plants to take root well in the open field, it is better to take into account the weather conditions and the established temperature, and not the calendar. If the average daily temperature reached + 12 ºС, then the time for planting seedlings of early varieties of tomatoes came in time.In the south of Russia, this temperature can be established as early as mid-April, and in the central part - in May.
Mid-season and late-ripening varieties are less cold-resistant, they can be planted when the thermometer shows + 15 ºС and above, and the soil warms up to + 10 ºС (about two to three weeks later than early tomatoes). If, after planting the seedlings, there was a sharp cold snap, the seedlings must be covered with foil.
For those who carry out agricultural work on favorable days, it will be useful to know that it is better to sow seeds and plant tomatoes on the growing moon. It must be said that it is correct, first of all, to focus not on the lunar calendar and the favorable days indicated there, but on the ripening dates of plants, since overgrown seedlings poorly accepted, its root system is less well formed, which affects the yield.
Favorable days for planting tomatoes in open ground (lunar calendar for 2017):
If weather conditions do not allow planting seedlings in open ground in time, you need to suspend their development. This can be done in the following way.
If the seedlings are still outgrown, they need to tie up to the pegs stuck next to the ground. When the height of the plant is too high - "managed" to grow plants above 50 cm - it is necessary to cut off the upper part. Overgrown plants are planted with the lower leaves cut off and planted at a deeper depth than usual.
Advice
It is necessary to spray the plants with the regulator correctly: not abundantly, so that there is no runoff from the leaves. If you overdo it with "chemistry", leaf burns may occur.
Tomatoes are light-loving plants, so when planning the placement of beds, they need to allocate a well-lit place. Lowlands, where moisture stagnates, are categorically not suitable for tomatoes, since diseases rapidly develop there that can completely destroy both plants and crops. It will not be possible to grow tomatoes there that are not affected by diseases or fungi.
Light, slightly acidic or neutral soils are best suited for planting tomato seedlings there. Loams are also suitable, but additional care will be needed - fertilizer. Preparation should be carried out about a week before transplanting tomato seedlings, in the following sequence.
The correct scheme for planting a tomato depends on the variety of tomatoes. The distance between medium-sized tomatoes should be at least 50 cm with the same row spacing. But low-growing tomatoes can be planted at a distance of 40 cm. Between the rows, as in medium-sized tomatoes, leave 50 cm. Between each pair of rows they make a passage, for it you need a distance of 70-80 cm.The depth of the holes is 15-20 cm. overgrown plants, holes are made to a depth of 25 cm.
For transplanting, the most favorable are cloudy days or evening time. Tomatoes are carefully removed from cassettes, pots or cups so as not to damage the root system and stem. When the plant is removed correctly, the earthy ball is intact. In order for the soil to easily move away from the walls of the container, you must remember to water the seedlings abundantly before "relocation".
Plants are placed in the holes on their side and watered in several passes. After that, the holes are filled up.Please note that normal seedlings should stand upright after sprinkling, and overgrown ones should be slightly on their side. This position of overgrown plants is necessary so that the roots do not go too deep into the cold soil.
Advice
After the holes are covered with earth, it is not recommended to water them so that a crust does not form on the surface of the bed.
In the first days after planting tomato seedlings in open ground, those plants that have outgrown must be lifted and tied up. This must be done carefully so as not to change the position of the roots, but only to change the direction of the stem by tying it to a peg. Pegs are also placed near the rest of the tomatoes, but the plants need to be tied to them later, when they grow up. The height of the pegs for low-growing tomatoes is 50 cm, for medium-sized ones - 80 cm.
For the first 10 days, the planted plants are not watered, and so that the soil does not lose moisture, it is covered with mulch. If the air temperature drops below + 12º C, the plants can be covered with foil. This kind of seedling care will allow you to grow healthy plants and harvest a good harvest of tomatoes.
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