Tomatoes are one of the healthiest and most delicious vegetables. Many gardeners grow them on their plots. Often, when deciding to propagate them, amateur gardeners do not realize a number of mistakes that they can make during the period of forcing seedlings. Let's consider what mistakes are possible with the wrong method of cultivating tomato seedlings.
Violation of sowing deadlines
The seedling method of growing tomatoes speeds up the time from planting to harvesting the first harvest by about 40 days.
Tomatoes grown from seedlings give the best harvest, and the fruit ripens during the warmest and most favorable months.
Forcing tomatoes into seedlings takes from 5 to 8 weeks, which is approximately 2 months. It is easy to calculate that if you transplant tomatoes into the soil after the first spring frosts (around May 15), then it is better to start planting seeds around March 15.
Failure to comply with sowing dates can lead to a late and poor harvest.
Improperly prepared and soil
The best soil for forcing tomato seedlings is a substrate that can be bought in stores intended for gardeners.
The planting substrate must be disinfected from pests, pathogens and weed seeds. To do this, it should be calcined in a stove or oven for 35–40 minutes.
A substrate suitable for sowing should be loose, enriched with nutrients, with a moisture content of approximately pH 6.0–7.0.
The soil should be thoroughly mixed and warmed to room temperature before sowing.
Inappropriate selection of cookware
The shape, as well as the material from which the planting utensils are made, are important.
Ceramic pots are not suitable for use as they are difficult to sanitize properly. Cylindrical plastic pots with holes are ideal for seedlings. This form ensures the free development of plant roots.
Single pots for picking should have a diameter of at least 8–10 cm.
Seedlings grown in such pots have an even and well-developed root structure. Seedlings grown in large containers begin to bloom and bear fruit earlier.
Mistakes when picking seedlings
After sowing the seeds in boxes and the first 2-3 strong leaves appearing on the seedlings, you need to transplant the plants into separate containers.
Pre-disinfected pots for replanting should be filled with the same soil that was used for sowing. Before planting, water the plants thoroughly. Seedlings should be replanted carefully so as not to damage the fragile stems and roots.
Violation of the timing of picking leads to thinning and slows down the survival rate of the sprouts.
Violation of climatic conditions
Tomato seedlings are very responsive to changes in air temperature and require proper watering and sufficient sunlight.
The best temperature for seed germination is 20–27°C. If these conditions are met, the first shoots appear within 5–7 days.
Then you should reduce the temperature to 13–14° C during the daytime and to 11–12° C at night. This temperature regime should be maintained until the first 2-3 leaves germinate. In this way, you can increase the number of peduncles in adult tomatoes.
After this, the seedlings are kept at 20–22°C during the day, and at night at 18–20°C.
Lack of hardening procedures before planting plants in a permanent place
Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to harden them off. Plants must gradually get used to the harsher conditions that will be in place of constant growth.
Tomatoes that have undergone a hardening procedure take root more easily in a new location.
A week before planting, you need to limit watering and gradually lower the temperature. To do this, you should take the pots with plants outside or into the greenhouse first for several hours, then you need to gradually increase the hardening time. After 3 days, you need to leave the seedlings in the greenhouse overnight.
These tips will help you avoid the main mistakes when growing tomatoes in seedlings.
