Correct picking and watering tomato seedlings is the way to success
One of the prerequisites for quality grown tomatoes is correct picking and watering tomato seedlings.
When the seedling has a healthy appearance, its "characteristic" hairs are visible, there are already two real leaves, then it's time to pick it.
A pick is needed in order to:
- reject low-quality seedlings, that is, weak, seemingly sick and leave those that will give a good harvest;
- to provide the conditions for the most promising seedlings for further free growth and development.
Seedlings usually dive three weeks after germination, each promising seedling is planted in a separate cup or plastic or special, which can then be directly placed in the ground. However, the best will be a gradual transplant, first in a smaller pot, and as it grows into a larger pot, so that the roots do not outgrow the pot, in which case the seedlings will begin to develop slowly.
Each plant should be taken with a small lump of earth, for this you can use a small spatula, or even better a teaspoon, and plant the plant with a lump of soil in a prepared depression in a separate pot with soil. The depth for transplanting is up to the cotyledonous leaves. Then the ground near the dived plant should be compacted and watered with warm water, the pot itself should be placed in the place where it will remain until the next transplant. It is advisable to shade the seedlings in the first days after transplanting, and then achieve maximum lighting.
Proper watering for tomato seedlings is watering as needed. For tomatoes, generous, good, but at the same time, rare watering is important. The plant tolerates dry soil more easily, in which it will stand for two days than constantly and excessively moist soil, which can lead to late blight and black leg. It is necessary to feed tomato seedlings every two weeks.
Thank you very much for the useful information, I read very interesting and fascinating about the pick. And she, like watering, is the same for all varieties?
As I remember from my grandmother's childhood "dancing with a tambourine" around a tomato - to plant, open, transplant, pinch, ventilate, collect, roll up, and then also eat everything prepared! ...... And in the article everything is very simple and easy. Thank you!
I used to ignore this important procedure for picking tomatoes. Result: I waited a very long time for the harvest from weak and unpromising bushes. Only wasted time, money and space on the site. But I got invaluable experience and now, before doing anything, I read experts in my field.
You, dear author, touched upon quite important points in the article. I always pinch tomatoes. Be sure to add their urea at the beginning of growth in the greenhouse. It is an important component of greenery formation.