Growing tomato seedlings begins in January - February. It is at this time that it is customary to sow seeds in containers or a greenhouse. Sowing dates depend on the place where the seedlings will grow. How to properly grow and water tomato seedlings at home, you can learn from this article.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are eaten with pleasure by both adults and children. According to research, this vegetable has a positive effect on the human body. Useful properties include:

Tomatoes are rich in vitamins and minerals

  1. Beneficial effect on the digestive system, because, due to their structure, tomatoes quickly break down and over-pick. In addition, the acid content helps balance the acidity in the stomach. With gastritis, tomatoes exhibit healing functions.
  2. Pickled vegetables support the intestinal microflora.

The most important effect of tomatoes on the human body is their ability to counteract the formation of cancerous tumors. The vegetable contains three free radicals, which resist the attack. The most potent of these is lycopene. What is most interesting is that processed products contain much more of this substance than fresh tomatoes. That is why experts recommend eating ketchup, sauce or pasta.

A crop is a plant that has a well-developed root system. The roots are able to grow and develop rapidly. With a seedless method of growing a culture, the root system can go one meter deep. In diameter, the roots can grow one and a half or two and a half meters.

On a note.If the soil is moist enough, then the roots can appear on any part of the stem, for this reason, the plant is able to propagate by cuttings and side shoots. Roots on cuttings standing in a glass of water are formed on the second day.

The stem, depending on the variety, can grow from thirty centimeters to two meters in height. The leaves look somewhat like potato leaves. The plant blooms in yellow, while the flowers are very small, collected in inflorescences. The culture is self-pollinating, since there are both male and female organs in one flower.

Fruits are multi-nested berries that have different shapes and sizes. The fruits are colored pink, red, yellow, crimson and white. There are three types of bushes:

  • non-standard,
  • standard,
  • potato.

How to water seedlings on a windowsill

How to water seedlings

When growing a crop, watering tomato seedlings at home is important. It is necessary to correctly calculate the intervals, favorable time, water temperature. If the apartment is heated with central heating, the air dries quickly. Therefore, for the normal growth of seedlings, it must be periodically moistened.

If there are no humidifiers in the room, then for this you can use wide containers that can be installed near the seedlings. Water evaporates and humidifies the air. The container with germinated seed can be placed in a flat container with water, which will cool the roots and also live them with moisture.

Knowing the indoor microclimate, you can set the amount of watering for young seedlings in such a way as not to harm it.

Interesting to know. When the air temperature in the room is from eighteen to twenty degrees, the plant is watered no more than twice a day. If the room is much warmer, then watering is done more often.

How to maintain moisture

Water is the most basic thing a seed needs to germinate. At the same time, it is important to choose the right composition so that the sprouts grow healthy. The main attention should be paid to:

  1. The absence of substances in the liquid that act as a disinfectant. Such substances include chlorine, which is added to tap water. To get rid of it, leave a container of water open for twenty-four hours.
  2. Water at room temperature or much colder.
  3. Melt or collected rain.

For watering, it is best to use a spray bottle with a fine spray. Otherwise, the sprouts can be severely damaged. In addition, the water should not be allowed to stagnate, otherwise the root system will fester. Many people wonder how often to water tomato seedlings on the windowsill.

On a note.You can spray the plant after twenty-four hours. If the seedlings are located on the windows of the house on the sunny side, then the plants need to be watered much more often, since the sun's rays can dry the soil, at the same time, rid the fragile seedlings of minerals. From the north side, the sun practically does not appear, so the soil does not dry out quickly, and watering is done once a week.

The gardener needs to determine for himself how to water the seedlings, so that the seedlings are one hundred percent, the shoots are strong. There are many products on the market that are used to stimulate plant growth. The range of such solutions is very large, which allows the gardener to choose the most optimal option for himself.

How to maintain moisture

There is a debate about when it is best to water the tomatoes, in the morning or in the evening. In this regard, we can only say that everything depends on the biorhythms of the gardener himself, as well as on his established daily routine. People who call themselves larks are able to rise very early. It is for this reason that it is completely normal for them to water tomato seedlings in the morning. For owls, watering the plant in the morning is inconvenient, so they water the tomatoes in the evening.

Planting tomatoes

Fully strengthened tomato stems, which have two or three true leaves, are subject to picking. To do this, use boxes or cardboard boxes, which can later be used as mulch. You can plant seedlings in greenhouses, for which polycarbonate is used. Peat pots or plastic cups can also be used for planting.

On a note. Water the plants abundantly before transplanting. Thus, the stems can be easily removed from the dishes without damaging the root system. You can even water the plant with filtered water from the mains.

Peat pots tend to get wet, therefore, how often to water tomato seedlings directly depends on how the base is saturated with moisture. One irrigation every few days will be sufficient. Due to the porous structure of the material, water evaporates from the soil much more slowly. Watering the plants frequently can cause the material to become completely wet and the roots can grow through crates or peat pots.

Important! It is best to grow the plant in plastic cups or bottles, which have the neck cut off before planting the seeds. In these containers, the entire root system, the condition of the soil, and how much it is saturated with moisture and oxygen is clearly visible.

For planting a tomato, it is best to use a mixture of peat, sand and small stones. Thus, the soil will be saturated with oxygen. In addition, watering the seedlings very often should not be done, since the liquid can stagnate and the root system will rot.

How to maintain optimal plant growth

If the seedlings began to grow and develop rapidly, and the stem actively rises up, this means that the culture is being watered incorrectly. To change the situation, you need to radically change the irrigation regime. In order for the seedlings to stop rampaging, it is best to use root watering. Tomatoes don't like wet leaves. Since tomatoes are a crop that belongs to the south, it is easier for them to tolerate drought than heavy rains.

Interesting. After diving seedlings, many gardeners are wondering how and how to water young plants correctly. Many agronomists recommend watering them with spring water. Others go to the forest to collect clean snow and make melt water. There are many minerals in such water, thanks to which plants will grow healthy and strong, their fruits will be juicy and have an excellent taste.

Fertilizing tomato seedlings

The plant will bloom profusely and delight the gardener with a high yield of large, juicy fruits, if the seedlings are watered with drugs that stimulate the growth of the culture. For this, liquid fertilizers are used.

The most popular products for growing nightshades and peppers are:

  • Eco-gel;
  • Zircon;
  • Ribav extra;
  • Epin-extra;
  • Kornevin;
  • Guamat.

These preparations contain almost the same composition of minerals required for healthy plant growth. Each drug has an instruction for the use of the substance, which indicates how much it needs to be used for a certain area of ​​planted seedlings. With the wrong dosage of the drug or its frequent use, you can harm the root system. The roots begin to fester, from this the stem dries, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. If you adhere to all proportions, then buds will form on the tomatoes.

Fertilizing tomato seedlings

When introducing liquid fertilizers into the soil, you need to make sure that they do not get on the leaves or stems of the plant. Otherwise, the plant will burn.

For feeding seedlings, many gardeners use folk remedies. Among them are the following:

  1. Infusion of onion peels. This drug kills pathogenic microflora, gives strength to the plant.
  2. A solution made with baking soda makes the fruit grow juicy and sweet.
  3. If iodine is used, it will act similarly to nitrogen fertilizers.
  4. Gardeners get mineral fertilizers and nitrogen from nettle.
  5. A prepared preparation of finely chopped garlic and diluted with water in a ratio of one to fifty allows you to get rid of white bloom in the area of ​​the root system.

Interesting.Using live yeast, gardeners strengthen the plant's immune system, which will help to resist fungal diseases. The seedling, watered with a solution of yeast, is actively growing and developing.

Watering a crop is very important to growing it. Lack of moisture causes the tomatoes to dry out. Excess - kills the root system. In addition, you need to know how to properly feed the plant. Subject to all standards, the plant grows healthy and strong.