The methods for growing tomato seedlings at home are simple. How to grow tomato seedlings at home. How to plant tomatoes for seedlings

So, you are interested in the question of properly growing tomato seedlings at home.

Let's say that you the seeds have already been planted tomatoes into seedling containers and wait for shoots. Or you’ve already waited and want to know what to do next, how to care for young seedlings in order to grow strong tomato seedlings. So this material is for you.

However, even if you only preparing or about to sow, then in this article you will also find all the necessary information on the correct planting of tomato seeds for seedlings.

Well, let's get down to business!

If you have not yet decided on the choice of the appropriate variety, now is the time. The variety of hybrids existing today, their colors and shapes, will definitely not leave you indifferent. The main thing is to be open to new things and don’t be afraid to grow interesting varieties of tomatoes.

How to plant tomatoes for seedlings: a selection of materials

Let's say that you have chosen and purchased a suitable variety. Then the sequence is as follows:

determine the timing of sowing;
carry out pre-sowing preparation of seeds;
choose planting containers and buy (prepare) soil;
directly sow the seeds correctly.

When to sow seeds: optimal sowing dates

A question that worries absolutely all beginners requires special attention. However, deciding and calculating the deadline is not so difficult. The main thing is to weigh everything carefully.

Advice! The site already has a detailed article about, including favorable days for planting in 2019, according to the lunar calendar.

Preparing seeds for sowing for seedlings

How to sow seeds for seedlings correctly

And now the moment has come when it’s time to sow seeds for seedlings. All is ready. What's next? In what containers, in what soil, to what depth and at what distance?

How to grow tomato seedlings at home: secrets and rules for caring for seedlings before planting in the ground

Still, most likely, you are here for this paragraph.

The future development of seedlings depends entirely on proper care. In order for the seedlings to grow strong, it is worth taking into account the basic conditions for its further maintenance and cultivation.

So, after sowing, it is necessary to periodically check the humidity of the substrate, ventilate the containers and remove condensation from the lid with a paper napkin.

As soon as friendly shoots appear, and this takes an average of 4-10 days (depending on whether you planted already germinated, processed or dry seeds), the containers should be moved to a bright windowsill and the temperature should be lowered.

By the way! Some gardeners believe that after the emergence of seedlings they should be adapted and only then remove the cover. To do this, you first need to open the container with the crops for 40-60 minutes and increase this period by 2 times every day. That is, about a week after the start of the procedure, the seedlings can be completely opened.

Video: proper care of tomato seedlings before and after picking

Temperature

After the first shoots appear and the cover is removed, it is necessary lower the temperature keeping seedlings to +14-18 degrees during the day and +10-14 at night for 5-7 days. This measure will reduce active growth of green mass(seedlings will not stretch) and will give the opportunity develop roots.

You can regulate the temperature using a window and a curtain, which should be used to close the window to create a special microclimate on the windowsill, different from the room one. And closer to April-May, the seedlings can already be taken out to the balcony or loggia at night.

In the future, for normal growth of tomato seedlings, you will need to create temperature difference: during the day - +22-26 degrees, at night - +14-18 degrees.

Temperature changes contribute hardening of plants, which means your seedlings will grow strong and healthy.

Lighting

Tomato seedlings require 11-12 hours for full growth and development. daylight hours.

The most suitable place to place seedlings will be a southern window sill. East or west will also work, and even better if it is southeast or southwest.

Advice! If the weather is changeable - sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy, so that the seedlings do not stretch out, you need to lower the temperature during the day, for example, by opening the window slightly.

Advice! Every other day follows turn the seedlings the other side to the window so that the plants do not bend to one side.

If you only have north window sill or your weather is often cloudy, then you will definitely need add additional illumination seedlings with special phytolamps.

Important! With a lack of light, the seedlings will begin to stretch out, and the shade of the leaves will become light green, which will significantly weaken the plant’s immunity.

Watering and humidity

Watering tomato seedlings should be done as the substrate dries, avoiding overwatering and drying out of the roots. It is necessary to moisten carefully, especially the soil, avoiding moisture on the foliage. At the same time, you need to water abundantly, to the entire earthen lump was saturated.

There must be water warm or at least room temperature, in advance settled(or filtered).

Note! Waterlogging of the soil, combined with insufficient light and elevated temperatures, leads to strong elongation of plant stems.

Concerning irrigation frequency, then it is quite difficult to give specific advice, because it depends on the volume of the container, temperature, age and size of the plants.

But the approximate recommendations are as follows: in the phase up to 3-4 true leaves Seedlings should be watered lightly less often, approximately Once every 5-7 days, and already with 5-6 leaves — 2 times per week. Shortly before planting in a permanent place, you will have to water every day.

Video: tomato seedlings - care from germination to picking

Picking

Important! Tomato seedlings (unlike peppers and eggplants) tolerate picking very well.

“When to pick tomatoes?” is the next most exciting question.

As a rule, it takes on average about 3 weeks for seedlings to grow the required 2-3 true leaves. It is then that the time comes to transplant the seedlings into larger containers.

So, how to do a pick correctly?

The day before the expected transplant date, the seedlings should be watered generously in order to subsequently safely transplant the seedlings with earthen clods.

The container volume must be at least 0.5 liters.
Fill with exactly the same substrate as when sowing seeds.
In the center of the cup, make a depression the size of the plant’s root system.
Carefully remove the seedlings with a lump of earth using a spoon or stick (optionally, a plastic fork), trying not to damage the roots.

By the way! Some gardeners recommend pinching the central root so that the side roots begin to grow better. In other words, there is nothing wrong with exposing the roots.

Lower the plant into the ground, deepening it down to the cotyledons, and carefully sprinkle it with earth, compacting it at the base.

Water so that there is good contact between the roots and the soil.
Next, shade the picked seedlings from direct sunlight for a couple of days.

Note! After picking, seedling growth will stop for 7-10 days, which is a normal reaction to the resulting stress.

To reduce stress after a dive You can spray the seedlings with one of the growth regulators: "Epin" or "Zircon".

Video: proper picking of tomatoes - the classic way

Caring for seedlings after picking

Further care for tomato seedlings is similar: you need to continue to maintain temperature and light conditions, water on time, and also start fertilizing if necessary.

Video: tomato seedlings - care from picking to planting

Top dressing

If you properly prepare the soil, then you don’t have to feed the seedlings at all, especially before picking. But if poor soil was initially used, then fertilizing will be required even before picking (but in very rare cases). Moreover, if the appearance of the seedlings clearly hints that the plant lacks some macro- or microelements. In this case, fertilizing is simply necessary.

For example, if you see that stems and lower parts of leaves tomato turned purple, then they need phosphorus.

If you started cotyledon leaves turn yellow and fall off, then most likely to plants lack of nitrogen. If this is the case, then the seedlings should be fed with any nitrogen-containing fertilizers, for example, uric acid or ammonium nitrate.

Advice! To feed tomato seedlings, it is best to use complex mineral fertilizers containing equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Moreover it is advisable to prepare 2-3 times less concentrated solutions than the manufacturer recommends.

Or you can prepare the following universal solution from mineral fertilizers (per 10 liters of water):

ammonium nitrate - 10-15 grams;

potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) - 10-15 grams;

superphosphate - 30-40 grams (there can be no overdose of phosphorus, so there is no point in making a less concentrated solution).

If you are a supporter of organic farming, then you can use herbal infusion (for example, nettle), slurry or mullein (according to the instructions) as a nitrogen fertilizer. Potassium is contained in wood ash (1 tablespoon or 10 grams per 1 liter of water), and phosphorus in bone meal.

As for the frequency of fertilizing tomato seedlings, as a rule, it is recommended to do this once every 10-14 days (the first time - 10-14 days after picking), although experienced gardeners advise fertilizing with each watering, but in a lower concentration ( 3-4 times).

We remind you! Read more about feeding tomato seedlings read!

Video: when and how to feed tomato seedlings

Hardening off seedlings before planting in a permanent place in the ground

10-14 days before planting tomato seedlings in a permanent place, it is recommended to begin hardening the seedlings. This is necessary so that the seedlings adapt to harsher outdoor conditions, because before that they grew in a comfortable home environment.

This is quite simple to do: you need to gradually begin to take the seedlings into a greenhouse or onto a balcony (loggia), where the temperature is lower (both day and night). First, this is done for 1-2 hours during the day, and then left for the whole day.

Thanks to hardening, the seedlings will become noticeably stronger and more stable, which means they can easily take root in a new place.

Problems and diseases of tomato seedlings

Growing tomato seedlings is painstaking work, the result of which can be jeopardized by simple mistakes in care.

There are a number of problems and diseases of seedlings that can negate all the efforts of the gardener:

appears as a dried stem at the base of the seedling; develops with high humidity, dense crops against the background of a lack of light, as well as when planting seeds in contaminated soil.

Pulling seedlings. Lack of light, high temperature and waterlogging of the soil are the main reasons for the stretching of tomato seedlings (as well as any other).
Yellowing of leaves seedlings.

By the way! About, what to do if tomato seedlings begin to turn yellow, and you cannot identify the disease, read.

If leaves began to acquire beet purple shade And the seedlings began to noticeably lag behind in growth, then she clearly lack of phosphorus nutrition.

Video: problems when growing tomato seedlings and how to solve them

About main mistakes when growing seedlings You can learn about tomatoes from this video:

When to plant tomato seedlings in open ground and greenhouse

As for the timing, planting tomato seedlings is carried out after the threat of the last spring frost will pass, and the soil will warm up sufficiently.

Regarding requirements to the appearance of seedlings, then it is considered optimal that by this time the tomato seedlings are about 25-30 cm high and had each 6-8 true leaves.

On average, according to statistics, it is already possible to plant tomato seedlings in open ground in the south of Russia in the second half of April, in the middle zone (Moscow region) - in the second half of May, in the North-West (Leningrad region) - in late May-early June, as in the Urals and Siberia, i.e. closer to the first days of summer.

Naturally, you can plant it in the greenhouse earlier, because... in it the soil warms up faster.

Thus, even a novice gardener can grow tomato seedlings at home. You just need to follow all the rules and recommendations for choosing a variety, pre-sowing preparation of seeds, planting them, care, which includes suitable conditions (temperature and light conditions), watering, picking, fertilizing as necessary. And remember that strong seedlings are the key to a rich harvest.

Video: how to grow good tomato seedlings

In contact with

Growing tomatoes in most regions of our country begins with sowing seeds for seedlings. Preparing seedlings at home requires knowledge and a little experience, since you can waste time, and the result will be disastrous, and you will never get a good harvest. But this work is not so complicated that it is necessary to buy seedlings on the market every year, and every gardener is simply obliged to master it and grow tomatoes.

Is it necessary to grow tomatoes from seedlings?

The growing season for tomatoes is very long; many months pass from sowing seeds to harvesting, and all work on growing tomatoes begins in March, when spring has not yet really begun in most of our country. Therefore, unfortunately, almost nowhere you can’t do without growing seedlings.

When in the 1980s We, graduates of Moscow State University, assigned to Saratov, acquired dacha plots; one friend could not understand the meaning of the word “seedlings”. And I certainly didn’t want to believe that tomato seeds must first be planted in a pot or box, and then nurtured and cherished in the apartment. In their village, on the Azov coast, where the shaft also sprouts, there were only two stages of growing tomatoes: plant the seeds in a garden bed and harvest.

In the conditions of central Russia, and even more so in the northern regions, growing seedlings is mandatory. Fortunately, unlike cabbage, which requires low temperatures (from 6 to 16 o C) to grow seedlings, tomatoes are fine in this regard: the conditions of a city apartment are generally suitable for seedlings, only sometimes there is not enough sun. Therefore, for about two months a year, gardeners occupy all the free space in the apartment with boxes and cups with tomato seedlings.

Lunar calendar 2019 for planting tomato seeds

Many gardeners compare their sowing, planting and caring for plants with the phases of the Moon and other celestial bodies. It is difficult to judge how correct this approach is, but there is probably something in it, because everything in nature is interconnected. True, a working person does not always manage to do everything exactly on those days when the Moon commands, but many pensioners try to adjust their gardening schedule to the lunar rhythms. The trouble is that in different sources you can simultaneously find slightly different lunar calendars.

In 2019, the following days will be favorable for sowing tomatoes for seedlings:

February: 1, 2 (until 18:51), 3, 4, 7 (until 9:04), 8, 27, 28;
March: 1, 2 (after 9:44), 3 (before 17:21), 6 (after 14:55), 7, 8 (before 17:00), 11, 29, 30;
April: 1–4, 6–9, 11–13, 15–17, 20, 21, 24–26.

It is important not to plant seedlings on new and full moon days:

February: 5, 19;
March: 6, 21;
April:5, 19.

Preliminary preparation

An experienced summer resident carries out all operations to prepare for sowing seeds automatically, knowing when he needs to take the prepared seeds out of the box, what needs to be done with them first, where and what kind of soil to get, where he keeps reusable cups or wooden boxes, or where and when he needs to stock up. peat pots. He already has some fertilizers in stock for spring and potassium permanganate, which has suddenly become scarce, which is very necessary for disinfecting both seeds and soil.

Seed preparation

In different manuals you can find different descriptions of preparing seeds for planting, so I will try to briefly describe my more than thirty years of experience, without pretending that this is exclusively correct. But there has never been a season without good tomatoes. I must make a reservation that I have never bought seeds in a store, I only use my own and “from neighbors.” A useful remark. Firstly, recently a lot of seeds have been sold, pre-treated in one way or another; they just need to be sown immediately in pots. Secondly, many tomatoes are not varieties, but hybrids (F1). Their preparation is very different from the preparation of varietal seeds and is also minimal.

The first sowing usually begins immediately after March 8th. At this time I take out the seeds of early varieties. The disinfection procedure is combined with seed rejection. To do this, I use a strong, very dark solution of potassium permanganate. Advice often misses a small nuance that people who are far from chemistry do not pay attention to. Potassium permanganate dissolves very slowly in cold water, and decomposes to a large extent in hot water. Therefore, to obtain a solution, you need to dissolve a small amount of the drug (at the tip of a knife) in warm water (40 degrees), stirring occasionally and checking that there are no crystals left at the bottom. It is convenient to pour about half a can of water into a half-liter jar. If you rush and place the seeds there ahead of time, the undissolved crystals will immediately burn them.

You can often see advice on preparing a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for this purpose, but some strange numbers are written next to it. Firstly, it is not easy to dissolve such an amount, although the maximum solubility at room temperature is 6 times greater. Secondly, this is already a bomb that burns all living things. And few apartments have scales that allow you to take the necessary weights to prepare a glass of disinfectant solution. Therefore, we do it by eye and are not afraid. Treating seeds with a slightly pink solution can hardly be considered disinfection; the solution should be dark. Will the seeds be colored? Yes, they will stain, no problem. They will be covered with a thin layer of the permanganate reduction product - manganese dioxide, which at the right stage will play the role of a microelement.

Solutions of potassium permanganate of various concentrations are used as a disinfectant; I think it is possible to use a dark purple solution

I pour seeds of one variety into a jar with the prepared solution and keep them there for 10 minutes, shaking them well from time to time. Those that did not drown during this time, I mercilessly throw away, pouring the upper layers of the solution into another jar through a strainer. Then I filter out the good seeds through the same strainer and rinse them very well under the tap with water. I put it in a wet cloth and keep it in a Petri dish for several days, observing in the morning and evening. (For those who do not have a Petri dish, you can place it in any small container, covering it with a lid that is not completely airtight).

As soon as I find at least a few sprouted seeds, I put them in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Then I take them out and keep them at room temperature for 8 hours. I alternate between cold and heat three times. All. You can sow.

It’s already too late to plant these seeds: it will be difficult not to break off the roots

There are tips on heating seeds near a battery, using hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, growth stimulants (Epin, honey, agave juice, etc.), etc. They even use air bubbling! Most techniques have the right to be used, each has its own technique. But… Gardening should not turn into fanaticism, so we do only what is necessary. And disinfection and hardening (except in the southern regions) are necessary! But, for example, bubbling helps seeds covered with a strong oily layer (for example, carrots, parsley) to hatch; tomatoes have absolutely no use for it.

As for hybrids, you won’t collect seeds from them in the garden anyway, it’s no use: you won’t understand what will grow. And conscientious producers nowadays pack them already prepared for sowing, and recommend sowing them dry. But... It seems that hardening them in the conditions of the middle zone and northern regions, if the plants do not have to live in a greenhouse, will not be superfluous.

Soil preparation

Seedlings will grow in almost any soil, unless it is contaminated, that is, not taken from a bed where vegetables grew last year and diseases raged. But, of course, we are not talking about her growing up in principle, but growing up strong and healthy. Now stores sell ready-made soil for any garden crops. You can buy a package of such soil to grow a dozen roots, but our person does not mess with that many.

Using such a package is convenient, but very expensive

In Saratov, tomatoes are almost “an object of national pride,” and few summer residents plant less than 150–200 bushes. Therefore, you can go broke on purchased soil. At the same time, it is problematic to create the optimal soil, which is recommended in most manuals, since it is equal parts of peat, humus and turf soil. And if in central Russia peat is not a very big problem, then in the Volga region it is exotic. So we take what we have.

And at the dacha there is heavy, clayey, but at the same time black soil, on which almost everything grows, except, perhaps, carrots, but which requires mandatory loosening a certain number of hours after watering, otherwise it will be an impenetrable crust. We bring several buckets of this earth every autumn and leave them on the balcony. The infection is partially frozen out, but before planting the seedlings, be sure to dilute the soil with sand (2:1) and pour it well with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. If we don’t forget to grab compost from the dacha, we add it as much as we have. And a little ash.

I don’t think steaming soil in the oven is a very good idea. Firstly, being in the apartment during this procedure is a dubious pleasure. Secondly, the soil must be living, and not a simple inorganic substance. And at recommended temperatures (above 100 o C) not only pathogenic microbes will die, but also all beneficial microorganisms.

So, let's summarize. You shouldn’t bother with the composition of the soil for tomato seedlings, but it should be as nutritious as possible and at the same time breathable, not too heavy. To prevent seedling diseases, it must be disinfected by watering it well with a dark solution of potassium permanganate.

How to grow strong tomato seedlings at home

Traditional methods of growing tomato seedlings are in common boxes and separate cups, but, as M. Zadornov said, “our people are strong in improvisation,” and as a result, what options have not been born on Russian soil! Leaving aside such techniques as, for example, growing in coconuts, we will consider several different methods.

Growing on a windowsill in a house or apartment

In an apartment, the most successful place is usually a sunny window sill, but there are few such apartments (and such summer residents) where all the seedlings would be able to fit on the windowsill, and tomatoes are only a small part of the future garden... Many owners equip additional shelves across the window, and boxes with seedlings are installed in several tiers, but this approach is usually not enough, additional tables are used... But in this case, you cannot do without additional lighting. The best options are cold light fluorescent lamps or diode lamps; Not everyone can afford special phytolamps yet.

There is no point in immediately sowing tomatoes in separate cups, since picking is very desirable for them. Therefore, first, the prepared seeds are sown in common boxes, pouring a 5-6 cm layer of soil into them and dividing the box with partitions by variety.

First, you can sow the seeds in any convenient container: they won’t live here very long

Liter (and larger) rectangular cardboard bags for juice or milk are extremely convenient for sowing tomatoes. By cutting off one of the large sides and making holes for drainage in the opposite side, we get an excellent disposable container for sowing one or two varieties of seeds, which after picking the plants you can throw away without regret.

O. A. Ganichkina recommends replanting seedlings twice: first, planting them in small cups, then, as the seedlings grow, in larger ones. The advice, of course, is not bad, the seedlings will only become stronger from this and will not stretch much, but where can you get so much space in the apartment? And on the windowsill? The best seedlings grow in a liter pot. We count: 150–200 of these pots, plus peppers, eggplants, cabbage, celery, numerous flowers...

So, in a large box, cups or peat pots, we keep the seedlings on the windowsill or a table moved towards it until they are planted in a greenhouse or open ground, that is, until the time comes for this, and the seedlings grow to 15–30 cm. What is good about an apartment? You can always control the seedlings and quickly take measures to correct the situation. Why is it bad? Usually it’s still too hot, and it’s not always possible to maintain temperature conditions. Well, there simply isn’t enough space!

Growing in a greenhouse

The presence of a greenhouse greatly simplifies the cultivation of tomato seedlings, if, of course, the greenhouse is easily accessible and it is not located in the country, which is tens of kilometers away. The advantages of the greenhouse are obvious:

easier to regulate temperature;
sufficient illumination can be provided;
a large amount of space allows you to grow an unlimited number of seedlings of different varieties and fruiting periods;
Due to these advantages, the seedlings grow stronger, do not stretch, and the root system is more powerful.

Well, if the greenhouse is heated, all problems are eliminated. There is one downside: the cost of greenhouse equipment.

In a greenhouse, each plant can be provided with space

Growing seedlings in greenhouse conditions consists of absolutely the same steps as growing them at home; there is no point in repeating what needs to be done to get strong plants. However, there are some peculiarities, and first of all, this concerns timing.

If the greenhouse is unheated, sowing dates depend on the region and current weather. So, in the northern regions (colder than, for example, at the latitude of Moscow), sowing seeds is possible in mid-March, unless, of course, winter is already raging at this time. In the middle zone this happens two weeks earlier. In a heated greenhouse, sowing is possible even in winter, if necessary.

The temperature in the greenhouse during sowing should be about 20 o C, then the temperature regime is the same as at home. Fortunately, reducing the temperature in a greenhouse in March-April is much easier than at home. And in general, the greenhouse must be ventilated often: diseases develop more easily in stagnant air. Most often, in greenhouses, as in apartments, boxes or pots are placed, but no one bothers you to sow seeds directly into prepared beds. The most rational method seems to be a mixed method: sowing seeds in common boxes and then planting the plants in a greenhouse bed. At the same time, if the greenhouse is used not only as a “transshipment point” between seedlings and open ground, but also the subsequent cultivation of tomatoes up to harvest is supposed to take place there, the seedlings can be planted immediately to a permanent place.

Growing in a greenhouse

A greenhouse usually means a small film (or with glass frames) shelter, that is, it is a kind of compact analogue of an unheated greenhouse. Heating in greenhouses is often provided by adding so-called biofuel: fresh manure (preferably horse manure), straw, grass, etc., which becomes very hot when decomposed (for example, horse manure has a temperature of about 60 ° C). Biofuels can heat a greenhouse for several months. Growing seedlings in such a greenhouse is the most reliable and effective way to grow seedlings.

The advantages of greenhouse cultivation over the indoor method are the same as in the case of a greenhouse; seedlings grow much stronger than at home; The advantage over an apartment is its lower cost: it is greenhouses that most villagers use for this purpose, but this method should not be recommended for summer residents. The disadvantage, compared to a greenhouse, is that you need to monitor temperature conditions much more carefully: you can’t just open a window here, and changing the temperature by 1-2 degrees is not easy.

All procedures for growing seedlings in a greenhouse are similar to those discussed above, but it does not seem reasonable to place boxes or pots in a greenhouse. Usually, in a greenhouse, beds are immediately prepared for sowing seeds, where they are sown in the same way as in a box or box at home. Further care is similar; it also includes picking the seedlings, which is carried out right here in the greenhouse bed. When warm weather arrives and the seedlings are ready, they are hardened off, removing the cover, and then planted in a permanent place.

Using different landing containers

The use of boxes or reusable cups are traditional techniques in growing seedlings. The use of paper ice cream cups or homemade containers from plastic bags has also been used for a long time. But in recent years, other approaches to creating a “home” for seedlings have become widespread.

Using peat pots

Disposable peat pots have been known for a long time; they are made from peat, pressed into the shape of pots: there are a variety of geometric options and sizes. Peat for pots can be treated with fertilizers and growth stimulants. The advantages of using peat pots over paper or plastic are as follows:

no need to remove seedlings when planting in a garden bed;
the roots are not injured during transplantation;
The environmentally friendly material of the pots also serves as fertilizer.

The only inconvenience in the work is that the pots get wet and very soft from watering, so you need to be careful when moving them from place to place. It’s better not to pick it up at all: put the required number of pots in a tray and keep it that way. True, with a dense arrangement, it is possible for roots to grow from one pot to another (the roots of most vegetables easily penetrate this barrier), and this must be monitored.

The peat pot will go into the garden along with its tenant - seedlings

Some crops are immediately sown in peat pots and not touched again, but it is still better to first plant tomato seeds in a separate box, and when the seedlings reach the required age, plant them in separate peat pots. Due to the need for picking, such a well-known analogue as peat tablets is not suitable for tomatoes: the seeds of those vegetables that do not like picking are sown in them.

Application of plastic bottles

We are so used to plastic bottles that we don’t even remember that just recently they didn’t exist at all. And how did we manage without them? After all, now in many cases a PET bottle is a lifesaver. Light, durable, often transparent... Where the inquisitive mind of the Russian man has adapted them! It is also suitable for growing seedlings, even for obtaining grape seedlings from cuttings.

In the case of tomato seedlings, plastic bottles are most often used only at the first stage: seeds are sown in them, grown for the time required for the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, and then planted in peat or plastic cups in the usual way. But there are lovers who grow tomatoes in large, five-liter plastic bottles even before harvest, placing them on the balcony.

So, when growing seedlings:

Cut a regular bottle lengthwise to make two small plastic boxes for sowing seeds.
Spread a centimeter layer of crushed eggshells on the bottom: it acts as drainage and allows you to avoid making holes to drain excess water.
Pour a layer of soil, sow the seeds in the usual way and grow them until picking.

Another option involves using the lower half of a large (5- or 10-liter) bottle as a planting box, in which several seedlings are grown until planted in the garden. The advantage over bulky boxes is their compactness and the ability to easily rearrange bottles on the windowsill. But using them for individual growing (one tomato per bottle) is less economical. The pros and cons of using bottles are quite relative: for some it is simply more convenient.

Some people use plastic bottles instead of large boxes.

Use of toilet paper

Toilet paper is often used by gardeners at the first stage of growing seedlings of various vegetable crops. This is an example of so-called hydroponics: growing plants without the use of soil, where various inert materials can serve as a substrate. In the case of tomato seedlings, in addition to paper, you still need the same plastic bottle or plastic bag. The simplest option for forcing sprouts looks like this:

As an option, they use paper in the shape of a “snail”, winding it into a roll, having previously spread it over plastic film, but this design is more suitable for miniature plants than for tomatoes.

The benefits of using toilet paper are that less dirt settles in your apartment for at least two weeks. The disadvantage is that choosing sprouts from paper is not very easy: there is a risk of severely breaking off the tender roots.

Features of growing on the north side

To grow tomato seedlings, it is desirable that the apartment windows face south; the seedlings need warmth and sun. If the windows are located on the western, and even more so, northern side, you will definitely have to highlight the boxes with seedlings. To begin with, they need to be positioned so that the seedlings are as close to the glass as possible, but do not touch the glass.

You can use various reflective devices to increase illumination: a mirror or, at least, aluminum foil. The screens must be positioned so that the maximum possible amount of light enters them, and the light is reflected onto the seedlings.

In any case, if there are only northern windows, seeds for seedlings will have to be sown a little earlier. And even artificial lighting is not natural sunlight at all! By the way, it is not advisable to illuminate with incandescent lamps: they heat up the air very much, and even for tomato seedlings there is no need for excess heat. Modern lamps with diode elements are the best option.

Is picking tomatoes necessary?

Some vegetable crops do not tolerate picking at all, for others it is undesirable, but for tomatoes picking is required. Of course, the seedlings will grow without it, because in the south the seeds are sown immediately in a garden bed in a permanent place. But it’s one thing to immediately move to a permanent place, and quite another to survive apartment conditions, where the temperature is not all right, there’s not enough light, and the breeze isn’t blowing... Seedlings in an apartment are often simply pampered, so you need to at least make the roots grow better , and this is achieved by picking, during which the central root is necessarily pinched.

Seedlings are ready for picking when their first two or three leaves appear, and this happens approximately 12 days after sowing the seeds. There is no need to carry out picking before: after all, in essence, this operation is breaking off the lower segment of the central root to ensure the growth of the lateral roots.

A few hours before the procedure, the seedlings should be well watered. Seedlings should be dug up with a small scoop or using any suitable kitchen utensil. There is no need to be afraid of damaging the spine, but with sudden movements it can simply be torn off. Why is the procedure named this way? To perform it, use any convenient peg, similar to a pike, often just a sharpened pencil. With this pike they make a hole in the soil and with its help they lower the seedling there, after pinching the root. Tomato seedlings must be buried almost to the cotyledon leaves. All that remains is to gently squeeze the roots with your fingers and water well with warm water.

For the first two or three days, the picked seedlings should be placed in partial shade and the temperature should be raised slightly. Plants that have taken root well in a new location will quickly continue to grow.

Video: picking tomato seedlings

Growing tomato seedlings yourself allows you to save money and get plants of the desired variety at the right time, and with some experience, of high quality. The process of growing seedlings is quite complex, but the success achieved always brings pleasure: something done with your own hands is sure to raise self-esteem. Therefore, growing seedlings makes sense, if only there are minimal conditions for this.

Tomato is a traditional and practically irreplaceable crop for our country; millions of gardeners grow its seedlings on their windowsills every year in order to receive the long-awaited harvest of healthy and tasty fruits in summer and autumn. Growing tomato seedlings at home is an activity that requires certain knowledge and experience. But with desire and some persistence, even a beginner can grow tomatoes.

Sowing time

The most favorable time for sowing is considered to be the period from late February to mid-March. But the timing may vary depending on the region and the tomato variety chosen for planting. For example, the sowing time in the Urals or Siberia may differ from the sowing time in the Moscow region or in the south. Varieties are selected after deciding on the place where tomatoes are grown: in a greenhouse, in a greenhouse or in open ground.

If spring comes early, the seeds can be sown as early as February. In regions with a long cold spring, sowing is carried out in late March - early April. Information about the sowing time of a particular variety can be found on the purchased seed packages.

Pre-sowing seed treatment

Tomato seeds are specially prepared for sowing in the ground in order to obtain healthy seedlings in the future that will take root and bring a rich harvest. Seeds are prepared regardless of their origin: both purchased and independently collected. Preparation includes several stages.

Germination testing and calibration

First, the seeds are inspected: they should not be damaged. Of these, the largest ones are selected, without stains or signs of rotting. 7-10 days before planting, the seeds are checked for germination. To do this, select 10 seeds and soak them in a damp cloth. The container is placed in a warm place. The overall germination of the batch is determined by the number of hatched seeds. Depending on what part of the planting material has “woke up”, adjustments are made towards increasing the crops in order to have a supply of seedlings.

On the Internet it is often advised to test germination in salt water.

Dissolve one tablespoon of salt in a liter of water, and dip dry seeds in this solution for 5-7 minutes. Those that float can be thrown away - they will not rise, but those that have sunk are suitable for landing. Decide for yourself whether the method is considered reliable. We recommend early germination for testing.

Stratification

The stratification procedure is carried out in order to improve the germination of seed. The seeds are spread on a cotton cloth, which is then rolled up. The resulting roll is placed in a container and soaked in water. The container with the seeds is left for several days in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2 to +6 °C, while the fabric should always remain damp. Seeds should not be immersed in water without access to air, otherwise they will suffocate.

Disinfection

If the bags of purchased seeds indicate that they have been processed, then they can be sown without additional procedures. All others must be disinfected before sowing. The following disinfection methods are used. Soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). Prepare a not very concentrated solution (weak pink color), and drop a piece of gauze with seeds into it. They are kept in liquid for 15-20 minutes.

Heat treatment. For processing you will need a wide thermos (a narrow one will not work). The seeds are wrapped in pieces of cloth and tied. The resulting small packages are placed in a thermos and filled with hot water. Its temperature should not exceed +50ºС. The thermos is closed. Fabric bags are kept in water for no more than half an hour. After this, water with cold running water for 2 minutes.

Heat treatment is a more reliable method of disinfection, since it can be used to destroy pathogens not only of bacterial and fungal infections, but also of viral infections.

Germination

Another stage of pre-sowing preparation is germination. If you miss it, the seedlings will sprout unevenly.

In addition, germination will allow you to reject unsuitable seeds, increase the germination of seed and improve the immunity of young shoots.

Seeds are placed on gauze or cotton cloth. The fabric is placed in a bowl with warm water, the tomato seeds are covered on top with another piece of damp cloth and a temperature of at least 22ºC is created for them. There should always be water in the container so that the fabric does not dry out. Sometimes the grains are opened to ventilate. If desired, you can add a growth stimulator to the water. The germination of seedlings is affected by air temperature and humidity. Typically, during germination, the first shoots appear 3-4 days after sowing at a temperature of 25-30ºC.

Soil preparation

The soil for seeds is prepared in advance (a week before sowing); There are two options: buy ready-made in the store or mix the necessary components yourself.

Soil mixture for seedlings

Tomatoes prefer loose, nutritious soil. To prepare it, combine turf soil, peat and humus in equal proportions (1:1:1). Another option: half a bucket of fine sand is mixed with 10 kg of peat and a half-liter jar of wood ash. It must be remembered that complex fertilizers must be added to homemade soil mixtures. From time to time, a weak solution of these fertilizers is also used for watering young plants.

Soil disinfection

Before planting, the soil is disinfected. To do this, it is placed in an oven preheated to 80 degrees and calcined. Another preventive measure is watering the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate. If the soil for planting future tomatoes was taken from the garden in the fall, then during the winter it is kept in a cold room to prevent the development of bacterial diseases.

Containers for seedlings

Seeds can be planted in separate small cups or pots. The cups you choose are plastic or paper, the pots are peat. Special containers or boxes are also widely used for planting. They need to be prepared: washed and treated with boiling water.

The main requirement for containers: drainage holes must be made at the bottom.

Step-by-step instructions for sowing seeds

The methods are varied: this includes growing in film, in a “snail”, in a shell, in a tablet, sowing in a container “in a groove”, etc. But the simplest and most effective method that even a beginner can handle is the following.

Drainage is placed at the bottom of cups or other selected containers. You can buy it in a store or use small pebbles or pieces of eggshells.
Soil is placed on the drainage layer and watered with warm water.
Small (up to 1 cm) depressions are pressed into the soil - holes for seeds.
The seed is lowered into the hole, and using a sprayer, the soil is moistened again, and the hole is sprinkled with loose soil.
The cups are covered with film to create greenhouse conditions and placed in a warm room.
In about a week the first shoots will appear, after which the containers can be exposed to light.

Favorable conditions for seedling growth

Creating the right temperature conditions and comfortable lighting will allow the seedlings to grow and develop without delay.

Temperature

The emergence of sprouts will be accelerated if you place containers with seeds in a very warm room. The optimal temperature is 25ºС.

After the first leaves appear, the temperature is reduced to 18-20ºС. Night temperatures can reach up to 15ºC. Elevated temperatures and lack of lighting lead to overgrowth of seedlings.

Small temperature changes are allowed only after germination - for hardening purposes.

Lighting

Sprouts need about 16 hours of daylight. If there is not enough light, the seedlings are illuminated with phytolamps. Direct sunlight is destructive for sprouts; they also do not like shade, so the place where the seedlings live should be well illuminated by scattered rays.

Seedling care

The rules for caring for sprouts are simple: do not overdo it with watering, harden off, apply fertilizer if necessary, and plant the seedlings on time.

Watering

Before picking, do not water the sprouts much, just maintain the required level of humidity. It is more convenient to spray from a spray bottle. To do this, use warm, settled water.

Watering frequency: once a week.

Strong young plants are allowed to be watered at the root, without getting on the leaves.

Feeding

During the development of seedlings at home, they are hardened. It is because of this that it is not recommended to use nitrogen fertilizers. For feeding, you can use phosphates or potassium preparations. But some gardeners allow the absence of fertilizing if tomato seedlings are grown at home. Especially when special soil was used for sowing seeds, which already contains the necessary minerals.

If the soil does not contain fertilizer, then the seedlings should be fed 2 weeks after picking.

Picking

This is essentially transplanting young sprouts into larger containers. This stage is necessary for the subsequent planting of tomato seedlings from the house into open ground. Thanks to picking, the root system of young tomatoes begins to develop - from a taproot it turns into a fibrous one.

The fibrous root system, unlike the tap root system, more efficiently supplies the sprout with nutrients. Picking also increases the plant's resistance to adverse conditions and increases its endurance. Picking is carried out a month after the sprouts appear or after 4-5 true leaves appear.

Hardening

Hardening of seedlings is carried out throughout the entire period of growing at home - so that the grown tomato bushes adapt faster after transplanting into open ground. But before hardening begins, the seedlings are examined to determine whether they are healthy. Hardening is exposing young tomatoes to fresh air so that they experience a slight drop in temperature. Therefore, when the first leaves appear, the containers with seedlings are briefly taken out onto the balcony or the room is ventilated. The duration of the procedure is gradually increased.

Growing tomato seedlings in a snail

An alternative to cups or pots with soil can be the so-called “snail”. There are two varieties. The first involves the use of a backing for the laminate (or oilcloth), onto which the prepared soil is poured. After placing the seeds on the ground, the substrate is rolled up. The “snails” are placed in a suitable place and wait for germination. The second variety allows you to grow seeds without soil. Instead of soil, toilet paper is placed on the substrate, and tomato seeds are placed on it. Then they are folded and secured in the same way.

This technology has its pros and cons. A positive point: when transplanting, the root system of young plants located in a “snail” with soil is less damaged and adapts faster to a new location.

Whether to use the snail growing method or opt for traditional methods is up to the gardener to decide.

Seedling diseases

Tomato seedlings, like any plant, can be susceptible to various infections that cause diseases. They can be fungal, bacterial, viral and non-infectious. Fungi attack plants if they are not properly cared for. Their appearance is especially affected by excessive watering and noticeable temperature changes. Fungal infections include:

powdery mildew;
late blight;
septoria;
various rots (gray, black, white);
blackleg;
cladosporiosis, etc.

Sources of viral diseases can be diseased seeds or pests that spread viruses. And also improper care.

Viral diseases:

streak;
mosaic.

Bacterial infections are caused by various pathogens found in the soil or by unsuitable conditions. For example, high humidity. Bacterial diseases include:

mottling and spotting;
bacterial cancer, which is considered the most terrible disease that affects the blood vessels of a plant; it is impossible to cure a tomato, it dies; in order not to infect the rest of the seedlings, the diseased plant is removed and the soil is thrown away;
stolbur;
Bacterial wilt, which also cannot be treated, means the diseased plant is destroyed.

Diseases of non-infectious origin are most often associated with improper application of fertilizers: both with oversaturation with minerals and with their lack.

When to transplant seedlings into open ground

Tomatoes are sometimes planted in the greenhouse as early as April. And in open ground - only after the end of frost. Plants are prepared in advance for transplantation by leaving them in the fresh air for several hours. Externally, young tomatoes should look strong, without visible damage, with well-developed stems and leaves. The root system must also be mature.

The secrets of growing tomato seedlings at home are not complicated, but varied. It is not for nothing that it is believed that many experienced gardeners develop their own ways of obtaining healthy and strong plants as a result of continuous experiments.

When choosing tomato seeds in a store, you should carefully read the expiration date of the planting material.
It is advisable to choose varieties that are resistant to late blight.
During the first 3 days after germination, seedlings can be illuminated around the clock, and then switch to the usual 16-hour lighting mode.
Young tomatoes are afraid of drafts - this must be taken into account when ventilating.
Seedlings are watered abundantly 3 days before planting in open ground.
If the bushes' leaves curl, they may not have enough water.