How tomatoes are grown in greenhouses in industrial volumes
Hanging Gardens of ... Tomatoes
Buying greenhouse tomatoes in early spring, it was always interesting to me, and probably many gardeners, to find out how they are grown. It is clear that in a greenhouse, with lighting, heating, etc. But at least with one peep I still wanted to see - and I succeeded!
The veil of secrecy was opened to me in the greenhouse plant of the once-thundering Soviet Union SPK Dawn to them. K.P. Orlovsky. In this kingdom of tall tomatoes with real vines of 18 meters each, plants are grown from December to November, removing the first batch of crops at the end of March! Think 18 meters is a typo?
At first I could not imagine such plants either, until the agronomist Tatyana STELMAKH took me on an excursion to one of the greenhouses. By the way, at first glance it may seem that before you are the usual tall tomatoes in 2,5 m. But if you look closely, notice that things are not so simple.
Here we have Dutch Torero hybrids growing, ”says Tatyana Nikolaevna.
Seeds were sown on seedlings on December 10 in “fingers” made of mineral wool, then they were diced into similar cubes 15 × 20 cm in size and, finally, they were put in meter greenhouses on meter-sized mineral blocks (4 bushes each). Further, the tomatoes themselves sprout in the block. So in greenhouses it’s clean, and blocks with cotton wool are easier to transfer than peat.
How is it possible to grow such gigantic lashes, and then also to "hide"? - These are the features of the hybrid.
The working part of the plant, where the fruits are formed, is about 2,5-3 m. It can also be seen in a vertical garter. When the lash yields the crop, the leaves from this part are removed, the lash is lowered and suspended horizontally along the rack. A new crop is formed in the vertical part, then this part of the trunk becomes old - it turns out that by the end of the season the total length of the stem reaches 15-18 m.
See also: Giant tomatoes - tomatoes giants without a greenhouse in the open ground
And how do you form and thin the plants?
In addition to manipulation with the length of the stem, everything is standard. Most of the bushes grow in one stalk, but every 4th, if he has a strong stepson after the 3-4th brush, we let it into two stems. On the vertical working part, we regularly remove the stepsons, breaking them down closer to the stem: gray rot may develop on the stump. For the rest, we look at the situation: in spring and autumn we leave less leaves, in summer, in the heat, more. Usually, we remove the first or second leaf above the fruit brush - choose the one that closes it (otherwise the tomatoes will ripen for a long time). Leaves are removed while they are small, so as to less damage the plant. It is better to carry out the procedure during the day, so that the wounds in the heat are dried and healed.
And we also remove the extra ovaries if we see that the hand cannot form each fruit in the same way. Otherwise, they will take food from each other and remain small. The optimal number of fruits in the brush is 3-4.
Top tweezers?
Required. And pinch so that over the top brush there are two leaves. We do this around the end of August, so that by the end of October all the brushes were filled. If you pinch later, in mid-September, the upper fruit before harvesting and will remain shallow.
How do you tie tomatoes?
Above each row is a strong wire with hooks on which a long twine for the garter is wound. As we grow weaving it down. We also try to tie up large brushes, otherwise, due to the twisting of the twig, the nutrition to the fruits will be worse.
Reference by topic: Cultivation of dwarf varieties of tomatoes and cherry tomatoes in a greenhouse.
Top dressing of a greenhouse tomato
There are no usual irrigation at the plant: through a drip system, tomatoes are fed a nutrient solution with a small dose of micro and macro elements - potassium, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, as well as iron, zinc, manganese, boron, copper. According to the results of chemical analysis, some missing element can be added.
Although the "flaw" is sometimes immediately visible: for example, with a lack of magnesium, the lower leaves become stained. Potassium is especially needed for fruit loading, therefore, it is always a little more than other components.
But take into account: the more fertilizing - the fruits are sweeter, but smaller. The volume of the solution depends on the condition of the plants and the weather: in the sunny bush reaches 3 liters per day, in cloudy - 0,7 liters.
© Author: Olga Knish. Photo of the author
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- Saplings for Siberia - answers and advice from a nursery grower
- Kitchen garden - to dig or not to dig, loosen or not (part 4)?
- Garden by Galina Kizima - issue 4
- Tomato Trees - testimonials of an experienced gardener
- Growing cranberries and lingonberries in the garden - tips
- G. Kizima's advice - Why do lazy people have better harvests in the garden?
- How tomatoes are grown in greenhouses in industrial volumes
- Column-shaped apple trees for beginners - questions and answers of a professional
- Garden by Galina Kizima - issue 3
- On growing tomatoes and choosing varieties - collector's advice (2)
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A few years ago a neighbor in the country gave me seeds of tomatoes, home to Brazil (although according to other sources, they are from Argentina).
Their feature is tall (up to 2,5 m). Therefore, you have to tie the plants to the supports using long pipes. In the upper ends of the pipes I insert pieces of thick wire, curved in the form of a ring. With their help, I fix the horizontal rod, on which I already attach the twine and tie the plants.
As the tomatoes grow and bear fruit, the lower row fades, and the leaves die (they need to be cut off), but the upper tier continues to grow, as if replacing the fertilized. As a result, flowering continues continuously, right up to the arrival of colds. Initially, the fruits of the "Brazilian" variety were medium-sized, somewhat pointed cone-shaped. However, as a result of constant selection (I left only the largest specimens every year), I managed to withdraw a large-berry variety of "Brazilian-tomatoes, and outwardly they can be rounded and conical. I weighed the largest tomato 450