Large-fruited tomatoes without fertilizers - my "technology" step by step
AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT GROWING LARGE TOMATOES PRACTICALLY WITHOUT FERTILIZERS
I have been cultivating large-fruited tomatoes for many years and try to achieve a good result without a large amount of fertilizer, only using various agricultural techniques.
It is known that the more powerful the root system, the higher the yield. To do this, I add soil to the plants, plant them "lying", dig in the lower stepsons according to the method of Maslov, and also cut tomato seedlings. Having learned about growing tomatoes on two roots, I decided to try this method in my garden. Let me, I think, check whether the yield and size of the fruits really increase after such an operation.
The first experiment was conducted in the spring of 2016. I took the strongest seedlings and picked them out 2 plants in pots with a volume of 1,5-2 l at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. When 6-7 real leaves grew on the bushes and the trunk became about the size of a pencil, I started to merge them. She prepared a blade, non-woven material (an ordinary bandage is also suitable) and a stick for supporting the stem. It is very important not to outgrow the seedlings! In an older plant, the stem becomes dense, and it is already more difficult to grow them together. And for younger seedlings, the operation is more difficult, the stem is still thin.
She cut and connected the first pairs of plants with trembling hands. It was scary and pathetic to cut strong, healthy bushes with a blade. But after operations performed on several bushes, the arm became stronger. Interest arose: how will all this end?
LARGE TOMATOES STEP-BY-STEP:
The operation itself took place in 6 stages.
1. Of the 2 plants, I chose the most powerful. It will be a graft, that is, its stem will remain to grow.
2. Fingers connected the two plants together, pressing against each other, and marked on the trunks with a marker the place of splicing 2-3 cm long in height. So in the future it will be easier to perform the operation.
H. In the place of contact on both bushes, she subtly peeled off the stem from the stem to the intended length, i.e. 2-3 cm.
4. Made oblique cuts in the form of reeds to a depth of 1/3 of the thickness of the stem. The notch at the rootstock goes from top to bottom, and at the scion - from bottom to top.
5. Very neatly inserted the tabs one into the other and tightly bandaged the place of splicing with non-woven material 1-1,5 cm wide. You do not need to take a wide strip: it is very difficult to bandage it tightly. At this stage, it is necessary to ensure that the incisions do not move, otherwise the tomatoes may not grow together.
6. I stuck a stick next to the plants and tied the operated patients. I wrote the date of vaccination on the pot.
Then she placed the seedlings in a well-lit place for about 10 days. After 3-4 days, I noticed how actively the tomatoes began to grow, and the scion overtook the growth of the stock. Already at this stage, he took food from him. After about 10 days, I carefully removed the bandage and checked the quality of the vaccine. This time was enough for all the plants, and I removed the rootstock stalk with an oblique cut 2 cm above the splicing site and again applied a protective dressing for the cut for 2-3 days to insure and heal the wound. The whole splicing procedure took about 2 weeks, and then I planted the tomatoes in a permanent place. In this case, the bandage must be removed, otherwise in the future, with the growth of the bush, it will pinch the trunk.
By the way, I also used a cut stem. Put him in the water, and he gave roots. He also planted in the ground.
How deep can a spliced bush be planted? The first year I left the place of splicing above the surface of the soil, but later on I began to deepen it. The fact is that above the grafting site, the tomato actively forms additional roots.
What were the results? The grafted plants turned out to be more powerful. Therefore, I now plant indeterminate varieties about 70 cm from one another. Then the bushes are well ventilated, illuminated, get enough nutrition, and therefore, they are well tied and grow fruits. After planting, the bushes grow very quickly and gain strength. This is especially noticeable if nearby bushes are not grafted. How tall, what power ... You look at them - the soul rejoices and it is impossible to pass by!
See also: Growing large-fruited tomatoes - varieties and care
In the first year I got excellent results. The yield and size of the fruits were even surprising. Many tomatoes grew weighing well over 1 kg, and a Sprint timer tomato set a record: on the scales he pulled 1 kg 878 g. Now, every year for 4 seasons I have been splicing 20-30 pairs of tomatoes and I want to note that the weight of the fruits is constantly increasing ! For example, in 2018, she planted a beautiful variety Delicious Khoy. Without grafting, the weight of the fruit was 700-800 g. I took seeds from it, sowed and the next season on a spliced bush I received fruits weighing 1000-1200 g. Minusinsky large, Tomato, Spanish giant, Planet, Rarity, Sprint timer showed excellent results. Mega Moor, Romanian red and pink, Leo and many other large-fruited. Now a tomato weighing more than 1 kg is common.
Many people ask me: Is there any difference in agricultural technology for “simple” tomatoes and grafted ones? Come on, no. Planted plants are planted in fertile soil in open ground and a greenhouse, fertilized in the same way as ordinary bushes - twice a season. I do the first feeding 3-4 weeks after disembarkation.
I form plants in two stems, removing stepchildren throughout the season. Then all the food will go to the growth of the fruit, not the green mass. I water over the entire surface of the ridge, and not just near the stem, so the roots grow in all directions. If the bush grows in open ground, then I pinch the growth point in late July, and harvest the crop in late August. In our area, early frosts and cold dews can ruin the crop. However, if the bush grows in the greenhouse, then the growing season is longer - due to early planting and later harvesting. And this, of course, increases the yield. Therefore, the main part of tomatoes on two roots is grown in a greenhouse.
By the way, you can spice not only large, but also other tall tomatoes. I love experiments, I once grew two varieties on the same root. The bush, on which tomatoes of different colors and shapes grow, looks at least unusual. And there are a lot of options: at least “white top and black bottom”!
Yes, such a technology certainly takes more time and requires attention. But the result is very inspiring. I like to experiment with tomatoes, this culture is very plastic and lends itself to various manipulations. The main thing is to do it with interest and love, and the tomato will answer with a wonderful harvest. You need to love him, but not to "love" and connect the internal reserves of the plant, and not artificial stimulation.
I advise enthusiastic gardeners to try this method on their plots if you want to increase the yield and size of the fruits. All the success and the pleasure of working on the ground!
See also: Large-fruited tomatoes - varieties and name, photo and description
5 BEST VARIETIES OF LARGE-FRUIT TOMATOES - VIDEO
© Author: N. MEDVEDEVA Krasnoyarsk Territory
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Many gardeners try to grow huge, weighing more than 1 kg, tomato fruits Russian size. I also made this attempt several times and realized that in order to fill them, the plant needs to be very well fed. However, I didn’t want to water the garden with synthetic fertilizers. And this is what I came up with.
I sowed one seed in peat pots with a diameter of 10 cm: one tomato Russian size and two - Volgogradets. Seedlings were grown, as usual, for three and a half weeks. When the seedlings grew three true leaves, I carefully cut off small sections of the skin on each stem (at the same level), joined the cut points together and wrapped the stems with adhesive tape.
After two weeks, the tomatoes grew together, and I cut off the stems of the Volgogradets tomato above the grafting site (they can be rooted in the sand). The Russian size ultimately remained on three “legs”.
In mid-April, I planted the seedlings, which already had seven true leaves, in an unheated greenhouse. At the beginning of May, powerful bushes produced two clusters. I removed the remaining brushes so that they would not draw nutrients onto themselves, and the established heat interfered with the pollination of new flowers. Watered moderately. Since the ridges had been filled with manure-bulk and caliphos (a type of fertilizer - Ed.) since the fall, during the fruit-filling period I fed the tomatoes only with a solution of magnesium and boron salts. At the same time, the bushes looked good, because the “chicken legs” actively nourished the above-ground parts.
As a result, I got five fruits from each bush, weighing 1-1,5 kg each. And on tomatoes, where I left 1-2 ovaries, the fruits gained almost 3 kg.
That’s all the wisdom and no “chemistry”.