Growing tomatoes in the heat - planting seedlings and caring for it
HOW TO GROW TOMATOES WITH SEEDLING - CARE WITH A HOT CLIMATE
Previously, when planting seedlings in a permanent place, I always tried to increase its root system and often planted lying down, especially overgrown ones. Yes, with this method, the viability and productivity of the bushes increases, but I noticed another thing: in this case, the growth of seedlings slows down and the timing of the appearance of the first brushes is shifted. Plants are taken for the growth of new root lateral processes, and the original roots almost do not grow, they even die off - this is the beginning of fruiting and shifts. Yes, it’s also good if it’s for a week, but it happens for two or even a month!
At the same time, all the roots are located in the upper layer, and we live in the south, and we have this layer - a frying pan, when the heat above 30 ° lasts about three months. We try to plant it under the film early, so that before the onset of baking, the bushes will increase their vegetative mass more.
Now I only slightly deepen my bushes into the pits by 3-5 cm, removing the lower leaves. But here another nuance arises - the temperature of the soil. When planting seedlings or sowing seeds in early April, or even in March, in a greenhouse (I do not have a greenhouse), I notice that the tomato does not want to crawl into the lower cold layers of the soil, again mastering the roots of the upper tiers of the garden (to check, I repeatedly dug in bushes ).
Therefore, from the very first days, I strive to make the roots of the seedlings look for water below, in cups on pallets, where I add water.
Best of all for those who have insulated beds. For example, with horse manure laid in the depths. But caution is required here: ammonia may form in the roots of seedlings, which leads to root rot or fusarium wilt. It happened to me once, I realized this only after digging up the seedlings.
Some people bury a layer of empty bottles or polystyrene foam, or a layer of twigs, foliage, kitchen waste, half-rotted compost, and so on, into the garden bed to a depth of about half a meter. I have a simpler and easier method.
As soon as the snow melts, I rake a layer of mulch on the beds - straw, hay, grass, tops, which have already partially rotted over the winter, I add bokashi, fertilizers to them, spill it with an EM solution and cover it with a film for one and a half to two months, and then use in the pits when planting tomatoes and potatoes.
Or (the second method) I put straw soaked in a weak solution of chicken manure into deep holes under the seedlings and spill it with EM preparations. The straw decays, releasing heat, creates looseness in the fossa and invites the roots to search for water in the warm depth. Well, on top, the seedling bed is covered, of course, with agrofibre and film. Seedlings can withstand cold snaps and even frosts. I remember that in 2017 more than half a meter of snow piled up, and she didn't even notice it under a warm shelter!
Move on. Already the plants are developing well, the ovaries have started on the first two brushes, and here again the brake - heat, dry winds. It would seem that there is enough watering, and the earth is filled with fertilizer, but it is clearly visible that the plants are experiencing a nutritional deficiency.
The fact is that the activity of bacteria in hot weather decreases, and our pets are tomatoes, and other plants do not receive enough nutrition.
During high temperatures, our tomatoes live according to the principle “I’m not up to fat - I should live”: they drank a little water, twisted the leaves and wait for the evening - at least to take a breath.
The roots in the upper tier are like in a frying pan; mulch at 40 ° does not save much. Tomato has already tied a couple of brushes - consider, fulfilled his duty, gave offspring, but this is not enough for us. After all, we need four or five tiers of fruit, but we would like to get the sixth. And the tomato doesn’t care - even though the grass doesn’t grow. She, by the way, does not grow during this period. And then the rains come, the grass grows, the tomatoes may bloom again, but the rains will wash away all the pollen.
How different are tomatoes in greenhouses and in the fields from those that grow in suburban areas of 3-4 acres, squeezed by our and neighboring buildings, fences, trees! Here there is mono-movement of air, and insufficient lighting, and as a result, pollination is difficult. How can we help plants?
Reference by topic: Growing tomatoes in heat, drought and rain - varieties and care
Shading the beds - both the soil under the mulch, and the plants themselves under lutrasil or shade nets. Do not forget to cover the aisles with straw, grass, etc.
Planting seedlings without subsequent frequent watering, so that the roots from the very beginning look for water in the depths, where microorganisms do not experience heat shocks and feed the tomato roots even during the drying sun.
Take care of the foliage: The plants should be well leafy, so don't remove all the stepchildren! Especially in the south, you should not leave the bushes bald, as even the set fruits get sunburn.
Formation of the first brushes. Under the influence of stress, plants try to fully bear fruit at once and give in these first clusters a lot of ovary and fruits, flowers. You should leave no more than 4-6 fruits in the brush, and pluck the rest (cut off with scissors) to ensure the growth of roots, which slow down their growth after the second brush.
1. The most important thing. In extreme heat, the plant weakens, it only has enough strength to survive, it is attacked by various diseases and pests, as a result of which the leaves twist and turn yellow, especially below.
Therefore, you should saturate the soil under the tomatoes (and spray the plants themselves) with beneficial bacteria - these are EM solutions, purchased multicomponent microbial preparations, herbal infusions (including nettle, chamomile, etc.) with humus, use special anti-stress drugs.
Before planting seedlings, I treat the land with biofungicide, then three times with an interval of 10 days with drugs for diseases and pests. I feed the foliage with a growth stimulant or humates, complex fertilizers in a chelated form are very effective.
In general, I feed under the root only once at the very beginning, since at temperatures above 30 °, feeding under the root is useless. I spend only foliar (the above, which I can buy on the market). I spray tomatoes every 10-12 days. These are mainly chelated fertilizers with boron (a couple of times) and potassium.
I hardly observe crop rotation: there is no place, since compared to other crops, tomatoes occupy the most beds. At the end of August, when the lower leaves and brushes have already been removed, I sow mustard under the tomatoes.
I wish you all health, strength and joy, and I thank the editorial staff for the hard work and I wish you success in your life!
See also: A garden that is not afraid of heat or humidity - how to create it and what to plant?
HOW TO PROTECT A TOMATO BAND IN THE HEAT - VIDEO
© Author: E. Aleksashina
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The problem is with tomatoes, or rather, with seedlings. I am 66 years old, all my life since childhood I have been engaged in gardening, I have always grown tomatoes, and they pleased me with good harvests, despite the harsh climate.
Last year, she sowed the seeds on March 7, after pickling them in potassium permanganate. I took the soil from the garden after the cucumbers, added 1/3 of the purchased one. I did everything as usual. She swooped down into cut-off beer polka dots. Until April 10, the seedlings were strong, healthy, and suddenly the green leaves began to fall off, and more and more every day. A grayish-whitish bloom appeared on the stems.
We do not have specialized stores, once a week visiting sellers sell everything, including seeds, they advised to treat the seedlings with a fungicide.
Diluted, sprayed, repeated a day later. The result is zero.
I started looking for information on the Internet. I re-read everything, but according to the descriptions nothing coincided with my situation. It may be bacterial wilting or white rot. A week later, only the tops remained of my tomatoes, and even those had a very unhealthy, withering look.
She pulled out one plant and examined everything carefully: the roots were normal, no blackness, no pests. The reproach cut the stem - green.
I threw out all my seedlings and began to collect from friends and neighbors: as much as I collected, I planted as much in the greenhouse. I was looking forward to the spring of 2021 with great impatience. Sowed tomatoes on March 3. Alas, they did not have their own seeds, they were all purchased. I didn't buy the land: I was afraid that it was some kind of infection in it. Everything rose, everything was pleasing to the eye.
This spring, unlike last year, was sunny and warm. There was enough light for my tomatoes, during the day I took them out onto the veranda. No signs of trouble. The stems are thick, some of the plants are already in bloom.
But on April 14, all the seedlings fell ill at once: white bloom, fallen leaves. Hands dropped! Everything happened again, but I don't know what to do ...
One woman, who also has a problem with seedlings for the fourth year, suggested sprinkling with a solution of trichopolum (these tablets can be bought at the pharmacy): 10 tablets of 250 mg per 1 liter of water. I took this advice, because I still throw it away. Some of the seedlings were saved: out of 40 bushes, I left 16, the rest were thrown away. And although the nights were very cold, I planted these 16 bushes in the greenhouse. They stood for a long time, without touching growth, and then began to gain strength. Of course, they lagged behind, on some varieties the leaf hangs, as if it does not have enough water. Fruits were set, but very small.
What is the reason: in the ground or in the seeds?