To grow strong, resistant seedlings, you need a suitable substrate, because a seed thrown into unprepared soil may not germinate, and a sprout may die. Consider what kind of land is needed for tomato seedlings.
Ground for tomato seedlings
Growing tomato seedlings at home is beneficial: you can pick up exactly the varieties that the gardener needs.
Requirements for the earth mixture
To provide tomato seeds with comfortable conditions for germination and rooting, the soil should be:
- light and loose;
- porous, easy to pass and retain moisture;
- nutritious, with the optimal amount of substances necessary for seed germination: potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen;
- with live beneficial microflora;
- with a neutral acidity level.
Ordinary soil from the garden is absolutely not suitable for future seedlings. Lack of the necessary nutrients makes the plants weak, and the future harvest is insufficient.
Tomato seedlings are sensitive to fertilizers in the soil:
- too many certain elements cause the growth of leaves and stems, not fruits;
- the low level of valuable substances makes the sprouts thin and weak.
Land mixtures that are offered in supermarkets for gardeners have at least 2 major disadvantages:
- high cost;
- insufficient quality.
It is not always possible to check the quality of the proposed mixture, therefore many prepare the soil before planting with their own hands.
Components and soil preparation
Before planting tomatoes in the spring, the soil is mixed, adding useful components and additives to the base, giving the composition all the necessary qualities.
Most often used:
- Peat, which gives looseness and airiness, collects and retains moisture. The reaction of the substrate is acidic, to neutralize it is mixed with chalk. The mixture is sieved to eliminate bulky inclusions or long fibers that will interfere with transplanting, break off and confuse the roots. It can be replaced with sawdust, which is steamed with boiling water before mixing.
- Deciduous ground, soft and voluminous. It is picked up under bushes with abundant, lush foliage. You cannot pick under conifers, willow or oak - tomatoes do not like such soil.
- Clean, coarse, washed river sand, which should not contain traces of clay. Before adding to the mixture, it is washed well. Some replace the sand with perlite, which loosens the mixture and retains moisture.
- Well-rotted organic fertilizer (humus). Fresh use is unacceptable. The heat released during rotting burns the delicate roots of the sprouts.
- Good quality garden soil. It is pre-sieved.
The soil must be carefully picked
To prepare the soil for planting, you cannot use:
- soil taken near railways or busy highways, abandoned enterprises;
- sand or garden soil with traces of clay, which makes the mixture heavier, retains water;
- substrate with weeds and worms.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
You can not also use quarry sand, because it is often the result of marine sediments and is therefore saline. In addition, the sand should be coarse-grained, fine-grained sand leads to a compaction of the soil mixture.
All components are sieved before mixing.
Mixing and disinfection
Tomato sprouts are very tender and easily get sick, so the mixture must be disinfected. There are several ways of processing:
- 3-4 days before sowing, the soil prepared from the fall is left on the balcony or veranda for freezing. The composition is treated with boiling water, allowed to cool and dry, after which it is used for planting seeds.
- Steaming the soil in a steam bath: water is poured into a large saucepan by 1/5 of its volume, 2-3 bricks are placed on the bottom; a metal bucket filled with soil is installed on them, tightly covered with a lid, and then the mixture is steamed for at least 2-3 hours.
All these methods make it possible to partially preserve the natural microflora of the substrate. Another way to prepare the soil is possible - calcining the soil in the oven. After that, the substrate becomes completely sterile and loses some of its qualities.
Disinfection procedures should be carried out 2-3 days before sowing seeds. During this time, the substrate will mature and condense, voids will disappear in it.
Ground mix options
Most often, for growing seedlings at home and in greenhouses, the following types of self-prepared mixtures are used:
- Garden and leafy soil, sand, humus are taken in equal parts. The mixture is ground well, 5 g of carbamide, 15 g of superphosphate is dissolved in 5 l of water, 10 g of potassium sulfate is added, the soil is treated with the resulting mixture.
- Leafy soil, peat and sand are mixed in equal parts (instead of peat, you can use a ready-made mixture for indoor flowers). The mixture is moistened with an aqueous solution of fertilizers: 100 g of wood ash and 1 tbsp. l. phosphate fertilizers.
- Humus, sod land (it can be collected near wormholes) is mixed in equal parts with clean white washed sand. For the final processing of the mixture, a solution from a glass of wood ash and a bucket of water is used.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Science):
Tomato seedlings are prepared for planting in a permanent place for a relatively short time - 1.5-2 months. Therefore, high doses of fertilizers are discouraged. Young plants are given only a "starting" supply of nutrients. Excess organic matter and nitrogen can worsen the condition of the seedlings.
Land for seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants
PREPARING EARTH FOR SEEDLING OF PEPPERS, EGGPLANTS AND TOMATOES
LAND FOR TOMATOES: COOKING SOIL IN OPEN SOIL
Planting tomato seedlings in open ground
We prepare soil for seedlings DIFFERENTLY, for peppers, one eggplant, another for tomatoes
LANDING TOMATOES IN THE GROUND, FAST SURFACE. BASIC RULES FOR PLANTING SEEDLING.
Conclusion
Prepared soil for tomato seedlings is the key to healthy and active crop growth. This procedure is only the first stage of growing. Care and processing of tomatoes from pests and diseases after planting must be provided regularly after germination of seedlings in the spring.