Tomatoes are tasty, healthy and beautiful. Their homeland is warm countries. In Europe, they came first as ornamental plants.
In hot climates, capricious and sun-loving plants do not require careful maintenance. But in the north they are grown very scrupulously.
Healthy seedlings guarantee a bountiful harvest of tomatoes. For many, seedlings stretch, turn pale and begin to ache. But you can avoid these problems by following simple rules.
From the article you will learn which soil is better to use for seedlings of tomatoes, whether it is possible to experiment with homemade formulations and which additives can not be used for soil.
The soil that is needed for germination and for adult tomatoes, the differences
Soil enrichment and dressing are needed for the whole development of tomatoes. Tomatoes require nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, phosphorus and potassium. Carbon dioxide enters through the roots and is assimilated by the leaves. Oxygen is needed for seed germination, therefore soil mix for growing seedlings should be loose.
Nitrogen comes from the ground and is needed to form a green mass tomato before picking. When tomatoes are prepared for planting in open ground, organic fertilizers should be applied (wood ash, humus, urea). How to create optimal conditions for the growth of tomatoes and what should be the soil at different stages of growth of tomatoes, read here.
Fertilization, after the tomato has taken root, not only provides the necessary nutrition, but also enriches the soil and the air above it with carbon dioxide.
Read more about what should be the land for growing tomatoes, including in the greenhouse, read here, and from this article you will learn how to prepare a simple soil with your own hands for a good harvest of tomatoes.
The value of the nutrient medium
High-quality earth mixture determines abundant fruiting. If it is not good enough, the tomatoes will be sick and weak.
You can not just use the land of the garden or the soil of the greenhouse, this is very likely nothing happens. It is safer to purchase land from the best manufacturers in the store or to cook yourself.
The soil for tomato seedlings is prepared from several components.that require appropriate training. Tomatoes have a branched surface root system, 70% of which consists of suction roots. Such a structure provides the above-ground part of the plant with the necessary moisture and nutrients.
Requirements for soil
The soil must contain everything necessary for growing tomato seedlings. It should be present:
- friability;
- water and air permeability;
- moderate fertility (sufficient, but not excessive nutritional value necessary for seedlings at first);
- neutrality or low acidity;
- Freedom from toxic substances, harmful microorganisms, weed seeds, eggs of worms and insects.
Advantages and disadvantages of improvised compositions
If it is not possible to use the purchased mixture, you can prepare the land for seedlings on your own. Hand-made is always safer, especially since tomato seedlings are very demanding on the soil.
The advantages of homemade soil:
- You can cook according to the exact recipe and keep the exact number of trace elements you need.
- Cost savings.
Disadvantages:
- Great cooking time.
- You need to accurately follow the recipe.
- The soil may be contaminated.
- Finding and buying the right components to remove can take a lot of time and money.
Pros and cons of the finished land for sale
Not everyone has the opportunity to prepare the soil on their own. In this case, use the purchased land (how to choose the best ready soil for seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, you can find here). He has undeniable advantages:
if it is cooked according to the rules, it is immediately ready for use;- various packaging from 1 l to 50 l;
- it is lightweight and moisture-intensive;
- contains the necessary elements.
if it is cooked according to the rules, it is immediately ready for use;Among its shortcomings:
- large range of indication of soil acidity (from 5.0 to 6.5);
- inaccurate indication of the number of trace elements;
- Peat dust instead of peat may be present;
- there is a risk of getting a poor-quality substrate.
Blend components
Components of the earth mixture:
- sod or vegetable land;
- non-acidic peat (pH 6.5);
- sand (preferably river or washed);
- humus or sifted mature compost;
- sifted wood ash (or dolomite flour);
- sphagnum moss;
- fallen needles.
Garden land for planting tomatoes is taken from those beds where the crops of the nightshade family did not grow last summer (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and potatoes). The best composition of soil mixture for tomato seedlings is obtained by mixing 2 parts of peat, 1 part of garden soil, 1 part of humus (or compost) and 0.5 parts of sand.
Peat usually has a higher acidity, so 1 cup of wood ash and 3 - 4 tablespoons of dolomite flour should be added to the bucket of the mixture obtained. Also 10 g of urea, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 10-15 g of potassium fertilizer are added to the mixture. These fertilizers can be replaced by a complex fertilizer containing more phosphorus and potassium, and less nitrogen.
Learn about simple and effective ways of self-preparation of soil for tomato seedlings in this material.
Inadmissible additives
In hot climates, capricious and sun-loving plants do not require careful maintenance.
- Do not use organic fertilizers that are in the process of decay. At the same time, a large amount of heat is released, which can burn the seeds (and if they grow, the heat will kill them).
- Impurities of clay are not used, as they make the soil denser and heavier.
- Heavy metals quickly accumulate in the soil, so you should not use the land located near a busy highway or on the territory of a chemical enterprise.
The use of garden land: the pros and cons
It is believed that if the garden soil enters the soil mixture for growing seedlings as one of the components, the tomatoes will better transfer the transplant to the open ground.
The vegetable ground after growing solanaceous on it (where the garlic, cabbage, beetroot and carrot grew) is not taken. Purchased land is mostly cleaner garden (This minus the garden) on the content of weeds and possible diseases.
The soil from your garden is used if it is crumbly and structural. Plus of the garden earth that in it more often a good mechanical structure.
The mixture, which is better to choose for planting tomatoes
Soil mixture should be porous, loose and not too acidic.. It should include the following components:
- Humus.
- Peat (increases moisture absorption and looseness of the earth).
- Baking powder (except peat is coarse-grained river sand).
- Leafy ground (mixed with other types of soil, as it has great friability, but a small amount of nutrients).
Conclusion
By following certain rules, you can grow high-quality, able to give a good crop of tomato seedlings. The most important point in planting and growing tomatoes is the correct composition and properties of the earth. Soil mix as buying in specialized stores, and do it yourself. In general, the soil should be loose, permeable to moisture and air, slightly acidic and free from toxins.
