How and when to dive tomato seedlings?

Tomato is, if not the most delicious vegetable, then one of the most popular. It is good both fresh and canned, and as part of a variety of dishes. But to grow such a fruit, you need to start in winter.

Already at the seedling stage, annoying blunders can happen, and dreams of a greenhouse in which the heavenly "tomato spirit" will stand will not come true. Unfortunately, you can lose (partially or completely) the crop even at the picking stage. Therefore, it is worth considering it in more detail: subtleties, timing, preparation, instructions and care.

A pick (or dive) is a transplant of young seedlings. First, the seeds of future tomatoes are planted in containers with soil, they grow quietly there until their size becomes a problem. Seedlings at a certain point begin to create dense growth, which can interfere with the development of individual plants. A pick is needed so that each unit receives proper nutrition, care, and develops unhindered.

Simply put, picking is the transplanting of grown seedlings into individual pots, cups, containers. You can also use large boxes for tomato seedlings, in which the seedlings will not grow closely together. There are different opinions about whether it is necessary to dive tomatoes. Some experts believe that picking makes it possible to develop a more powerful root system in a tomato, and therefore the seedlings will be stronger. Others argue with them, assuring them that when diving, the plants are injured, for them it is a serious stress, and therefore it is better to abandon the traumatic procedure.

At the same time, those who are against picking offer to place seedlings of seeds immediately in individual cups, that is, the very principle of growing tomatoes changes slightly. Several seeds are planted in one cup: when they sprout, the gardener selects the best (strongest) one, and removes the rest. And this is how tomatoes sprout in individual containers without undergoing a potentially painful transplant. Those who cannot decide in any way what position to take can go for an experiment: grow part of the seedlings with a pick, and part without.

If you dive tomatoes, then at what age is the question. Experts advise not to start the process earlier than the first true pair of leaf plates has not formed at the seedlings. This usually happens a week after germination. But this is not a starting flag either: there is no need to rush. Still, seedlings appear unevenly, the plants are still weak, and transplanting for them is really fraught with death. But there is one subtlety here: if you are late with a pick, the tomatoes are injured even more. Since the significantly expanded root system of the plant gives rise to a close interlacing of the roots of the seedlings, and during a pick, the trauma of the "grappling" plants is inevitable.

Therefore, most gardeners adhere to this scheme: transplantation into individual cups (or simply into one volumetric box) is carried out 10-14 days after germination. A later pick is possible only if the seeds are planted in a very high box, and a decent distance is maintained between the plants.

There are other points regarding the timing of the pick.

• To navigate by the lunar calendar is not the most stupid idea, and this should be done in the phase of the waxing moon. But if the seedlings, for example, have outgrown, and their growth must be restrained, the days of the waning moon will become auspicious days.
• In which month to carry out the pick, depends only on the month of planting the seeds. It can be February, March or April - it depends on the region of planting, variety, subsequent plans and other factors.

The preparation process itself involves the selection of suitable containers and soil in which the seedlings will successfully adapt.

It is better if they are still separate pots or cups. The main thing is not to use packaging from juices, yoghurts: the foil film layer will not be able to maintain the desired microclimate in the soil. The volume of one container is 100-150 ml, usually this is enough for seedlings. If you do not want an individual planting, you can use a large box, large enough so that the tomatoes are not cramped in it.

You cannot take large individual containers, because this size is harmful to the growing culture. There is an increased likelihood that the soil will acidify, as well as the risk of fungal attack. This does not just break the seedlings: both the fungus and the change in the soil can completely destroy it.

Here are the containers you can plant tomatoes in.

• PVC containers - you can buy a set, pallet and pots. The pots can be either stapled together or detached. Holes for water drainage are pre-made in them. Sets with lids are also sold; they can be considered full-fledged mini-greenhouses.
• Peat pots - they are made from peat, they will also include cardboard or paper. Those with more peat are ideal for seedlings. In them, she goes straight to the garden, the earthen lump does not collapse, the roots are not injured. But under the guise of a peat pot, they can sell a container, which almost entirely consists of pressed cardboard, which decomposes little in the soil. You need to choose carefully, read reviews.
• Peat tablets - another interesting option, which is made from fine-grained peat. It is packed in a very fine mesh fabric. Before sowing, the tablets must be poured with water so that they swell and become larger. Then seeds are placed in each tablet. By the time a tomato needs to be transplanted into a large pot, it will take root in a peat tablet and go with it to this very container. An absolutely safe dive.
• Paper cups, toilet paper rolls. Possibly, but unreliable. Polyethylene cups will still cope with their mission, but paper cups lead to rapid drying of the soil. Such containers are not suitable for a long stay of seedlings.

There are two requirements to it - it must be nutritious and disinfected. You can take the same soil mixture that was used for planting seeds. Especially if the gardener is happy with the grown seedlings. The composition must be watered with a weak manganese solution, taking into account the fact that it should be exclusively at room temperature. If it seems that the soil is not nutritious enough, a little ash and superphosphate are added to it. When a pair of real leaves is formed, the plants need to be shed well before picking: the soil will loosen, the seedlings are easier to extract, and the trauma will be less.

If the preparation of the containers and the soil is done correctly, you can start picking.

Consider the classic method of transplanting seedlings into separate containers at home.

• The plant is undermined using a narrow spatula for seedlings; an ordinary fork will do for this. The digging is done with the fork handle, the extraction is done with the tines.
• A deep hole is made in the ground with a pencil or stick, one and a half centimeters.
• Next, you need to pinch the root by a third to a quarter of the length, deepening the stem to the cotyledonous leaves.
• The earth should be slightly crushed, watered, and a root growth stimulator should be added to the water. Use settled water, be sure to at room temperature.
• The next watering will be in a week or a little earlier.
• The seedlings should be kept in a shaded place for about 3-4 days.

But this method of picking is not the only one. For example, an interesting method is transshipment transfer. The plant is sent to a new container directly with an earthen ball. The hole in the container is made such that a whole earthen lump fits in it. Long roots that stick out of the coma need to be pinched, but not more than a third. The transplanted plant is also watered with a growth stimulant, kept in the shade for several days.

An interesting way of diving is landing in a diaper.

• The diaper is spreading out. Soil is poured into its upper corner, about one and a half tablespoons. The seedling is placed so that the proportion of its stem above the cotyledonous leaves is above the diaper edge. Only long roots can be shortened.
• Another large spoonful of soil is poured onto the roots, the lower edge of the diaper is bent slightly below the ground, the diaper is rolled up and tied with an elastic band. It is not necessary to make the dressing very tight.
• The rolls are sent to a pallet approximately equal in height to the rolls themselves.
• With 3-4 true sheets formed, the roll should be unrolled, added a little soil and rolled up again.
• All this is watered with water at room temperature, fed once a week (fertilizers must be dissolved in water for irrigation).

The two-root dive method is also worth mentioning. 2 plants are planted in a glass (or other container), always at intervals. At a distance of at least 5 cm.After they have taken root, from the common side on each blade it is necessary to cut off the skin, about 3 centimeters.

Just planting the plants is not enough, it is necessary to make sure that the diving stress does not become destructive for them. That is, to provide comfortable conditions for further independent growth.

Rules for caring for tomatoes after picking:

• the first 2 weeks is the time when the seedlings need diffused lighting;
• maintaining the temperature regime - during the day you need to keep the temperature at 18-20, and at night - 15-18 degrees;
• plants can be watered only with settled water and only with water at room temperature;
• the ground should not be wet, only wet;
• 2 weeks after the pick, you can feed the plant with a solution of urea or superphosphate, and repeat this procedure every 2 weeks;
• mandatory loosening - it provides the earth with oxygen support;
• tomatoes must be protected from any contact with indoor plants - if during the growth stage they become infected with diseases or allow pests to come to them, all further development is threatened;
• an elongated seedling is a sign of thickening of the planting, the plants simply do not have enough nutrients, it can also mean a lack of light;
• leaves usually curl and wither in tomatoes in a greenhouse, but this can also happen with seedlings - the matter is either in the high temperature of the air, or in its insufficient circulation;
• variegated leaves of seedlings may be a sign of a burn, but in this case they should soon disappear, but if they have not disappeared, it is most likely a septoria disease;
• in order to prevent the tops of the tomatoes from withering, you need not to overmoisten the soil (the roots simply suffocate from the abundance of water);
• stunted tops can indicate both thickened plantings and such an evil and dangerous disease as gray rot.

After a successful pick, the stage of growing seedlings in spacious (relatively) containers follows. But tomatoes are sent to the site when they stretch about 30 centimeters in height, the stalk in the girth will be 1 cm, and 8-9 leaves with a flower brush are formed on it. Success in growing tomatoes in a greenhouse depends a lot on a competent, timely and carried out taking into account all the requirements for the picking process.