GROWING TOMATO SEEDLINGS IN PEAT TABLETS: FROM SOWING SEEDS AT HOME TO PLANTING TOMATOES IN THE GROUND, INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO GET A GOOD HARVEST

The choice of containers for growing tomatoes is very diverse. Although recently, peat tablets have gradually replaced even such popular peat pots, many are still not sure whether it is possible to sow tomatoes by this method.

The main advantage of the pills is that the seedlings do not dive, and transplanted along with the pill, which allows you to quickly get a harvest.

From this article you will learn how to sow and grow tomatoes in peat tablets, as well as all the pros and cons of this method.

Description of the essence of cultivation by this method

The essence of the method is that planting tomatoes in peat tablets is a great way to grow seedlings without further picking. Sprouts transplanted without damage to the root system begin to bear fruit several weeks earlier than they should be. The method allows you to save space in a greenhouse, greenhouse or on a windowsill.

This method is good for heat-loving and poorly growing varieties, and the growing technology does not differ much from traditional methods. It is important to prevent peat drying. Peat tablets are good because tomatoes do not experience any stress during transplantation.

Tomatoes are not removed from the swollen peat tablet when picking up seedlings in a more spacious container or in open soil. This is especially important for tomatoes with a fragile root system.

Peat application

Peat tablets are compressed pieces of ready-made soil-peat substrate, which is in a special, decomposing material. They come in completely different sizes: from about two to eight centimeters in diameter, and their length varies from one to one and a half centimeters.

Such pills are enveloped on top by a fine mesh, which does not prevent the growth of the root system to the outside, the ingress of air and water inside. The composition of the tablets include mineral fertilizers..

Why use peat?

Peat tablets are used for germinating seeds and growing seedlings after picking. They are suitable for seedlings of various kinds of vegetables (eggplants, tomatoes, peppers) and small species of flowering plants.

These pills are the perfect "panacea" for growing crops such as tomatoes, because they are the best way without disturbing the integrity of the plant to transplant it from the swollen peat tablet directly into the open soil or just into a more extensive capacity.

Peat tablets are used primarily for plants with fragile root system (in this case, for tomatoes).

The obtained seedlings of tomatoes do not get sick due to a specially treated substrate and do not stretch out from a small amount of sunlight, and the seeds that germinate are immediately taken from under the film.

Peat tablets are used to grow tomatoes, because:

There is no stress when picking.
This is a fairly high-quality method of growing seedlings at home.
Tomatoes in such containers occupy much less space, which makes life easier for gardeners and provides the opportunity to plant more crops, and you can move the pills as you like.

Reference! The composition of peat tablets include additives that reduce the stress when planting tomatoes, growth stimulants, fungicides. That is why seedlings do not get a black leg, and the cuttings do not rot.

The use of peat tablets allows you to fully reduce the area under crops, to minimize labor with processing and disinfecting the land, which is important in the case of growing tomatoes on the balcony.

Pros and cons of the method

The main advantages of this method are as follows.:

Tomatoes do not experience stress during transplantation.
If tomato seeds are not grown, then this is not an obstacle to re-sowing seeds. The reason for this is not the quality of the substrate in peat tablets or its infection with pests, fungi.
The tablets include, in addition to peat, mineral fertilizers, which are so necessary for the successful germination of seeds and the development of tomatoes.
Sowing seeds and fairly easy care of seedlings ensures a minimum amount of time and effort.
In tablets, seedlings even take root, even tomatoes, which usually do not tolerate picking.
The possibility of separation of germinated seeds of tomatoes and emerged seedlings in case of uneven development of seedlings.
For the cultivation of rare and expensive varieties of tomatoes, peat tablets are indispensable.
The tangible increase in total crop yields.
Ripening of tomatoes occurs in peat tablets for two or three weeks earlier.
Seedlings are planted without injuring the root system.
Tomato roots develop quickly due to their light structure.
Ready-made peat tablets are inherently air- and moisture-proof, which provides excellent conditions for the development of the rhizomes of tomatoes.

Among the disadvantages of this method of landing the following:

Peat tablets for growing seedlings of tomatoes are unprofitable from the point of view of economy. This method of obtaining seedlings can occur among rare and very expensive varieties of tomatoes.
It is necessary to carefully monitor the moisture content of peat tablets, because when it is dried, tomatoes in it can die very quickly, because peat turns into a dry lump, and when it is over-wetted, the root system of plants begins to rot.
Tomatoes in peat tablets take up much more space than growing in other ways, which complicates the life of gardeners and makes it possible to plant fewer crops.

Important! But in no case should peat tablets be placed too tightly to each other, their walls should be ventilated.

The need for additional containers in which they can be placed - containers with low walls or ordinary boxes. The reason: the soaked peat tablet cannot be simply put, as it is rather unstable and wet.
It is best to squeeze tablets after maceration, because they absorb a lot of moisture and hold it well. For this reason, in peat tablets can mold or rot seeds.
It is very difficult to sign plants, because there is nothing. You can stick a piece of paper on an ordinary container, but it won't work on a tablet.
You do not need to plant several seeds in one pill if they are of good quality and sprout remarkably, as this kills their main advantage - a convenient transplant.

Training

Fertilizer and packaging for him

Peat tablets should be put in a closed transparent container and placed in the lightest, warmed place. It is possible to use a cake box with a transparent lid or any other transparent container.

Next, you should close it with a film to recreate high humidity. It is more convenient to use special microbaths with grooves for each peat tablet.

Seed preparation

Before sowing seeds in peat tablets and growing tomatoes, it is necessary to carry out preliminary preparation. If the seeds are purchased, they do not need to be prepared., as they are already pre-processed by the manufacturer of special substances.

Seed preparation consists of the following key points:

treatment of infectious agents;
growth stimulant treatment;
soaking seeds in special mineral fertilizers.

In order to prevent the emergence of different fungi and pathogens in tomatoes in the future, you need to soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate and put them in a small tissue container. Seeds should be put in a solution with a disinfectant for a few hours, and then gently rinsed in water.

Before planting old seeds of tomatoes, they are best treated in advance with growth stimulants. They contain phytohormones, which will help the seeds to germinate much faster and bring good fruit.

You can fill the lack of nutrients by soaking the seeds in a solution of complex fertilizers., which contain the necessary plants manganese and potassium. Soaking is carried out during the day.

How to sow a tomato at home: step by step instructions

Since during transplantation, the stems of a tomato can break, it is better to plant seeds in a high container and put peat tablets in it with the open side down.
In order for the tablets to swell evenly, they should be poured with hot water.
You need to wait until the peat tablets are swollen, then you can pour hot water.
Then you should wait for the pills to take their desired size and shape.
Next, you need to cover the container with pills and allow them to drink water.
And at the end of the tablet you need to remove from the tank for further landing.

Action algorithm

Sowing tomato seeds is as follows:

First, it is necessary to soak the seeds or even provide an opportunity for sprouts to appear in the light. But planting them dry is also not prohibited.
Then, with the help of toothpicks, you should carefully place the seeds in the hole above and deepen the seeds.
Then you need to push the seeds into the ground so that they are covered with a layer of substrate. An analogue can serve as the usual powder pre-prepared peat.
In the case of using granulated tomato seeds, then after planting, there is no need to rush them to bury. You need to try to poke them gently from a syringe with a needle.
When the seed coat becomes plastic, with the help of toothpicks, you need to smear them over the surface in order to simplify the germination of the seeds.
It is necessary to move the cultivation of seedlings in peat tablets in a warmed place and cover them with a film.
If the seedlings appear, they should be freed from the film in time and moved closer to the window or artificially highlighted.

How to care for such a crop?

It is necessary to ensure good ventilation, periodically opening the covers.
It is necessary to monitor the amount of moisture. To this end, it is necessary to pierce the holes so that the moisture does not stand in one place and put a drain pan for water flow.
Should monitor the temperature: put the seedlings on the east or west side of the room. The northern window may be too dark, and on the southern day it is hot.
It is necessary to monitor the occurrence of condensate on the lid and to air it at least once a day.
After the emergence of seedlings cover should be completely removed.
Next, you need to carefully water, gradually pouring some water into the pan.
As for the application of mineral fertilizers, the seedlings do not need this, since the nutrients are in the substrate itself.

When and how to plant seedlings in the ground?

Seedlings do not need a separate pick, and they must be transplanted along with a peat tablet. Since the roots arise in the lower part of the peat tablet, it is necessary during the transplant to carefully cut the mesh to the roots. It is impossible to leave the net because it can interfere with the further growth of the root system of tomatoes.

When transplanting a seedling from the pill is not removed, and the depth of planting should be changed, as in the usual pickling of seedlings. Tomatoes can be deepened to the first cotyledons, but not deeper. If the mesh is torn, then it will be necessary to pick out the seedlings in the usual way, possibly with partial damage to the root ball.

One and a half months after the emergence of seedlings, flower brushes appear in the seedlings. Ten days after that they should be planted in open ground. The first flower brush can be removed by otstrochiv transplant for about a week.

Common mistakes

Watering soil sowing. You need to water the land before sowing the seeds, as water can drag seeds down deep.
Lack of hardening.
Late transplantation of seedlings.
Insufficient disease prevention. It should be timely to prevent the appearance of diseases in tomatoes, and not to treat the plants for all sorts of diseases.
Too dense planting seeds. This can lead to the appearance of pests, to the fight of seedlings for lighting, for a place in the container.
The unsuitability of seeds for growing seedlings (not selected).
Improper soil preparation (heavy soil or lack of disinfection).
Lack or excess moisture, lighting (enhanced stretching of seedlings).
Non-compliance with the time frame for sowing tomato seeds.
Unsuitable package for seedlings.
The poor quality of the seeds of tomatoes.

What other ways you can successfully grow tomato seedlings? We suggest reading how it is done in pots, upside-down, in a snail and barrel, bags, on two roots, in a twist, in the Chinese way, upside down in a bucket.

To grow tomatoes in peat tablets will not require gardeners too much time and labor effort. But the minus is that you have to spend materially. But despite this, this method of growing tomatoes is becoming more and more popular every year.