Tomatoes are the favorite culture of many Russian gardeners; it is impossible to imagine a summer and autumn table without fresh meaty fruits of this nightshade family vegetable; they are also indispensable for harvesting. Depending on the climatic zone, the method of cultivation is chosen - in greenhouses and greenhouses or in open ground. Naturally, with each method, the agricultural technology of tomatoes will vary. If you decide to grow tomatoes, then the first thing to do is to choose the right varieties from the huge number available on the seed and seedling market. When choosing, they are usually guided by three criteria:
- personal preferences in shape, size and desirable use of tomatoes (fresh, pickling, juices);
- disease resistance;
- regionalization (specially selected for a particular climate zone).
It is better for novice gardeners not to try to get seedlings on their own, but to buy it from farmers and gardeners with extensive experience, you can also learn from them what is the agricultural technique of growing tomatoes of a particular variety.
A few common mistakes, or improper tomato farming:
- growing tomatoes without tying to a trellis or other support significantly reduces yield and contributes to the mass destruction of fruits by dangerous diseases: late blight and various rot;
- agricultural technology of tomatoes, regardless of the place of cultivation, involves the removal of stepsons - unnecessary axillary shoots. Many books on the cultivation of tomatoes recommend that you leave a stump 3-4 cm long after the stepson, which is completely wrong, as it contributes to the infection of the plant. An unnecessary escape must be removed completely by plucking it at the very base. Pasynkovka is carried out in dry weather in the first half of the day, so that the wound dries quickly;
- Another common mistake is incorrect watering. Tomatoes form a powerful root system, and if they are watered frequently, they are massively affected by late blight, switch to food through dewy roots and become dependent on weather conditions. To prevent this from happening, proper tomato farming recommends relatively rare (once a week) and plentiful watering. For convenience, tomatoes are not planted on high beds, but in furrows, which are then conveniently poured 2-3 times with water when watering. From above, these plants cannot be watered, only into the soil. To preserve moisture, the beds are mulched (straw, torn weeds, bark) after the tomatoes have been planted in the soil or the soil is loosened the next day after watering, and oats can also be sown under the tomatoes (requires clipping).
Another feature: hybrid and varietal tomatoes are watered differently when ripe. In varietal tomatoes, at the usual frequency of irrigation, the fruits crack, so they are trimmed and produced no more than once every 1.5 weeks. On the contrary, hybrids love constant moisture without which they produce poor crops.
- very often gardeners regret removing unnecessary shoots (not stepsons) and leaves. Meanwhile, the build-up of excess green mass significantly reduces the yield of tomatoes: there are few fruits and they are smaller. Thickness is also harmful, since the plant is poorly ventilated, and subsequently viral and fungal diseases develop. Therefore, after laying the fourth brush and two leaves after it, you need to pinch the stem without leaving a growth point (stem node), and also remove the dying and thickening foliage from the plant in a timely manner. In total, 3-4 trimmings will be required per season;
- proper agrotechnology of tomatoes should include a set of preventive and ongoing treatments against various diseases. Therefore, if you want to grow and harvest a healthy crop that is not infected with late blight and rot, stock up on systemic poisons ("Ridomil", "Ordan", "Oksikhom", "Acrobat"), since it is now impossible to dispense with Bordeaux liquid. Spraying is carried out once every two weeks and is stopped at least 20 days before taking the fruits.
Have a rich harvest!