Tomato is one of the most common vegetable plants in the world. Since information about its origin is very scarce, many researchers believe that the mountainous regions of Ecuador and Peru are the birthplace of this fruit. Tomatoes very useful for the human body and are just a treasure in the kitchen, so do not miss this opportunity and use them more often.
What can be made from tomatoes? A lot of delicious dishes are prepared from these fruits. They are eaten fresh, fried, boiled, canned, squeezed, stuffed, prepared jam, desserts and even pies. By the way, Italian cuisine is considered the leader in the number of dishes from tomatoes.
Everyone who wants to enjoy the taste of these fruits, especially those gathered in their garden, often overcome a lot of difficulties, since growing tomatoes at home requires a lot of patience and effort. To get a successful crop of tomatoes, you need to grow seedlings, which is quite capricious and requires constant attention and care. And if you do not adhere to the rules, then it may not survive at all before planting in the ground. Especially often, for beginner gardeners, the question arises as to why tomato seedlings are stretched. In parallel with this, she still turns pale and begins to hurt. Then to get a good crop from such seedlings becomes impossible.
What to do so that she grows strong and healthy? First of all, it is necessary to determine the reasons for this stretching.
Reasons for drawing seedlings
Firstly, it comes from a lack of natural light. If the window on
which you placed the seedlings on the north side, or the climatic conditions are such that the daylight is very short, the plants will reach for the sun, which they really miss. But even in the case of good lighting, this can happen due to the dense shoots that block the sun's rays.
Still why tomato seedlings are pulled? The reason may be excessively high temperatures. And the following paradox emerges: for seedlings to germinate, plants need a lot of heat, but after they appear, the heat must be in moderate amounts so that seedlings do not grow earlier than is required for planting in open ground.
How to prevent this unwanted process?
It turns out there is nothing easier. It is enough to adhere to a number of simple rules.
1. Highlighting young plants. Usually seeds are planted in March, when the daylight is small, and cloudy weather is constant. As a result, the seedlings do not receive enough natural light and stretch, so light the plants with fluorescent lamps. But do not put them closer than half a meter from seedlings. They should burn constantly until the landing, or until there is enough sunlight.
2. Compliance with the temperature regime. The most effective way is to maintain a low temperature in a room with young plants. Before germination, seedlings should be high, approximately 25 degrees. Once the seeds have sprouted, the temperature should be lowered to 15-20 degrees.
3. Planting density and proper watering. If you have a question about why tomato seedlings are pulled, the correct pick will help to solve the problem. She suspends growth for a while and gives an additional influx of light to each bush. Do not water the plants too often and abundantly. Enough 2 times a week, when they begin to fade slightly.
How to achieve all this at home?
To do this, just put the pots with seedlings on the balcony or loggia and maintain the temperature at about 15 degrees. At the moment of exposure, the temperature will increase slightly, somewhere by 5 degrees in the afternoon, and in the evening, when the lamps are turned off, it will decrease. In order to prevent planting density, grow plants in separate pots, which need to be placed with further growth.
Subject to these simple rules, you will never again wonder why tomato seedlings are pulled, and you will enjoy wonderful dishes from this amazing fruit grown by your own hands!