Tomatoes are the most common crop in our country, and for many, their favorite vegetable. For its taste, it is used by all the cuisines of the world. Adhering to all the rules when growing this irreplaceable and useful plant, you can achieve high yields. One of the main points in this process is the correct picking of tomatoes.
What is a dive
A picking of tomato seedlings is a transplant of seedlings into another container, which entails cutting off the tip of the root root itself. To extract the plant from the tray, a pointed stick-peak is used, from this the name of such a process as diving went.
Why do I need a pick
If diving does not have a positive effect on cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkin, then this procedure is only welcome with respect to tomatoes. When picking, the sprouts, falling into a larger container, no longer obscure and do not interfere with each other's growth. When shortening the main root, an intensive buildup of the lateral root system begins, and the plant forms good and strong bushes. But basically it not only makes it possible to reject all underdeveloped and diseased sprouts, but also increases the chance of a decent crop in the end.
The best time for a dive
Diving time depends on the variety and the place where seedlings will be planted in the future. If these are tall tomatoes for greenhouses, then seeds are sown from the beginning to the end of February, and picking is carried out 10-14 days after the appearance of the first shoots. If for open ground, then later sown, and, accordingly, later subjected to picking.
Opinions about the timing differ. Some gardeners believe that the transplant should be done as soon as the cotyledonary leaves are formed, explaining that the seedlings are less sick and better accepted. By trial and error, it was proved that the best time to dive tomatoes is the appearance of 2-3 real leaves, and that you do not need to tighten, because the older the seedlings, the harder it tolerates this procedure.
Dive methods and necessary equipment
There are several ways of picking tomato seedlings: in a snail, in separate cups, in diapers. Depending on the method chosen, individual containers or a larger container, material for making diapers (cellophane, or ordinary bags) and fabric suitable for snails must be prepared in advance.
Pots should be the same size (plastic, peat), with holes in the bottom. If they are not, then a layer of wet sawdust can serve as drainage. Dive tool: pencil, teaspoon, toothpicks.
The transplant soil should consist of equal parts of peat, humus, sod land and 1/3 of river sand. To this composition, you can also add 1 glass of ash and 1 tbsp. l complex fertilizer on a bucket of the mixture. Seedlings must be shed in advance with warm water, so that when they are removed, the roots are less injured.
One way is diving into glasses
Glasses are not completely filled with earth. Having made a peg in the groove, the sprout is buried to the very cotyledonous leaves, squeezed, watered with a 1% manganese solution. If necessary, then still pour soil on top. You can not bend the main root, it is better to shorten. The same sprouts that were with a lump of earth are planted immediately without pinching the root.
Many gardeners are inclined to believe that it is better not to touch this spine. He really helps the plant in a dry summer, as it is able to get valuable moisture, penetrating deep into the soil. And additional roots are formed close to the surface, therefore, the plant requires infrequent but plentiful watering.
After diving, tomato seedlings for a day put in a shaded place, then transferred to the light. What gives us a pick? The plant develops better, during rooting an additional root system appears, the stem becomes thicker.
Dive into diapers from polyethylene
One way is to pick tomatoes in a diaper. This method is good in that it consumes the consumed soil mixture. If seedlings are cultivated in city apartments, then planted in this way, it is less injured when transported to summer cottages, and more compact. To do this, cut diapers from cellophane or take ready-made bags. Their sizes will depend on the size of the seedlings. Usually the optimal diaper size is 20X30 cm.
2 handfuls of moistened earth are poured onto the packet, a seedling is placed in the middle, again it is sprinkled with soil on top, and carefully wrapped in a diaper. Do not tuck the bottom. You can put them in cut-off 5 liter bottles, placing them vertically and previously pouring a layer of sawdust on the bottom. When watering directly into the bottle, moistened sawdust will serve as an additional source of moisture for seedlings.
Snail dive
If seedlings need to be prepared a lot, then it is best to consider the option of diving into a snail. Snails take up little space. It can be made from dense cellophane or, for example, cut strips of the substrate from isolon. It is better to use it. Take a thickness of 2 mm, and the height is determined depending on the size of the sprouts. The strip should be 2 cm higher. The picking process consists in laying seedlings at a distance of 5 cm from each other with the addition of soil and twisting in the form of a snail. The ends are fastened with tape or elastic. So that the earth does not wake up, the snails are placed in a plastic bag. After a pick, they must be watered. On the first day, the seedlings are shaded, then placed in the light, and if there is insufficient lighting, they are illuminated with a phytolamp.
Cutting Dive
A pick of tomato cut sprouts above the ground is as follows. Trimming of weak sprouts is done over the soil, without pulling out the roots, so as not to injure the root system of the remaining specimens and to avoid various diseases of nightshade. The seedlings are spilled with boiled water at room temperature and covered with a film on top, so that the seedlings are in the shade and peace. After 4-5 days, the film is removed and a container with seedlings is placed. Plants grown in this way practically do not get sick, root well, are unpretentious in maintenance, and are resistant to climate changes. Tomatoes grow large, juicy and tasty.
Pick of tomatoes without roots
You can dive seedlings of tomatoes that have no roots. To do this, the sprouts are placed in water and taken out for a week in a cool room. When the first little white roots appear, the plants are transplanted into containers with soil, watered, and shaded again for 2 days. Only after that they put on a bright place. Leaving consists in watering and loosening. To quickly form the root system, you can water the growth stimulator "Kornevin."
Lazy pick
Considering the experience of picking tomatoes in large greenhouses, where it is not always possible to do this on time, the method has become widespread, as it is popularly called "for the lazy." What does it consist of?
Sowing seeds is carried out in special cassettes. The pallet for them is a layer of earth. The root penetrates this soil through holes. When lifting the cassette, these roots are undermined, that is, there is an incentive to grow lateral roots. When watering seedlings, water falls on the ground. If there are delays with watering, then the soil from the cassettes draws moisture from the soil. The usual pick of tomatoes is replaced by a periodic shift of the cassettes, which contributes to the growth of the root system. Seedlings grow strong and healthy.
Tomato care after a dive
The temperature favorable for the growth of nightshade is 20-24 ° C during the day and 16-18 ° C at night. After 10 days, when the plants took root and started to grow, they feed with a water-soluble special fertilizer with microelements. A dose of 20 g per 10 liters of water, and 100 g per snail. After 10 days, repeat.
Watering and top dressing should be carried out until 10 in the morning and after 17 in the evening. After applying fertilizers, they must be shed with clean water so as not to burn the roots. The grown seedlings are hardened before planting in a permanent place. Take out in cold greenhouses or on a balcony. Tomatoes are also treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or Fitosporin. When the seedlings reach a height of 25-30 cm, they are planted in a permanent place.
To summarize all of the above, a few tips should be given. With any dive method, the goal is to grow a good tomato crop from seedlings. To do this, you must:
- Seeds to buy only from trusted manufacturers.
- Check planting material for germination, disinfect, treat with growth stimulant, stratify before planting.
- Use permeable loose earth.
- Watering should be carried out only with warm water.
- Top dressing - special fertilizer for tomatoes.
And such an agricultural technique as picking will give the tomatoes a fortress.