To cultivate strong and healthy tomato seedlings this year, it’s important to follow several key rules.
1. Prepare the Seeds:
Start by selecting only the good seeds. Create a 5% salt solution and immerse the seeds for ten minutes. Any bad seeds will float to the top. Rinse the good seeds under running water and allow them to swell in the water.
2. Germinate the Seeds:
Next, germinate the seeds by placing them in a wet napkin, covering them with plastic wrap, and leaving them in a warm place for one day. Once the seeds begin to hatch, cover them again with plastic to retain moisture.
3. Harden the Seeds:
Harden the seeds by wrapping them in cling film and placing them in the refrigerator door for one day. After hardening, they should be planted immediately into the soil.
4. Prepare the Soil:
For the soil mixture, combine peat, earth, and humus in equal parts. Add 10 grams each of urea, potassium sulfate, and superphosphate to a bucket of the mixture. Heat this mixture at 100 degrees Celsius for half an hour. You can also add coconut substrate or purchase ready-made soil from a store. Plant the seeds from mid-February to mid-March. If you’re growing in open ground, sow the seeds in early March.
5. Sow the Seeds:
Use wooden boxes that are at least twelve centimeters high. Space the seeds 5 centimeters apart and plant them at a depth of 1 centimeter. Water the seeds with the soaking solution or plain water. Cover the box with plastic wrap and place it on a windowsill where the temperature is at least 25 degrees Celsius. You can expect the first seedlings to appear within a week.
6. Control Lighting:
Ensure that your seedlings receive 13 to 15 hours of light daily. Once the first cotyledons emerge, keep the light on for 24 hours. After that, move the seedlings to a cooler location at 17 degrees.
7. Watering and Nutrition:
Water the seedlings with warm, settled water. Don’t forget to provide nutrition: water the tomatoes, then repeat with fertilizer a week later. Water for the third time a few hours before transplanting. After that, water every five days. When the seedlings have five leaves, water every three days.
8. Feeding:
Dissolve a teaspoon of Agricol – Forward in 1000 ml of water. This solution will help strengthen the root system. When the seedlings develop three leaves, mix a tablespoon of Effecton in 1000 ml of water. A couple of weeks after transplanting, use a tablespoon of amphoska dissolved in a bucket of water to nourish the seedlings.
9. Transplanting:
Tomatoes will need to be divided. Prepare containers filled with soil and soak them in a manganese solution. Transplant seedlings that have three true leaves. For the first few days, keep them at 21 degrees Celsius. Once they take root, reduce the temperature by 3 degrees. After three weeks, transplant the seedlings into larger containers, pinching the main root, and water them with warm water.
10. Hardening Off:
Don’t forget to harden your tomatoes starting in April and continuing through June. Take the seedlings outside during the day and bring them back indoors at night.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure your tomato seedlings grow healthy and strong, ready for a productive growing season!
