Growing indoor tomatoes at home in an apartment
Tomatoes are very fond of not only adults, but also children. Growing tomato seedlings at home is of interest to many people who do not have the opportunity to do this at their summer cottage. Currently, you can find varieties that are specifically designed for growing at home on a balcony or loggia. How is indoor tomato growing?
How to choose indoor tomato seeds
Thanks to breeders at home, it is now possible to breed not only indoor plants, but also vegetable crops. Growing indoor tomatoes is no more difficult than cultivating a crop in a garden bed. In addition, at home, there will be no insects on the bushes that spoil the harvest.
Before proceeding with the cultivation of tomatoes in an apartment, you must choose a planting material. Indoor varieties have their own characteristics.
- Short stature
Tall varieties of tomatoes are not suitable for growing at home. Due to the limited space, they will not have enough space, and they will not be able to grow normally and give a stable harvest. In a pot, the root system will not be able to develop normally. Low-growing varieties feel great in such conditions.
- Stamping
Not everyone can form a bush, and this is one of the most important conditions that is necessary for a good harvest. Standard varieties of tomatoes already have a main stem. They do not have to be tied up and side shoots removed.
- Ability to tolerate lack of sunlight and nutrients
Even in greenhouse conditions, seedlings do not receive enough light and useful trace elements. Specially created varieties of tomatoes for growing at home do not need a lot of sun. There are tomato varieties that only need artificial lighting on cloudy days.
A feature of these varieties is the presence of short internodes. Due to this characteristic, the bushes do not stretch.
The main disadvantage of growing indoor tomatoes is that it is rarely possible to get a rich harvest. To a greater extent, these varieties are grown as decorative. There is one more significant feature. All varieties of indoor tomatoes are perennials. Therefore, after harvesting the bushes, you do not need to rush to throw them away. After a while, they will begin to bear fruit again. As a rule, these varieties live on average 5 years. But the most bountiful harvest can be collected only in the first two years of cultivation.
Planting seedlings and choosing a place for seedlings
How to grow tomatoes at home? First of all, you need to decide on the timing planting tomato seedlings at home... There are two planting periods to plant tomato seedlings at home.
Planting periods for seedlings:
- Summer-autumn (we grow tomato seedlings in mid-July - early August, and then the harvest can be obtained in November-December);
- Winter-spring (tomato seedlings are planted at home in November or December, and the harvest can be obtained in March-April).
How to grow tomato seedlings at home? To do this, it is necessary to solve the second important question - this is the choice of a place for placing boxes with seedlings. It is best to choose southern windows, where the amount of sunlight will be much greater. Also, do not forget about the organization of additional lighting.
Additional lamps are placed at a distance of no less than 20-30 cm from the seedlings. Daylight hours for growing tomatoes at home should not be less than 16 hours.
How to grow healthy tomato seedlings
To grow tomato seedlings, you must adhere to some simple recommendations. Growing tomato seedlings is a very important stage that needs to be spent a lot of time.
First of all, it is necessary to disinfect the planting material. You need to take potassium permanganate (you can also use iodine). Dissolve it in a glass of warm water. Pour the seeds into a glass and leave them for 20 minutes. After that, the planting material is poured with a growth stimulator solution for 12 hours. You can use the drug Epin.
The second stage is seed germination. You can do without it, but by germinating the planting material, you can significantly increase the percentage of germination.
To germinate seeds, you need to take a small amount of warm water, a piece of natural cloth or gauze, and a small saucer. Soak a cloth in water, place the seeds there and cover with the other half of the cloth. Place the bundle in a saucer and place it in a warm place (for example, on a radiator). After 2-3 days, sprouts should appear. After that, you can start planting germinated seeds in a box.
How to grow seedlings correctly
Peat cups or ordinary plastic cups are best for growing seedlings, but boxes are also suitable. How to grow tomatoes for a good harvest in the future?
We grow tomato seeds at home:
- First of all, you need to prepare the ground. You can take it from the garden, or buy a special soil mixture for vegetable crops. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the box (crushed eggshells, expanded clay, small pebbles or pebbles can be used as drainage).
- Then pour out the substrate and pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Make small depressions in the ground and plant seeds, lightly sprinkle with soil (do not tamp). Pour in a watering way.
- Cover the container with glass and put it in a dark and warm place. The glass is removed every 3 days for 20 minutes. This is necessary so that mold does not appear on the soil. It also needs to be watered regularly with warm water.
- When the first seedlings appear, the containers are transferred to the southern windows, where there is a lot of sunlight. The glass is removed.
After a while, the first pair of full-fledged leaves should appear on the seedlings. After this happens, the bushes can be planted in separate pots. You can grow tomato seedlings at home for cultivation on the balcony in the same way as for planting it in the garden.
Indoor tomato care
Young tomato seedlings are very tender. It should not be placed in drafts and watered with cold water. Also grown seedlings require a lot of sunlight. Therefore, the first weeks will have to constantly turn on additional lighting. It is not advisable to fill the seedlings. If you pour it over, the bushes will start to hurt.
If tomatoes are grown in the summer, then periodically you can open the windows and ventilate the balcony. Another important point of care is the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers. In 1 liter of water, you must dilute 2 grams. potassium sulfate, 2 gr. urea and 6 gr. superphosphate. Mineral fertilizers should be applied every 10 days.
Also as fertilizers for tomatoes you can use mullein, chicken droppings and wood ash. Dissolve 1 kg of fertilizer in 10 liters of water and water the bushes every week. Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. Water the tomatoes as the soil dries. It is advisable to pour water near the bush, but not at the root.
After watering, you can weed the soil. This will allow moisture to be better absorbed and absorbed by the root system. Also, the soil will be saturated with oxygen, which has a positive effect on the growth of tomatoes.
Together with loosening, you can also spud tomatoes. This will help develop a strong root system and ensure a stable harvest. It is necessary to spud the plants every two weeks. Dried and damaged leaves are recommended to be removed. They take some of the nutrients, but they do not participate in the process of crop formation.
For the prevention of late blight, plants can be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate and garlic juice. To prepare the solution, you need to take 15 grams. potassium permanganate and 1 tsp. garlic juice. You need to spray the whole bush.
How to increase the yield of indoor tomatoes
When growing tomatoes at home, you need to think about artificial pollination of bushes. To make the ovaries begin to appear, you can slightly shake the bushes during flowering. It is recommended to remove the top of the main stem and inflorescence. This will help the fruit begin to form faster.
Another effective procedure with which you can ensure yields is "tearing the roots". The essence of the method is that the tomato bush is taken by the lower part of the trunk and very carefully pull it up, as if pulling it out of the pot. In the process, the small roots that suck up the nutrients break off. After the procedure, the plants are watered and hilled.
During the flowering of the second and third flower clusters, to increase the fruiting of the plant, it is recommended to spray with boronic acid. For 1 liter of water, you need 2 grams. boronic acid.
It is also very important to provide a favorable climate for plants. Tomatoes react negatively to sudden temperature fluctuations. The most optimal room temperature should be at least +17 and not higher than +25 degrees.
When growing tomatoes on a window, the humidity should be no more than 60% percent (they do not like abundant humidity). If the humidity is too high, then the tomatoes can get sick with fungal diseases. In the event that the air is too dry, then a container with water can be placed near the containers.
