How deep should you plant tomato seeds for seedlings

Tomatoes are a widespread culture in Russia. Sowing tomato seeds follows certain rules. They include preliminary preparation of material, soil, selection of containers for seedlings. The planting depth is also of great importance. It determines how strong the plants will be already in the early stages of growth.

To what depth to plant tomatoes for seedlings: sowing rules

Planting tomatoes for seedlings requires a number of knowledge and skills. It is not always possible for novice gardeners to grow strong seedlings the first time, which will give a bountiful harvest in the season.

Growing rules consist of several successive stages.

• Selection of seed. Seeds for seedlings must be selected for germination. To do this, remove all dark seeds from the total mass. The rest are filled with water. Those that come up are considered empty. They will not produce quality seedlings.
• Disinfection and hardening. Before planting, processing and hardening of tomato seeds is required. For treatment against pests, a manganese solution is used. For hardening, the seed is placed first in a glass of warm water, then for 1-2 minutes in a container with ice water. It is also recommended to soak the seeds in a growth promoter solution.
• Soil preparation. For sowing tomatoes for seedlings, a soil mixture based on turf and humus in equal proportions is used. The best option is a ready-made soil composition. It contains all the necessary components, but requires treatment with disinfectants or a manganese solution before planting tomato seeds. Recently, coconut substrate has been actively used. Tomatoes grown in it have a strong root system and fast growth.
• Selection of containers. You can sow tomatoes in a common container or individual containers. The height of the boxes is at least 10 centimeters. This condition is necessary for the development of a good root system. In the first stages, 5 by 5 centimeters pots are enough. After the pick, the capacities can be increased.

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• Tomato seed planting rules. The material is sown only on wet soil. Place no more than 2 tomato seeds per 1 square centimeter. If individual pots are used for seedlings, then 2 seeds are placed in one at a distance of 1 centimeter. Also convenient to sow seeds tomato in peat tablets with a diameter of 35 mm. One tablet contains from 2 to 4 seeds. After germination, weak plants are removed. Only the 2 strongest remain. When choosing the depth to which tomato seeds should be planted, they are repelled by the original size of the seed. On average, the height of the fill layer is from 0.5 to 1 centimeter. In the case of large seeds and the use of growth inhibitors, the powder is made thicker, up to 1 centimeter. If the seeds are small or it is a Cherry variety, then they are covered with a layer of no more than 0.5 centimeters. When planting germinated material, the holes are prepared to the depth of the root, pushing the soil layer apart.
• Seedling care. After the planting of tomato seeds for seedlings has been made, the containers are covered with glass or film until the first entrances appear. It is important to maintain a temperature of at least 20 degrees during this period. The optimal conditions are considered to be the range from 22 to 25 degrees. After emergence, seedling containers are placed on a light windowsill. For watering, use the spraying method.

Timing rules for sowing seeds

It is important not only to plant the seeds correctly, but also to be able to choose the right time. Depending on the early maturity, seeds should be sown from the second half of February to the second half of March.

The timing of when to sow tomato seeds is influenced by two main factors.

1. Landing method. You can sow tomatoes in open ground or in protected greenhouses. When planting in open beds, seedlings are harvested later. When planted in heated, sheltered greenhouses, tomatoes are sown earlier. This is due to the fact that disembarkation to a permanent place is made on average 2-3 weeks earlier. In protected greenhouses, there is no need to protect plants from night frosts. You can safely plant tomatoes for seedlings at the end of February. But during this period additional lighting is required in the morning and evening hours.
2. The ripening rate of the variety. All tomatoes are divided into early ripening, mid-ripening and late varieties. Early maturity determines when we sow the material. For early maturing varieties planted in closed greenhouses, this period may be shifted to a later date. Sow late and mid-season varieties 1-2 weeks earlier. This will allow you to harvest faster.

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Seedlings are considered ripe for planting in the ground if at the time of transplanting they have reached the age of 50-60 days from the moment of germination.

Another sign of readiness for transfer is the presence of 5-6 adult leaves on the bushes. When transplanting to a permanent place, it is important to choose the right hole depth and landing pattern.

The negative impact of improper seeding

Mistakes in the choice of the sowing depth of tomatoes can negatively affect the growth of seedlings and the yield. Experienced gardeners identify two main problems:

• planting depth is too deep;
• the tomatoes are planted too close to the ground.

Both options lead to the development of frail seedlings, which in the future will yield poor yields. In cases where the seed is planted too deeply, there is a high probability of rotting and slow germination.

The seeds and sprouts may not be strong enough to break through the soil. In this case, the sprout dies at the initial stages. If the seedling has enough strength, then it takes more time for its germination than with the right choice of the sowing depth of tomato seeds.

Longer germination results in the plants being too small at the time of planting in open ground. They take longer to complete all stages of growth. The harvest from such bushes ripens later.

When sowing tomato seeds for seedlings too close to the soil surface, germination occurs in a shorter time. In this case, the plants have a weak root system. The situation can be corrected by diving from the deepening of the stem of the sprout.