How to properly dive tomatoes into diapers and grow
With the seedling method of growing tomatoes, summer residents are tormented in order to make room for seedlings. There are not enough window sills for all containers with planting material, which is why picking tomatoes into diapers has become popular. This method of transplanting seedlings has many advantages.
Features of diving into diapers, advantages of the method
Vegetable growers call diapers the soil wrapped in a plastic wrap bag, where they plant tomato seedlings... Usually they take dense material, which is used to cover greenhouses, greenhouses. Before the diving procedure, prepare a container for placing tomato seedlings in diapers into it. The container is chosen in large sizes with high sides. The bottom is covered with a layer of sawdust in order to then place tomato seedlings in diapers on it.
The advantages of this method of picking a vegetable plant include:
- convenience of the procedure;
- using less soil;
- protection of tomato seedlings from diseases and pests;
- saving space for seedlings.
But besides the advantages of growing tomatoes using the diaper method, there is also a significant drawback associated with the fact that the root system of the plant will develop more slowly, and the light of the seedlings will not be enough. And also, with the intensive growth of a vegetable crop, it will then have to be transplanted into individual pots.
Swaddling tomato seedlings occurs in different ways. You can plant seedlings with two true leaves in a nutritious soil mixture or coconut substrate. And you can pack seeds for seedlings in film, followed by diving the seedlings into separate cups or pots.
Methods for diving seedlings into diapers
Summer residents love to experiment, coming up with new methods of growing vegetables. It happened with picking tomato seedlings.
Sprouted seeds in films
In order for the tomato seedlings to be strong, the seeds that have first germinated are placed in the diaper. Rectangles are cut out of the film, similar in size to the area of the notebook sheet. Having spread a sheet of film on the table, a spoonful of nutrient soil, previously moistened, is placed in the left corner. A sprout obtained from tomato seeds is laid on it.
In this case, the leaves of the plant should be above the level of the edge of the diaper.
After that, add the same amount of soil as was on the sheet. Begin to fold carefully, holding a tender sprout. To prevent the roll from unfolding, pull it together with an elastic band or tie it with threads. The seedling wrapped in polyethylene is placed in a container.
After the picking of the seedlings has been successful, the container with the sprouts installed in it is placed in a well-lit place. To create a greenhouse effect, cover the plantings with a film with holes. Every day, for several minutes, the covering material is removed to air the seedlings.
In diapers from seed to seedling
Growing tomato seedlings begins with planting seeds. So you can put them right in the film. Phased actions consist of:
- cutting polyethylene into strips ten centimeters wide;
- laying a layer of toilet paper on it;
- moistening from a spray bottle with water mixed with drops of aloe juice;
- seed layouts at intervals of three to four centimeters;
- coating with a layer of toilet paper and film;
- rolling up and placing it in a plastic cup with water.
The containers are covered with foil from above and placed in a warm, well-lit place. After the sown seed sprouts, they are freed from the film. Together with toilet paper, each is separated and planted in a nutritious soil. At the same time, the seedlings easily take root, since the root system remains intact, intact. If tomatoes are sown directly into diapers, then they will develop faster, ahead of normal seedlings by one to two weeks.
It is better when planting tomatoes with seeds, immediately add moistened soil or coconut substrate to the rolls. Then the seedlings will feel great before transplanting into separate pots or open ground. In a plant dived in this way, the root system is strong and tenacious.
Seedling care in diapers
After the picking of the tomato has occurred, it is necessary to properly care for the vegetable seedlings:
- Water the tomato seedlings in diapers sparingly, so that the water does not stagnate in the rolls.
- Twice a week it is necessary to feed tomato seedlings, reducing the usual concentration of the nutrient solution by half.
- To ensure an optimal level of light, additional illumination of seedlings is organized using fluorescent lamps.
- To prevent the soil in the diapers from becoming moldy, condensation is regularly removed from the film.
The repeated diving of plants is carried out after the seedlings have become little space, they began to stretch. The roll is rolled out neatly, and the grown seedlings are separated from the film, planting in separate containers. At the same time, to stimulate root growth, the central root process is pinched. But if the plant will exist in arid areas, then the root pinching operation is not performed.
The opinion of gardeners about diving into diapers
What gives and how to dive tomatoes into a diaper, know only those who have used this technique of growing tomato seedlings. Reviews of the method are different. Many people sowed a vegetable in film, but then said that it was better to grow tomatoes in the usual way. And some vegetable growers were proud of the tomatoes planted in a diaper, noting their resistance to diseases.
The seedlings are stronger and can be easily transplanted into open ground. During the procedure, the roots do not break, they are accustomed to a small amount of soil, they have learned to get their food and moisture.
Many people say that they dive and immediately place containers in greenhouses, where the plants thrive. During transplantation into greenhouse conditions, none of them die, and then the tomatoes give good yields.
And yet, the method of diving a vegetable plant into diapers is preferred because it saves space for seedlings when there is so little of it on the windowsills. A plus for this method of growing is the fact that cucumbers, peppers, and eggplants can be dived like this. Some use the diaper growing method for flower crops.
