How to feed tomato seedlings after a pick and when
Some doubt whether it is necessary to feed tomatoes after a dive, but an experienced gardener knows without someone else's advice that feeding tomato seedlings after a dive is an important stage in growing a healthy as well as a fruitful bush. Proper feeding guarantees the gardener a good harvest of tomatoes, as well as protection from all kinds of infection and parasites, which kill thousands of bushes every year.
During the period when seedlings begin to grow, the root system of the future fruiting bush is actively developing. Resistance to all diseases is created. Simply put: the foundation is laid for the future healthy and strong bush. The future harvest depends on how the first days of tomato life pass.
Some novice gardeners are convinced that in order to get a good harvest, it is enough to plant the seed in fertile black soil. This statement is far from the truth. Yes, they will give the harvest, but not the one that I would like to see.
It is important to understand that feeding the tomato is important not only after the pick, but also before the pick.
Why is it needed
At the very beginning of its journey, the bush has more than enough resources at its disposal. The nutrients that are in the seed itself, as well as in the fertile soil, are enough to give the first shoots. But they are enough only in the first stages of development.
A huge amount of resources is spent on the appearance of the first shoots, so that they make their way up, even through the loose earth. In an apartment or a country house, when all possible conditions for active growth are created, tomatoes grow much faster. And in order not to waste away, he just needs additional nutrients. Otherwise, nutritional deficiencies can occur.
Signs that your favorite bushes are missing something are as follows:
- The leaves have acquired a light shade, and also become so transparent that you can easily see all the veins on them. A possible reason is that you are watering them with plain tap water. It contains chlorine, which is detrimental to the bush. Also, the reason may be that the plant will be from a severe iron deficiency. This phenomenon is called Chlorosis;
- If you notice that your tomato bush has become very fragile and is able to break from any touch, then you need to add fertilizer to the soil, which is rich in magnesium;
- In the event that the leaves on a small bush have acquired a purple hue, then this is a sure sign that the plant is suffering from an acute lack of phosphorus;
- Withering, dropping and the acquisition of light-colored foliage is a sure sign that the bush is experiencing an acute shortage of water, air or magnesium.Also, too low temperature can cause wilting.
How to properly feed your tomatoes
Gardening professionals strongly advise you to start feeding tomatoes at the very beginning of their life. Usually, they begin to feed tomato seedlings at the moment when the first two small leaves appear on the stems. It is during this period that the foundation for future growth is laid. Immunity to all kinds of diseases is formed. It is especially important that the resistance to late blight increases significantly.
The better the bush is fed, the healthier it will grow.
An excellent feeding option at this stage is a variety of preparations that you can purchase at the advising store. These drugs stimulate the growth of the bush, and also help it cope with a large number of ailments. Disease resistance is excellently stimulated by the copper solution.
After the first week after feeding, it must be repeated. At this stage, it is already possible to feed with fertilizers, which include a whole range of different substances. In this case, there are also various drugs that are sold in hardware stores. There are fertilizers that are specialized for tomatoes. Don't be afraid to use them. Your bush knows perfectly well what it needs and will take everything it needs.
Next, you need to feed every 10 days. You can use, as in the second stage, complex fertilizers.
It is necessary to understand that the pick is not just experienced by your bush. He needs to adapt to the new soil and its composition. Also, damage to the root system cannot be avoided, which can destroy your plant. Therefore, it is necessary to give the bush time for rehabilitation. After two weeks, you need to feed your seedlings with a urea solution or equivalent.
After that, we carry out top dressing every 10 days with complex fertilizer. Treating tomatoes with various antiviral and antifungal drugs will also have a positive effect to avoid infection and death.
What top dressing is best for this
There are many things you can do to feed tomatoes after picking. The most effective of them will be presented below. It is important not only how, but also how to feed the tomato seedlings after the pick.
Every gardener knows very well that plants receive nutrients not only from the roots, but also through their other parts. Plant leaves are one of the main conductors of necessary food. And tomatoes are no exception to this rule. In this regard, foliar feeding is a very effective method of helping a bush after a dive. This method is most effective if the feeding of tomatoes through the leaves is carried out simultaneously with the usual root.
An excellent time for this procedure is early morning when dew is present. It is during this period that the leaves take in additional food best.
Excellent sources of nutrients for foliar feeding are:
- Urea solution;
- Potassium monophosphate;
- Potassium nitrate solution;
- Superphosphate solution;
- Phytosporin solution;
Organic fertilizers are one of the most popular source of fertilizing tomato seedlings among gardeners. This method has gained popularity due to its own versatility. For example, some gardeners fertilize the soil next to the bushes with used tea leaves.
Eggshells can also be an excellent organic food. You just need to take into account that the eggs from which you take this shell must be homemade.Store eggs are treated with solutions that can cause irreparable damage to seedlings.
Another equally popular method is feeding tomato iodine... It stimulates not only good growth, but also good health of the bush and future fruits. Plants fertilized with iodine will yield significantly higher yields. On sale you can find some fertilizers that contain iodine.
You can use them and get the desired result. Alternatively, you can simply dissolve two drops of iodine in four liters of warm water and spray over the seedlings. Before planting seedlings in the ground, one such top dressing is enough. The first feeding of tomato seedlings after picking with iodine is an excellent choice.
An effective way to feed a tomato bush is feeding tomatoes with yeast... In the olden days, yeast was a popular source of seedling nutrients. This was due to the fact that the choice was not as great as in modern times.
After a large number of new drugs appeared on the market, many have forgotten about yeast, but in vain. In addition to the fact that yeast itself contains a large number of various elements that are extremely useful for tomatoes, they also stimulate the activity of various microorganisms inside the soil, which has an extremely positive effect on the development of the bush.
Ash is another long-lived source of seedling food. As well as yeast, it was undeservedly forgotten. Ash contains a large amount of potassium and phosphorus. It stimulates the immune system in your tomato bush. It is useful for preventing the occurrence of fungal diseases. The main thing to remember when using ash is not to mix it with nitrogen fertilizers.
Now you know how to feed tomato seedlings, how, and whether you need to do it.
In addition to the usual feeding (I use tea leaves, and eggshells too, thanks to my chickens) I began to use BioGrow - and you know, tomatoes recover faster in the pick field. The yield with this product is higher and ripens faster.