What and when is it better to feed tomato seedlings so that they are plump

Most experienced vegetable growers know that it is recommended to accompany the planting of tomato seedlings with soil fertilization. Some people doubt whether it is necessary to engage in feeding. This procedure must be carried out in order to grow healthy bushes in the future.

Also, regular feeding will increase the amount of the crop and provide good protection against various diseases. Before growing tomatoes, you need to figure out how to feed tomato seedlings.

Start feeding

Before feeding tomato seedlings after planting, you should know when to do it. Many novice vegetable growers do not know when to start feeding seedlings. To understand this, you need to figure out the timing of fertilization in advance.

The first feeding of tomato seedlings should be carried out after the emergence of the first seedlings. Also, many experts advise fertilizing tomatoes if it was not possible to create suitable growing conditions.

The first feeding of tomatoes is carried out to protect them from diseases. If the grower does not want to feed the tomato seedlings for the first time, then in the future it may suffer from late blight.

After about a week, feeding tomato seedlings is carried out a second time. For this, you can use a complex fertilizer for tomatoes, consisting of organic matter. Many gardeners use Agricole, which contains the nutrients needed by young tomato bushes. All subsequent fertilization for tomatoes is carried out in 10-20 days.

The amount of dressing for growing tomatoes directly depends on the conditions in which they grow. There are only two mandatory procedures:

• the first feeding of tomatoes is carried out during the formation of bushes several weeks after transplantation;
• the second is performed 2 weeks after the first.

Signs of a nutrient deficiency

Before you start figuring out how to feed tomatoes and how to properly feed seedlings, you need to familiarize yourself with the main symptoms of starvation of young seedlings. To do this, it is recommended to regularly pay attention to the thick stems and leaves of tomatoes. This will help you understand what fertilizer is needed for tomatoes.

Lack of nitrogen

With a severe nitrogen deficiency, pale tomato seedlings grow with yellow leaves at the bottom of the bush. This element is very important for grown tomatoes, since with its help the bush develops and grows faster.

Every vegetable grower should know how to fertilize tomatoes with nitrogen. It is necessary to make such a top dressing very carefully so as not to overdo it. Thin seedlings will look better with more nitrogen added. Its stems will become much thicker and the leaves will be more beautiful.

However, it will be very bad to bear fruit. In some cases, the use of nitrogen fertilizer for tomato seedlings negatively affects her health. Young bushes often start to hurt and die over time. Therefore, before feeding the tomatoes, you need to figure out in advance how to properly feed the seedlings and determine the optimal dosage.

If tomatoes are overfed with nitrogen, their leaves will begin to curl and become more fragile.

Lack of phosphorus

Many do not know what fertilizers to feed purple tomato seedlings. Tomato bushes are painted in this color due to a lack of phosphorus. First, the color changes on the lower leaves and gradually spreads to the rest of the leaves. Some people think that weak seedlings turn purple due to the fact that they are cold. However, low temperature and lack of phosphorus are interrelated, since in cold conditions the roots are not able to assimilate this substance.

Therefore, it is advisable to make sure that the temperature is not too low before applying top dressing.

Lack of potassium

Before fertilizing tomato seedlings with potassium, you need to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of its lack. First, the leaves at the top of the bushes begin to change. They shrivel and become curly. Over time, symptoms begin to appear on the lower leaves, which gradually darken and dry.

Lack of iron

Quite often, this problem appears in plants that are planted under bright lighting. Growing tomatoes under constant light can disrupt the processing and absorption of certain nutrients. It is because of this that iron deficiency appears over time. This leads to the fact that the tomato seedlings gradually turn yellow, starting from the upper leaves. After the first signs appear, components containing a lot of iron are added to the fertilizer for the tomato.

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Lack of magnesium

The preparations used for feeding tomato seedlings must contain magnesium, since its deficiency can negatively affect the health of the bushes. The leaves begin to gradually darken below. Some of them take on a purple or reddish tint.

Lack of calcium

Most fertilizers for tomato seedlings contain a lot of calcium, so a deficiency of this component is not so common. Its lack is not always evident in the bushes. Most often, the first signs appear during the formation of fruits. Their top is gradually covered with brown or gray rot.

Organic fertilizers

Before you feed the tomatoes, you need to figure out what fertilizers to apply for spring and autumn feeding. Quite often, minerals are used for this. This feeding consists of natural ingredients that contain iron, nitrogen, magnesium phosphorus and many other useful elements. Having familiarized yourself with the various fertilizers, you can determine the best way to feed the seedlings.

Manure

Many vegetable growers prefer to feed tomatoes after planting with manure. It is not recommended to use it fresh, as it may contain a large number of harmful bacteria that will harm the bushes. It is better to use manure that has settled for 1-2 years. This product is ideal for enriching most soils.

When tomato seedlings are fed for the first time with settled manure, about 10 kg of the substance is applied to one square meter of the area where it is planted. Also, such fertilizer for tomato seedlings is used in liquid form.For this, 2-5 kg ​​of manure is added to 10 liters of water and mixed thoroughly. You need to prepare the tomato seedling mixture several weeks before using it.

Manure is known to have an unpleasant odor that many people dislike. To get rid of it, it is recommended to add 300 g of silica or 550 g of superphosphate to the fertilizer barrel.

Peat

Not everyone knows how to feed tomato seedlings so that they grow better. For this, you can use peat dressing, which tomatoes love.

Before feeding tomatoes with peat, you need to familiarize yourself with its features. This substance does not contain a large number of elements, but it improves the physiological properties of the soil and increases the amount of humus. The soil fertilized with peat becomes lighter and more porous.

Top dressing for seedlings can be made from different peat. It differs in the degree of its decomposition and happens:

1. Lowland. Consists of fully decomposed plants. Many gardeners use it when creating composts to feed the soil. It is recommended for the cultivation of exotic plants and vegetables.
2. Horse. It contains parts of plants that are poorly decomposed. Most often, high-moor peat is used for mulching the soil, and not for feeding.
3. Transition. It is in an intermediate state between lowland and highland. It is used during the preparation of composts, which include manure, ash, bird droppings and mineral fertilizers.

If peat is to be used for soil mulching, then before use it must be laid out in the sun and dried. Before being used as fertilizer, peat is piled up in a compost heap in the spring and rotted for several months. To improve the fertile properties of the soil, two buckets of peat are consumed per square meter of the plot. At the same time, it is necessary to bring it into the ground not in spring, but in autumn.

Bird droppings

Many people, when they think about what kind of fertilizer can be used to feed tomato seedlings, think of bird droppings. It is a good fertilizer that is used quite often.

Before feeding tomato seedlings with droppings, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of the preparation of fertilizers. To do everything right, it is recommended to observe the following proportions:

• no more than 0.2 kg of dry manure is consumed per square meter of soil;
• about 0.5 kg of raw manure is consumed per square meter of soil.

The above norms are average and depend on the manufacturer. When using store-bought bird droppings, you must strictly adhere to the instructions.

Compost

If a person does not know how to fertilize tomatoes, then compost can be recommended. It contains various organic fertilizers that tomato seedlings need so much. Quite often it is used as the first feeding of seedlings.

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During the preparation of the compost, wood sawdust, leaves, peat and shavings are added to the bottom of the container in several layers. To increase the value of the fertilizer, you can add several kilograms of potassium salt and superphosphate to it. Then the mixture is moistened and mixed every day. You can only use the compost that has been infused for 5-10 months.

There are two main types of compost:

1. From the manure. To prepare such fertilizer for a tomato, it is necessary to mix manure with peat and soil in a 5: 1: 1 ratio. Then the mixture is filled with water and left to infuse for 5-7 months.
2. From plants. Fallen leaves, weeds and any other grass are used to create such compost. All components are mixed with soil, filled with water and covered with a lid. The mixture is used only one year after preparation.

Bone flour

Quite often it is used when there is a lack of phosphorus or calcium.About three kilograms of flour is consumed per square meter of soil. You can also prepare an aqueous solution from it, which is most often used in spring. To do this, one kilogram of the substance is poured with 10-15 liters of hot water. Then the mixture is thoroughly mixed and infused for a week. After that, the solution is again diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and filtered with gauze. Fertilizer is applied during the day under tomatoes once a month.

Use of drugs

Having figured out when to feed the seedlings, you can start choosing the right fertilizer. Not everyone knows how to feed tomato seedlings so that there are plump stems near the bushes. Quite often, special preparations are used for this.

Kristalon

Many vegetable growers use crystal in the spring. This complex fertilizer includes phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. This drug is sold in the form of a solution and in dry form. The first option is very convenient to use when fertilizing large seedlings. For younger seedlings, it is better to use dry crystal.

Emerald

If young tomato bushes begin to turn yellow from an insufficient amount of nutrients, then it is recommended to use Emerald. It was developed to enhance seedling nutrition and remove yellowness. The main elements of the preparation are magnesium and nitrogen. The emerald can be applied to the plant with a sprayer or used as a root top dressing.

Fertica

The drug is very popular among many gardeners. It contains potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen and many other useful trace elements. Fetricia is quite strong and must be diluted with water according to the instructions before use. A correctly prepared solution has a pale pinkish color.

Folk remedies

Many vegetable growers use folk remedies when fertilizing seedlings in spring. There are several of the most common folk methods for feeding tomatoes.

Yeast

Many people make their own yeast fertilizers. This can be done in two ways:

1. A tablespoon of sugar and a packet of yeast are added to a glass of heated water. Then the mixture is stirred and 15 liters of water are added to it. A liter of yeast is consumed per plant bush.
2. A small jar is half filled with bread and water. After that, 100 g of fresh yeast is added to the mixture. To obtain a high-quality fertilizer, the solution must be infused for one week. After that, it is filtered with gauze and diluted with 5-10 liters of water. To feed one adult bush, you will need two liters of yeast mixture, and for a young one - half a liter.

Mullein

This solution is recommended to be used in parallel with other folk remedies. Preparing mullein feeding is not so difficult. To do this, pour half a bucket of manure with boiled water, cover with a lid and leave to infuse in a warm room for about a week. Then the mixture is stirred and diluted with 15 liters of water. During feeding, no more than a liter of the mixture is consumed per bush.

Nettle

This product is prepared from young nettle leaves. To prepare the solution, the nettle is poured with water and infused for two weeks. Before use, the infusion is diluted with 5 liters of water. One bush consumes about two liters of nettle liquid.

Conclusion

To grow tomato seedlings at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of its fertilization. The scheme for feeding tomatoes is quite simple, so everyone can cope with fertilizing seedlings. To do this, it is enough to carefully study when and how to feed tomato seedlings.