Planting, growing and caring for tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse
A large number of experienced vegetable growers are familiar with the technology of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse and there is nothing strange about it. After all, it is with this method that you can get a good harvest throughout the year.
Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse is not an easy job that can be difficult to handle without preparation. Therefore, you need to know in advance how to grow and how to properly plant tomatoes in greenhouses.
Greenhouse varieties
Before growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you need to choose the most suitable variety for this growing method. There are many types of tomatoes that grow well in greenhouses.
Bull heart
The variety is distinguished by determinate and vigorous bushes that can grow up to two meters. Planting and caring for such a plant must be performed correctly. When leaving, it is necessary to trim and tie up the bushes so that they are not damaged under the load of the fruit.
The first fruits appear 100-130 days after the tomatoes are planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse.
In the best case, one plant can collect about ten kilograms of tomatoes. The largest fruits are located at the bottom of the bushes, while the smaller tomatoes are at the top. Tomatoes are dark raspberry colored, their average weight is one hundred grams. However, if the care of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse was done correctly, then the mass can be more than 500 grams.
Pink Elephant
It is a fairly common large-fruited greenhouse variety that is recommended to be grown in greenhouses. The pink elephant is not suitable for every gardener, as it needs care and attention. Therefore, before planting, it is recommended that you learn how to care for tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. With proper care, you can get tomatoes weighing more than one kilogram.
The pink elephant has medium-sized bushes that grow up to 70-80 cm. During the cultivation of tomatoes, brushes are formed on the plant, each of them has 5-7 tomatoes. The fruits begin to sing 100-120 days after the tomatoes are planted in a polycarbonate greenhouse.
The fruits of the Pink Elephant are bright pink, round and weigh about two hundred grams. Because of their large size, tomatoes are rarely used for conservation. Most often they are eaten fresh or made into vegetable salads.
Cow heart
Many people, before planting tomatoes, are looking for the most productive tomatoes. One of these varieties is the Volovye Heart, the main feature of which is large fruits weighing more than one kilogram. Some plant this variety outdoors, but it is recommended to grow tomatoes in greenhouses to improve yields.
The cow's heart is distinguished by high one and a half meter bushes. They need periodic garters and pruning. Also, the plant should be formed into several stems.
The tomatoes are pink with a slight raspberry tinge. They have a good sweetish taste, in which there is no sourness at all. The shelf life of the grown fruits is not very long, so they must be used immediately. Most often they make tomato juice or canning.
Mikado pink
Fans of fresh vegetable salads prefer to grow tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse Mikado pink... It is from them that you can prepare delicious salads and dishes.
The bushes stand out for their height, which reaches two and a half meters. Since they are too high, the care of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse must be accompanied by regular garters to three-meter supports. Also, the plant needs pinching, during which all leaves and stepsons located in the lower part of the bush must be removed.
To get the maximum number of fruits, cultivation technology and the correct scheme for planting tomatoes must be observed. They must be planted in a 50 x 50 pattern so that the bushes are not too close to each other. Also, the plant should be regularly watered with settled water and fed. If everything is done correctly, then fruits weighing more than 500 grams will grow on the bushes. They have dense flesh and rind, which allows them to be stored for a long time and transported over long distances.
Greenhouse preparation
Before growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you need to start preparing the room where they will be grown. It is recommended to do this in early spring in order to have time to finish the work before planting the plants.
Washing
First, you need to carefully examine everything in a polycarbonate greenhouse to make sure its integrity. If some elements turn out to be damaged, you will have to start replacing them and only then proceed to washing.
It is recommended to wash walls, roofs and glass elements not only from the inside, but also from the outside. For this, it is recommended to use special glass detergents. It is recommended to pay special attention to the joints, since it is in them that a lot of dirt accumulates.
Preparation for disinfection
Planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse should only be carried out in a pre-disinfected polycarbonate greenhouse. However, before starting processing, preparatory work should be carried out.
Before disinfecting the greenhouse, you need to clear it of moss that could appear in winter. To do this, you can use a weak solution of ferrous sulfate, with which you can get rid of spores.
Also, the greenhouse must be completely cleaned of the remains of last year's plants. Quite often, they are a source of diseases, so if they are not burned in a timely manner, then there is a risk of infection of the planted bushes.
Lime treatment
Quite often, unheated greenhouses are treated with bleach. With its help, you can protect the room from diseases such as white rot, keela, late blight and black leg. Disinfection is recommended in autumn. It is possible to use bleach in the spring only if the planting of tomato seedlings in the greenhouse is postponed to the beginning of May. If you plant it immediately after disinfection, then the lime will damage the grown bushes.
During processing, a special solution is used prepared from ten liters of water and 500 grams of the substance. The roof and walls of the structure are treated with the liquid, and the sludge is used to disinfect wooden elements.
Sulfur application
Sometimes sulfur is used for disinfection in an unheated room. It helps in protecting the seedlings from bacteria and other pathogens. The greenhouse is fumigated with sulfur. Before that, you need to close the doors and ventilation so that the fumes do not quickly disappear.
One hundred grams of substance is used to process one square meter. If a spider mite is present in the greenhouse, then the dose will have to be increased several times.
Formalin treatment
Formalin is used to treat the greenhouse so that mold, fungi and spider mites do not appear in it. There are certain secrets to using this substance. For example, before using it, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the greenhouse. This is done so that the formalin does not evaporate too quickly. You need to process the room with a weak solution.
After the work, the temperature rises to 20-25 degrees and is kept at this level for several days. This treatment method will be effective if used one month before planting.
Seed preparation
Planting tomato seedlings is carried out after sowing and germinating seeds. However, before that, you need to do their preliminary preparation.
Soak
Before planting tomatoes in the greenhouse, the seed must be soaked. This is done in order to speed up the timing of the appearance of the first shoots. Sometimes, after soaking, the cultivation of seedlings is accelerated by 5-10 days.
To soak seeds, they are placed in warm water heated to 25 degrees Celsius. It should be infused in liquid for several days. During this time, you should change the water to a new one every 5-8 hours.
Disinfection
Before planting tomatoes, tomato seeds are disinfected. They can contain viral and bacterial diseases, therefore, without disinfection, young bushes can get sick and die.
For disinfection, a mixture made from a weak 2% hydrogen solution, preheated to 40 degrees, is used. Placing and soaking seeds in the mixture should take place in a warm room. They should be in peroxide for 24 hours, after which the seeds are washed with warm water.
You can also disinfect planting material with mineral fertilizers. A mixture of potassium nitrate, superphosphate and manganese is ideal for this.
Soil preparation and planting seeds
Not every gardener knows when to plant tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. The timing of planting tomatoes for seedlings depends on the region in which they will be grown. Residents of the middle lane are recommended to plant them in the first half of March. For gardeners from the northern regions, it is better to postpone planting to early April.
Soil preparation
You can use almost any soil to plant tomatoes. To increase yields, you can add equal parts of peat or sand to it. Some also add sawdust or mullein to the soil. Before planting, the soil must be disinfected in advance using heat treatment. For this, the earth is placed in special containers and placed in a microwave or oven. It is not recommended to warm up the soil for too long. It is enough to keep it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Sometimes the freezing method is used to sterilize the earth. The prepared soil for seedlings is taken outside at the beginning of winter and stands there for three months. It will be possible to bring it back only a few weeks before sowing.
Landing
Before planting tomatoes, you need to familiarize yourself with how to properly plant seeds for growing seedlings.
It is recommended to place the seeds in small boxes about 15-20 cm high. However, they should not be planted too thickly. The distance between each seed should be 5-10 cm. If you do not want to plant seeds in boxes, then they can be placed in peat pots.
Tomatoes should be planted in moist soil so that the first shoots appear much faster.
Growing seedlings
The amount of the future harvest directly depends on how the seedlings were grown. Seedlings should be grown in a room with a temperature of more than 20 degrees. Therefore, it is better to use heated premises for cultivation. Before the first seedlings capacity with tomatoes should be under the film. When the first leaves appear on the seedlings, it will have to be transferred to the windowsill so that the plant gets used to the sun's rays. When growing seedlings, you need to gradually lower the temperature. During the day, it should not exceed 15 degrees.
Young seedlings must be watered periodically with heated water. It is enough to water the plant twice a week with a fine spray.
Planting seedlings and caring for tomatoes
It is recommended to plant tomatoes in the greenhouse when the seedlings are one and a half months old. By this time, the first brushes appear in the bushes and the root system is fully formed. Before starting work, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with some tips for planting seedlings.
Landing
The correct planting of a tomato in a greenhouse begins with choosing the optimal location for the plant. It is not recommended to plant it in poorly lit and dark places, as this can negatively affect the development of tomatoes.
You also need to do the preparation of the soil. Most varieties of tomatoes quickly suck out all the nutrients from the soil. Therefore, you need to take care in advance that there is a sufficient amount of nutrients in the ground. Compost, humus and some mineral fertilizing are added to the soil.
Seedlings are planted in small holes. Their depth should not be too deep. It is recommended to make holes so that they can completely cover the crustal system. The distance between each hole should be 35 cm. The distance between the rows is made more - 60-70 cm. After all the seedlings have been placed in the ground, the area is sprayed with water and compacted.
Care
To get a good harvest of tomatoes, young bushes must be properly cared for.
Not all gardeners know whether it is necessary to huddle tomatoes in a greenhouse. This procedure must be carried out without fail. The first hilling is carried out a few weeks after the seedlings are planted in the soil. The next time the procedure is repeated one day after watering the plants.
Too often water the tomatoes in the greenhouse not necessary. It is enough to do this once a week. During watering, no more than a liter of water is consumed per plant bush. For this, it is recommended to use only heated and settled water. The most suitable irrigation method for tomatoes is the drip method. It allows water to flow evenly into the soil and does not affect the level of humidity in the air.
Conclusion
Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse is quite simple. To do this, you need to study their growing characteristics and decide when to plant tomatoes. Also, if you are planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, a video with detailed instructions will help you do everything right.
We just installed two new polycarbonate greenhouses in the garden this year, instead of the old glass ones, I have been growing Bull's Heart tomatoes for many years, because of their meatiness and sweetness, I harvest my seeds from the last harvest. I always grow according to all the rules, but this time the neighbors advised me to fertilize the tomatoes with the BioGrow growth activator, the harvest is better and they supposedly have more from it, but I didn't notice much of a difference. I bought it in this store.