Mulching tomatoes in a greenhouse and in open ground is one of the basic and mandatory requirements for caring for tomatoes. It is necessary to do this to increase the quantity and quality of the harvest. Not every gardener knows what mulching is and how to properly mulch tomatoes so that they bear fruit abundantly.
Mulching tomatoes in open ground differs from mulching in a greenhouse. It is necessary to study how tomatoes are mulched in a greenhouse and in open space.Various materials are suitable for mulching, which serve well as protection against various diseases, soil drying out, direct sunlight, and weed growth.
The essence of this process
Mulching for tomatoes is the process of covering the soil around plants with various materials. Mulch is a layer of fine material that sits on the soil. The effect of this process has a very beneficial effect on the harvest.
Main functions of mulching:
- Decorative - that is, it is used as a covering to decorate the beds, to make them better, more beautiful;
- Maintaining the required level of humidity and acidity;
- Protective function – protects from cold, rain, weeds, and pollution;
- The soil under the mulch needs to be loosened less often, as it hardens less. As a result, more oxygen reaches the roots;
- The material used for mulching can later be used as fertilizer, which will make the soil fertile for tomatoes.
The essence of this process is quite simple: select a suitable material, grind it, and lay the tomato bushes around the top above the soil. The mulch can be anything: moss, stones, hay, bark, paper and even film.
What material can be used
The type of matter that can be used for the mulching process is divided into organic and inorganic. The choice of material depends on the summer resident’s means, imagination, the availability of available items and what grows near the site.
Organic substances are natural, natural matter, under which the soil will breathe better, and then it can still be used as fertilizer.Not everyone knows what types of organic mulch are allowed to be used for tomatoes, whether it is possible to mulch tomatoes with sawdust, pine needles, bark, and leaves.
Each material has its own advantage over cultivated plants. Sawdust protects against pests, saturates the soil with oxygen, and nutrients more easily reach the root system. Hay and straw prevent harmful insects from settling in and retain heat and moisture, which tomatoes love. Peat protects well from overheating, rain, and wind.
You need to be careful with materials such as pine needles, foliage, grass. Although they are an excellent affordable item, they increase the acidity of the soil, they can rot and breed harmful insects. Moss or sphagnum moss is often used to mulch tomatoes. Moss is great for retaining moisture, protecting against weeds, and it also looks very beautiful in garden beds.
Inorganic substances mainly have a decorative function. There are beautiful photos on websites where mulch is used specifically for design purposes. It can be cardboard, paper, stones, shells, crushed stone, expanded clay, film. They are mainly used in open soils, for tomatoes - rarely. Sometimes they put a film, but pests will easily grow under it, there will be severe overheating, and air will not flow well. But inorganic mulch prevents weeds from growing and retains moisture and heat.
General rules and requirements for mulching
There are several important rules for mulching that must be followed to ensure a bountiful harvest.
- The soil is mulched when it is sufficiently warmed by the spring sun, it is worth waiting for the end of the frosts.
- Before mulching the soil, it is necessary to loosen it well, dig it, water it, and remove weeds from it.
- The thickness of the flooring should be approximately 3-6 centimeters. Mulch is placed under the tomatoes, leaving a little distance from the stem and leaves.
- Complete removal of mulch is carried out in the fall. But if these are organic matter, then you can dig up the soil with them and use them as humus. This is usually moss, husk, hay.
- To prevent the soil from being strongly oxidized by mulch items, lime or chalk can be sprinkled on the top layer.
- It is not recommended to use transparent film, as the ground under it becomes very hot from the sun, air exchange is disrupted, and the roots may die.
There is a description of how to properly mulch in a greenhouse and in open tomato beds.
How to do it correctly in a greenhouse
Many novice gardeners have a question about how to mulch tomato bushes in greenhouses. It is very important to wait for the soil to warm up. You can do this at the beginning of summer. If the greenhouse is heated, then you can mulch immediately after planting the seedlings. Before mulching tomatoes in a greenhouse, you need to prepare the soil.
It is loosened and weeds are removed. Then layers of crushed substances are placed on it.
Mulched artificial materials are placed on the beds and sprinkled lightly with soil. Cardboard, paper and film are laid in one layer. The film must be darkened. It should be opened occasionally to ventilate the plants.
Among organic substances, moss is perfect for greenhouses., bark, sawdust, peat, dry straw. They allow the root system to breathe and improve soil fertility. Mulching will significantly increase productivity, allow you to forget about watering for a while, and reduce the threat of fungal diseases.
Open ground
Mulching tomatoes in open ground is similar to how it is done in greenhouses.This is the best option to protect tomatoes from exposure to wind, rain, sun and pollution. But here it is important to wait until mid-June, when the earth warms up well, when night temperatures become normal, and there are no frosts.
The most common artificial materials used are dark film, cardboard or paper. Spunbond is a more breathable covering material that allows air to pass through, retains heat, and protects against the growth of weeds.
From organic matter, moss, small sawdust, and dry straw are better suited. It is laid in an even layer of 5 centimeters, leaving space away from the stem. Husks, dirt, peels should not be used as they do not contain the required amount of nutrients. The bark of coniferous trees and needles are not suitable for tomatoes.
It is important to remember that organic materials are laid out after planting seedlings, and inorganic materials - before.
Mulching the soil is a process that requires a careful and intelligent approach. It is necessary to understand what can be used to mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse, how to do it in the open ground, what to use as a material for mulch, and at what time this should be done. If everything is done correctly, the tomatoes will respond with an abundant harvest and rich taste.
