Annual preparation of soil in a greenhouse for tomatoes in the spring takes time and effort. Its necessity cannot be underestimated. Spring soil preparation work is especially important in old greenhouses. It is difficult to establish crop rotation in a small greenhouse. Fungal spores accumulate in the soil - microorganisms that are dangerous to tomatoes. The soil in the greenhouse is depleted due to intensive use of the greenhouse space from early spring to October. Information on how to prepare the soil correctly may be useful to a novice vegetable grower.
Brief overview of processing methods
The soil for tomatoes in a greenhouse that has been in operation for several years probably contains fungi and bacteria harmful to nightshade crops. Before planting tomatoes, you need to treat the soil in one of the following ways:
- chemical;
- biological;
- thermal.
Let's consider each method in detail, this will help you choose the most suitable one, prepare the soil in the greenhouse in a timely manner, without wasting extra money and time.
Chemical treatments
In spring, soil tillage using chemicals is carried out only as a last resort. The use of chemicals in a greenhouse for tomatoes is justified in the fall. Beneficial microorganisms destroyed by chemicals naturally have time to be restored in the soil before planting tomatoes. When using chemicals in the spring, soil fertility is restored with the help of biological preparations.
Table of chemicals that can be used in the spring before planting tomatoes in a greenhouse.
| A drug | Mode of application | Application time | Dosage | Frequency |
| formalin | watering the soil | at least 14 days before planting tomatoes | per 1 m² of greenhouse 10 l of solution 40% concentration | |
| copper sulfate | surface soil irrigation | a day or two before planting in the holes | use 2% solution | no more than once every 5 years |
| sulfur bombs | a hermetically sealed greenhouse is treated with gas from a burning bomb | in early spring, after the top layer of soil has thawed | according to the attached instructions | |
| TMTD fungicide | scatter the powder over the dug surface of the beds, harrow | annual work in spring | 80 g/m² | no more than once per season, soil for tomatoes in a greenhouse |
| iprodione 2% | apply in the form of a dry powder to the soil in the greenhouse before planting | before planting tomatoes | 60 g per hole, 100 g/m² for digging | no more than once per season |
How to restore soil fertility after using chemicals
When we treat the soil in a greenhouse with chemicals, we are forced to kill not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also beneficial bacteria. The microflora needs to be restored. Start restoration work 7 days after using any chemicals. For many years, Baikal Em-1 has been used for these purposes - a certified product for the rapid restoration of soil microflora.
Baikal contains beneficial microorganisms:
- fermenting mushrooms;
- nitrogen-fixing bacteria;
- photosynthetic bacteria.
5 days before treatment, prepare the working fluid. Set aside 4 liters of tap water, add 40 ml of the drug, 4 tbsp. l honey, mix, cover loosely with a lid. Leave for 5 days. Use the prepared solution for watering the soil.
Important! Use Baikal EM-1 at soil temperatures of 10 °C and above; if the soil in the greenhouse is dry, water it abundantly and only then treat with the prepared Baikal solution.
After chemical treatment, it is necessary to add compost or humus to the soil for tomatoes to restore humus, lowland peat to improve the structure of the soil and normalize its acidity.
Solutions of potassium salts of humic acids increase soil fertility:
- Energen-Aqua;
- Gumivit;
- Guvitan-S.
Thermal soil treatment in spring
Thermal treatment of soil is a labor-intensive procedure. In autumn, remove the top layer of soil (5-10 cm). In winter it freezes, and in spring it needs to be spread in a 10 cm layer on any flat surface covered with black film. Steam can be used for heat treatment, but in garden plots, boiling water is usually used.
The ground is watered with water from a watering can and covered with film.To preserve heat, straw or reed mats are thrown over the film. Any thermal insulation material is suitable for this purpose.
The covered soil must rest for at least 3 days. After this, it can be brought into the greenhouse. Any thermal treatment of the soil has a detrimental effect on beneficial microorganisms. Water the prepared ridges with any biological product that restores fertility. After 2 weeks you will be able to plant tomatoes.
Biological method of soil restoration
The biological method of soil restoration involves the use of soil fertility biological products. The mechanism of action of these biological products is based on the ability of microorganisms, processing organic matter, to form compounds accessible to plants.
Preparing a greenhouse for planting tomato seedlings using biological products is very effective. Reduces the likelihood of late blight, blossom end rot, TMV, and other fungal diseases. In soil treated with a biological product, beneficial microorganisms suppress the activity of pathogens, which contributes to better growth of tomatoes and a reduction in disease incidence. When a summer resident has a question about how to treat a greenhouse in early spring so as not to have to treat tomatoes during the summer, we can recommend proven preparations:
- Baikal;
- Baktofit;
- Trichodermin.
To restore the soil, biological products must be used for several years (3-4 years). In the spring, along with the use of drugs, the greenhouse should be filled with a new portion of organic matter. This is well-rotted manure, chicken droppings, compost. The richer the soil is in organic residues, the more microorganisms will produce useful substances.
Making compost
To plant tomatoes, it is best to use homemade compost. It can be prepared during the summer using any modern biological product. For example, you can take the biological product Ekomik Urozhainy. It accelerates the maturation of compost. During the summer and autumn, waste accumulates at the summer cottage:
- tops;
- leaves;
- cut shoots;
- mown grass.
They do not need to be destroyed; they are excellent raw materials for making quick compost. Biological waste must be placed in loose piles. Water the heaps with a solution of the biological product every time a new layer 20-30 cm thick is formed.
To prepare 10 liters of solution you will need 100 ml of the drug. It takes 1.5 to 3 months for such compost to mature. This compost can be added to the holes in the spring; it is an excellent organic fertilizer for growing tomatoes indoors. It is enough to add from 5 to 10 kg of homemade compost per square meter.
After the beds are filled with compost, they are watered with a liquid solution of the biological product a week before sowing. Heat water (10 l) to a temperature of 25 °C, add 100 ml of “Ecomik Harvest” product to it. For greenhouse use, the consumption rate is 1 l/m². For disinfection, all supporting structures of the greenhouse are treated with this solution.
"Fitosporin M" for soil disinfection
In the spring, treating the soil with the fungicide “Fitosporin M” is simply necessary if the previous summer there was an outbreak of any fungal disease in the greenhouse. You can purchase the product in powder or paste form. A liquid form is also available, but it is more suitable for home gardening. Easy to use paste. A solution prepared from it can retain its properties for a long time.The undoubted advantage of the fungicide is the wide range of temperatures at which it can be used (from -40 °C to + 50 °C).
The soil in the greenhouse is treated with Fitosporin for the first time in early spring, the treatment is repeated after 2 weeks. The best time to carry out work is evening. This is explained by the fact that under the influence of sunlight the activity of the substance decreases.
There are different methods for preparing a working solution from powder and paste. When purchasing powder, you need to remember that the solution must be prepared on the day of the work, 2 hours before it starts. For 10 liters of water you will need 5 g of powder.
A concentrated solution is prepared from the paste in a ratio of 1:2. For 100 g of paste, 200 ml of water is required. The concentrated solution can be stored for a long time; before use, it is diluted and used for its intended purpose. The soil in the greenhouse is watered with an aqueous solution of Fitosporin a week before transplanting tomato seedlings into the soil. Fitosporin can be used for preventive treatment of planting material - tomato seedlings.
Preparing beds for tomatoes
In spring, in greenhouses, due to the difference in day and night temperatures, the ground can cool, which negatively affects tomato seedlings. Tomato roots do not tolerate hypothermia well. The construction of warm beds speeds up the transplantation of tomato seedlings into greenhouses. It is better to use fresh manure for heating.
It's easy to build a bed. It is necessary to dig a not wide trench (30 cm) along the entire length of the ridge, with a depth of a shovel bayonet or a little deeper. Place manure in the trench, compact it and pour boiling water over it. Sprinkle a layer of earth on top. Planting holes can be formed on both sides of the trench. When manure overheats, it will release heat, gently warming the soil.
When digging up tomato beds, you need to add humus, peat, and sand for each square meter of the bed. The proportions depend on the type of soil. Add rotted sawdust (10 kg/m²), moistened with an aqueous solution of urea, to the clay soil. A bucket of water requires 150 g of urea. One bucket of solution is enough for 3 buckets of sawdust.
When digging, in addition to organic matter (compost, humus), add mineral fertilizers to the soil:
- 200 g potassium;
- 250 g phosphorus;
- 350 g nitrogen.
Consumption is given per 10 m².
You don’t have to worry about the fate of the tomatoes if the soil in the greenhouse is prepared according to all the rules.
