Planting tomatoes in peat tablets is a great way to grow seedlings without further picking. Sprouts transplanted without damaging the root system begin to bear fruit 1-2 weeks earlier than usual.
Peat discs are a ready-made soil substrate with a balanced content of nutritional components. They appeared in our country relatively recently, but have already gained considerable popularity among gardeners and summer residents due to their convenience and ease of use.In addition, with this method of cultivation, plant survival is high.
Benefits of peat tablets
A peat tablet is a gray-black disk of pressed peat of different sizes: from 2 to 7 cm in diameter and 1-1.5 cm in height.
In addition to peat, it can contain additional nutrients necessary for seed germination and active shoot growth in the first weeks of cultivation, as well as fungicides and antibacterial drugs. To plant tomatoes, peppers or eggplants in tablets, you can choose the appropriate size and filling.
Peat is used either as high peat or composite peat. Peat discs are packaged in a protective net or film that can decompose in the soil. Protection is necessary in order to maintain their shape when wet. Therefore, after contact with water, tableted peat increases in height, but remains unchanged in width.
Growing tomato seedlings in peat tablets saves gardeners and gardeners from unnecessary hassle. The method allows you to save space in a greenhouse, greenhouse or on a windowsill. In addition, this method of germinating seedlings has other advantages:
- Due to the friability of peat, it is gentle on delicate roots.
- A high percentage of plant germination and survival allows you to obtain seedlings from expensive or rare seed material without loss.
- Tablet soil absorbs a limited amount of moisture, so in such a substrate you just need to maintain optimal humidity.
- Peat itself is an organic fertilizer, so at the initial stage of germination there is no need for additional fertilizing.
- The porosity of the substrate provides good aeration of the plant root system and protects it from rotting.
- The sprouts are transplanted into open ground along with a tablet, which facilitates the process and allows the roots of the shoots to be preserved.
- The use of peat substrate protects the plant from damage by diseases such as blackleg.
- The use of tablet form allows you to group seedlings depending on the stage of development.
- A large selection of sizes allows you to choose the optimal one for each crop. So, for growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in tablets, products 3.5-5 cm in diameter are suitable.
- The tableted substrate can be stored in dry form for many years without loss of quality.
There are no restrictions on the use of this substrate. This method is especially good for heat-loving and poorly germinating varieties.
At the same time, the growing technology differs little from traditional methods. It is important not to let the peat dry out. The main disadvantage of tablets is their cost. Growing large numbers of seedlings this way may not be profitable.
How to choose?
Since tomatoes are large plants with a fairly long growing season, they require tablets of a fairly large diameter (at least 3.5 cm). You can combine peat pots and tablets. In this case, you can use only half of the disk or, if the plant has grown quite large, place the tablet in a large diameter pot.
When choosing pots and peat tablets, it is important to pay attention to the structure of the peat mixture. It should be quite loose, fine and soft. This promotes better aeration of the root system and water absorption of the tablet itself.
An important factor is the acidity of the substrate. This indicator is often indicated on the packaging, since different crops require different environmental reactions.Since tomatoes prefer neutral soils and grow poorly in acidic ones, the soil for them should have a pH of 6-6.5.
The optimal size of tablets for tomatoes is 3.6-4 cm. After swelling, their height will increase from 1.5 to 36 and 38 cm, respectively. The tableted substrate should be large enough so that its volume is enough until the end of growing seedlings.
It is important that the discs have a protective shell. This can be mesh, film or paper impregnated with fungicides or other substances. Although uncoated tablets are cheaper, they are unable to retain their shape and require placement in a pot. Together, pots and tablets cost even more.
There are different ways to grow seedlings. Based on this, you can choose tablets placed in miniature greenhouses with or without different numbers of washers, in packages.
You can purchase peat washers in specialty stores, hypermarkets or on the Internet.
How to use?
Tomatoes in peat tablets are grown in different ways - in mini-greenhouses, trays, cassettes.
Before sowing seeds, the washers must be prepared. First of all, they are saturated with water. To do this, the tablets are soaked in a container with warm water for 15-20 minutes. During this time, they will increase in height by 5-8 times, but the diameter will remain the same.
You can add several crystals of potassium permanganate to the water for additional disinfection and enrichment with potassium substrate. After this, the substrate is placed on a flat surface with the hole facing up.
To place the tablets, you must prepare a mini-greenhouse or container with or without a transparent lid in advance. The lid helps maintain moisture and the required temperature in the peat until germination.
The tablets are placed in such a way that there is no free space between them.This will ensure the sustainability of both themselves and future seedlings. You can place each washer in a separate container. In a separate cup, seedlings are more mobile - they are easier to transport and move if necessary.
In addition, tall cups are used for growing seedlings of tall varieties of tomatoes. In this case, you can use uncoated tablets. A sponge-like material can be placed at the bottom of the tray to help control the substrate's moisture content.
The container should be high enough (about 10 cm in height) so that the swollen washers and sprout are securely held. You can place the tablets in special cassettes with individual cups with a volume of at least 0.5 ml. In such a container the seedlings will be securely fixed.
Planting seeds in a tablet
There are several simple rules on how to use and how to use peat tablets for seedlings.
The seeds must first be prepared. This can be done in different ways:
- The seed is soaked for 1-2 days in a mixture of agave juice and water in a 1:1 ratio. This will increase the resistance of seedlings to unfavorable environmental conditions and many diseases, and increase productivity.
- The seed is soaked for 24 hours in a 0.5% solution of baking soda. This promotes early fruiting.
- Seeds are soaked for 2 hours in water with the addition of stimulants to speed up germination.
- Seed material can be placed for 20 minutes in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds are first wrapped in gauze or bandage.
Place 1-2 seeds in each tablet and deepen it 1.5 cm with a toothpick. After placing the coated seeds in the substrate, they are additionally moistened with a pipette, and the shell is smeared with a toothpick to facilitate germination.
Cover the top with a lid or film.Tomatoes sown in this way quickly grow a strong and well-branched root system.
Optimal conditions for growing seedlings
Seeds sprout 5-10 days after they are sown; tomatoes need to be sown 55-65 days before planting in open ground. Depending on the region, this could be late February or early March. Place the container with tablets in a bright, warm place. East and west windows work well. The optimal temperature for seedlings is +25…+30 ºС.
Caring for seedlings consists of regular watering, feeding, ventilation and lighting. It is necessary to regularly open the container for ventilation - at least once a day for 60 minutes.
A sign that the plants need ventilation is the appearance of condensation on the lid. After the seedlings peck, the covering is removed completely. If the window sill is cold, the greenhouse is installed on a thick layer of foam and closed from drafts.
Caring for seedlings includes providing good lighting. If natural light is not enough, you can install phytolamps. For the first 2-3 days after the appearance of loops, the seedlings are illuminated around the clock, and then switch to a 16-hour daylight period.
Fertilizing is applied 2-3 weeks after the sprouts appear, dissolving the fertilizer in water for irrigation. Until this time, the tablet contains enough of its own nutrients. And from now on, fertilizers are applied every 10-14 days.
To do this, you can use nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water), pouring 0.5 cups of solution under each plant. Mineral fertilizers alternate with organic ones. 10 days before planting in the ground, the seedlings are watered with superphosphate.
With this method of growing, seedlings do not require picking, but if necessary, each tablet can be placed in a separate container of larger volume. If both seeds germinate, one of the sprouts, the weaker one, is removed.
Rules for watering peat tablets
When growing tomatoes in peat tablets, constantly monitor the humidity. It is easier to do this before germination thanks to the lid. Features of growing seedlings in the future include constant moisture. Even short-term drying out of the substrate leads to the death of crops.
The container with tablets must have holes for drainage. It is placed in a special tray. Planted tomatoes can be watered in 2 ways: through a tray or by spraying. Before emergence, it is better to moisten the substrate with an aerosol. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the small sprouts.
After germination, it is more convenient to water the seedlings through a tray, where water is poured. Loose peat, thanks to its capillary structure and high water permeability, absorbs as much moisture as needed. Excess water must be drained. Adult seedlings can be sprayed 1-2 times a day.
Growing seedlings in large quantities has its own characteristics. In this case, drip irrigation is practiced.
First achievements
After emergence, you need to monitor the roots. After the root appears from the bottom of the tablet, it is trimmed. The washer itself is cut in 2-4 places and placed in a larger container or seedlings are planted in open ground.
If the plants develop unevenly, the tableted substrate is swapped or moved to a more suitable place. For example, ready-made plants are taken out into the open air for hardening.
1.5 months after emergence, flower clusters appear in the sprouts. 10 days after this they are planted in open ground. The first flower cluster can be removed by postponing the replanting for a week.
High-quality seedlings should have thick stems, large leaves and a well-developed root system.
Secrets of experienced summer residents
A common mistake gardeners make is growing seedlings on an incorrectly composed substrate. The use of tableted peat eliminates this problem. Washers are convenient to use when growing seedlings both in open ground and in greenhouses.
In order for the seedlings to have time to develop before planting, they must be sown no later than March 25. Before immersion in the substrate, the seeds are kept on damp gauze for 5 days to accelerate germination. Another secret - after the emergence of seedlings, you need to reduce the temperature to +16 ºС for hardening.
Some gardeners remove the protective coating from the tablets. This is not necessary, since the planted tomatoes are able to break through the shell with their roots.
Video: how to use peat tablets
On the Internet you can find videos of master classes on growing tomato seedlings and other vegetable crops using peat washers with all the secrets and features.
