Tomatoes are a fairly common vegetable that is grown by almost all vegetable growers. Today there are several ways to plant tomatoes. They can be planted pre-sprouted or dried. You can also pre-harden and disinfect the seed. To get a good harvest, it is recommended to plant germinated seeds. Therefore, you should familiarize yourself in advance with how to properly germinate tomato seeds.
Why do this
Many vegetable growers wonder whether it is necessary to germinate tomatoes before sowing.It is definitely necessary, as this will have a positive effect on the quantity and quality of the grown fruits.
We should not forget that there are a considerable number of factors due to which ungerminated seeds can die even before the first shoots appear:
- infections in soil;
- infections on planting material;
- too dense soil with a lot of salt;
- pests;
- sowing too deep;
- waterlogging of the soil.
If you germinate the seeds correctly, then all of the above factors will not lead to the death of the plant. After all, sprouted seeds will be healthier and resistant to many diseases.
Features of choosing seeds
To grow high-quality seedlings, you need to choose the most suitable seeds. The following factors should be taken into account:
- You can grow any tomato seeds indoors, but this does not mean that when choosing them you should not take into account the climatic characteristics of the region. For northern regions with low temperatures, it is better to buy varieties that are well adapted to such conditions.
- Before purchasing tomato seeds for seedlings, you must decide on the place where they will be grown in the future. In warmer areas of the country they can be planted in open ground. In colder regions, it is better to plant tomatoes in greenhouses. In this case, you need to use special varieties, since not all tomatoes are suitable for greenhouse or outdoor cultivation. For example, if you plant a greenhouse variety outside, it may die over time.
- When buying tomato seeds for seedlings, you should carefully inspect the packaging in which they are sold. It should indicate information about the type of bush and tomato variety purchased. Low-growing varieties are more suitable for open ground, and tall varieties are more suitable for greenhouses.
Preparing for germination
Before germinating tomatoes, it is necessary to prepare the seed material.
Sample
First you need to decide which seeds should be used for further germination. The best choice for this would be the largest and heaviest seeds, which contain a large amount of nutritional components.
To select the best seeds, you will have to use a special salt mixture. To prepare it, add 80 grams of salt to a small glass of water, after which the liquid is thoroughly stirred. Then all the tomato seeds for seedlings are added to the glass. After 10-15 minutes, empty seeds will begin to rise to the surface. They are not recommended to be used during planting, as they are completely empty and will not be able to germinate. Tomatoes that have settled to the bottom must be washed with warm water and dried.
Warming up
Some gardeners prefer to store all their seeds in refrigerators or cold rooms. Several months before planting, it is recommended to warm up such seed in advance. In this case, the temperature during heat treatment must be raised gradually, and not sharply. The easiest way to warm up tomatoes is to use a regular battery. All seeds are heated on it for about 2-3 days.
When using hybrid varieties of tomatoes, you should not warm them up, as this can damage the seeds.
Disinfection
It is imperative to disinfect tomato seeds for seedlings. This procedure is carried out to completely remove all bacteria from the surface of the seed. If you refuse disinfection, the likelihood of seedlings becoming infected with various diseases increases several times.
There are several main ways in which planting material can be processed.
Most often, a weak manganese solution is used for this. To process tomatoes in it, all the seeds must be transferred to a small fabric bag and placed in a container with manganese. After 20-30 minutes, they are removed from the solution, washed with water and dried. You can also use hydrogen peroxide for disinfection. It is heated to 35-40 degrees, after which all the seeds are placed in it for germination for 10 minutes.
Some vegetable growers, after disinfection is completed, treat the tomatoes with special nutrient solutions. This is done to speed up germination and to increase the amount of harvest obtained in the future. The seeds should be soaked in such liquids for at least a day.
Germination
When all the preparatory work is completed, you can germinate the tomato seeds. However, before this, you need to figure out how to properly germinate seeds.
First you need to start preparing all the necessary materials. To do this, you will need medical gauze or a small piece of cotton cloth. Also, some vegetable growers are trying to germinate tomatoes on cotton pads.
When everything is ready, the cloth or cotton pad is placed in a small plate and filled with heated water. The liquid should not be cold, as cold water can spoil the seed. Seeds are laid out on damp material in several rows. Then they are covered with a cloth, which should also be soaked in warm water.
The container with seeds is transferred to a room with a stable temperature of about 20-30 degrees.You must constantly ensure that the fabric with the seeds is damp. If you do not moisten it periodically, the moisture will quickly evaporate and the seeds will not be able to germinate. You need to be very careful when moistening the fabric so as not to add too much water.
If desired, seed germination can be accelerated independently. To increase the rate of germination of tomato seeds, you can add a little growth stimulant to the container before planting. Some people use juice obtained from aloe leaves for this.
Soil for sprouted tomatoes
In parallel with germinating the seeds, you need to start preparing the soil for their further planting. After all, all sprouted tomatoes will need to be sown immediately. If this is not done in time, they will quickly die and the seeds will have to be harvested again.
It is better to plant tomatoes in soil purchased at the store. It already contains all the nutritional components that are needed for better growth of young seedlings.
However, many gardeners prefer to make a good soil mixture themselves. In this case, you will have to use soil taken from the garden or vegetable garden as the main soil. Humus and peat are added to it in equal quantities. If the soil is too dense, you will have to loosen it yourself. To do this, add a little river sand and sawdust to the ground. It is also better to add some mineral fertilizers such as superphosphate, urea and sulfate to the soil.
Mineral fertilizers are used only if the soil mixture was prepared with your own hands. There is no need to add any fertilizer to purchased soil.
Landing
Seedlings that are at least 50-60 days old are transplanted into open ground. Therefore, seeds should be planted two months before transplanting outside.The timing of sowing depends on the climate where the vegetable will be grown. For example, residents of the middle zone plant tomatoes for growing seedlings at the end of January. In the northern regions this is done in mid-March.
Tomatoes can be planted in common containers or in individual cups. To do this, pre-prepared soil mixture is added to the planting containers. Its layer should not be more than 55 mm. Then the soil in the pots should be watered and compacted a little. When all the pots are filled with soil, you can begin to create holes 5-7 mm deep. All holes are watered with warm water and nutrient solution. Then sprouted seeds are added to each hole.
After planting all the sprouted seeds, they should be sprinkled with soil and slightly moistened. Containers with tomatoes are covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a warm room for further cultivation.
Conclusion
Before planting, it is better to start germinating tomato seeds. For experienced vegetable growers, this process does not cause any difficulties, but beginners may experience certain difficulties. In order to germinate tomato seeds well, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the main features of this process and learn the main ways in which you can speed up seed germination.
