Features of growing tomato seedlings in a plastic bottle on toilet paper

There are many ways to grow tomato seedlings. Recently, this procedure has been performed using a plastic bottle. The container is safe, you can grow seedlings and pick in it.

Advantages of the method

Growing tomato seedlings in a plastic bottle has many advantages:

1. There is a saving of space, since the container takes up little space, unlike a wooden box.
2. There is no need to use soil, which saves money and leaves the room clean without the soil crumbling.
3. There is no need to look for a suitable soil composition, since the soil is replaced by ordinary toilet paper.
4. In such a base you can grow not only tomatoes, but also seedlings of other vegetables.

Growing seedlings in this way will not be possible without a plastic bag, a transparent plastic bottle (preferably a 2-liter bottle), toilet paper and seeds.

Preparatory work

Before sowing the seeds, you need to carry out a selection. Only large and dense seeds are suitable for sowing. They can be selected manually, using tweezers, or using a special solution. Pour the salt with water, stir and pour all the seeds from the pack into the resulting salt mixture. Hollow, small seeds will float to the surface and need to be thrown away.

Those seeds that have fallen to the bottom must be subjected to a disinfection procedure. There are a lot of bacteria and fungi on the seed coat, which need to be gotten rid of in time. You can place the planting material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.

In the future, some vegetable growers carry out the germination procedure. The seeds are distributed on a wet cloth, covered with another layer of wet material and placed in a warm room. As soon as the sprouts hatch, you can begin planting.

To grow seedlings, you can choose any plastic or wooden container. If you don’t have a suitable container on hand, you can use a plastic bottle of milk, juice or water.

Planting options

How to plant tomatoes using a new method? There are several known methods for growing tomatoes in plastic bottles.

Option No. 1, also called vertical, does without land. For tomato seedlings, a 2-liter bottle, which is divided into two parts, is useful.

The part with the bottom will be useful:

1. Wide strips of about 10 cm are cut along the entire length of the prepared plastic bag.
2. Toilet paper is cut to the same length as the packet strip.
3. Several pieces of paper moistened with water are carefully spread on a strip of the bag.
4. The seeds begin to spread, retreating from the edge 1.5 cm, at a distance of 5.5 cm.
5. The grains are again covered with several more layers of paper and one plastic strip.
6. The strip of all layers is carefully twisted.
7. Approximately 3 cm of water is poured into a glass made from a bottle and twisted rolls are placed there.

You can add any fertilizer and place the bottle on the windowsill where there is good lighting.

Option number 2 - horizontal method of growing tomatoes in toilet paper, which is carried out without soil:

1. The plastic bottle is cut crosswise to create two parts.
2. Toilet paper is placed in the recess of each half and sprayed with water.
3. The seeds are laid out at a distance of 3.5 cm. If they have germinated, then they are laid with the sprouts facing up.
4. The bottle halves are covered with film or a bag.
5. Several holes are made in the film surface to allow fresh air to flow inside.
6. After all work, the container is moved to a warm, dark place.

Tomato seedlings planted using these methods do not need to be watered, since the greenhouse effect remains under the film.

As soon as two leaves appear, the seedlings begin to be transplanted into separate containers. To do this, simply unroll the roll or remove the sprouts from a horizontal container.

How to grow tomato seedlings in a plastic container, there is also option number 3which involves preparing the soil.

Prepared seeds can also be planted in five-liter bottles. For planting, you will need a part of the container with a bottom, into which you fill the soil, make holes and sow the seeds.

Many vegetable growers choose plastic containers for seedlings. Reviews about such an experience are only positive: “In recent years, I have been growing seeds only in five-liter plastic bottles, which I cut in half. I don’t make holes in the bottom, since the container is transparent, and you can see how long the moisture drains when watering. I use the crushed shells of several eggs as drainage, then add a layer of sand and soil suitable for the variety.

I always disinfect the soil by pouring boiling water over it. After the earth has cooled, I make holes into which I place the planting material. I sprinkle compost on top, cover the container with film and move it to a warm place. The film retains heat inside, creates a greenhouse effect, seedlings will appear simultaneously and quickly. After the shoots emerge, I remove the film and lay out the seedlings on the windowsill.

As soon as the time comes for transplanting into open or closed ground, the soil is watered abundantly, the bottle is squeezed, and the sprout, together with the earthen lump, freely comes out. We plant the seedlings at a large distance from each other in fertilized soil.”

This way you can see that growing a tomato in a plastic bottle is simple and convenient. The container does not need picking, water does not flow out when watering, so there is no need for pallets, and the grown bushes quickly take root in any place.

Fresh harvest all year round

After two leaves develop on a young sprout, it is necessary to transplant it into separate containers. Seedlings can be picked in plastic bottles.

When the weather outside is bad or even winter, you can pick up seeds intended for indoor growth. If you intend to grow tomatoes on your balcony or windowsill, you can use a large bottle.

You can grow tomatoes in 5 liter bottles on the balcony windowsill. The top and neck are cut off, and suitable soil is poured into the bottom.

If there is not enough space on the balcony, then you can make an improvised hanging pot from a plastic bottle. To do this, you need to take a plastic bottle with a volume of 1.5 or 2 liters. For the work, only the upper third of the bottle with the neck is required, so it is cut off. At the edge of the cut, holes are made on opposite sides through which a thick rope is passed. It is on this that the structure will be suspended.

As soon as the seedlings are two months old, they can be transplanted. The landing will be unusual. The sprout is removed from the cup along with the earthen lump. The bush is turned over with its growth point down and pushed through the neck. The roots remain inside the plastic container and are covered with soil. After the container is completely filled with soil, it must be watered.

Further care consists of watering with a watering can and regular application of fertilizers. Some varieties of tomatoes require pinching the growing point, cutting off side branches and tying up the stem.