How to feed tomato seedlings after transplanting

To choose the right fertilizer for tomato seedlings after transplanting, you'll need to take a close look at the tomatoes you've already grown. Generally, to ensure healthy and strong seedlings, avoid overwatering them during the growing season.

It's also important to ensure that when watering, water only hits the soil and not the leaves. You can spray the plant, and regular milk is excellent for this (it stimulates growth and also prevents the development of many tomato diseases during cultivation). in open ground).

How and when to transplant

Once the seedlings have developed several true leaves, they should be transplanted into individual pots. The tomato seedlings will grow in these pots for about two dozen days. During this period, simply water the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate and avoid using other fertilizers.

Advice! To ensure the seedlings grow to the desired height, you'll need to bury the stems halfway in the soil when transplanting, but be careful not to bury the cotyledon leaves. For the first three days after transplanting, the temperature should be around 22 degrees Celsius during the day. Please note: Tomatoes: the best low-growing varieties for open ground.

Fertilizing after transplanting is done in the second week of seedling growth. Dissolve a large spoonful of nitrophoska (or nitroammophoska) in ten liters of water. Pour a glass of the solution into each pot. After 20-25 days, from the time they are transplanted into their own pot, the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground. Options for feeding tomato seedlings after transplanting for growth and development may vary.

Fertilizing depending on the type of seedlings

The tomatoes have stretched out.

It rarely happens, but it does happen that before transplanting into open ground tomatoes They become very elongated. To combat this, you can cut the stems at the sixth leaf. Place the upper parts of the plant in a jar of water until roots appear, and then replant and form a new stem.

The seedlings have a pale color

In this situation, instead of pruning and shaping the new bush, fertilizing is used. Dissolve a tablespoon of urea in ten liters of water. Water each plant 100 ml. Try to maintain the temperature at 10 degrees Celsius for several days during this period. During this time, the plant should acquire its proper, rich green color.

The seedlings are getting fat

Oddly enough, there are ways to feed tomato seedlings after transplanting (folk remedies) if they are growing rapidly. Three tablespoons of superphosphate are diluted in ten liters of water. Apply 250 ml of this fertilizer to each plant. For 24 hours after fertilizing, maintain a temperature of 26°C (79°F) during the day and 22°C (72°F) in the evening. The seedlings will return to normal within a week.

Growing slowly

A growth stimulant, such as sodium humate, is ideal in this situation. The solution should be diluted to the color of strong black tea. Apply a glass of the solution to each plant and water it at the roots.

To harden off seedlings

In the second week after transplanting, the seedlings will need to be hardened off to ensure they grow well outdoors. To ensure this, keep the window open at all times. You can also take the tomatoes out onto the balcony for a few hours during the day. If the seedlings are hardened off properly, the tomato leaves will develop a blue-violet tint.

Saving the first flower brush

Here, additional fertilizing is also essential. This is done five days before the planned planting. tomatoes in open ground Or a greenhouse. You'll need to dilute a gram of boric acid in a liter of water and spray the leaves with this solution. Spray on a cloudy morning (spraying on a sunny day will cause sunburn).

It's important not only to know what to feed tomato seedlings before and after transplanting, but also to try to plant already prepared tomatoes in open ground. Properly grown seedlings should have 12 well-developed leaves and at least one formed inflorescence. The preferred length is between 20 and 25 centimeters.

It's recommended to trim off a few of the top leaves of the seedlings two days before transplanting them to their permanent location. This will reduce the risk of various diseases. To improve the development of the first flower clusters, ensure the bushes are regularly ventilated and receive sufficient light.