The Chinese method of growing tomato seedlings

One popular method for growing seedlings is the Chinese method, which has become widespread due to its effectiveness. It works exclusively on hybrid and indeterminate varieties. The idea is to trim the seedlings, which have grown tall in their pots, to the level of the cotyledon leaves, then immerse them in water (where they will root) or bury them in soil.

Features of the method

Gardeners are always looking for ways not only to avoid losing their harvest, but also to grow strong, resilient plants. Gardeners are divided into two camps. The first includes those who buy ready-made seedlings, while the second includes those who grows it himself.

Today, no one can explain why this method of growing seedlings was called Chinese, as it has no connection to that country and, most likely, has never been heard of there. It has been used in Russia since the Soviet era.

Using this method, the seedling stops stretching and, when stressed, becomes wider. These seedlings produce low flower clusters and a good harvest.

The number of tomatoes per plant is genetically determined and does not depend on the growing method. The Chinese method has its advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages include the following:

• seedling resistance to late blight;
• easy to care for;
• speed of readiness for planting in open ground.

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The Chinese method has its disadvantages:

• seedlings require additional cover;
• average survival rate (no more than 75% of plants survive after pruning);
• The sprouts need additional lighting.

The disadvantages of this method include early sowing of seeds (one month before the recommended date on the packaging).

Process

The Chinese method of growing seedlings differs from the standard method in the timing of sowing seeds (a month earlier than usual), plant care, hardening, and picking.

Sowing

Not all tomato varieties are suitable for growing. The Chinese method is used for hybrids and indeterminate tomatoes. Seeds can be purchased at the store or harvested from a previous harvest in your garden. If the seed is purchased pre-treated, there is no need to prepare it for planting; it can be sown dry. Untreated seeds are prepared by wrapping them in damp cheesecloth and leaving them in a warm place for two to three days.

The seeds are planted in pre-prepared soil. This can be purchased at a flower shop and distributed among the containers as follows: a bottom layer of two centimeters of drainage (expanded clay, pebbles, or broken brick), and then the soil itself on top.

Tomatoes are sown in this way:

1. Furrows are made in the soil at a distance of 4 centimeters from each other.
2. Seeds are placed in each furrow at a distance of 2 centimeters from each other.
3. The seeds are covered with soil to a thickness of at least 0.5 centimeters and sprayed from a spray bottle.
4. The containers with seeds are covered with film and placed in a warm place (24-26⁰WITH).

When the first shoots appear on the soil surface (this happens in four to six days), the film is removed.

Caring for seedlings

Care for seedlings includes:

1. Regular soil moistening.
2. Lighting.
3. Maintaining a comfortable temperature.
4. Creation of a greenhouse "effect".

To ensure germination on time, that is, on the fourth to sixth day, the seeds require warmth. To achieve this, cover the containers with glass or film and place them on a windowsill above a radiator or on the floor next to it.

Before picking, seedlings should be exposed to different day and night temperatures. During the day, it should be between 22-24°C.⁰C, and at night – 18-20⁰C. Seedlings that are kept in a room with a lower temperature at night harden off, become strong, and will subsequently easily tolerate transplantation into open ground.

Picking

The Chinese method involves two types of transplanting: into soil and into water. Tomatoes are ready for transplanting approximately thirty days after sowing the seeds. By the thirtieth day, the plant already has three true leaves.

Dive in water:

1. Prepare the water: filter it and keep it in a container for at least 24 hours, then warm it up to room temperature.
2. Pour water into plastic cups.
3. In each glass, place a portion of the seedlings without roots, right up to the leaves.
4. Cover the glasses with film and put them in a dry, dark and cool place for about seven days.
5. If all goes well, roots will appear on the seedlings within a week.
6. The seedlings with roots are transplanted into prepared soil.

Picking into the ground:

1. Prepare containers: make holes in the bottom of small plastic cups to drain excess water.
2. Pour the same soil into the glasses in which the tomato seeds were grown.
3. In each glass with soil, place a portion of the seedlings without roots, right up to the leaves.
4. They water the seedlings.
5. Cover the glasses with film and put them in a dry, dark and cool place for about five days.
6. After five days, remove the film and transfer the seedlings to the windowsill above the radiator.

Care

Not all seedlings will survive transplanting. No more than 75% of the original seedlings will remain. To avoid losing them, care must be taken. Stressed tomatoes don't grow for a long time, but the plant's stems will widen and its leaves will enlarge.

For this period, the transplanted seedlings will need:

• regular ventilation;
• sufficient lighting;
• proper watering.

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If the seedlings don't have supplemental lighting, they should be turned regularly to ensure they remain level, without leaning or tilting. While new root systems are growing, water the seedlings sparingly, and any water that escapes through the drainage holes into the tray should be discarded.

Transplantation into the ground

Rooted tomatoes are planted in the ground when the risk of night frost is minimal. The exact date depends on the region and the lunar calendar. By the time they are planted in the garden, the seedlings should be healthy, strong, and short.

Seedlings grown using the Chinese method will not be very tall, but the first ovary will appear close to the ground, so to prevent it from lying on the ground and rotting, it will need to be tied up.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground they do it like this:

1. During the day, the seedlings in the cups are watered well.
2. The seedlings are placed into a hole dug in the open ground along with a lump of earth from a cup.
3. The seedlings are covered with soil and watered well.

Top dressing

Once the seedlings are in open ground, they are fed according to the following scheme:

• first organic feeding after 1-1.5 weeks;
• the second mineral one after 1-1.5 weeks;
• the third feeding after 1-1.5 weeks is organic, and so on (alternating mineral and organic fertilizers).

Mineral fertilizer is a solution that contains:

• water – 10 liters;
• superphosphate – 2 tablespoons;
• potassium sulfate – 2 tablespoons;
• ammonium nitrate – 1 tablespoon.

Organic fertilizer is a solution of manure and water. Depending on the type of manure, the ratio will be as follows:

• for chicken you will need 10 liters of water per 0.5 kg;
• for pork, cow and horse milk - 10 liters of water per 1 kg;
• Goat, sheep, and rabbit droppings are made in two stages: in the first, 1 kg of droppings is diluted in 1 liter of water, and after two days, diluted with 9 liters of water.

Each tomato bush will require 0.5 liters of organic or mineral solution, which is poured at the very base, after watering the plant with warm, clean water.

The Chinese method of growing tomato seedlings is one of the most effective for obtaining strong and disease-resistant plants.