Growing tomato seedlings without soil

When space is limited for large numbers of seedlings on windowsills and balconies, a cost-effective method for growing vegetable and flower seedlings in diapers has been developed. It requires only plastic bags and a little soil. It has become particularly popular in the Moscow region, hence the name "Moscow Method." It's also suitable for small apartments with narrow windowsills.

Benefits of growing seedlings in diapers

Like any other cultivation method, this one has a number of advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the snail method include:

• ease of planting seeds;
• space saving;
• a small amount of soil;
• ease of diving;
• absence of diseases acquired from the soil (black leg);
• keeping the root intact during transplantation;
• quick rejection of low-quality material;
• adding soil or placing in a large diaper without damaging the roots of the seedlings;
• ease of transplanting seedlings into the ground.

The following are noted as disadvantages:

• Insufficient nutrition leads to stunted growth;
• insufficient lighting can lead to seedlings becoming elongated;
• the roots are cramped in a small volume of soil and they develop poorly.

Germinating seeds in a snail

If a gardener didn't prepare the soil in advance, in the fall, or forgot to buy it at the store, there's a very simple way to germinate vegetable and flower seeds without soil. To do this, you'll need:

• food bags or film;
• toilet paper or paper towels;
• tomato seeds.

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Procedure:

1. A regular food bag is folded in half, with the edge facing away from you.
2. Place several layers of toilet paper on it, without going beyond the edges of the bag.
3. Prepare a nutrient solution with a rooting stimulant. Add 2 drops of epin to 500 ml of water, or 20 ml (2 incomplete tablespoons) of 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 liter of water. Experts believe this solution's composition is similar to that of rainwater during a thunderstorm (the water is saturated with oxygen).
4. By drawing the solution into a syringe, wet the paper.
5. Remove tomato seeds from bags and place them on damp paper, keeping a distance of 1 cm from the edge and 1.5-2 cm from each other.
6. The paper is moistened with the solution again.
7. Roll the bag of seeds into a roll (snail).
8. The name of the variety is written on top with a waterproof marker.
9. They put a rubber band on top to keep the snail from unrolling.
10. Place them in a plastic cup. Place 5 to 10 of these diapers (snails) in one small cup, and within a few days, 50 to 80 seedlings will sprout.
11. Add nutrient solution to a height of 1-2 cm into the glass.
12. Cover the top with a plastic bag, creating a micro-greenhouse inside.
13. They are removed to a warm place for several days (5 to 15 days).
14. When loops appear above the surface of the bag, remove the cover and place it in a light, but not in direct sunlight, warm place.
15. After all the seeds have fully germinated, the temperature is slightly lowered to avoid stretching of the tomato seedlings.
16. The seedlings are kept in a roll-up without soil until the first true leaves appear, no more than 2-3 weeks, otherwise the sprouts may die without nutrition.
17. If transplanting the seedlings in time isn't possible, unroll the snail, sprinkle some soil on top, and gently twist it in place without applying pressure. The plants can be kept in this position for another 7-10 days.
18. Seedlings ready for picking have a long root; if it is rotten or poorly developed, the sprout is rejected.

Growing in diapers with soil

There's another way to grow tomatoes in diapers, but without transplanting. Polyethylene film or agrospand (spunbond) is used as the spigot material, with slightly different wrapping principles. Planting in film:

1. Place a film folded in half, about 70 cm long, on a table or tray (you can take 2 bags connected together).
2. Half of the length is covered with moist soil to a height of about 1 cm, the other half is left free.
3. Tomato seeds are placed on moist soil, leaving about 1-1.5 cm from the top and leaving a distance of 1.5-2 cm between future seedlings.
4. Sprinkle the seeds with a little soil on top.
5. Roll the snail tightly, starting at the edge with the ground, and simply wrap the empty half around the top of the diaper, helping to maintain the shape.
6. They put an elastic band on top and sign the variety.
7. Place the plant in a container or a cut-off plastic bottle and cover with a plastic bag to create a microgreenhouse effect.
8. When the first shoots appear, the cover is removed and the plants are grown in such diapers until 1-2 true leaves appear.

Planting in spunbond:

1. To make a snail you will need a piece of spunbond approximately 25 by 70 cm.
2. The material is divided in half lengthwise.
3. Place the damp soil on one half, leaving 1-2 cm from the edge and not reaching the other edge by about 20 cm.
4. Cover the ground with the empty half, aligning it along the edge, and wrap the snail.
5. Secure it with an elastic band.
6. Using a toothpick or stick, make holes in the surface of the soil and place the seeds in them, water them with a syringe, and sprinkle them with soil.

Growing seedlings in spunbond has several advantages:

• there is no need to buy it; pieces left over from the greenhouse and hotbed covering and old torn material are used;
• spunbond breathes, air reaches the roots, and the likelihood of them rotting in the snail is reduced to a minimum;
• Watering is done both from above and from below through a tray.

Pricking out tomato seedlings into diapers

This type of transplant requires very little soil, which is especially important for those living in high-rise buildings. The steps are:

1. To avoid staining the table with soil, a tray is placed on it, on which a regular food bag, folded in half, is placed.
2. Place 2-3 tablespoons of wet soil on any edge (left, right) of the bag.
3. They roll up a cigarette with seedlings ready for transplanting.
4. Remove one sprout from the paper. If the root is too long, trim it slightly to ensure a branched root system. If wet toilet paper sticks to the plant, do not remove it; it will dissolve later.
5. Place the sprout on the ground with seven-lobed leaves and cover it with another 2 tablespoons of soil.
6. Carefully but tightly twist the plant with the soil into a snail, starting from the edge where the soil is.
7. If desired, secure the top with a rubber band or place tightly in cut five-liter bottles.
8. As the seedlings grow, unfold the diaper and add 1-2 tablespoons of soil.

Care

Caring for tomatoes in diapers consists of:

1. Watering. Water once every 3-5 days, depending on how dry the soil is. Young seedlings are watered from above with a syringe; mature, strong seedlings are watered through a tray.
2. Fertilizing. The seedlings are first fertilized two weeks after transplanting, then as needed. If the seedlings are lagging in growth, water them with a complete complex fertilizer at half the recommended dose.
3. Loosening the soil. Use a toothpick, being careful not to damage the delicate, thin roots. This is essential after watering, especially when growing in plastic bags. Without air, the roots suffocate and begin to rot.
4. Supplemental lighting. Growing in diapers results in insufficient light for young plants and stretching of the plants.

Planting in a greenhouse

Since these plants lack nutrients, they are planted in a greenhouse as soon as the weather permits. Most often, tomatoes become overgrown due to insufficient light. There are two ways to plant tomatoes. If the seedlings are not overgrown:

1. Dig a hole about 20 cm deep. Place 1-2 tablespoons of superphosphate, a poorly water-soluble fertilizer, at the bottom. It gradually dissolves during watering, providing phosphorus to the tomato roots throughout the growing season. To reduce soil acidity and provide the tomatoes with potassium, add ½ cup of ash and a little humus or compost to the hole. Mix everything together and water.
2. The diaper is unrolled. All the soil inside is entangled with tomato roots. The plant is lowered into the hole and covered with soil. The top is mulched with hay, peat, and compost.
3. Arches are placed on top and covered with lutrasil (spunbond) to protect against temperature drops and sunburn.
4. After a week, the plants will be completely rooted and further care for them is carried out according to the rules for caring for tomatoes.

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If the seedlings are thin and overgrown:

1. They dig not holes, but grooves 10-15 cm deep, and add mineral and organic fertilizers necessary for growth.
2. They unfold the diaper without shaking the soil off the roots, place the plant in the trench with the roots facing south and cover the entire stem with soil, leaving only the top above the ground.
3. Plants are covered with lutrasil.
4. The crown will reach toward the sun and soon straighten. Within a week, the entire plant will take root.
5. A peg is placed near the tomato plant and the seedlings are tied to it.
6. The first feeding is carried out after 10-14 days.

Growing tomato seedlings in diapers is easy if you follow the care instructions and remember to add soil as the seedlings grow. The seedlings' roots are not damaged when transplanted into greenhouses and hotbeds, and they quickly establish themselves in the soil. The resulting harvest depends on the thorough care and attention the gardener provides to the tomato plants.