Where do tomatoes start? Of course, with seeds and proper sowing. I will not dwell on this point in this article, this is a topic for a separate, detailed conversation.
I would like to say only about the optimal timing of sowing tomatoes. Plan that the seedlings will be planted without a flowering brush, that is, up to 45 days. It makes no sense to keep the plants in the seedling period for 2 or more months, this will not speed up the fruiting period in any way, on the contrary, it will delay them due to a longer adaptation during planting. If suddenly the seedlings still bloomed, then the brush must be removed when planting! This will help her adapt to the stress of transplanting, and quickly and reliably take root and start growing.
Many people tell me that they never get seedlings ready for planting within 45 days. This is not such a seedling, it's just that a person did not create optimal conditions for it to grow and develop in the seedling period. I will cover this topic in future articles.
Here comes the landing time. What should be in the greenhouse by this moment, what important agrotechnical measures should have been taken in order for the seedlings to successfully take root and grow without pumping with stimulants?
The greenhouse should have an ultra transparent film. Light is a key factor in the development of a tomato, without it there will be neither growth nor fruiting. Why is glass used in greenhouse complexes? Because it transmits light the best. This is the main condition for early spring cultivation. Many farmers say that later in the summer a tomato burns under such a film. It burns naturally. But it is impossible to apply the same techniques both in winter and in summer. In the summer you need to carefully shade.
Heating. It is better if it is water or with the help of air sleeves. The potbelly stove does not provide uniform heating of the greenhouse, its efficiency is very low.
Ventilation. Yes, yes, even when it is cold outside, the greenhouse must be ventilated. Everyone is afraid to freeze a tomato, especially if the greenhouses are without heating. There, in general, everything closes tightly, and in the early morning thick dew falls on the plants. And it is always necessary, regardless of the external temperature, to leave vents so that there is air movement. This is important not only from the point of view of preventing the disease, but also because transpiration is disturbed in a tomato with an increase in humidity.
High ridges. A very effective agronomic technique, undeservedly underestimated by many. It allows you to warm the root volume of the soil to optimal values, and also regulates the moisture at the roots. Irrigation water goes down, which prevents stagnation, and as a result, root rot. A drip tape is placed on top of a high ridge and covered with a transparent film. Yes, it is transparent (not black, not white, not agrospan), cheap, 40 microns thick is enough. So you create a greenhouse that warms up this ridge more efficiently. I immediately answer the topical question - no, the roots do not boil, at all. When planting on a high ridge, it is important not to deepen the seedlings so that it is in the warmest layer.
Warm irrigation water. This is important when planting in the early period, so as not to cool the root ball. This can be solved by installing black barrels in the greenhouse or by installing forced heating in the form of gas or solid fuel water boilers.
If you comply with these minimum conditions, then the tomato will grow well without the prodding of nitrogenous preparations and growth stimulants. I am not against drugs, I respect them very much, and I use them myself. But I do not treat them as a panacea, a means of solving all my shortcomings in the greenhouse and hoping for a chance. They can only help us and plants in obtaining a crop, but the main condition for this is still the observance of the fundamental principles of agronomy.