Feeding tomato seedlings with home remedies. When to feed tomato seedlings and how to do it. Nutrient deficiency symptoms

To grow tomato seedlings at home, you need to follow some rules. And one of these rules is the correct and timely feeding.

Let's take a closer look at how to feed tomato seedlings.

"Nitrophoska"

Traditional mineral fertilizer for tomatoes. It is based on three components: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This type of fertilizer is the most commonly used for tomatoes. It supplies tomatoes with all the necessary nutrients.

It is introduced not only when growing seedlings, but also when planting it in open ground. A tablespoon of nitrophoska is poured into each hole and diligently mixed with the soil. In addition, this drug is used in the form of a solution (50 g of the drug per 10 liters of water). The resulting liquid must be watered plants 7 days after planting in the garden.

It should be noted that when using this drug, you get an environmentally friendly product. The main thing is to adhere to the dosage when feeding.

Agricola

One of the popular dry fertilizers for growing tomato seedlings. The product contains: 13% nitrogen; 20% each of potassium and phosphorus, as well as magnesium and essential trace elements.

For the first time, this fertilizer is applied 2 weeks after planting the seeds for seedlings, re-feeding - after the appearance of the ovaries, the third time root feeding is carried out after 10 days. After another 7 days, the plant is sprayed with this agent, and then again after 10 days.

Used in both dry and liquid form. The method of preparing the solution can be read on the package.

The nutrients in this preparation are balanced, which makes it possible to supply the tomatoes with all the required nutrients. Tomatoes should be fertilized with "Agricola" only after abundant watering.

Otherwise, you can harm the plant. Be sure to adhere to the required dosages when feeding, otherwise you can destroy the seedlings. Do not use the drug in concentrated form.

"Effecton"

Organic fertilizer that stimulates the growth of seedlings, obtained by composting peat with added to it: dolomite flour or shale ash, phosphorite flour and potassium chloride. This drug is widely used both on open soil and in greenhouse conditions.

This tool is more effective than manure. In addition, it does not contribute to the development of pests and weeds in the soil.

"Athlete"

This is a fertilizer that is used to slow down the growth of the part of the plant that is above the soil surface. It is widely used when growing seedlings at home, so that it grows better, and does not stretch in length, which can cause a decrease in yield.

When using the "Athlete", the shoot acquires the necessary thickness, the roots are strengthened, and the number of fruits increases by 30%.

When fertilizing with this fertilizer, you must adhere to the following rules:

While the plant is being processed, it should not be watered.
When spraying seedlings, the soil is moistened only after a day.
If root feeding is carried out, the plant can be watered only after two days.
The use of "Athlete" is terminated 5 days before planting seedlings in the garden.

Tomato seedlings are shed with this drug after the appearance of four true leaves. This dressing, if desired, is replaced by spraying. Only in this situation, seedlings are processed three times with an interval of 8 days.

Folk methods

Although today there are many all kinds of organic and mineral fertilizers, some gardeners believe that it is better to use folk methods. Let's consider some of them.

Use of yeast

Since yeast is rich in fungi (and, as a result, in protein), as well as iron, amino acids, macro and microelements, their use improves the quality of tomato seedlings.

This requires top dressing from yeast, which is prepared as follows:

The dough is put, as for the test. We dilute a bag of dry yeast in slightly warmed water with the addition of sugar. After raising the dough, dilute it with 10 liters of water. Watering is carried out at the rate of 0.5 l of the resulting liquid for each plant.
A large jar is filled 2/3 with dried black bread. All this is poured with heated water and 100 g of raw yeast is added. The mixture should be infused for 5 days. Then it is diluted in a ratio of 1:10.

You can use infusions of yeast with herbs (the main thing is that the added plants were without seeds).

You can also use the following recipe: 0.5 l of manure + 0.5 l of ash + 10 l of water + 10 g of dry yeast. All this should be mixed and insisted for 5-6 days. It is used only in a diluted form, in a ratio of 1: 2.

We fertilize seedlings with ashes

Such top dressing is characterized by the fact that its beneficial properties do not lose their strength. Ash is applied in combination with various organic fertilizers, as it is well adjacent to them.

The use of hydrogen peroxide

To disinfect tomato seeds, the usual potassium permanganate can be replaced with hydrogen peroxide. In addition, this drug helps tomato seedlings fight late blight.

To do this, one tablespoon of peroxide is diluted in 10 liters of water and 40 drops of iodine are added. The resulting mixture is sprayed with seedlings. For root dressing, 30 drops of peroxide are diluted in a glass of water.

The use of hydrogen peroxide contributes to:

Disinfection of all wounds on the plant.
Prevention of decay and hygiene of the root system.
Saturation with oxygen.
Elimination of diseases.
Increase immunity.
spread of pathogenic plants.

What to feed during flowering?

At the time of flowering, you need to feed manganese. Potassium and superphosphate are added to it, 20 g each. You need to use iodine top dressing.

As it turned out, “iodine deficiency” can be not only in humans, but also in tomatoes. If the plant does not have enough iodine, then the seedlings get sick. Top dressing with iodine solution (2 drops per 1 liter of water) is carried out when the first leaves appear, again - after 14 days.

In order for the seedlings to grow better, they are sprayed with the same solution. To disinfect seedlings, you can use the following recipe: 1 liter of water + 5 drops of iodine + 1 glass of skim milk.

When is feeding not needed?

If you used a purchased soil mixture before planting, then feeding tomato seedlings is not needed. In this case, there will be an excess of fertilizer for the plant. This can lead to bad consequences.

Tomato seedlings also do not need to be fed before planting. The first top dressing will be after transplanting into a greenhouse or into open ground.

When is feeding needed?

Top dressing for a tomato is necessary in such cases:

The plant needs nitrogen. In this case, yellow leaves appear on the tomatoes, the seedlings become weak. Usually the bottom leaves wither first. This is the first sign of the necessary feeding.
Phosphorus is not enough for tomatoes. Violet lines appear on the veins of the vegetable. You can see a characteristic mark on the stem and on the leaves.
Lack of iron for the plant. The top of the tomatoes begins to wither and dry out. The leaves gradually turn yellow, and the roots die off.

General instructions on how to feed

For proper feeding of tomatoes, gardeners have developed a single scheme. Fertilizers are additionally applied when the soil in your garden is poor in minerals, the seedlings look weak, and flowering is poor.

However, with good formation of tomato seedlings and excellent appearance, excessive fertilizers can only harm.

When applying top dressing, you should adhere to some requirements:

Additional fertilizers are applied early in the morning, later in the evening or on cloudy days.
Before fertilizing and at the end of the seedlings, it is watered with clean water.
Do not exceed the dosage of fertilizers. Everything is done strictly according to the instructions.

It should be noted that top dressing at the root with the use of any nutrients is carried out only after good watering.

Without fail, seedlings are fed only twice:

14 days after the dive.
10 days after the first introduction of nutrients.

In the future, monitor the formation of seedlings. Tomato seedlings can be fertilized at intervals of every 14 days. And with proper development, the plants may not be fed at all.

If this is your first time growing tomato seedlings on your own, then keep a diary. It should record: what fertilizers were applied to the soil, and how many.

First time

The first time the seedlings are fed, when the first leaf appeared. This time we need top dressing from the following fertilizers: "Nitrofoska", "Agricola - Forward" or "Agricola No. 3". One teaspoon of any remedy is diluted in one liter of water. This amount is enough to feed 40 bushes. This procedure helps small shoots to get stronger.

Second top dressing

The second time the seedlings are fed when the stems have lengthened. For this top dressing, superphosphate is used (1 tablespoon diluted in 3 liters of water) or the Effekton agent (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water). If the seedlings are too long, then use the Athlete preparation, it will slow down the growth of the top. At this stage of growth, you can already use folk remedies, for example, bird droppings.

Third time

This top dressing is carried out 7 days after the second stage. One spoonful of "Nitrophoska" is diluted in 10 liters of water. Pour 0.5 cups of the resulting liquid into each pot with seedlings.

Fourth time

This top dressing is carried out after 10 days. It is needed to strengthen the root system. One tablespoon of potassium sulfate or superphosphate is diluted in 10 liters of water. With this solution, the earth is abundantly watered.

Fifth time

After 10 days, another top dressing is introduced. 1 st. l nitrophoska is diluted with 10 liters of water and watered at the rate of 1 glass of solution per 1 plant. In this way, we fed the root system. And now we need to carry out foliar top dressing. To do this, spray the same solution as for the roots of the leaves.

After 3-4 days, it is necessary to spray the plants with clean water. And if there are weak leaves on the seedlings, we spray it for 3 days with the Bud for Tomatoes preparation.

Results

We examined the most effective methods for feeding tomato seedlings. If you want to get a high yield of delicious tomatoes, you can use one of them. Follow all step-by-step recommendations for maximum results.

Kira Stoletova

To grow tomato seedlings at home on your own, you will have to pay a lot of attention to vegetable crops. Feeding tomato seedlings helps plants grow strong and healthy. Together with proper watering, good lighting and warm air, fertilizer with nutrients for tomato seedlings is the key to a good harvest.

When to feed

Choosing how to feed home seedlings of tomatoes is required when the soil for growing vegetables does not have all the necessary fertile qualities and is not nutritious enough. According to the external signs of tomato seedlings, one can judge the need for top dressing:

watering with unsettled water, in which there is too much chlorine, leads to lightening of the leaves of seedlings, when streaks are clearly visible on them, in cases with a lack of an iron-containing component, tomato tops also begin to turn pale, showing signs of chlorosis,
nutritional deficiencies are expressed in twisted leaves,
lack of magnesium is expressed in the form of fragility of the stems, which break even with a light touch,
with a lack of phosphorus-containing elements, tomato tops become dark and repainted in purple hues, more often from the underside of the leaf blade,
with a small amount of nitrogen, seedlings stop growing or develop too slowly, the foliage begins to turn yellow and wither.

Top dressing of tomato seedlings is not needed when gardeners carefully approach the choice of substrate. In many cases, the nutritious soil mixture becomes sufficient for the full-fledged cultivation of tomatoes without top dressing before planting in open ground.

Most summer residents prefer a two-time feeding schedule for tomato seedlings. The initial feeding of plants begins 2 weeks after the dive procedure. Summer residents repeat the secondary feeding of tomatoes after a similar period of time - 14 days.

You should not count on the fact that the more you feed the tomato seedlings and increase the amount of top dressing applied, the faster it will immediately become healthy and strong. The uncontrolled use of mineral compounds leads to diseases of the vegetable crop and causes the development of too powerful tops.

If the soil is poor, top dressing of tomato seedlings at home is carried out immediately when the first leaf appears on the seedling. Such early feeding of tomato seedlings allows young shoots to resist fungal infections, among which late blight is the most common. subsequent top dressing is repeated after 10-14 days.

Fundamental rules

When carrying out the baiting procedure, a number of rules must be observed:

before feeding, the sprouts must be watered,
exceeding the recommended norms of nutrient compositions has a detrimental effect on the plant, therefore they do not exceed the dosage of the drugs used and the amount of organic matter used,
with sufficient indicators of the nutritional value of the soil, they refuse to feed at all,
in the process of applying nutrition, the reaction of tomato seedlings to the applied mineral compositions is monitored in order to stop them in time in case of excess or increase the dosage in case of deficiency.

The main compositions for home feeding

To feed tomato seedlings when grown at home, popular formulations are most often used.

Copper

When grown at home, tomato seedlings are fed with a copper solution. It is made from copper powder in the proportion of 1 small spoon per 10 liter volume of water. Top dressing with copper allows young seedlings to fully develop and protects them from damage by late blight.

Ready complexes

Along with the use of copper in the process of initial feeding of tomato seedlings, it is possible to fertilize the soil with the ready-made Phytosoporin complex composition, which has bioenergy properties.

Saturate the soil for growing tomatoes with a nitrogen-containing component, potassium and phosphorus allows the complex fertilizer composition of nitrophoska: 1 tbsp. l. the drug is diluted in a 10-liter bucket of water. Watering tomato sprouts with nitrofoska is not too plentiful. Instead of this drug, you can use nitroammofoska and azofoska, which go well with sodium humate.

Seed germination will accelerate the treatment with Epin and the application of Baikal microfertilizer.

In the second fertilizing procedure, the ready-made Agricola complex is most often used. It is also used regularly with an interval of every 10 days after picking seedlings, when the plants are under stress after getting used to a new place.

Urea

The full development of tomato seedlings is impossible without the presence of nitrogen in the soil, the source of which is fertilizing with urea. 1 st. l. the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Watering young seedlings with urea can be quite plentiful. The first procedure is carried out before planting tomato bushes, the second - at the stage of adaptation 2 weeks after picking.

Superphosphate

Foliar top dressing of young tomato sprouts is important no less than root. For foliar feeding, many prefer spraying with superphosphate. 1 st. l. the drug is diluted in a liter volume of water and heated to an average temperature of 80ºС. Subsequently, the resulting composition is defended throughout the day, the light part merges, its volume is brought to 10 liters. Spray tomato seedlings with a working fluid using a spray gun.

Top dressing with organic matter

Summer residents, when choosing how to feed tomato seedlings, prefer to use organic matter when growing tomatoes at home.

Ash

Tomatoes, which absorb potassium and phosphorus well, respond favorably to fertilizing the soil with wood ash, which can destroy all fungal infections.

When using wood ash, fertilizer complexes containing nitrogen cannot be used simultaneously. Nitrogen-containing compounds are introduced only a month after the ash feed.

You can prepare fertilizer with ash from 1 tbsp. l. wood organics mixed with 5 liters of heated water, insisting it for 1 day. Ash fertilizer is applied under seedlings.

Compost

To feed tomato seedlings grown at home, some people use compost, pouring it into boxes with seedlings. Compost can be used diluted.

Biohumus

Microbiological organic biohumus allows you to improve the fertility of the soil, most often it is recommended to feed them to the ground before planting a vegetable crop. You can bring it in all year round. Some summer residents use biohumus already at the stage of seed germination, soaking them in a solution with organic matter for half a day.

Mullein

Mullein fertilizer helps plants adapt after planting in open ground, when they begin to take root and actively grow. An infusion with mullein is made in the proportion of 1 share of mullein per 10-liter volume of water, adding a large spoonful of nitrophoska. The irrigation rate for each tomato bush is 0.5 liters of working fluid.

medical supplies

It is possible to fertilize seedlings so that the stems grow thick and strong by various medical means.

Iodine

Fertilizing tomato seedlings with iodine allows you to grow strong sprouts, laying the foundation for future healthy ovaries and high yields. In some cases, summer residents use ready-made water-soluble iodine-containing fertilizers, but sometimes they prepare such working liquids for bait on their own. For foliar feeding of tomato seedlings, it is enough to dilute 2-3 drops of simple medical iodine in 4 liters of water and spray tomato sprouts with this composition. At the stage of growing seedlings, just one bait with iodine will be enough.

Manganese

Potassium permanganate nourishes tomatoes with manganese, taking an active part in photosynthesis and increasing yields. For this purpose, spraying is carried out 1-2 times in 14 days with a solution made in the proportion of 2 g of potassium permanganate per 10-liter volume of liquid.

Hydrogen peroxide

Tomato seedlings are often sprayed with hydrogen peroxide for preventive purposes, for which 15 ml are mixed in water (10 l), sometimes adding 30 drops of medical iodine. For watering with hydrogen peroxide, the concentration is increased by diluting 4 large spoons of the medication in 3 liters of water.

Ammonia

Feeding seedlings with ammonia helps to cope with nitrogen deficiency and activates growth so that the sprouts are stretched and strong, with a thick stem. A weakly concentrated solution is obtained from the proportions of 1 tbsp. l. for a 10-liter volume of water, how much is enough for a single first watering of the sprouts after picking.

food products

Some foods can act as a source of elements useful for tomatoes, because gardeners like to use folk remedies.

Yeast

Yeast fertilizer is popular among summer residents who grow tomato seedlings at home. The fungus contained in the yeast allows you to activate the vital activity of microorganisms present in the soil. Dry and raw yeast are rich in mineral elements necessary for the immunity of tomato seedlings at the germination stage, especially for the root system.

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Shell

Making shell fertilizer is quite simple: you need to insist 4-6 days crushed shells from 3-4 eggs, diluted in 1 liter of water. The solution is used for irrigation.

onion peel

Onion peel includes many antibacterial components, therefore it helps to feed the seedlings and at the same time fights pests. For a 10-liter volume of water, 50 g of onion peel, aged for 5 days, is enough. Seedlings can be fertilized by both spraying and watering.

The secret to growing quality tomato seedlings is due to the physiology of young tomatoes. It is important to satisfy all their needs in a timely manner, then the bushes will grow healthy and strong. First of all, it is necessary to prepare fertile non-acidic soil in the fall. It is also important for seedlings to observe the temperature regime and create additional lighting.

Good growth of plants will provide foliar and root top dressing. Fertilizers can be both industrial and home-made.

At all stages of development, tomatoes require a large amount of nutrients. Quality seedlings can only be obtained by growing them in fertile soil. But usually other requirements for the land come to the fore. It is very important that the soil is loose, allows air to pass to the roots and absorbs moisture well.

Gardeners pay more attention to the absence of pathogenic microorganisms in the soil than to its fertility. At first, the seedlings consume the supply of nutrients they got from the seed, but this is not enough for a long time. Fast growing seedlings require more and more nutrition every day. And here you can’t do without top dressing.

In a poor substrate, the first feeding is carried out at the stage of the appearance of two true leaves. If fertilizers were added to the ground before planting, then you can postpone the procedure until 10-14 days have passed after picking.

In the case when the plants dive into a special soil for growing tomato seedlings, it will be enough to apply fertilizer once 10 days before planting the seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground.

How to determine what feeding is needed and what substances are missing

Most often, the deficiency of certain substances in seedlings appears when grown in ordinary garden soil. You can notice which element plants are missing by the following signs:

With iron deficiency seedlings begin to suffer from chlorosis. This state manifests itself by lightening the leaf plate, on which brighter veins begin to stand out.
If the stem and underside of the leaves have acquired a rich purple hue, this indicates lack of phosphorus.
Nitrogen deficiency manifests itself by yellowing and possible leaf drop. However, the same symptom will be observed with excessive watering. Therefore, first analyze how correct the seedling care was.

When such changes appear, it will be necessary to apply the appropriate fertilizer to eliminate the deficiency of these elements. For this, both chemical top dressings and improvised means that are in every home are used.

It should be taken into account that an excess of nutrients is just as harmful as their lack, so it is impossible to overfeed the "seedlings".

This is the main thing you should remember when starting to fertilize. If the seedling grows well and looks healthy, then it does not need to be fed. But if the bushes look stunted, they need urgent help.

When choosing a fertilizer for tomatoes, you should give preference to liquid dressings. Dry mineral mixtures are used, previously diluted with water. It is recommended to apply top dressing in the morning, so they are better absorbed. In addition, moistening the soil in the evening, you risk provoking the appearance of fungus.

Of the industrial preparations, experts consider Mortar and Kemira Universal-2 to be the best dressings for tomatoes.
If you have not met such fertilizers on sale, they can be replaced with universal top dressings - "Fortress", "Agricola", "Ideal". They will also be able to complete the task.
Tomatoes also respond well to Nitrofoska feeding, which contains all the main nutrients and many additional ones (1 tbsp. Fertilizer is diluted per liter of water.)
For foliar top dressing, superphosphate is used (1 tablespoon per liter of hot water). The solution is allowed to infuse for a day and the top layer is drained without sediment, which is then diluted with 10 liters of water and used for spraying on the sheet.

If industrial fertilizers are intended for feeding adult bushes, then for seedlings their concentration should be reduced by 2 times. Loosening the top layer of soil will help the fertilizer to be better absorbed. You need to loosen the earth regularly, doing this 2-3 hours after watering.

In addition to chemicals, you can use folk methods, which are also very popular among gardeners. Let's talk about the most common of them.

Yeast . Fertilizing tomato seedlings with yeast not only enriches the soil, but also improves the structure of the soil. Fungal microorganisms, multiplying, have a positive effect on the growth of tomato bushes and future yields. To begin with, a concentrate is prepared from yeast, which is then diluted with water before use.

To prepare a yeast solution, take 10 g of yeast, 4 tablespoons of sugar and 10 liters of water. The mixture should ferment well. Before making 1 part of the solution is diluted with 10 parts of water.

Iodine. This element is necessary not only for humans, but also for plants. A weakly concentrated solution of iodine will help strengthen the immunity of tomatoes and will contribute to better fruiting. Also, it is an excellent remedy for fungal diseases.

Spraying the leaves at the first sign of late blight and powdery mildew will help to quickly cure the plants. To prepare top dressing, 10 drops of pharmaceutical iodine are added to 1 bucket of water. It is used for root and foliar dressings.

Ash. This substance contains about 3 dozen minerals that are vital for plants. Moreover, they are all contained there in an accessible form. Environmentally friendly ash, which is used as fertilizer, can be obtained from logs and boards, without the admixture of various chemicals or artificial materials. Wood ash contains mainly calcium.

In the ashes obtained after the burning of herbaceous plants and straw, potassium predominates. A solution of this substance perfectly lowers the acidity of the soil. To prepare top dressing, 1 tablespoon of ash is dissolved in 2 liters of water and insisted for a day.

Hydrogen peroxide. The drug is used for plants as a top dressing, growth stimulator and protective agent against pests and diseases. Watering with hydrogen peroxide helps seedlings absorb nutrients, supplies the root system with oxygen, improves soil structure, and neutralizes mineral salts and chlorine.

As a result, metabolic processes in plant tissues improve, young tomatoes literally “come to life”.

To prepare a solution of the desired concentration 1/2 tbsp. tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide are diluted in one liter of water and replace regular watering with this composition.

The soil specially designed for growing tomato seedlings contains all the nutrients necessary for the development of plants. In soil of this quality, seedlings can not be fertilized. Inexperienced gardeners often confuse seedling problems with nutrient deficiencies.

It must be remembered that young plants need a lot of light, a reduced temperature of maintenance (6 ° C during the day and 10 ° C at night) until picking, proper watering.

After germination

After germination, seedlings do not feed until the formation of the first true leaves. Each seed contains a certain supply of nutrients, which are sufficient for the plant at the initial stage of growth. It is important to create the seedlings the conditions that the agricultural technology of culture requires. If they are observed, top dressing seedlings are usually not required.

After the pick

Picking is carried out when the seedlings get stronger and grow up. Regardless of whether you fertilized on the eve of the pick, 10 days after the seedlings are planted in separate pots, the stage of the next fertilization begins. If you left the plants in one common container, be guided by the appearance of the third leaf and at that moment apply top dressing. After 10 days, the plants are fertilized again.

The last time seedlings are fed 2 days before planting in open ground. The timing of fertilizer application by specialists is indicated quite clearly, but each summer resident determines the amount of dressing at his discretion based on the condition of the plants. Feeding plants in a timely manner can also increase their disease resistance.

As a fertilizer, you can take a mixture of superphosphate, urea and potassium chloride (20g / 10g / 15g per 10 liters of water). You can also use an infusion of ash (1 tablespoon per 2 liters of water, soak for a day) and eggshells (a three-liter jar is 2/3 filled with egg shells, and then with water and infused for 3 days).

Seedling problems, how to feed

The future harvest directly depends on the quality of the seedlings. Therefore, it is important that the plants are initially healthy and strong. Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be assessed so that their condition can be adjusted in case of various problems.

When seedlings look frail and weak, some summer residents are afraid to plant them, believing that they will not make good bushes. But it's not. The situation can be corrected by reducing watering, increasing lighting and lowering the temperature. Also, the pale color of the leaves can be caused by both an excess of nitrogen and its deficiency. The Athlete drug will help to make the seedlings stronger and prevent stretching. Excess nitrogen is neutralized by adding superphosphate.

If, according to your assumptions, the seedlings lack nitrogen, apply a nitrogen fertilizer, for example, a solution consisting of 1 tbsp. l. urea and 10 liters of water. 100 ml of this top dressing is poured under each bush and the next two days they contain seedlings at a temperature not higher than 10 ° C without watering.

As soon as growth stops, and the leaves become saturated in color, the seedlings are transferred to the usual conditions, providing it with warmth and regular watering.

It happens that seedlings begin to grow poorly after picking. The reason may be in improper planting, during which the roots were damaged or bent. If the picking was carried out according to all the rules, but the leaves still turn yellow, and there is no growth, then the soil is not quite well chosen.

Poor seedlings may be due to a lack of potassium - in this case, the leaves turn yellow and curl.
Uneven leaf color indicates a magnesium deficiency.
The signs of a lack of iron, nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil were written above.

Use a complex mineral fertilizer with a large set of trace elements to feed tomatoes. This will help solve the problem with insufficient seedling growth.

Tomatoes are considered a picky crop, excessive feeding can only harm them. When can you be sure that fertilizer is not needed? If the planting was carried out in high-quality purchased soil from a reliable manufacturer or a fertile mixture that you made yourself, most likely, you will not face the issue of top dressing. Plants should have enough of the set of substances that are already in the soil. Especially if you used fresh nutrient soil when picking.

On a note! Even if under such conditions the appearance of the seedlings cannot be called healthy, the conditions of detention most likely turned out to be unsuitable. Therefore, lighting, watering and temperature conditions are given special attention from the moment of sowing the seeds.

How to feed seedlings: video

Feeding and caring for seedlings: video

Summarizing, we can say that the tomatoes themselves signal whether additional feeding is needed, and which ones. Even if you do not yet have experience in growing tomato seedlings, by the appearance of the plants, you can easily determine what exactly they do not like and what is missing. If you grow seedlings according to all the rules, it will certainly please the eye, and in the future will provide you with a quality crop.

Tomatoes are often deficient in nutrients, light and moisture. Under adverse environmental conditions, their growth slows down. Is it possible to stimulate the growth of tomatoes so that they continue to grow and bear fruit?

Growing tomatoes is always fraught with certain difficulties, since this culture is rather whimsical and requires constant attention. The first problems are usually associated with the fact that the tomatoes begin to lag behind in growth. If you notice signs of a slowdown in growth, then it's time to move on to measures that will help restore strength to weakened plants and give you the desired harvest.

Tomatoes need top dressings that contain iron, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, molybdenum, iodine, selenium and cobalt

Why do tomatoes grow poorly

Tomato growth retardation is usually associated with nitrogen deficiency. In the event of a shortage of this main nutrient, the growth of apical and lateral shoots stops, and young leaves begin to turn yellow. If there are not enough sulfur compounds, then the stem becomes thinner and hardens, remaining dwarfed.

For tomatoes grown in a greenhouse, it is important to maintain the required temperature and humidity, as well as the feeding regimen. The slowdown in the growth of tomatoes in the greenhouse occurs due to the following reasons:

too high or, on the contrary, too low air temperature in the greenhouse;
increased or insufficient air humidity;
high or low soil moisture;
unbalanced composition of fertilizers.

Eliminating the first three causes is fairly easy. In particular, during the pollination period, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be in the range of 24-28°C. In cloudy weather, it should not exceed 20-22°C. At night, the air temperature should not fall below 18°C. Accordingly, at an air temperature of about 32°C, pollen loses its qualities, and at an air temperature below 15°C, pollination stops altogether.

Intensive nutrition should be provided to the plant in the middle of summer, during the period of fruit formation.

The optimal level of air humidity, which allows the formation of an ovary, is 65%. However, the greenhouse should be ventilated regularly. Soil moisture should be in the range of 70-75%, so it is necessary to provide plants with regular watering with settled water at a temperature of 24-26 ° C.

The situation is more complicated with top dressing, although they are often the main reasons for slowing down the growth of tomatoes.

How to feed tomato seedlings for good growth

It is necessary to start top dressing of tomatoes at the earliest stages, even before sowing seeds for seedlings. Among the "home" remedies you can use aloe juice. It is a natural growth stimulant that is easy to obtain at home. Cut off the large bottom leaves of aloe, put them in the refrigerator for 12 hours, and then squeeze the juice. Put the seeds for a day in aloe juice and then leave to germinate in a humid environment without washing off the juice.

First feeding of seedlings should be carried out after the appearance of the first true leaf. As the sprout develops, it switches to nutrition with the help of its own root system, since the supply of nutrients from the seed has already been exhausted. At this time, nitrogen and phosphorus are required for the successful growth of tomatoes. Therefore, the following preparations are used: Uniflor-growth, Mortar, Kemira-Lux. These drugs are used in the form of solutions, adding 1 tsp to 5 liters of water. composition.

At home, you can prepare a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and spill the ground for seedlings on it. This procedure will disinfect the soil and protect plants from many diseases.

By the time of picking, tomato sprouts are already quite tall, their root system is actively developing, and second, "real" leaves appear on the sprouts. After the pick plants should be fed with Uniflor-buton solution. To do this, dilute 1 tsp in 2 liters of water. drug.

Among vegetable growers, one of the most popular remedies is Zircon. Thanks to its action, the germination of seeds increases, and the flowering of future bushes is also accelerated. On average, the growth and development of tomatoes accelerates by 5-10 days. 1 ml of Zircon contains 40 drops, 0.1 ml, respectively, 4 drops. Spraying of plants during the growing season is carried out using a working solution - 1 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water or 0.1 ml of the drug per 1 liter of water. The finished solution should be stored in a dark place for no more than a day.

The main thing to remember when preparing nutrient solutions is that tomatoes should not be overfed and fertilized thoughtlessly.

How to feed tomato seedlings to be plump

Two weeks after a successful pick, you should take care of the future bountiful harvest. To do this, at home, no more than three top dressings should be organized with an interval of 14 days according to one of the following recipes:

in 10 liters of water dissolve 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of urea and 15 g of potassium chloride;
in 2 liters of warm water, add 1 tbsp. ash without a slide and let it brew for 24 hours. Strain the solution before use so that the pieces of ash do not fall on the plants;
2/3 fill a 3-liter container with eggshells and fill with water. Let the mixture brew for 3 days, and then dilute the infusion with water in a ratio of 1:3.

How to feed tomato seedlings in the ground

Recipes for further feeding will depend on where you plant seedlings - in open ground or in a greenhouse. Consider the most effective top dressing for tomatoes planted in the ground:

when planting seedlings, put in a hole a handful of compost or humus, a little wood ash and 1 tsp. superphosphate;
do not throw away bread crumbs throughout the year and dry them in the oven. Soak dried leftovers in warm water and leave overnight. While loosening the earth, add the resulting slurry under the roots. This enhances root formation, increases the endurance and productivity of tomatoes;
for quick fruit ripening, use a tincture of the following ingredients: dilute 1 tbsp. superphosphate in a glass of water and let it brew for 48 hours. After that, dilute the infusion with 10 liters of water and mix. After spraying, the tomato leaves will darken slightly, photosynthesis processes will go more actively, and the fruits will ripen earlier than usual;
dissolve 10 drops of iodine in 1 liter of milk or whey, dilute the composition in 9 liters of water and mix. Water the tomatoes at the rate of 2 liters of the composition for each bush;
take 1 tsp. boric acid, copper sulfate, potassium magnesia and add a little potassium permanganate to them (on the tip of a knife). Then grate a piece of laundry soap and dissolve everything in 10 liters of water. Spray bushes evenly 1-2 times per season;
prepare 0.5 l of infusion of chicken manure, 1 tbsp. potassium sulfate and 2 tbsp. superphosphate. Then dilute the contents in 10 liters of water. First, it is better to dissolve the superphosphate and let it brew for 24 hours, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Under each bush, add at least 1 liter of such a solution;
every two weeks, feed the tomatoes with ash infusion. Pour 1 cup of ash into 10 liters of water and let it brew for 2-3 hours. Apply 1.5-2 liters of funds under each bush.

If flowers began to crumble in hot weather, it is recommended to spray with a solution of boric acid at the rate of 5 g per 10 liters of water

How to feed tomato seedlings in a greenhouse

Top dressing of tomatoes in a greenhouse is somewhat different from fertilizing in open ground. Usually 2-3 feedings are enough per season, but if you notice that the tomatoes are not growing well, additional stimulation can be done every 10-12 days.

For example, one of the following compositions:

carry out the first top dressing 2 weeks after plant transplantation. 1 tbsp dilute urea in 10 liters of water. Bring 1-2 liters of composition under each young bush - it will help them grow green mass. Also spread a few peas under each bush. In this case, during each watering, nitrogen will gradually be absorbed by the soil and flow to the roots;
as organic means, slurry or dry manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 is best suited. You can also use chicken manure at the rate of 200-250 g per 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is infused for a day, and then the tomatoes are watered under the root at the rate of 2-3 liters per plant;
the growth and development of plants in the greenhouse is beneficially affected by foliar top dressing with microelements. You can also cook them on your own. You will need 4 g of manganese sulfate, 2 g of copper sulfate, the same amount of boric acid and zinc sulfate. All substances are diluted in 10 liters of water and the plants are sprayed in the evening or in cloudy weather to avoid burning the leaves. It is necessary to carry out top dressing no more than 1 time per month;
take 1 tbsp. mineral fertilizer Humat and mix with 10 liters of water. Add 1 tbsp. complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, potassium, copper, manganese and molybdenum. Under each bush, add about 0.5 liters of solution;
during the blooming of the third and fourth flower brush, feed the tomatoes with potassium humate (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). For 1 sq.m. greenhouses should be made up to 5 liters of the composition;

the last top dressing can be done when green tomatoes have already appeared on the bushes. It allows you to speed up the process of ripening fruits. To prepare it, dilute 1 tbsp. superphosphate in 1 liter of water. Infuse the resulting mixture for a day, then mix with 9 liters of water.

From mid-July, all top dressing, as well as abundant watering of tomatoes, must be stopped.

"Miracle" fertilizer for tomatoes from yeast

Yeast fertilizer is considered the leader among fertilizers and various top dressings applied to tomato beds. The basis of the biomaterial are fungi rich in proteins, organic iron, amino acids and microelements. Yeast actively contributes to:

plant growth and green mass growth;
increasing plant immunity, since they contain a small number of their own bacteria, against which tomatoes develop immunity;
increase the endurance of seedlings, especially in shady places;
formation of the root system.

Yeast rebuilds the structure of the soil and activates the activity of microorganisms living in it. Which, in turn, release nitrogen and potassium into the soil.

It is necessary to apply yeast top dressing no earlier than a week after planting tomato seedlings in the ground. Repeat top dressing before flowering.

How to prepare yeast dressing for tomatoes? Very simple. Purchase baker's yeast (100 g) in the store and fill it with 10 liters of water. To speed up the fermentation process, you can add 2 tbsp. Sahara. Leave the composition to ferment for a day. Then mix it with 50 liters of water. After that, you can water the tomatoes.

There is also a more "advanced" version of this recipe:

water - 10 l;
extract from chicken manure - 0.5 l;
wood ash - 0.5 l;
sugar - 5 tablespoons;
dry yeast - 10 g.

Mix all ingredients. Let the composition brew for a day and dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:10.

For watering, use a watering can with a strainer and apply about 0.5 liters of top dressing under young plants. Closer to the beginning of flowering, 1.5-2 liters of liquid can be added. In this case, the soil should be slightly moist.

Choose baker's yeast over brewer's yeast for sourdough

Tomatoes that are not growing well need your extra help. Give them a little more of your attention and care, and a bountiful harvest will not keep you waiting.

For tomatoes and peppers enriched with fertilizers, plants may be deficient in nutrients. in boxes of these cultures occurs within two months, and plant nutrition is not enough for the entire period.

Young plants are especially sensitive to such a deficiency, and nutrient deficiency immediately affects their condition.

However, when feeding any seedlings, one must not lose a sense of proportion. Large doses of fertilizer applied to seedlings of tomatoes and peppers, as well as too frequent feeding, will not help the plants, but most likely will harm them.

When choosing a drug preference should be given to liquid types. If you purchased a dry mix of minerals, be sure to dilute it with water before use. The fact is that the root system of seedlings is not able to independently use dry minerals introduced into the soil.

Minerals will only reach the roots after being dissolved with water, and this is a long process, and seedlings may suffer from malnutrition and slow down growth.

For a better distribution of minerals in the soil top dressing seedlings of tomatoes and peppers should be carried out after watering the plants. It is necessary to carry out the procedure in the morning, so that by the evening, when the air temperature drops, it does not provoke the development of a fungus in the soil.

When applying ready-made mixtures of fertilizers, follow their purpose. If the fertilizers you purchased are intended for adult plants, then for seedlings you need to halve their concentration in the solution.

Top dressing will bring more benefits if you are around the plants loosen the ground regularly. Just do it with the utmost care, only loosen the top layer of soil an hour or two after watering.

Fertilizers for tomato seedlings

Tomatoes - a particularly demanding culture during all periods of development. Proper and timely feeding allows you to get strong, viable specimens for subsequent cultivation in greenhouses or open ground.

During the cultivation of tomato seedlings feed her three times:

The first top dressing is carried out 10 days after picking the plants.. By this time, the roots have already taken root well in the new soil and are able to absorb all the introduced elements from it. At this stage, tomatoes need nitrogen and phosphorus, so the use of Nitrofos will be optimal. 1 st. a spoon is diluted in a liter of water. Top dressing is applied after a slight pre-moistening of the soil, then the bushes are shed with fertilizer until all the soil is evenly moistened.
The second feeding is carried out after 2 weeks. The composition of fertilizers during this period depends on the condition of the plants. If they are stretched out from a lack of lighting, then nitrogen should be excluded from fertilizers. The mixture is prepared from double superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Each mineral is taken in a tablespoon per liter. Of the ready-made liquid fertilizers, the most suitable during this period are Uniflor Growth, Effekton, Signor Tomato.
A week before planting tomatoes in a permanent place, the third top dressing is carried out.. For it, a solution of Nitrofoska is used.

What and how to feed the pepper?

start early in development.

Already in the phase of the first two true leaves, seedlings should be shed with a mixture of ammonium nitrate (0.5 g), superphosphate (3 g), potassium sulfate (1 g).

All ingredients must be diluted in a liter of pre-settled water.

IMPORTANT! When fertilizing, make sure that they do not get on the leaves, and in case of accidental contact, wash them off with warm water.

Pour the pepper a second time with the same composition. but double the dose. Make it necessary in two weeks after the first feeding.

A few days before planting pepper in the ground, a third top dressing is carried out.. A fertilizer solution is prepared from 15 grams of wood ash diluted in 1 liter.

IMPORTANT! You can not feed pepper seedlings with organic fertilizers, and manure is categorically contraindicated for him. Such dressings inhibit the root system of pepper.

Feeding seedlings of tomatoes and peppers with folk remedies

Adherents of natural fertilizers can be advised to carry out fertilizing with folk remedies:

bird droppings. Diluted 100 g in 1 liter, infused for 10 days. Before use, it is recommended to add copper sulfate or potassium permanganate to it.
banana peel. It is a source of potassium, especially recommended for tomatoes. Peel from 2-3 pieces insist in 3 liters of water for 3 days.
Eggshell. Here's how to feed the seedlings of peppers and tomatoes after picking, as the shell is recommended for laying out as drainage when picking. You can pour half a bucket of shells with water and use it for watering after three days.
Onion peel. 10 g are poured with a liter of water, and infused for 5 days.
Yeast. 1 g per liter.

The appearance of plants is an indicator of nutrient deficiency

The need for extraordinary feeding of seedlings and the composition of fertilizers can be judged by its appearance:

Lightening of the lower leaves- lack of nitrogen.
Arrangement of light stripes along the veins- lack of iron. Seedlings should be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.
withering leaves talk about magnesium deficiency. You can fill its deficiency by adding wood ash to the soil.
Pronounced purple veins on tomato leaves- lack of phosphorus. 5 g per liter of water is infused for a day, then it is diluted with another liter and seedlings are watered with this composition.

By following the simple rules for applying fertilizers, you can grow strong and healthy seedlings of peppers and tomatoes, which will give you a rich harvest in the fall.