Composition of soil for tomato seedlings: which land is better

Soil for tomatoes, prepared at home in compliance with agricultural standards, has an advantage over a ready-made mixture from the store, as manufacturers do not always approach the issue of the composition of specialized soil with all responsibility. The optimal soil acidity should be no more than 6.7 pH, however, in the process of soil mass formation in industry, this indicator often has serious errors.

What soil do tomatoes like

It is not enough to take ordinary garden soil, mix nutrients into it, in arbitrary quantities, and then wait for he althy and fertile plants to grow in this unthinkable substrate.So that the seeds do not have to spend additional strength to break through to the surface of the soil, and young shoots have enough energy to meet the development time, the soil mixture must be well balanced and meet the following standards:

• organics in the composition of the soil for sowing should be much less than other micronutrients, otherwise all the power of tomato seedlings will be spent on building green mass to the detriment of fruiting;
• land for seedlings of tomato, before getting into the containers for sowing, is disinfected so that in conditions of constant humidity it does not provoke the growth of fungal infections or insect invasion;
• planting tomato seeds is done only in loose, "breathing" soil;
• not allowed to plant seeds in soils with high levels of acidity.

If you plan to form the composition of the soil mixture with your own hands, it is better to stock up on the ground in the fall and then treat it from insects and harmful microorganisms.

Optimal components for soil mixtures

The soil for tomato seedlings includes basic elements that are invariably present in any filling, additional ones, represented by a large number of nutrients and loosening agents, as well as auxiliary - various deoxidizers and stabilizers that improve the properties of the components.

When it becomes a question of what kind of soil to use as a basis, many gardeners take the land right on their site.

But due to the low level of nutritional value and the strong saturation of such soil for seedlings with traces of fertilizers from all past years, this base does not carry much benefit for the tomato. They love tomatoes of soddy or leafy soil, which go equally well to greenhouses and seedlings. Such soil for seedlings of tomatoes is considered ideal, only care must be taken that soil material is not collected near trees that enrich the soil with tannins - it is impossible to plant seedlings in such an aggressive environment.

Peat is an indispensable component of the land for seedlings of tomatoes. It provides a balanced moisture exchange and has high air permeability, but it cannot be added to the soil for tomato seedlings in its pure form, since peat instantly forms an acidic environment. To bring the acid balance of the soil closer to a neutral state, dolomite flour, lime, and chalk will help. After mixing the additives, the soil for tomato seedlings is sieved so that the lumps of peat do not get tangled in the seedling roots.

Coarse, washed river sand is the main baking powder for both homemade and do-it-yourself soil. Before using sand as part of the soil for seedlings of tomatoes, it is calcined in a pan or poured over with boiling water, and then dried in the oven. In some cases, sand is replaced with perlite.

Humus is also the basis of the soil composition, but its origin should not be associated with the presence of animal waste.Only a thoroughly rotted substrate of leaves, weeds, branches is suitable. Before introducing the component into the composition of the soil, the humus is moved from large lumps and sieved.

Sometimes instead of sand and even peat, sawdust boiled with boiling water, needles from coniferous trees are added to the soil for tomato seedlings. Coco coir is used less frequently, but its base components in the ground should not be completely replaced.

Secrets of preparing specialized soil

It is impossible to say which of the recipes for preparing the right soil is better for seedlings, and which is worse. Each region is unique in the composition of its soil, so what has a positive effect on tomato seedlings in the Moscow region can negatively affect the seedling of Irkutsk and vice versa. The only summary point of the guide, which will equally apply to all regions of the country at the same time, is the nuances of preparing the soil for planting in order to maintain the best properties of all components.

Preparation of the necessary material should be carried out in September-October. Then it is possible to perform manipulations on sifting and disinfection of soil components. It is also better to buy ready-made soil during this period, since it is not a fact that it will be on sale in early spring.

Long before the planting season, care must be taken to ensure that the seedlings are not in danger of being infected by a fungus or killed by the activity of insect larvae that may be present in the soil. You can prevent trouble only by completely destroying the harmful microflora of the soil. There are several ways to do this without damaging the nutrient medium of the soil:

• the best way to decontaminate the soil is not "roasting", but tillage in a water bath, which lasts 1.5-2 hours;
• the second gentle way is to freeze the finished mixture, or only the soil, which is achieved by cleaning bags of soil for the whole winter in an unheated room (garage, barn, balcony)
• drug disinfection of soil with iodine (4 drops of iodine per bucket of water) or 1% manganese solutions.

1-2 weeks before the planting material is introduced into the soil, the already processed and sifted soil mixture is well spilled with a special agent containing colonies of beneficial bacteria to increase the nutritional value of the substrate.

What kind of soil do tomatoes need

About a week before planting tomato seeds for seedlings, the soil is once again well sorted out, sifted through a large sieve and they begin creative work - compiling the soil mixture. You need to choose the soil that meets the needs of the region in advance.

Below is a quick-memo indicating the required proportions of soil components.

• River sand, two types of peat (low and high) - 1 part of each ingredient;
• Must and soddy soil - 3 parts each, perlite (1/2 part) and river sand (4 parts);
• Top peat (10 parts), river sand (5 parts), ash (1 part);
• Sawdust (10 parts), river sand (5 parts), ash (1 part) and for every 10 kg of the mixture - 2 teaspoons of any nitrogen fertilizer;
• Pine, deciduous needles (10 parts), sand (5 parts), ash (1 part).

Peat by default creates an acidic pH in the soil, unsuitable for growing tomatoes, however, it is difficult to refuse this component, due to its high value for tomato seedlings. In advance, you need to take care of reducing the acid level of the soil, to which peat is added, by mixing available deoxidizers into the finished composition.

For depleted, poor soil, dolomite flour is suitable, since it is already a self-sufficient fertilizer.Compositions containing fatty black soil respond well to chalk or lime neutralizers.

What land is not suitable for tomatoes

If ordinary black soil is taken as the basis of the soil mixture, you cannot choose the one that covers areas near large construction sites, factories, livestock farms or highways. The presence of clay in the soil for tomato seedlings will make it heavy and viscous, making it almost impossible to form an even, he althy seedling.

Any organic matter in the composition of the soil for tomato seedlings, especially not fully decomposed and still aggressive, can destroy the seed material even before germination is indicated. This is due to the release of especially high temperatures by bacteria, ensuring the decomposition of the product in a short time.

Often, using purchased soil, gardeners do not pay attention to the service life of the finished mixture, and in vain. The peat present in the soil, even if its initial characteristics were good, over time begins to actively release heat, which dehydrates the seeds.In addition to checking the expiration date on the soil package, it would be useful to look at the seams of the cellophane container at the time the adhesions diverge - such a mixture will also be considered spoiled.

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