Planting tomatoes in peat tablets: growing seedlings with video

Planting tomatoes in peat pellets is a great way to grow seedlings without further picking. Sprouts transplanted without damaging the root system begin to bear fruit 1-2 weeks earlier than usual.

Peat washers are a ready-made soil substrate with a balanced content of nutrients. They appeared in our country relatively recently, but have already gained considerable popularity among gardeners and summer residents due to their convenience and ease of use.In addition, with this method of cultivation, the survival rate of plants is high.

Benefits of peat tablets

The peat tablet is a grey-black disc of pressed peat of different sizes: from 2 to 7 cm in diameter and 1 to 1.5 cm in height.

In addition to peat, it can contain additional nutrients necessary for seed germination and active shoot growth in the first weeks of cultivation, as well as fungicides and antibacterial drugs. For planting tomatoes, peppers or eggplant in tablets, you can choose the appropriate size and filling.

Peat is used either riding or composite. Peat discs are packed in a protective mesh or film that can decompose in the soil. Protection is necessary in order to keep their shape when wet. Therefore, after contact with water, pelletized peat increases in height, but remains unchanged in width.

Growing tomato seedlings in peat tablets saves gardeners and gardeners from unnecessary trouble. The method allows you to save space in a greenhouse, greenhouse or windowsill. In addition, this method of germinating seedlings has other advantages:

Due to the friability of peat, it is gentle on delicate roots.
High percentage of germination and survival of plants allows you to get seedlings from expensive or rare seed material without loss.
Tabled soil absorbs a limited amount of moisture, so you just need to maintain optimal moisture in such a substrate.
Peat itself is an organic fertilizer, so there is no need for additional feeding at the initial stage of germination.
The porosity of the substrate provides good aeration of the plant root system and protects it from decay.
Sprouts are transplanted into open ground along with a tablet, which facilitates the process and allows you to save the roots of the shoots.
Using a peat substrate protects the plant from diseases such as blackleg.
The use of a tablet form allows seedlings to be grouped depending on the stage of development.
A large selection of sizes allows you to choose the best for each crop. So, for growing tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in tablets, products 3.5-5 cm in diameter are suitable.
Dry tableted substrate can be stored without loss of quality for many years.

There are no restrictions on the use of this substrate. In particular, this method is good for heat-loving and poorly emerging varieties.

At the same time, the cultivation technology differs little from traditional methods. It is important not to allow the peat to dry out. The main disadvantage of tablets is their cost. Growing a large number of seedlings in this way may not be profitable.

How to choose the right one?

Because tomatoes are large plants and have a rather long growing season, they need tablets of a sufficiently large diameter (at least 3.5 cm). You can combine peat pots and tablets. In this case, you can use only half of the disk or, if the plant has grown quite large, place the tablet in a large diameter pot.

When choosing peat pots and tablets, it is important to pay attention to the structure of the peat mixture. It should be quite loose, small and soft. This contributes to better aeration of the root system and the water absorption of the tablet itself.

An important factor is the acidity of the substrate. This indicator is often indicated on the packaging, since different cultures require a different reaction of the medium. Since tomatoes prefer neutral soils, and grow poorly on acid soils, the soil for them should have a pH of 6-6.5.

The optimal size of tablets for tomatoes is 3.6-4 cm. After swelling, their height will increase from 1.5 to 36 and 38 cm, respectively. The tableted substrate must be large enough to last until the end of seedling cultivation.

It is important that discs have a protective sleeve. It can be a mesh, film or paper impregnated with fungicides or other substances. Although uncoated tablets are cheaper, they are unable to retain their shape and require placement in a pot. Together pots and pills are even more expensive.

There are different ways to grow seedlings. Based on this, you can choose tablets placed in miniature greenhouses with a different number of washers or without them, in packages.

You can buy peat washers in special stores, hypermarkets or on the Internet.

How to use?

Tomatoes in peat tablets are grown in different ways - in mini-greenhouses, trays, cassettes.

Before sowing seeds, washers must be prepared. First of all, they are fed with water. To do this, the tablets are soaked in a container with warm water for 15-20 minutes. During this time, they will increase in height by 5-8 times, and the diameter will remain the same.

Several potassium permanganate crystals can be added to the water for additional disinfection and enrichment with potassium substrate. After that, the substrate is placed on a flat surface with the hole up.

To place the tablets, you need to prepare in advance a mini-greenhouse or a container with or without a transparent lid. The lid helps to retain moisture and the required temperature in the peat until germination.

Pills are stacked in such a way that there is no free space between them.This will ensure the stability of both themselves and future seedlings. You can put each washer in a separate container. In a separate cup, seedlings are more mobile - they are easier to transport and move if necessary.

In addition, tall cups are used for growing seedlings of tall varieties of tomatoes. In this case, uncoated tablets can be used. A sponge-like material can be placed on the bottom of the tray to help control substrate moisture.

The container should be tall enough (about 10cm high) to hold the swollen washers and sprout securely. You can place the tablets in special cassettes with individual cups with a volume of at least 0.5 ml. In such a container, seedlings will be securely fixed.

Planting seeds into a tablet

There are a few simple rules on how to use and how to use seedling peat tablets.

Seeds must first be prepared. This can be done in many ways:

The seed is soaked for 1-2 days in a mixture of agave juice and water in a ratio of 1:1. This will increase the resistance of seedlings to adverse environmental conditions and many diseases, and increase yields.
The seed is soaked for 24 hours in a 0.5% solution of baking soda. This promotes early fruiting.
Seeds are soaked for 2 hours in water with the addition of stimulants to speed up germination.
Seed material can be placed for 20 minutes in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. Pre-seeds are wrapped in gauze or bandage.

1-2 seeds are placed in each tablet and deepened with a toothpick by 1.5 cm. Dried seeds, after being placed in the substrate, are additionally moistened with a pipette, and the shell is smeared with a toothpick to facilitate germination.

Top cover with a lid or film. Tomatoes sown in this way quickly develop a strong and well-branched root system.

Optimal conditions for growing seedlings

Seeds germinate 5-10 days after they are sown, sow tomatoes 55-65 days before planting in open ground. Depending on the region, this may be the end of February or the beginning of March. The container with the tablets is placed in a bright, warm place. An east and west window will work well. The optimum temperature for seedlings is +25… +30 ºС.

Care for seedlings consists in regular watering, feeding, ventilation and lighting. It is necessary to regularly open the container for ventilation - at least once a day for 60 minutes.

A sign that the plants need airing is the appearance of condensation on the lid. After spitting seedlings, the coating is removed altogether. If the window sill is cold, the greenhouse is installed on a thick layer of foam and closed from drafts.

Seedling care includes providing good lighting. If there is not enough natural light, phytolamps can be installed. The first 2-3 days after the appearance of the loops, the seedlings are illuminated around the clock, and then they switch to a 16-hour daylight hours.

Top dressing is applied 2-3 weeks after the appearance of sprouts, dissolving fertilizer in water for irrigation. Until this time, the tablet contains enough of its own nutrients. And from now on, fertilizers are applied every 10-14 days.

To do this, you can use nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water), pouring 0.5 cups of solution under each plant. Mineral fertilizers alternate with organic ones. 10 days before planting in the ground, seedlings are watered with superphosphate.

With this method of growing, seedlings do not need picking, but if necessary, each tablet can be placed in a separate larger container. In case of germination of both seeds, one of the sprouts, the weaker one, is removed.

Rules for watering peat tablets

When growing tomatoes in peat tablets, constantly monitor the humidity. Before germination, this is easier to do thanks to the lid. Features of growing seedlings in the future are constant moisture. Even short-term drying of the substrate leads to the death of crops.

The pill container must have holes for drainage. It is placed in a special tray. Planted tomatoes can be watered in 2 ways: through a pallet or by spraying. Before germination, it is better to moisten the substrate with an aerosol. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the small sprouts.

After germination, it is more convenient to water the seedlings through the pan, where water is poured. Loose peat, thanks to its capillary structure and high water permeability, absorbs as much moisture as needed. Excess water must be drained. Adult seedlings can be sprayed 1-2 times a day.

Growing seedlings in large quantities has its own characteristics. In this case, drip irrigation is practiced.

First Achievements

After germination, you need to follow the roots. After the appearance of the root from the bottom of the tablet, it is cut. The puck itself is cut in 2-4 places and placed in a larger container or seedlings are planted in open ground.

If the plants develop unevenly, the tableted substrate is interchanged or transferred to a more suitable place. For example, ready-made plants are taken out into the open air for hardening.

After 1.5 months after germination, flower brushes appear at the sprouts. 10 days later, they are planted in open ground. The first flower cluster can be removed by postponing the transplant for a week.

Quality seedlings should have thick stems, large leaves and a well-developed root system.

Secrets of experienced gardeners

A common mistake gardeners make is growing seedlings on the wrong substrate. The use of pelletized peat eliminates this problem. Washers are convenient to use when growing seedlings both for open ground and for greenhouses.

In order for seedlings to develop before planting, they must be sown no later than March 25th. Seeds are kept on wet gauze for 5 days before immersion in the substrate to accelerate germination. Another secret - after germination, you need to lower the temperature to +16 ºС for hardening.

Some gardeners remove the protective shell from the pills. It is not necessary to do this, as the planted tomatoes are able to break through the shell with their roots.

Video: how to use peat tablets

On the Internet you can find videos of master classes on growing seedlings of tomatoes and other vegetable crops using peat washers with all the secrets and features.