Indoor tomatoes: growing at home in an apartment

Tomatoes are very fond of not only adults, but also children. Growing tomato seedlings at home is of interest to many people who do not have the opportunity to do this in their summer cottage. Currently, you can find varieties that are specifically designed for growing a house on a balcony or loggia. How is the cultivation of indoor tomatoes?

How to choose indoor tomato seeds

Thanks to breeders at home, it is now possible to breed not only indoor plants, but also vegetable crops. Growing indoor tomatoes is no more difficult than growing a crop in a garden bed.In addition, at home there will be no insects on the bushes that spoil the crop.

Before you start growing tomatoes in the apartment, you need to choose planting material. Indoor varieties have their own characteristics.

• Short stature

Tall varieties of tomatoes are not suitable for growing at home. Due to the limited space, they will not have enough space, and they will not be able to grow normally and produce a stable crop. In a pot, the root system will not be able to develop normally. Low-growing varieties feel great in such conditions.

• Stampedness

Not everyone can form a bush, and this is one of the most important conditions that is necessary for a good harvest. Standard tomato varieties already have a main stem. They do not have to be tied up and side shoots removed.

• Ability to tolerate lack of sunlight and nutrients

Even in greenhouse conditions, seedlings do not receive enough light and useful trace elements. Specially created varieties of tomatoes for growing at home do not need a lot of sun. There are varieties of tomatoes that require artificial lighting only on cloudy days.

A feature of these varieties is the presence of short internodes. Thanks to this characteristic, the bushes do not stretch.

The main disadvantage of growing indoor tomatoes is that it is rarely possible to get a rich harvest. To a greater extent, such varieties are grown as ornamental. There is another significant feature. All varieties of indoor tomatoes are perennials. Therefore, after harvesting, the bushes do not need to rush to throw out. After a while, they will begin to bear fruit again. As a rule, such varieties live an average of 5 years. But the most abundant harvest can only be harvested in the first two years of cultivation.

The timing of planting seedlings and choosing a place for seedlings

How to grow tomatoes at home? First of all, you need to decide on the timing of planting tomato seedlings at home. There are two planting periods to plant tomato seedlings at home.

Seedling planting periods:

• Summer-autumn (we grow seedlings of tomatoes in mid-July - early August, and then the harvest can be obtained in November-December);
• Winter-spring (tomato seedlings are planted at home in November or December, and the harvest can be obtained in March-April).

How to grow tomato seedlings at home? To do this, it is necessary to solve the second important issue - this is the choice of a place for placing boxes with seedlings. It is best to choose southern windows, where the amount of sunlight will be much greater.Also, do not forget about the organization of additional lighting.

Additional lamps are placed at a distance of no less than 20-30 cm from the seedlings. Light day for growing tomatoes at home should not be less than 16 hours.

How to grow he althy tomato seedlings

To grow tomato seedlings, you need to follow some simple recommendations. Growing tomato seedlings is a very important step that needs to be spent a lot of time.

First of all, it is necessary to disinfect the planting material. You need to take potassium permanganate (you can also use iodine). Dilute it in a glass of warm water. Pour the seeds into a glass and leave them for 20 minutes. After that, the planting material is poured with a growth stimulator solution for 12 hours. You can use the drug Epin.

The second stage is the germination of seeds. You can do without it, but by germinating the planting material, you can significantly increase the percentage of germination.

To germinate seeds, you need to take a small amount of warm water, a piece of natural cloth or gauze and a small saucer. Wet the cloth in water, place the seeds there and cover with the second half of the cloth. Put the bundle in a saucer and put it in a warm place (for example, on a battery). After 2-3 days, sprouts should appear. After that, you can start planting germinated seeds in a box.

How to grow seedlings

Peat or ordinary plastic cups are best for growing seedlings, but boxes are also suitable. How to grow tomatoes in order to get a good harvest in the future?

Growing tomato seeds at home:

1. First of all, you need to prepare the ground. You can take it from the garden, or buy a special soil mixture for vegetable crops. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of the box (crushed eggshells, expanded clay, small pebbles or pebbles can be used as drainage).
2. Next, pour out the substrate and pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Make small depressions in the ground and plant the seeds, lightly sprinkle with soil (do not tamp). Water with watering can.
4. Cover the container with glass and put it in a dark and warm place. Every 3 days the glass is cleaned for 20 minutes. This is necessary so that mold does not appear on the soil. It also needs to be watered regularly with warm water.
5. When the first seedlings appear, the containers are transferred to the southern windows, where there is a lot of sunlight. The glass is removed.

After a while, the first pair of full-fledged leaves should appear on the seedlings. After this happens, the bushes can be planted in separate pots. You can grow tomato seedlings for cultivation on the balcony at home in the same way as for planting them in the garden.

Care for indoor tomatoes

Young tomato seedlings are very tender. It can not be placed in drafts and watered with cold water. Also grown seedlings need a lot of sunlight. Therefore, the first weeks will have to constantly turn on additional lighting. It is not advisable to flood the seedlings. If you pour it, the bushes will start to hurt.

If tomatoes are grown in the summer, you can periodically open windows and ventilate the balcony. Another important point of care is the application of mineral and organic fertilizers. In 1 liter of water it is necessary to dilute 2 gr. potassium sulfate, 2 gr. urea and 6 gr.superphosphate. Mineral fertilizers should be applied every 10 days.

Also, mullein, chicken manure and wood ash can be used as a fertilizer for tomatoes. Dilute 1 kg of fertilizer in 10 liters of water and water the bushes every week. Water for irrigation should be at room temperature. Tomatoes need to be watered as the soil dries. It is desirable to pour water next to the bush, but not under the root.

After watering, you can weed the soil. This will allow moisture to be better absorbed and absorbed by the root system. Also, the soil will be saturated with oxygen, which has a positive effect on the growth of tomatoes.

Together with loosening, you can also spud tomatoes. This will help form a powerful root system and ensure a stable harvest. Plants need to be fertilized every two weeks. Dried and damaged leaves are recommended to be removed.They take away some of the nutrients, but do not participate in the formation of the crop.

For the prevention of late blight, plants can be sprayed with a solution of potassium permanganate and garlic juice. To prepare the solution, you need to take 15 gr. potassium permanganate and 1 tsp. garlic juice. You need to spray the entire bush.

How to increase the yield of indoor tomatoes

When growing tomatoes at home, you need to think about artificial pollination of bushes. In order for the ovaries to begin to appear, you can shake the bushes slightly during flowering. It is recommended to remove the top of the main stem and inflorescence. This will help the fruits begin to form faster.

Another effective procedure by which you can ensure the yield is "tearing the roots". The essence of the method is that the tomato bush is taken by the lower part of the trunk and very carefully pulled up, as if pulling it out of the pot.In the process, the small roots that “suck out” the nutrients break off. After the procedure, the plants are watered and spud.

During the flowering of the second and third flower brush, to increase the fruiting of the plant, it is recommended to spray with boric acid. For 1 liter of water you need 2 grams. boric acid.

It is also very important to provide a favorable climate for plants. Tomatoes react negatively to sharp fluctuations in temperature. The most optimal room temperature should be no less than +17 and no higher than +25 degrees.

When growing tomatoes on a window, the humidity should be no more than 60% percent (they do not like abundant humidity). If the humidity is too high, then the tomatoes can get sick with fungal diseases. In the event that the air is too dry, then a container of water can be placed near the containers.

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