Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse: varieties, planting and care with video
A large number of experienced vegetable growers are familiar with the technology of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse and there is nothing strange in this. After all, it is with the help of this method that you can get a good harvest throughout the year.
Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse is not an easy job, which is quite difficult to handle without preparation. Therefore, you need to learn in advance how to grow and how to plant tomatoes in greenhouses.
Greenhouse varieties
Before you grow tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you need to choose the most suitable variety for this growing method. There are many types of tomatoes that grow well in greenhouses.
Bullheart
The variety is distinguished by determinate and vigorous bushes that can grow up to two meters. Planting and caring for such a plant must be properly performed. During care, it is necessary to cut and tie the bushes so that they are not damaged under the load of fruits.
The first fruits appear 100-130 days after planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse.
At best, about ten kilograms of tomatoes can be harvested from one plant. The largest fruits are placed at the bottom of the bushes, and the smaller tomatoes are at the top. Tomatoes are painted in dark raspberry color, their average weight is one hundred grams. However, if the care of tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse was done correctly, then the mass can be more than 500 grams.
Pink Elephant
This is a fairly common large-fruited greenhouse variety, which is recommended for growing in greenhouses.A pink elephant is not suitable for every gardener, as he needs care and attention. Therefore, before planting, it is recommended to learn how to care for tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. With proper care, you can get tomatoes weighing more than one kilogram.
The pink elephant has medium-sized bushes that grow up to 70-80 cm. During the cultivation of tomatoes, brushes form on the plant, each of them has 5-7 tomatoes. The fruits begin to sing 100-120 days after planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse.
The fruits of the Pink Elephant are colored bright pink, have a round shape and weigh about two hundred grams. Due to their considerable size, tomatoes are rarely used for conservation. Most often they are eaten fresh or made into vegetable salads.
Cowheart
Many people, before planting tomatoes, are looking for the most productive tomatoes.One of these varieties is the Cow's Heart, the main feature of which is large fruits weighing more than one kilogram. Some plant this variety in the open field, but to improve the yield, it is recommended to grow tomatoes in greenhouses.
Cow's heart is distinguished by high one and a half meter bushes. They need periodic garter and pruning. Also, the plant should be formed into several stems.
Tomatoes are colored pink with a slight raspberry tint. They have a good sweetish taste, in which sourness is completely absent. The shelf life of grown fruits is not very long, so you need to use them immediately. Most often, they are used to make tomato juice or preserves.
Mikado pink
Lovers of fresh vegetable salads prefer to grow Mikado pink tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. It is from them that you can cook delicious salads and dishes.
The bushes stand out for their height, which reaches two and a half meters. Since they are too high, care for tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse should be accompanied by regular garters to three-meter supports. Also, the plant needs pinching, during which all leaves and stepchildren located in the lower part of the bush must be removed.
To get the maximum number of fruits, the cultivation technology and the correct planting pattern of tomatoes must be observed. They must be planted in a 50 x 50 pattern so that the bushes are not too close to each other. Also, the plant should be regularly watered with settled water and fed. If everything is done correctly, then fruits weighing more than 500 grams will grow on the bushes. They have dense flesh and peel, which allows them to be stored for a long time and transported over long distances.
Greenhouse preparation
Before you grow tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, you need to start preparing the room where they will be grown. It is recommended to do this in early spring in order to have time to finish the work for planting.
Wash
First you need to carefully examine everything in a polycarbonate greenhouse to make sure it is intact. If some elements are damaged, you will have to replace them and only then proceed with the wash.
Walls, roof and glass elements are recommended to be washed not only from the inside, but also from the outside. To do this, it is recommended to use special glass cleaners. It is recommended to pay special attention to the joints, as it is in them that a lot of dirt accumulates.
Preparation for decontamination
Planting a tomato in a polycarbonate greenhouse should only be carried out in a pre-disinfected polycarbonate greenhouse. However, before proceeding with processing, preparatory work should be carried out.
Before disinfecting the greenhouse, you need to clean it of moss that could appear in winter. To do this, you can use a weak solution of iron sulfate, with which you can get rid of spores.
Also, the greenhouse must be completely cleared of the remnants of last year's plants. Quite often they are a source of diseases, so if they are not burned in a timely manner, then there is a risk of infection of the planted bushes.
Lime processing
Quite often, unheated greenhouses are treated with bleach. With its help, you can protect the room from diseases such as white rot, keel, late blight and black leg. It is recommended to carry out disinfection in the fall. It is possible to use bleach in the spring only if the planting of tomato seedlings in the greenhouse is postponed to the beginning of May. If you plant it immediately after disinfection, the lime will damage the grown bushes.
During processing, a special solution is used, prepared from ten liters of water and 500 grams of the substance. The liquid is used to treat the roof and walls of the structure, and the sediment is used to disinfect wooden elements.
Use of sulfur
Sometimes sulfur is used for decontamination in an unheated room. It helps in protecting seedlings from bacteria and other pathogens. With the help of sulfur, the greenhouse is fumigated. Before that, you need to close the doors and ventilation so that the fumes do not quickly disappear.
One hundred grams of substance is used to process one square meter. If there is a spider mite in the greenhouse, then the dose will have to be increased several times.
Formalin treatment
Formalin is used to treat the greenhouse so that mold, fungi and spider mites do not appear in it. There are certain secrets of using this substance. For example, before using it, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the greenhouse. This is done so that the formalin does not evaporate too quickly. You need to process the room with a weak solution.
After the work, the temperature rises to 20-25 degrees and is kept at this level for several days. This treatment method will be effective if used a month before planting.
Seed preparation
Tomato seedlings are planted after sowing and seed germination. However, before that, it is necessary to do their preliminary preparation.
Soaking
Before planting tomatoes in a greenhouse, it is necessary to soak the seed. This is done in order to speed up the appearance of the first shoots. Sometimes, after soaking, seedling growth is accelerated by 5-10 days.
To soak the seeds, they are placed in warm water heated to 25 degrees Celsius. In liquid, it should be infused for several days. During this time, you should change the water to new water every 5-8 hours.
Decontamination
Before planting tomatoes, tomato seeds are disinfected. They may contain viral and bacterial diseases, so young bushes can get sick and die without disinfection.
For disinfection, a mixture is used, made from a weak 2% hydrogen solution, preheated to 40 degrees. Placement and soaking of seeds in the mixture should take place in a warm room. They should be in peroxide for a day, after which the seeds are washed with warm water.
You can also disinfect planting material with mineral fertilizers. A mixture of potassium nitrate, superphosphate and manganese is ideal for this.
Preparing the soil and planting seeds
Not every gardener knows when to plant tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse. The timing of planting tomatoes for seedlings depends on the region in which they will be grown.Residents of the middle lane are advised to plant them in the first half of March. For gardeners from the northern regions, planting should be postponed to early April.
Soil preparation
To plant tomatoes, you can use almost any soil. To increase the yield, you can add equal parts of peat or sand to it. Some also add sawdust or mullein to the soil. Before planting, the ground must be disinfected in advance by heat treatment. To do this, the earth is placed in special containers and placed in a microwave or oven. It is not recommended to warm the soil for too long. It is enough to keep it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
Sometimes the method of freezing is used to sterilize the earth. The prepared soil for seedlings is taken out at the beginning of winter to the street and stands there for three months. It will be possible to bring it back only a few weeks before sowing.
Landing
Before planting tomatoes, you need to familiarize yourself with how to properly plant seeds for growing seedlings.
It is recommended to place the seeds in small boxes about 15-20 cm high. However, they should not be planted too densely. The distance between each seed should be 5-10 cm. If you do not want to plant seeds in boxes, then they can be placed in peat pots.
Tomatoes should be planted in moist soil so that the first shoots appear much faster.
Growing seedlings
The amount of the future harvest directly depends on how the seedlings were grown. Seedlings should grow in a room with a temperature of more than 20 degrees. Therefore, it is better to use heated rooms for growing. Before the appearance of the first shoots, containers with tomatoes should be under the film. When the first leaves appear on the seedlings, it will have to be transferred to the windowsill so that the plant gets used to the sun's rays.During the cultivation of seedlings, it is necessary to gradually lower the temperature. During the day it should not exceed 15 degrees.
Young seedlings should be periodically watered with heated water. It is enough to water the plant twice a week with a fine mist.
Planting seedlings and caring for tomatoes
It is recommended to plant tomatoes in a greenhouse when the seedlings are one and a half months old. By this time, the first brushes appear at the bushes and the root system is fully formed. Before you get started, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with some tips for planting seedlings.
Landing
Proper planting of a tomato in a greenhouse begins with choosing the optimal location for the plant. It is not recommended to plant it in poorly lit and dark places, as this may adversely affect the development of tomatoes.
It is also necessary to prepare the soil. Most varieties of tomatoes quickly suck out all the nutrients from the soil. Therefore, you need to take care in advance that there is a sufficient amount of nutrients in the ground. Compost, humus and some mineral supplements are added to the soil.
Seedlings are planted in small holes. Their depth should not be too great. It is recommended to make holes so that they can completely cover the measles system. The distance between each hole should be 35 cm. The indent between the rows is made larger - 60-70 cm. After all the seedlings have been placed in the ground, the area is sprayed with water and compacted.
Care
To get a good harvest of tomatoes, young bushes need to be properly looked after.
Not all gardeners know whether it is necessary to spud tomatoes in a greenhouse. This procedure must be carried out without fail. The first hilling is carried out a few weeks after planting the seedlings in the soil. The next time the procedure is repeated a day after watering the plants.
Tomatoes in the greenhouse do not need to be watered too often. It is enough to do this once a week. During watering, no more than a liter of water is consumed per plant bush. For this, it is recommended to use only heated and settled water. The most suitable irrigation method for tomatoes is the drip method. It allows water to flow evenly into the soil and does not affect the level of humidity in any way.
Conclusion
Growing tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse is pretty easy. To do this, you need to study their growing characteristics and decide when to plant tomatoes. Also, if you are planting tomatoes in a polycarbonate greenhouse, a video with detailed instructions will help you do everything right.
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