To obtain a large, high-quality and tasty tomato crop, you need to feed them in a timely manner, starting with seedling fertilizer. Feeding the latter can be done in different ways - to make fertilizer yourself or purchase a finished product.
The general scheme of feeding tomatoes
At the stage of growing seedlings, tomatoes are fed several times. Fertilizer is first introduced when the first true leaves appear. Then fertilizer is applied half a month after the dive. The last top dressing is carried out 1.5 weeks before planting in the ground.
In addition, seedlings can be fertilized if it grows poorly or there are signs of a shortage of a substance.
Tomatoes must also be fertilized throughout the growing period. On average, this must be done 4 times according to the following scheme:
- The first top dressing is needed about half a month after planting the bushes in open ground.
- The second time the crop needs to be fertilized after another half a month, when the second inflorescence blossoms.
- The following top dressing is performed during mass flowering.
- It is necessary to fertilize the crop during fruiting. It is necessary to refuse top dressing for half a month before harvesting. During this period, it should be limited only to root top dressing.
This feeding scheme is a generalized option. The plant may need additional measures.
By the appearance of the culture, you can determine what substances it lacks. In this case, it is necessary to additionally make the necessary fertilizer:
- nitrogen when the lower leaves fall;
- phosphorus during darkening of leaves and the appearance of purple in the veins;
- potassium with a yellow-green or orange border on leaf plates;
- magnesium with brittle seedlings;
- calcium with a decrease in stem growth, yellowing and falling of foliage.
It is important to focus the nutrition of tomatoes on the features of the soil, the variety of culture, its condition. For problematic plants, fertilizers should be applied once every half a month, when in standard situations top dressing is required 2-3 times less often.
Root dressing should be performed according to the standard scheme. Additionally resort to foliar top dressing, which can be done once a week.
Ready-made fertilizers for tomato seedlings
The easiest way to feed tomatoes is to purchase the finished product in the store and use it according to the instructions. The most popular fertilizers from the store are:
- Sudarushka tomato. The product is appropriate for both root and foliar top dressing. To prepare in a 10-liter bucket of water add 0.5-1 tsp. composition.
- Babe. With this solution, seedlings and planted grown crops can be fed. It helps the development of the root system and increase the stress resistance of plants. The product is also suitable for soaking seeds in order to accelerate and increase germination.
- Signor Tomato Bio Vita. The composition is a mixture of organics and minerals. It promotes the formation of ovaries, increases productivity and improves the taste of fruits. Root dressing is performed by dissolving 5 tbsp. funds in a bucket of water.
- Urea. Such top dressing is usually used when 2-3 real leaves have formed in seedlings. For a 10-liter bucket of water you need only 1 tbsp. facilities.
- Nitrophoska. This complex composition of mineral origin is applied a week after liquid fertilizer. 1 tbsp. funds are dissolved in a liter of water. This volume is enough to feed 25-30 seedling bushes.
- Diammofoska. This mineral composition is used at the stage of digging the soil. 35 g of funds are enough per square meter. The same fertilizer can be applied by the root method when watering adult plants. In this case, 1-2 hours of fertilizer is dissolved in a bucket of water.
- Humate. This tool is universal. In it, seeds are soaked, seedlings and an adult culture are watered with them. For top dressing root and leaf use 1 tbsp. fertilizer on a bucket of water.
- Mortar. This fertilizer is versatile and comprehensive. To accelerate the development of the fruit, a brand A agent is used, during harvesting, the composition of brand B. To prepare the solution, add 10 g of fertilizer to a 10-liter bucket of water.
- Heteroauxin. This drug stimulates the growth and formation of ovaries. The solution prepared according to the instructions is used for spraying.
Sudarushka tomato
Solution "Baby"
Fertilizer "Senior tomato Bio Vita"
Urea dressing
Nitrofoska fertilizer
Fertilizer "Diammofoska"
Humate fertilizer
Fertilizer "Solution"
The drug "Heteroauxin"
Folk remedies for feeding tomato seedlings
For fertilizing tomatoes, it is not necessary to use ready-made products from the store. For top dressing, there are folk recipes:
- At the stage of growing seedlings, you can use dry yeast. The contents of one sachet should be dissolved in a glass of water, adding 2 tbsp. Sahara. The product should be infused for half an hour, then it is diluted in 5 liters of water and watered seedlings. The use of such a composition is well reflected in the further development of culture.
- Eggshell. The product must be heated in the oven, chopped and pour water for a day. With this solution, it is good to water the seedlings, distributing a glass of the product to 3-4 bushes.
- Banana peel. It is enough to pour the peel of one fruit per day with a liter of water. The resulting composition is enough to water 20 bushes of seedlings. Such top dressing is carried out when the plant already has 4 true leaves.
- If the seedlings grow poorly, then it must be poured with honey water. To do this, dissolve 1 tbsp in a liter of water. product.
- Sugar. They can be sprinkled with earth around the bush or made a solution for irrigation by adding 2 parts of the product to a glass of water. Such sweet dressing can be done once a month.
- Black bread. It is necessary to fill it with water at the rate of 1 liter per 0.1 kg of product and leave it warm for 4 days. Then strain the product and dilute the resulting liquid in 10 parts of water. For feeding, half a liter of solution per bush is enough.
Organic matter
Organics as fertilizers are attractive natural origin. It can be used at various stages of crop cultivation.
Before planting seedlings, organics are introduced into prepared wells. To do this, resort to compost or humus. Just one handful of the selected product per well is enough. Effectively add also a pinch of ash.
If there is no compost with humus, then green tea will perfectly replace them. Such a composition is prepared by pouring plant materials with water and insisting. Use this infusion immediately after transplanting seedlings. To enhance the result, you can add ash and mullein. It is better to fertilize tomatoes with green tea based on nettles.
Used for fertilizing tomatoes and peat. This breed is considered a universal remedy and perfectly regulates the moisture content of any type of soil. Peat itself contains an insignificant amount of nutrients, therefore it can be effectively used in combination with other organics.
Another good fertilizer is bird droppings. It is effective to use it during mass flowering, so that later good ovaries are formed. To feed in a 10-liter bucket of water, half a liter of organic matter is dissolved. Effectively add potassium sulfate (1 tbsp. L.) To the solution. Instead of bird droppings, mullein can be used - a solution is prepared according to the same principle.
One of the popular organic fertilizers for seedlings of tomatoes is ash. Get it by burning branches, straw, firewood, charcoal. The product is rich in trace elements, potassium and phosphorus. To obtain a nutrient solution, it is enough to dissolve 2 tbsp. funds in a bucket of hot water and leave for a day.
During the formation of the ovaries, infused wood ash is used as top dressing. It is bred in water in a ratio of 1: 5. Boric acid (10 g per bucket) can be added to the solution.
Ash can reduce the effectiveness of other fertilizers, so it should not be added to lime, mullein, bird droppings, phosphate rock. Do not combine it with nitrogen - it will be possible to add it no earlier than in a month.
Ash can provoke the formation of a crust on the soil, because it is not applied in a superficial way, but embedded in 10 cm deep.
Pharmacy products
You can fertilize tomato seedlings with the help of pharmacy products. This option is attractive in terms of affordability, versatility and efficiency.
The following remedies will help in the cultivation of tomatoes:
- Iodine. At the stage of growing seedlings, it is enough to add a drop of iodine in 3 l of water for irrigation, so that the fruits are larger in the future, and the yield is larger. After planting, you can feed it with iodine again - for 10 bushes, 3 drops of the product, diluted in a bucket of water, are enough.
- Zelenka. This solution can be used to treat damaged areas on plants. When combating late blight, you need to add 40 drops of the product to a bucket of water and spray the culture. If you dissolve a whole vial of brilliant green in a bucket and shed the beds, then you can get rid of slugs.
- Hydrogen peroxide. This medication helps fight late blight. It is enough to dissolve 1 tbsp in a bucket of water. facilities. You can add 40 drops of iodine to the same solution.
- Boric acid. This tool perfectly stimulates fruit set. An effective solution for spraying can be obtained by adding 2 g of the product in 10 l of water.
- Manganese. It is used for foliar top dressing. It is enough to dissolve 2 g of crystals in 10 l of water. Such a solution serves as a prophylaxis against diseases and pests.
- Metronidazole (Trichopolum). This medication serves as an excellent prevention of late blight. It is enough to dissolve one tablet (250 mg) in a liter of water and spray the culture.
- Tar soap. This tool helps fight pests. A bar of soap is dissolved in 10 l of water and the plants are doused.
When tomatoes do not need top dressing?
On sunny days, dressing should be carried out in the early morning or evening. Otherwise, liquid spillage on the leaves may result in sunburn.
Tomatoes should not be fed for about a crescent after a dive. Such a break is necessary for the plant to restore the root system.
You should also wait half a month after transplanting seedlings into the ground. This interval is necessary for rest and adaptation of culture.
No need to often feed plants. It is important to follow the standard scheme, light weekly dressings are also allowed. Exceeding the norm of nutrients can be as harmful to the culture as their lack.
Fertilizing tomato seedlings is an important component of their cultivation. Using fertilizers, you can provide the plant with the necessary nutrients, accelerate its growth and the formation of ovaries, increase productivity and taste. Properly selected nutritional products also help reduce the risk of various crop diseases.