Gardening Vivian | 27 Feb 2011 06:13 pm
Great Tips For Plating Tomato Seeds
Plant Tomato Seed – Tips on How to Successfully Plant Tomato Seeds
Do you think planting tomatoes is that easy? For people who already know the techniques behind tomato planting, it is kind of easy. However, it will be difficult but challenging for those who still want to start planting tomato seeds.
Here are the few tips on how to plant tomato seed:
1.Avoid crowding of the seedlings.
If you are trying to plant tomato seed, you should be able to give the seedlings room to branch out. Transplant the plant when they get their first true leaves and move them into 4″ pot two weeks after the transplant.
You must remember that close conditions inhibit the growth of your tomato plants.
2.Tomato plants must have enough lights.
Tomato plants need strong direct sunlight or they must be 14-18 hours under grow light. You must place the young plants just a couple of inches from the florescent grow light. If you decided to plant the tomatoes outside, you should look for the sunniest part of your vegetable plot.
When you want to start seeds indoor, it will require some types of supplemental lighting. The choice of the plant lights will depend on the number of the seedlings you are starting with and the area you need to light.
You can choose from a single lamp bulb up to the 1000 watt high intensity lights. You can purchase a ready-made movable set-up or you can also set up a simple shop light system.
3.Your tomato seedlings need a fan!
In order for the tomato plants to develop strong stems, you should make it a point that you provide a breeze on them for 5-10 minutes. That will be through the use of a fan. Tomato plants need to move and sway in the breeze.
4.You must preheat the soil in the garden.
You must know by now that tomatoes love heat. Therefore, before you intend to plant, you should cover the planting area with black or red plastic a couple of weeks.
The idea of covering the planting area with red mulch is much more advisable. It is scientifically proven that red mulch reflects and bounces far-red light wavelengths back up into your tomato plants.
This presence of red light wavelength hastens the growth of tomato plants via the reaction with a specific pigment in the tomato plants (pytochrome).
However, enough sunlight and right temperature are also some factors to consider in producing good tomato plants.
5.Bury the tomato plants!
It is a good thing if you bury the tomato plant all the way up to a few leaves. This way, tomatoes are able to develop roots along their stems. You can dig a deeper hole to bury it.
Or you may also simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the tomato plant sideways. It will then straighten up and grow toward the sun.
6.Remove the leaves of tomato from the bottom.
When the tomato plant has reached 3″ in height, you should remove the leaves from the bottom 1″ of stem. It is due to the fungus problems that are developed on the first leaves.
These parts of the leaves get only minimal amount of sunlight and soil borne pathogens can be unintentionally splashed up onto them.
7.Pinch and prune tomato plants!
You should remove and pinch the suckers that are developed in the crotch joint of the branches. These will not bear fruit and will take energy away from the rest of the plant. You can thin the leaves to allow the sun to reach the ripening fruit.
However, you must be very careful in doing it because you should remember that it is the leaves where photosynthesis occur and thus, where the production of sugar happens. Hence, it gives flavor to your tomatoes.
8.Regularly water the tomato plants.
While the plants are developing you should water them regularly and deeply. If you did not water them regularly, it will end up to blossom end rot and cracking. If you lessen the water once the fruit begins to ripen, water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars.
These are the tips on how to successfully plant tomato seed. You must be very observant with all these things so as to have good tomato harvest at all times. Planting tomato seeds is never easy but it is also not difficult to do so, as long as you are guided with the right things to get done.