Proper care for tomatoes in the open - a simple matter for an ordinary gardener. Tomatoes are easy to grow with a crop that yields a small crop in almost any year, but the responsible host of the garden is guaranteed to provide itself with high quality and delicious fruits even in the worst weather season.
Tomato varieties for open ground
All varieties of this culture can be classified according to different parameters - by the strength of growth, by maturity, by the size of the fruit. Choosing the seeds of tomatoes for care and growing outdoors, you need to know exactly for what purpose you want to harvest. For preservation, small and dense tomatoes, which can easily be placed in a can, are optimal, for salads, taste qualities are at the top of the list.
Determinant types. This kind is suitable for summer residents, who prefer to care for tomatoes in the open ground without the high costs and arrangement of the trellis. The determinant bushes have a compact appearance, grow slowly, the first buds form over 6-8 leaves. After the formation of several inflorescences, the growth in the plant is suspended. Advantages of determinant tomatoes - low, with a good early harvest and a friendly return of fruits. Disadvantages of the species - the bushes are poorly ventilated, they are more often ill, they are inferior to tall tomatoes in general yield.
The best tomatoes for outdoor treatment of the determinant type:
- Oakwood,
- The riddle,
- Alpha,
- Valentine,
- Explosion,
- Sanka,
- Volgogradsky 323,
- Bagheera F1,
- Linda F1,
- Rio Grande.
Indeterminate varieties and hybrids. Caring for tomatoes in the open ground can be conducted in a small area with the use of trellises or stakes, sowing tall, productive seeds of this crop. This approach helps to obtain high yields, removing fruits from the bushes until frost, because indeterminacy implies an unlimited growth of shoots. The bushes enter fruiting later, forming buds not earlier than 7 leaves.
Advantages of indeterminate tomatoes - productivity from bushes is several times higher, the number of brushes reaches 50, tomatoes are light in shape, with long fruit bearing. Disadvantages of tall species - the first crop is obtained almost a month later than in stunted forms, in cold regions, caring for tomatoes in the open ground can cause problems due to a short summer.
The best indeterminate tomatoes:
- A bull's heart,
- The king is orange,
- The Golden Queen,
- Veja,
- De-Barao,
- Hybrid Tarasenko,
- Bogatyr Maslova,
- Crimson Ozharovsky,
- Watermelon,
- Verlioq F1,
- The scarlet mustang.
How to care for tomatoes in the open ground?
After acquiring the seeds of tomatoes, cultivation and care in the open ground begin with obtaining quality seedlings. In a warm climate, people often practice the sowing of tomatoes directly into the ground, losing valuable time and the opportunity to obtain their own early products. Often in the second half of summer there are epidemics of fungal diseases, which do not allow to receive high-quality tomatoes until the end of the season. Having seedlings at the time of planting with age from 55 days, you will be able to compete with the market and avoid a lot of problems.
Growing seedlings of tomatoes for open ground can be produced on a balcony or loggia, on a window sill, in a vegetable garden in greenhouses, in greenhouses. Caring for seedlings in the open field is suitable for Ukraine, the North Caucasus, the South of Russia. This work requires a daytime temperature outside the window of at least 15 ° C, without significant frost. When growing in an apartment you need to create good lighting for seedlings, there are difficulties with tempering plants, when you have to gradually accustom them to the open sun.
What temperature do tomatoes stand in the open ground?
Doing tomatoes, do not forget that we are dealing with an extremely thermophilic culture. Caring for tomatoes at negative temperatures is unthinkable, even a prolonged cooling to 1-3 ° C of heat leads to damage and death of plantings. The most cold-resistant varieties survive with frost minus 3 ° C in exceptional cases when there is windless weather. The buds are best pollinated at a temperature of 22-25 ° C, tomatoes grow most rapidly at an air temperature of 20-24 ° C.
Caring for tomatoes after planting
Quenching seedlings, the temperature is reduced gradually to 10-15 ° C, while accustoming them to the open sun. Ideal seedlings are plants with several flower brushes. If the weather did not allow the seedlings to be planted in time, the extended seedlings deepen into the pits at 3/4 of the height of the stem, stimulating the growth of additional roots. Care for seedlings tomato at an early stage is to watering, loosening the ground, the beginning of the formation of the bush by removing excess stepsons.
Heavy soil will have to constantly loosen the first two weeks after the landing. In the care of tomatoes in the open ground can not do without hilling, this method increases the root formation, contributes to saturating the earth with oxygen. The first time we plant the plants 10 days after planting, again - after 20 days. For better effect, hilling is preceded by a good watering of the bushes.
Watering tomatoes in the open ground
In the question of how to water tomatoes in the open ground, calculate the amount of water that plants need. The most dangerous period - the time of setting and pouring fruits, in the heat they crumble or grow small. The optimal way - drip irrigation. In the absence of this system, we use the supply of water in the furrows, under the bush, without wetting the leaves. It is desirable to water in the evening, the subsequent loosening destroy the crust.
What to feed tomatoes in the open ground?
Fertilizers are produced at least three to four times a summer, it is optimal to perform this process every 14 days during the growing season. Tomatoes with top dressing and care in the open ground in compliance with the rules of farming produce high yields and less sick. The dates of these events are combined with a special period of development of bushes, helping to stimulate flowering or growth of fruits. Fertilizing with liquid complex fertilizer is carried out according to the manufacturer's instructions (Ideal, Growth-Concentrate and others) or a 3-day infusion of bird droppings at a concentration of 1:15.
When the top dressing of tomatoes is done:
- The first time we feed - 20 days after planting the seedlings in the open ground.
- The second feeding is with the beginning of bud opening.
- The third application of nutrients - with the dissolution of the third brush.
- The fourth feeding is after 14 days.
How to care for stunted tomatoes?
Superdeterminant tomatoes do not require artificial formation, and determinant varieties in the majority are subjected to pasynkovaniyu . With proper care for tomatoes in the open ground, several options are used. The first case is the formation in one stem before the spontaneous cessation of growth. The second option - leave one or a pair of stepsons, which form one flower brush. Sometimes, on the main shoot, 5 inflorescences are laid, and then it is pricked, continuing to form a bush with the help of a growing shoot from the upper leaf of the shoot.
Caring for tall tomatoes
In addition to tying stems, caring for tomatoes involves the formation of a plant. For tall varieties up to 2 meters and more, the development in one stem is suitable, when all the lateral sprouts break out. When forming in two shoots, a stepchild stepson and shoot, formed under the first brush with buds, are left. In this case, up to 4 inflorescences are left on the main stem, on the side stepchild is 3. When forming into three shoots, we get a powerful bush that forms the main stem and the two lower stepchildren. On additional shoots we leave on 2 brushes, on the main - 3 inflorescences.
Pasynkovanie tomato in the open ground
In the care of tomatoes, pasynaking is the most important process, unnecessary shoots weaken the plant, taking the juices to themselves, which causes the appearance of small non-standard fruits. Try not to pull out the side shoots with force, but to break them with your fingers, carefully pulling them aside. We cut off thick shoots with a knife or a blade. The procedure is done in the morning, for a day the hemp dries up. Healthy plants step in first, dubious bushes discard or pasynkovanie on them do the other day.
Unspacked tomatoes - care
This group of tomatoes includes low-growth varieties and hybrids with an ultra-early maturity period of up to 95 days, including Dubok, Gnome, Nevsky, Snowdrop, Miracle of Siberia, Watercolor, Lord, Vityaz. In business, how to care for tomatoes of non-popping varieties, there are no tricks. Fruits on them perfectly ripen at the expense of rare foliage, and the small plant itself is stable and does not require a garter. The main methods of agricultural technology for these plants in the open field are treatment of diseases, hilling, watering, loosening of the soil.
Garter the tomato in the open ground
For a garter, a twine and a synthetic fabric cut into strips, a suspender for grapes, are suitable. It is not recommended to use a fishing line or a thin wire. Planting varieties of tall tomatoes in the garden, plan how to care for the bushes in good time. Pegs are suitable for medium-sized bushes, the height of such a support should exceed the height of the plant. Tall tomatoes require trellis or stakes 2-2.5 m long. On permanent beds for tomatoes, some vegetable growers build metal and wooden structures in the form of a strong cell or a complex frame.
Care for Blooming Tomatoes
In addition, pollination is required in a greenhouse, on the open ground with this task cope with insects and wind, in addition, tomatoes are famous for self-pollination. You can help the bushes, gently shaking the shoots with blossoming brushes with a periodicity of 3 days. For tomatoes in the ground, there are secrets of care that simulate the tying of fruits. Increases the yield of spraying plants with special preparations during the formation of brushes, the "Buton", "Ovary", succinic acid, various balanced fertilizers with microelements have proved themselves well.
Tomato diseases in the open ground
One of the main dangers that threatens tomatoes in care are diseases of viral and fungal origin. Tomatoes suffer from late blight , rot, necrosis, alternaria, curly hair, patchiness, cracking of fruit, mosaic, other troubles. Change in color of leaves, shrinkage of shoots, formation of spots - signs of a beginning epidemic. In the protection of tomatoes, the main role is played by preventive treatments. Strictly observe the waiting times after spraying, during the ripening period of tomatoes use biological products.
The main means for combating fungal diseases:
- Fast,
- Ridomil,
- Barrier,
- The screen,
- Phytosporin,
- Bordeaux mixture,
- Copper chloride,
- Horus,
- Zineb.