To obtain an excellent harvest of tomatoes, as experienced gardists know, it is not enough to buy good seeds, grow seedlings and plant them in a greenhouse. For tomatoes, you also need to take care of them properly. Especially it concerns the watering of this hothouse culture. After all, a tomato is a water-loving plant and it will develop well and bear fruit only if a certain moisture content is maintained in the greenhouse. Let's try to find out how and when to water the tomatoes in the greenhouse.
The correct watering of tomatoes in the greenhouse
Greenhouse tomatoes like moist soil and dry air. However, an excess of moisture can adversely affect plants. For example, if for some reason the tomatoes were not watered for a long time, and then they were sharply started to water abundantly, the fruits will begin to rapidly absorb moisture, and a thin skin will burst on them. Also from the excess moisture, the fruits become watery and lose their sugar content. Excessive watering leads to the development of fungal diseases of tomatoes, dropping ovaries and fruits.
If the soil is well moistened, the tomatoes will easily transfer high temperatures: the leaves of the plants begin to evaporate the moisture and they will cool. If irrigation is rare and irregular, moisture from the leaves evaporates slowly and the overheating of the fruits occurs. To determine if enough moisture in the soil, take a handful of earth from a depth of about 10 cm and squeeze it. If the earth easily blends into the "bun", and then as easily and disintegrated, then it is sufficiently moistened.
There is a certain pattern of watering tomatoes in a greenhouse: you need to water it seldom, but very abundantly. Negative influence on tomatoes frequent watering in small doses.
Often beginners gardeners are interested in how many times a week to water tomatoes in the greenhouse. The optimal regime for watering tomatoes in a greenhouse is one or two times. Sprinkling of tomato seedlings in the greenhouse before its flowering should be in 5 days. However, remember that when the soil dries up, the seedlings may die. The irrigation norm for one adult shrub tomato in the greenhouse is one bucket of water. It is better if its temperature is about 20-22 ° C. A barrel of water can be placed directly in the greenhouse. Just do not forget to cover it with plastic wrap, so as not to create excessive humidity.
Watering tomatoes should be done only under the root, while avoiding the dropping of water on the leaves. This should be done carefully, so that the ground does not erode near the tomato trunks. Some make around the bushes tomato wells into which water is poured during watering. And you can make grooves along the beds with tomatoes and let the water through them.
It is best to water the greenhouse tomatoes in the morning. Some mistakenly believe that this should be done in the evening. However, after the evening watering, a high humidity occurs, which together with lower night temperatures can lead to diseases of tomatoes.
After the watering is over, it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse, opening all the doors and windows. This will save your tomatoes from the greenhouse effect, which causes disease of tomatoes. In order for moisture to evaporate not so quickly, you can mulch the soil around tomato bushes
Today, more and more gardeners are arranging drip irrigation for tomatoes in the greenhouse . Such a dosed feeding of plants contributes to a significant increase in the yield of tomatoes.
To accelerate the ripening of tomato fruit, about 3 weeks before harvesting, watering the tomato should be stopped.
As you can see, if you properly water tomatoes in a greenhouse and carefully take care of them, you can get an excellent harvest of these delicious fruits.