Content:
Tomatoes are perhaps one of the most common vegetable crops that summer residents love to grow on the site. Strong, viable seedlings are a guarantee of a new rich harvest. The Chinese way of growing tomato seedlings is becoming more and more popular. It is worth figuring out what its essence, advantages, disadvantages and difficulties are.
Growing tomatoes according to Chinese technology
For over 15 years, the Chinese have been growing tomatoes this way in greenhouses and in the open field. In Russia it was called the Terekhin method. This family was the first to try to grow tomatoes on their plot using Chinese technology.
How the Chinese grow tomatoes: seedlings at the age of one month are cut to the very root. Then they are planted again, rooted and grown.
Chinese way of growing tomato seedlings
Such "shock therapy", according to the Chinese, provokes rapid growth, as the plant seeks to yield more and faster.
Advantages of growing tomatoes using Chinese technology
According to breeders from China, this method of cultivating tomatoes has several advantages over the conventional method.
- The seedlings can be grown much faster, at least 45 days, than the one that was planted as usual. Accordingly, for planting in the ground or under film shelters, Chinese seedlings will be ready sooner.
- It is disease resistant. Gardeners who grow seedlings using Chinese technology claim that they are not afraid of any diseases, even late blight.
- Saplings do not grow too long, do not support the greenhouse ceiling, and become shorter and stronger.
- The Chinese method of planting tomatoes increases yields. The very first tassel is tied almost at the ground, and not at a height of 60 cm, after the ninth or eleventh leaf. The number of clusters that have time to ripen is greater. It depends on the climatic conditions of the region.
Plants that have suffered stress in the first weeks of life try to give the harvest as soon as possible.
disadvantages
With traditional pruning, for example, the crown of a plant, it is planted again, if it takes root, then stepchildren also grow, that is, more than one seedling can be grown.
Some gardeners who have tried this method claim that the survival rate of cut seedlings is not 100%.
Planting tomatoes in Chinese
Growing any vegetable begins with planting seeds. This stage is very important for the future harvest.
The Chinese pay a lot of attention to seed preparation. Breeders from China are confident that the growth of healthy and strong seedlings directly depends on what phase the moon is in. In their opinion, the waning moon favors the landings when it entered the sign of Scorpio.
Disinfection of tomato seeds
Seed preparation
The process begins with the following steps:
- Seeds must be carefully examined, and those that are moldy or damaged must be discarded.
- Wrap all seed material in a dampened cloth.
- Keep in an ash substance (ash extract) for 180 minutes.
- Immerse the seeds in a weak manganese solution for 25 minutes.
For 12 hours, the seeds must be kept in Epin's solution, removed to a warm place.
After all these water procedures, the tissue with the seed is removed to the refrigerator on the lower shelf. There they will be tempered.
An extract for aging the seeds is prepared as follows: half a glass of ash is poured with 2 liters of boiling water and insisted for a day.
Soil preparation
Seeds can be planted in ordinary soil from the garden, but before that it must be spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and hot. During further work at the stage of picking seedlings, the Chinese method does not allow the use of land from the garden. It contains humus, which contains living organisms, from the vital activity of which tomato seedlings can become infected with rot, get sick and die.
tomato picks
For picking, it is better to purchase a special soil composition in the store - ready-made soil. It is enriched with peat.
Planting seeds
So, the seeds have been thoroughly processed and are ready for planting.
It is necessary to fill the containers in which the seeds will be planted with the soil mixture.
Depressions are made in the soil in the form of tracks, into which seeds are laid at a distance of 3 cm from each other. Top covered with a thin layer of earth.
It is necessary to thoroughly spray the soil with water using a sprayer.
The containers are covered with plastic bags to create a greenhouse effect and put away in a dark but warm place, for example, near a radiator.
Containers with seeds should stand in a dark place for at least 5 days.
Then the packages are removed. Seedlings should appear.
Seedlings are placed along with the rest of the seedlings. From that moment on, they need good lighting so that they do not stretch up.
But at night they are taken to a cold place or lowered to the floor, so that in the future the plants can easily tolerate temperature changes.
The most important thing for the health of tomato seedlings, according to the Chinese, is the lunar phase. The waning moon promotes the development of a powerful root system for future plants.
ripe tomatoes
Seedling picking
It is carried out exactly one month after sowing.
Seedlings in a container with sharp small scissors are cut off near the ground, below the cotyledonous leaves.
Cropped plants must be planted in special pots with a volume of at least 100 ml, since the seedlings are cramped in plastic cups.
A hole is made, where the seedling is buried to the very cotyledons (the first fake leaves). Watered with succinic acid solution.
From above, the seedlings are covered with a bag and removed to a dark place for 2-3 days, so that the seedlings are comfortable to root.
You can dive not immediately into the ground, but first into the water. The water should be at room temperature. A mixture of Epin or succinic acid is added to it. The cups with the solution are also covered with a plastic bag or the same cup.
After a week, the plants will take root, they can be transplanted into the ground.
Most gardeners dive directly into the ground, as they believe that caring for plants in the water, then again transplanting into the soil, takes too much time. Plants take root immediately in the soil no worse than in a glass of water.
After which the seedlings are sent to a lighted place to the rest. At a temperature of 24 - 25 degrees, the seedlings feel comfortable and do not stretch.
Further, the seedlings continue to live their own lives. She is much shorter than her peers.
Seedling care is the same as for the rest of the seedlings:
- loosening;
- watering.
How to use succinic acid
succinic acid
It is an excellent stress reliever that makes the seedlings take root wonderfully. Sold in pills at the pharmacy.
How to prepare a solution.
- Take 2 tablets, 0.1 gram each.
- Grind into powder with a wooden crush.
- Add half a glass of warm water. Mix. A working solution is obtained. Half a glass of solution is diluted in a liter of water.
The liquid is used for rooting, watering, spraying. The shelf life of the succinic acid solution is no more than 3 days.
Planting seedlings in the ground
Before planting in open ground, seedlings are already independent plants. Disembarkation takes place in late May - early June. This largely depends on the climatic conditions of the region.
After 10-12 days, you can feed the tomatoes for the first time. Gardeners highly praise the Baikal fertilizing agent.
The second feeding is carried out when the 3rd brush is laid.
Despite the fact that in our country they learned about growing tomatoes in Chinese relatively recently, many gardeners have already tried it on their plots. They argue that the Chinese way of growing tomatoes works and gives good results. The Chinese technique is considered very promising.
