What are the key points of tomato planting and management techniques?

Tomato is a food that can be eaten as a fruit and also cooked as a vegetable. During the growing process, tomatoes need proper management to grow well, so how do you manage tomato planting?

1. Basic introduction to tomatoes

Tomato is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant of the order Tubiflorae, family Solanaceae, genus Solanum. It is widely cultivated in northern China. Tomato is a warm-loving vegetable. Under normal conditions, the optimum temperature for assimilation is 20-25°C, and the optimum soil temperature for root growth is 20-22°C.

There are many tomato varieties. The main cultivated varieties include Maofen 802, Yukang No. 4, Yukang No. 5, Qinfen No. 2, Xifen No. 2, Xifen No. 3, Ruby, Super Zaofeng, Zaokui, Qiangfeng, Taiwan Red, Zhongshu No. 4, etc. When selecting varieties, note that for early spring or late autumn cultivation, early-maturing varieties should be chosen, while for cultivation in the main season, mid- to late-maturing varieties should be chosen.

2. How do you manage tomato planting?

1. Fertilization: During the tomato growing period, apply fertilizer appropriately according to the growth condition. Do not apply too much nitrogen fertilizer alone; it must be combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers;

2. Watering: Tomatoes like moisture, and the amount of water to apply differs at different growth stages, so attention must be paid to the amount of watering;

3. Pruning: During the tomato growing period, attention must also be paid to pruning, trellising, and tying vines, so that tomatoes can grow better.

Fertilization generally involves applying a seedling-promoting fertilizer after transplanting and seedling recovery to promote stem and leaf growth. After the first cluster of fruit begins to swell, carry out the second topdressing to promote fruit enlargement. For mid- and late-maturing varieties, 3-4 topdressings are also needed after harvesting the first and second fruit clusters.

There are mainly two pruning methods. One is to keep only the main stem and remove all side branches (it is best to remove side branches when they grow to 4-7 cm), which is called single-stem pruning; the other is to keep the main stem and also keep the side branch below the first inflorescence, while removing all other side branches, which is called double-stem pruning. Whichever pruning method is used, attention must be paid to tying the vines in time.