How to Plant Tomato Seedlings? Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Care Tips

Tomato is a vegetable that can be eaten raw or stir-fried, native to South America, and now grown throughout China, so how do you plant tomato seedlings?

1. Tomato's Growth Habits

Tomato is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant of the Solanaceae family, genus Solanum. Tomato is native to South America and is widely cultivated in both northern and southern China. Tomato fruit is rich in nutrients and has a distinctive flavor. It can be eaten raw, cooked, processed into tomato sauce, juice, or canned as whole fruit.

Tomato is a warm-season 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. It likes light, with a light saturation point of 70000lx and a suitable light intensity of 30000-50000lx. It is also a short-day plant. Tomato likes water; generally, soil moisture of 60-80% and air humidity of 45-50% are suitable.

Tomato is not very demanding about soil conditions and grows well in deep, well-drained, fertile loam rich in organic matter. The suitable soil pH is 6-7.

2. How to Plant Tomato Seedlings?

1. Temperature: Keep the ambient temperature between 17°C-27°C so that tomato seedlings can grow normally;

2. Light: Tomato likes light and can be planted in a place with plenty of sunlight;

3. Soil: Tomato is not strict about soil requirements; generally, deep soil with good drainage can be used for planting;

4. Watering: Water according to the growth of the tomato seedlings; generally, watering once a week is enough.

In addition, pay attention to fertilizing. During the tomato growing period, apply topdressing appropriately. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer alone; it must be combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Generally, after planting and seedling recovery, apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer to promote stem and leaf growth. After the first truss of fruit begins to swell, carry out a second topdressing to promote fruit enlargement. For medium- and late-maturing varieties, 3-4 topdressings are also needed after harvesting the first and second trusses of fruit. During fruit growth, use 1.5% superphosphate or 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution for foliar topdressing, which helps fruit ripening and increases yield.