The Latest Tomato Planting and Management Techniques: A Tutorial

The tomato was introduced from the Americas to Europe in the 16th century, initially grown as an ornamental plant and only later eaten as a vegetable. It belongs to the nightshade family (Solanaceae), the same family as the eggplant, pepper and potato. It is a warmth-loving, light-loving vegetable and is not particularly strict about soil conditions, but to obtain a high yield and promote good root development, a deep, well-drained, fertile loam rich in organic matter should be chosen. Now let's take a look at the tomato planting and management techniques!

Tomato Growing Conditions

The tomato is a warmth-loving vegetable, with semi-drought-tolerant physiological characteristics: it likes warmth and fears cold, likes light and fears heat, likes dry air and fears excessively high air humidity, and likes water but fears waterlogging. Appropriately adjusting, according to the local growing environment, the temperature, humidity, moisture, light and nutrient supply and other living conditions suitable for vegetable growth, and promptly preventing and controlling various pests and diseases that may occur, is of great significance for increasing tomato yields and raising growers' income.

1. Temperature requirements of tomatoes: Tomatoes have different temperature requirements at different growth stages. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 25-30°C, the minimum germination temperature is 11°C, and the maximum is 35°C. During the seedling stage, 20-25°C is suitable during the day and 15-20°C at night; during the fruiting stage, 25-30°C during the day and 13-17°C at night. Below 15°C or above 35°C is unfavorable for flowering and fruit setting.

2. Light requirements of tomatoes: Tomatoes have different light requirements at different growth stages. The germination stage does not need light. The seedling stage requires sufficient light for the seedlings to develop well; insufficient light will affect flower bud differentiation and flower pollination. During the fruiting stage, sufficient light means more fruit set and faster fruit enlargement; insufficient light means fewer fruit set and reduced yield, while too strong and prolonged light will cause sunscald on the fruit.

3. Water requirements of tomatoes: Tomatoes have well-developed roots and a strong water-absorbing capacity, and their leaves transpire water strongly. They are a drought-tolerant crop, both drought-tolerant and in need of plenty of water. During the seedling stage they grow fast, so the soil should not be too wet and watering should be controlled. During the flowering and fruiting stage they need frequent watering. Generally, watering about once every 10 days is ensured, but do not flood-irrigate, which causes root rot and dead plants. During the flowering and fruit-setting stage, if watering is not timely or is overly restricted, it will cause large-scale blossom-end rot, and overly dry soil will also cause physiological leaf rolling.

4. Soil requirements of tomatoes: Tomatoes are not strict about soil. Deep loam with good drainage and strong soil aeration, sandy loam, and improved alkaline land can all be used to grow tomatoes.

5. Nutrient requirements of tomatoes: The required ratio of the three main elements nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for tomatoes is 2:1:2. Nitrogen plays an important role in stem and leaf growth and fruit development. From flowering and fruit setting to the enlargement stage, the plant's nitrogen uptake gradually increases, reaching a peak at the full fruiting stage. Therefore, nitrogen fertilizer must be supplemented to the plant in time for deep roots and lush leaves. Tomatoes have a low phosphorus requirement; applying extra phosphorus fertilizer during the seedling stage promotes flower bud differentiation and flower development. Tomatoes are a potassium-loving crop with the highest potassium requirement, especially during the fruit enlargement stage, when it promotes fruit development, enlargement and coloring.

Preparation Before Transplanting Tomatoes

1. Land preparation: The field for cultivating tomatoes should be autumn-plowed and the soil sunned, with a plowing depth of about 30 cm. Sunning the soil can improve soil structure, increase water retention, reduce pests and diseases in the soil, and create good conditions for root growth. Deep plowing can improve soil aeration, promote soil microbial activity, and help decompose soil nutrients. Even when crop rotation is frequent and sunning the soil is difficult, deep plowing should still be carried out promptly after the previous crop is harvested, to gain as long a period of soil sunning as possible.

2. Making beds (ridges): There are 4 types of beds for transplanting tomatoes: high beds, flat beds, furrow beds and ridge beds. Locally, deep-furrow high-bed cultivation is mostly used. Generally the bed width (including the furrow) is 1.3-1.7 m, of which the furrow width is 0.3-0.5 m. As for bed (ridge) orientation, a southward orientation is preferable, so that the plants receive more uniform light.

3. Seedling disinfection: Before transplanting, spray the seedlings with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 600 times dilution or 75% mancozeb wettable powder.

4. Applying sufficient base fertilizer

① Apply 5000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, together with 50 kg of superphosphate, mixed with the soil during plowing, with a plowing depth of 25-30 cm. Open-field cultivation mostly uses high beds or ridge cultivation. Protected cultivation uses plastic-mulched high beds, with dark irrigation under the film or drip irrigation under the film. For high-bed cultivation, a furrow can be opened in the center of the bed and high-quality barnyard manure buried in it, along with 2000-3000 kg of farmyard manure and 200 kg of plant ash; for flat beds, later open transplanting furrows on both sides of the high bed, then apply 200 kg of high-quality fertilizer or 20-25 kg of compound fertilizer in the furrows.

② Tomato plants have a nitrogen and potassium absorption rate of 40-50%, and a phosphorus absorption rate of 20%. Phosphorus fertilizer plays an important role in the development of tomato fruit and seeds, and also has a great influence on cultivating strong seedlings. Nitrogen fertilizer can promote the growth and development of stems, leaves and fruit, and is especially important in the early stage of plant growth. Potassium fertilizer can promote the transport of sugars to the fruit and enhance the plant's disease resistance, delay plant senescence, extend the fruiting period, and also has a good effect on improving fruit quality.

③ Tomatoes are very responsive to fertilizer; high fertilizer and sufficient water can achieve high yields. The type of fertilizer also greatly affects tomato yield and quality. The order of quality of various farmyard manures is: chicken and duck manure, sheep and rabbit manure, horse manure, cow manure. Human feces and urine are best used in combination with other fertilizers. No matter which farmyard manure is used, it needs to be fully fermented and decomposed; never apply raw manure as a top dressing, to prevent root burn and infection by pests and diseases.

Tomato Planting Methods

For the planting method and plastic-mulch transplanting, it is best to choose a windless sunny day, when the temperature is high and soil moisture evaporation is low, making it easy for the seedlings to recover.

1. Planting method: The ways of planting seedlings include flat planting, furrow planting and hole planting. According to the order of irrigation, they are further divided into “dry planting” (that is, planting seedlings first and then irrigating) and “water-settled seedlings” (that is, irrigating first and then planting seedlings). When planting seedlings, do not plant too deep or too shallow. If planted too deep, the soil temperature is lower, which is unfavorable for root growth and slows seedling recovery. If planted too shallow, although the higher soil temperature favors root growth, the roots are not firmly established and the seedlings are easily washed away by irrigation or blown down by strong wind. Generally, the planting depth should be level with the soil ball or slightly deeper. If improper seedbed management or delayed transplanting causes leggy seedlings, when transplanting, the stem end of the seedling can be laid horizontally toward the south in a boat-bottom shape, with the stem tip exposed above the soil tilted slightly to the south, to reduce the height of the seedling above the ground, prevent sunscald and wind damage, and promote the growth of adventitious roots.

2. Plastic mulching: In recent years, plastic mulching has been widely adopted in tomato cultivation. It can raise soil temperature, reduce soil moisture evaporation, inhibit weed growth, and keep the soil loose, thereby speeding up seedling recovery after planting and promoting root growth. For the plastic-mulch planting method, locally we generally spread the film first and then plant the seedlings. The specific method is: spread the plastic film on the prepared high bed first, cover the edges with soil, then dig holes according to the plant spacing and plant the seedlings, and cover the soil firmly around the seedlings.

3. Transplanting density

① Open-field small-trellis early-maturing cultivation: row spacing 40-50 cm, plant spacing 23-26 cm, about 5000 seedlings per mu. Small-trellis mid-maturing cultivation: row spacing 50 cm, plant spacing 26-33 cm, about 4000 seedlings. Large-trellis long-growing-season cultivation: row spacing 66 cm, plant spacing 33 cm, about 3000 seedlings.

② Protected cultivation: Small-trellis early-maturing cultivation with 2-3 trusses of fruit and pinching, row spacing 50 cm, plant spacing 27 cm, 5000 seedlings per mu. Small-trellis mid-maturing cultivation with 3-4 trusses of fruit, row spacing 50 cm, plant spacing 30 cm, 4400 seedlings per mu. Large-trellis long-growing-season cultivation without pinching (such as Dutch indeterminate varieties): row spacing 80 cm, plant spacing 40 cm, 2000 seedlings.