The Latest Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial for Cherry Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are warm-loving vegetables, and the temperature they need for growth and development is higher than that of ordinary tomatoes. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 25-30°C, the optimum temperature for growth is 20-25°C, and the optimum temperature for growth during the fruiting period is 15-25°C. They love light, and insufficient light causes serious flower and fruit drop; their water requirements are low in the early stage and high in the later stage; they have strong adaptability to soil and perform best on sandy loam. They love potassium fertilizer, and at the same time, to prevent the occurrence of blossom-end rot, calcium fertilizer should be applied appropriately. The yield of cherry tomatoes is relatively low, with a yield of 600-1500 kg per mu, but the selling price is relatively high. The main varieties include Shengnyu, Lingqiu, Cherry Red, and others.
Cultivation Time
The cultivation season for cherry tomatoes is similar to that of ordinary tomatoes. For open-field cultivation, spring sowing can be raised as seedlings under protection in February, transplanted after the final frost in late April, and enters the harvest period in mid-to-late June. For autumn sowing, seedlings can be raised in July, transplanted in August, and harvesting begins in October. Protected cultivation can be appropriately advanced or delayed.
Seedbed Preparation
The seedling bed should be selected on land that has not grown solanaceous vegetables. Choose fertile garden soil and mix in 40-50% decomposed organic fertilizer. For every cubic meter of nutrient soil, mix in 1 kg of superphosphate and 5-10 kg of plant ash. After mixing, sieve it and spread it on the dry seedling bed. For early spring seedling raising, the seedling bed should be set up inside a greenhouse, and if the temperature is too low, electric heating wires should be laid; for summer seedling raising, the seedling bed should be set up in a cool, well-ventilated place. There is a lot of rain in summer, so the seedling bed should have rain-shelter facilities, and drainage ditches should be set at the ends of the bed.
Pre-sowing Seed Treatment for Tomatoes
To grow tomatoes for high yield and increased income, the seeds must be treated before sowing. Most diseases of cherry tomatoes are spread by seed-borne bacteria, so seed disinfection should be carried out before sowing. To prevent the occurrence of viral diseases, trisodium phosphate is mostly used for disinfection in production. The method is: first moisten the seeds with clean water, wrap them well in gauze, and soak them in a 10% trisodium phosphate solution for 15-20 minutes. Take out the seed packet, wrap it well in a warm towel, and place it at 28°C for germination. During the germination period, rinse the seeds once a day. After about 3-4 days, when 1/2 of the seeds have sprouted, they can be sown.
Seedling Management
For early spring seedling raising, attention should be paid to heat preservation. Before emergence, the soil temperature of the seedling bed should be controlled at 25-30°C. For summer seedling raising, rain should be prevented and the temperature lowered. After most seeds have emerged, the temperature should be lowered in time, controlled at 20°C during the day and 12-15°C at night. When the seedlings grow two true leaves, they should be pricked out.
Pricking Out
As the temperature gradually rises in early spring, the pricking-out bed generally does not need electric heating wires. Early spring pricking out should be carried out on a sunny morning, using the dark-water planting method: first open a furrow, then water, and after the water seeps down, place the seedlings and cover with soil. After covering, no muddy water should be visible on the surface. The plant and row spacing is 10×10 cm. Summer pricking out is carried out in the evening or on cloudy days, with the same method as early spring pricking out. The plant and row spacing is 10×10 cm. After planting, irrigate, shade the bed, and remove the covering after the seedlings have recovered. The temperature of the pricking-out bed before seedling recovery is 25-28°C during the day and 15-18°C at night; after recovery, it is 20-25°C during the day and 13-15°C at night. Do not water in early spring; water the pricking-out bed frequently in summer. When the seedlings grow to 8 true leaves, they are ready for field planting.
Field Planting
First prepare the land. Along with deep plowing, apply 5000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, 20 kg of N-P-K compound fertilizer, and 20 kg of superphosphate. After leveling the land, make flat beds 150 cm wide (if mulching with plastic film in early spring, make small raised beds 10 cm high with a bed surface width of 50-60 cm). Plant 3 rows per flat bed and 1 row per small raised bed. The plant spacing is 20-30 cm, and 4500-6000 plants are planted per mu. For plastic film mulching, first prepare the bed and lay the film, then make planting holes according to the plant spacing and plant, with the planting depth such that the cotyledons are 1 cm above the ground.
Field Management
1. Watering. If sufficient water is applied at planting, no further watering is needed until the first truss flowers and sets fruit. If less water was applied at planting, a small amount of water can be poured into a furrow in the bed, carried out on a sunny morning. After the first truss sets fruit, water heavily for the first time. The fruiting period has a high water requirement, so water once every 5-6 days, keeping the soil alternately dry and moist. Reduce watering during the harvest period to prevent fruit cracking.
2. Topdressing. After the first truss sets fruit, apply 10 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer per mu along with watering. When the first truss fruit begins to color, apply 10 kg of compound fertilizer per mu to promote fruit development. After that, apply fertilizer once every time two trusses of fruit appear, with an application rate of 10 kg of compound fertilizer per mu.
3. Temperature management. The temperature for protected cultivation is higher than that of ordinary tomatoes. At night it should be above 10°C, during the day 20-25°C, and not higher than 35°C at most.
4. Pruning. Cherry tomato plants are tall and have poor upright growth. When the plant grows to 50 cm, insert stakes to prevent lodging. The side branches have strong growth vigor, so double-stem pruning is generally carried out: first keep 2 strong branches and remove the others. Generally, the growing tips are not pinched off. When the lower old leaves turn yellow, remove them in time to reduce nutrient consumption.
5. Flower thinning and fruit retention. When the temperature is low in early spring, pollination is poor and flowers tend to drop. 2,4-D can be applied to the calyx and flower stalk of newly opened flowers (only 1 application is needed). Cherry tomatoes have many flowers and fruits per truss, so select and keep 20-30 well-set fruits and remove the rest.
Harvesting
Harvest when fully ripe, and keep the calyx and a section of the fruit stalk when harvesting.
Pest and Disease Control
Common diseases include early blight, late blight, viral diseases, gray mold, and others. Control methods: carry out a 3-4 year rotation with non-solanaceous crops. In the early stage of disease, use 70% mancozeb 500 times solution or 75% chlorothalonil 600 times solution, spraying once every 7-10 days for 4-5 consecutive sprays. The main insect pest is aphids, which can be controlled with 20% fenvalerate emulsifiable concentrate 800-1000 times solution or 50% pirimicarb 2000-3000 times solution.