What are the methods for selecting seeds and growing seedlings of tomatoes?
Along with the continuous rise in the market price of tomatoes, the planting area of tomatoes is also continuously expanding. Tomatoes like warmth and light, and too high or too low a temperature will affect their growth and development. For farmers growing tomatoes, if they want high yields, seed selection and seedling raising are very key. So how do you select tomato seeds? What are the seedling raising methods? Let's take a look together below.
1. How do you select tomato seeds?
There are many tomato varieties, and there is no doubt that excellent tomato varieties are an important prerequisite for ensuring high quality and high yield. When choosing tomato varieties, special attention should be paid, and it is also necessary to combine local actual planting conditions to choose more suitable varieties. For example, in relatively arid areas, varieties with strong drought resistance and disease resistance should be chosen, so as to be more conducive to improving the success rate of planting.
2. What are the seedling raising methods for tomatoes?
1. Seedbed
The seedling raising time determines the seedbed conditions. The seedbed requirements for winter seedling raising are good warmth retention, sufficient light, and slow heat dissipation, such as greenhouses and heated small arch sheds. The seedbed requirements for summer are coolness, water avoidance, and little light. At the same time, the seedbed is best kept sterile to avoid breeding pests and diseases.
2. Seedling soil
Strong seedlings can reduce tomato fruit deformities, improve disease resistance, and achieve the goal of increasing yield. The seedling soil should have good air permeability and loose texture, and should also contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertilizers and other trace elements. The average pH value of the soil is best at 6.5. For the soil, choose soil that has not grown solanaceous crops for 2-3 years, or wheat soil. The fertilizer mixed into the soil should use high-temperature sterilized decomposed farmyard manure to reduce the occurrence of pathogens. Mix 10 jin of soil with 10 jin of farmyard manure, each accounting for one half of the total. For every 200 jin of nutrient soil, 20 jin of seaweed fertilizer and 20 jin of biological bacterial fertilizer can also be added. The seedling soil can be converted according to the planting area. For every 667 sq m of land, 11.7 sq m of seedbed is needed.
3. Seed treatment
Tomato seeds can only be sown after four steps: seed selection, soaking, seed dressing, and germination acceleration. Put the selected tomato seeds in a sterile container and soak them in 53°C warm water for 5 hours. When the temperature is higher than 30°C, stir gently, and then no further action is needed. After 5 hours, soak them in trisodium phosphate at a concentration of 10% for 30 minutes. Put the soaked seeds in a wet cloth for germination acceleration, and the temperature should be kept at 26°C and must not exceed 35°C. If conditions permit, the seeds can also be washed with 25°C warm water every day. When 80% of the seeds have broken white, dress them with a seed dressing agent.
4. Seedling sowing
Seedling sowing should be carried out on a sunny day. The seedbed should be watered thoroughly, with the water height above the seedbed at 0.05 m. Immediately afterward, sprinkle fine culture soil on the surface of the seedbed and level it with a board. After sowing, cover and seal the bed immediately. During the seedling raising period, the temperature should be above 25°C, but must not exceed 30°C.
The above is the introduction to tomatoes. Many farmers, when growing tomatoes, adopt the cultivation method of raising seedlings first and then transplanting. Choose seeds of medium-late maturity varieties that are heat-resistant, disease-resistant, storage- and transport-resistant, high-quality, and high-yielding.
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