How to Grow Cherry Tomatoes? Methods and Techniques Explained
How to grow cherry tomatoes? Is there any technical guidance to share? Cherry tomatoes can be grown like this: Cherry tomatoes are warm-season vegetables, and the temperatures they need for growth and development are higher than those of common 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 stage is 15-25°C. They like light, and insufficient light causes serious flower and fruit drop...
How to grow cherry tomatoes? Is there any technical guidance to share?
Cherry tomatoes can be grown like this:
Cherry tomatoes are warm-season vegetables, and the temperatures they need for growth and development are higher than those of common 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 stage is 15-25°C. They like light, and insufficient light causes serious flower and fruit drop; water requirements are low in the early stage and high in the later stage; they are highly adaptable to soil, performing best on sandy loam, and they like potassium fertilizer. At the same time, to prevent the occurrence of blossom-end rot, calcium fertilizer should be applied appropriately. Cherry tomato yields are relatively low, at 600-1500 kg per mu, but the selling price is relatively high. The main varieties include Shengnyu, Lingqiu, Cherry Red, and others.
1. Cultivation season: The cultivation season for cherry tomatoes is similar to that of common tomatoes. For open-field cultivation, spring sowing can be done in February with seedlings raised under protection, transplanted after the last frost in late April, and entering 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. For protected cultivation, the cultivation period can be appropriately advanced or delayed.
2. Seedbed preparation: The seedling bed should be selected in a plot where solanaceous vegetables have not been grown. Choose fertile garden soil and mix in 40-50% decomposed organic fertilizer. Mix 1 kg of superphosphate and 5-10 kg of plant ash into each cubic meter of nutrient soil. After mixing, sift it and spread it on the seedling bed. For early spring seedling raising, the seedbed 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 seedbed should be set up in a cool, ventilated place. There is a lot of rain in summer, so the seedling bed needs rain-sheltering facilities, and drainage ditches should be set up at the ends of the bed.
3. Seed treatment before sowing tomatoes: To achieve high yields and increased income when growing tomatoes, the seeds must be treated before sowing. Diseases of cherry tomatoes are mostly spread by seed-borne bacteria, so seeds should be disinfected before sowing. To prevent viral diseases, trisodium phosphate is often used for disinfection in production. Method: First moisten the seeds with clean water, wrap them in gauze, soak them in a 10% trisodium phosphate solution for 15-20 minutes, take out the seed packet, wrap it in a warm towel, and place it at 28°C for germination. During germination, rinse the seeds once a day. After about 3-4 days, when 1/2 of the seeds have sprouted, they can be sown.
4. Seedling management: For early spring seedling raising, attention should be paid to heat preservation, and before emergence the seedbed soil temperature should be controlled at 25-30°C. For summer seedling raising, rain protection and cooling should be provided. 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.
5. Pricking out: As temperatures gradually rise in early spring, the pricking-out bed generally does not need heating wires laid in the soil. In early spring, pricking out should be done 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. In summer, pricking out is done in the evening or on cloudy days, using the same method as in early spring. 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 pricking-out bed temperature before recovery is 25-28°C during the day and 15-18°C at night; after recovery, 20-25°C during the day and 13-15°C at night. Do not water in early spring; in summer, water the pricking-out bed frequently. When the seedlings grow to 8 true leaves, they can be planted out.
6. 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). For flat beds, plant 3 rows per bed; for small raised beds, plant 1 row per bed. The plant spacing is 20-30 cm, with 4500-6000 plants per mu. If using plastic film mulch, first prepare the bed and lay the film, then make planting holes according to the plant spacing and plant out. The planting depth should be such that the cotyledons are 1 cm above the ground.
7. Field management:
7.1 Watering. If enough water is applied at planting, no further watering is needed until the first truss flowers and sets fruit. If little water was applied at planting, a small amount of water can be poured into a furrow in the bed, choosing a sunny morning. After the first truss sets fruit, water heavily for the first time. During the fruiting period, water demand is high, so water once every 5-6 days, aiming for alternating dry and wet conditions. Reduce watering during the harvest period to prevent fruit cracking.
7.2 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 10 kg of compound fertilizer per mu each time.
7.3 Temperature management. For protected cultivation, the temperature should be higher than for common tomatoes, requiring above 10°C at night and 20-25°C during the day, with the maximum not higher than 35°C.
7.4 Pruning. Cherry tomato plants are tall and have poor upright growth. When the plants grow to 50 cm, insert supports to prevent lodging. The side branches have strong growth vigor, so double-stem pruning is generally used: first keep 2 strong branches and remove the others. Generally, do not top the plants. When the lower old leaves turn yellow, remove them in time to reduce nutrient consumption.
7.5 Flower thinning and fruit preservation. When temperatures are low in early spring, pollination is poor and flowers tend to drop. 2,4-D can be applied to the calyx and pedicel of newly opened flowers (only 1 application is needed). Each truss of cherry tomatoes has many flowers and fruits, so select and keep 20-30 well-set fruits and remove the rest.
8. Harvesting: Harvest when fully ripe, and retain the calyx and a section of the fruit stalk when harvesting.
9. Pest and disease control: Common diseases include early blight, late blight, viral diseases, gray mold, and others. Control methods: practice a 3-4 year crop rotation with non-solanaceous crops. In the early stage of disease, use 70% mancozeb 500x solution or 75% chlorothalonil 600x 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 800-1000x solution or 50% pirimicarb 2000-3000x solution.
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