Tomato planting, cultivation and management technology

Tomatoes taste sweet and slightly sour, are juicy and nutritious. They can be eaten directly or cooked. They are loved by people and have become an indispensable delicacy on the dining table. In my country, tomatoes, as an important economic fruit and vegetable crop, are widely grown in all parts of the country. Let’s learn about tomato planting, cultivation and management techniques.

1. Select strong seedlings for transplanting

As the saying goes, "strong seedlings mean a good harvest", tomato cultivation is inseparable from seedling raising and transplanting. If you don’t want to grow seedlings yourself, you can also buy high-quality seedlings for planting. When transplanting, be sure to select healthy seedlings with well-developed root systems, dark green leaves, strong stems, and no pests or diseases. Such seedlings recover quickly after transplanting, have high yields, and are less susceptible to diseases and pests.

The tomato seedling raising period is about 60 days, and the seedlings can be transplanted when they reach a height of 15 to 20 cm. When transplanting, ensure that the daily average temperature is stable above 15℃. For tomatoes grown outdoors, the suitable time for transplanting is late April to mid-May. When transplanting, bring as much soil as possible to reduce root damage; water thoroughly after transplanting, and use straw or other covering materials to block part of the sunlight within a week to promote seedling recovery.

2. Carefully maintain the root system

The root system is the key organ for plants to absorb water and nutrients. Tomato plants with well-developed root systems have stronger absorption capacity, higher stress resistance and yield. In addition, plants with well-developed root systems are less likely to age prematurely and have a longer fruiting period.

To maintain the root system of tomatoes well, you need to choose soil with a deep soil layer, strong water and fertilizer retention capacity and rich in organic matter for planting. When applying farmyard manure, avoid using uncomposted fertilizer to prevent high temperatures from causing root burns. At the same time, when applying chemical fertilizers, the fertilization distance should be controlled at about 7 cm to avoid being too close and causing excessive soil concentration around the roots.

In addition, tomato plants are not tolerant to waterlogging, so they need to be planted in ridges when transplanting, with the ridge height not less than 15 cm. During the rainy season, attention should be paid to drainage to prevent water accumulation in the fields. When the soil is too dry, it is necessary to water it in time. The watering time can be chosen in the morning or evening to avoid watering when the sun is strong at noon, which may cause root burn.

3. Avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer application

Many growers focus only on nitrogen fertilizer application when growing vegetables, which is incorrect. Nitrogen fertilizer can promote the growth of stems and leaves; phosphorus fertilizer helps flowering and root development; potassium fertilizer can promote the synthesis and transportation of carbohydrates, prevent plant lodging, improve fruit flavor, and increase the fruit's storage resistance. Therefore, when applying tomato fertilizer, in addition to nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should also be applied in appropriate amounts.

Excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer can easily lead to excessive growth of tomato plants, inhibit reproductive growth, and reduce fruit set rate. At the same time, excessive application of nitrogen fertilizer can easily make the stems and leaves of the plants juicy, increasing the risk of disease and pests.

4. Follow the principle of water and fertilizer management of "light application in the seedling stage and heavy application in the flowering and fruiting stage"

As the saying goes, "Water is the source of life, and fertilizer is the basis of production." In order to achieve high yield of tomatoes, water and fertilizer management must be strengthened. When planting, you can combine land preparation with applying 500 kg of decomposed farmyard manure and 40 kg of triple compound fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer.

In addition to base fertilizer, top dressing is also required. During the seedling stage, the amount of water and fertilizer should be properly controlled to promote root growth. When tomato plants bloom and bear fruit, their demand for nutrients increases, and top dressing is needed. 25 kg of triple compound fertilizer can be applied per mu as flower and fruit fertilizer to promote flowering and fruit enlargement.

When watering, water should be controlled appropriately during the seedling stage to promote root growth; and after fruit setting, sufficient water supply must be maintained to promote fruit enlargement. When watering, water frequently and in small amounts to avoid the soil from becoming too dry or waterlogged.

5. Spray "potassium dihydrogen phosphate" foliar fertilizer to prevent premature aging of plants

In addition to soil fertilization, foliar fertilization is also an important means to increase tomato yield. Foliar fertilization has the characteristics of fast absorption, strong effect and low dosage. When the root absorption capacity decreases in the middle and late stages of plant growth, foliar fertilization can effectively supplement the lack of nutrients.

Tomato plants have a high demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizers during the flowering and fruiting period. Therefore, 90 grams of potassium dihydrogen phosphate mixed with 30 kilograms of water can be used for spraying per mu. Spraying once every 10 days for 2 to 3 times can effectively prevent premature aging of the plants and increase yield. You can also add 10 ml of brassinolide when spraying foliar fertilizer to increase the yield effect.

6. Reasonable topping and pruning to promote continuous fruiting

Tomato is a plant with a strong ability to produce fruit continuously. Topping and pruning can break the "apical dominance" that inhibits vegetative growth and promotes reproductive growth. When the tomato plants have 4 to 5 layers of fruit clusters, they can be toppled. While topping, you can also remove fruitless branches and old and yellow leaves below the first fruit bunch to improve field ventilation and light transmission and help concentrate nutrients on fruit growth, thereby achieving high yields.

When topping, be sure to retain the top 3 to 5 leaves on the cluster to facilitate photosynthesis.

To summarize, if you want to grow high-yield and high-quality tomatoes, you only need to transplant strong seedlings, carefully maintain the root system, avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer application, strengthen water and fertilizer management, prevent premature aging of the plants, and perform reasonable topping and pruning.