Table of Contents
How to Plant and Grow Tomato Plant?
Tomatoes are one the vegetables widely grown in home gardens all around the world. Do you want to grow tomatoes in your home too ? Growing Tomatoes in grow bags or in a container is quite a simple and easiest process in gardening. If you plant the tomatoes in containers or grow bags filled with the rich nutrients soil mix in easily accessible form and also follow some simple steps , you can grow tomatoes successfully and definitely will get good yields!. Here is the best planting guide for successful planting of tomatoes using grow bags!
Growing tomatoes from seeds and how to make seedling for Tomato planting
1. How to sow tomato seeds in nursery tray?
Take the nursery tray filled with potting soil. Sow the two or three tomato seeds per cavity. Don’t overcrowd the seeds. Cover with some coco-peat , spray some water and keep the tray in a shady area.
2. How long to Seed Germination Time?
Tomato seeds will take 5-7 days to germinate, if you provide the right potting mix, moisture and select healthy seeds. You can see the seed sprout and some leaves above the soil. Wait until a set of true leaves appear.
3. How long to grow seedlings?
Move the nursery tray to the place with moderate sunlight and let the seedling to grow 4- 5 inches long with the set of true leaves.
4. When to transplant a seedling to the grow bag - the right stage to transplant?
If the seedling grows to 4-5 inches long, now the young tomato plant is ready for transplanting. Don’t delay the transplanting till the plant starts flowering.
Can you plant tomatoes in grow bags?
What is the best season for growing Tomatoes?
How to select suitable grow bags for planting Tomatoes?
Selection of right grow bags is most important for successful planting. Tomato plant roots grow deeper into the soil and hence need a much deeper grow bag. As Tomato plants have a bushy growing nature, it will need much space in the grow bag. So you can select 15X15 or 15X25 inches sizes of grow bags or a larger container. You should plant one or two plants only in a grow bags. Growing tomatoes in fabric bags are also common. But you have to confirm that your grow bags or container have proper drainage holes.
The Best Potting Mix for Tomatoes
Tomatoes are heavy feeders and hence need much more nutrients than other plants. You can follow the ratio to make your own potting mix as 40% garden soil, 25% of vermi-compost ,25% of coco peat and 10% of sand. The special nutrient that tomato plants need other than the regular nutrient is Calcium. The egg shells in your trash can supply the calcium for your tomatoes! Tomatoes like slightly acidic soil. Make your sure by testing your soil pH is slightly acidic.
How to plant tomatoes in grow bags - Easy steps involved
1.Making the Grow bag ready
Take the suitable grow bags it could be of size 15x 15 or 15 x 25 inches grow bag and fill with rich nutrient potting mix up to 8 inch level.
2. Transplant the Tomato Seedling
You should carefully transplant the plant without affecting the roots and sow the plant not only roots and half of the stem inside the soil.
3. Should the tomatoes be planted deeply?
You should dig the hole at least with 12 inches deep for planting your tomatoes, as they need more room to grow.
4. Is pruning important before planting tomatoes?
Pruning the lower leaves of the tomato plants is the best way to support tomatoes to have strong roots.
5.Can add extra nutrients when planting the tomatoes?
Give a handful of egg shell powder or banana peel to the bottom of the hole, you dig to plant your tomatoes. It will provide the extra calcium and potassium to the plant.
6. Watering for Tomato plants
7. Overwatering of tomato plants
8. When to give fertilizer to Tomato plant?
The grow bags provide the essential nutrients that tomatoes require to grow well from the soil mix you have already provided. However, at the flowering time, the tomato plant may require some more nutrients. So you have to give 2 handfuls of vermi compost or home compost along with 10 gram of bio fertilizers( if you can avail it ), at the flowering time. You can mix wood ash powder in water and give it to the plant to provide potassium for the vegetable growth. You can spray the plant growth promoters like panchagavya or cocomilk solution for getting good yields.
9. What is the good sign of a healthier Tomato plant?
The plants with thick greenish stems indicate the healthy plant.
10. How can you understand that your tomato plant is not healthy?
If your plant leaves are in yellowish and brownish color , it is an indication of an unhealthy plant and needs much attention. The under watering causes the plant leaves to be yellowish and the brownish leaves tell the lack of nutrients to the plant. You should water properly and provide the right nutrients to the plant.
What are the Challenges in Growing Tomatoes?
1. Leaf Curl
Leaf curl is a sign that your plant is in stress due to many reasons. You can easily fix it and get back your plant as healthy.
2. Causes of Leaf Curl
There are many reasons that make your plant to have leaf curl. It may be overwatering/underwatering , insufficient nutrients or over nitrogen, too much of heat, excess pruning and even due to the transplant shock.
3. Ways to get rid of Leaf curls
By proper watering : As we already told , overwatering or under watering both make every plant stressful. Keep the soil in moist and maintain the drain holes properly.
Balanced Fertilizer : All the three numbers of the fertilizer should be balanced. If the nitrogen number is more than others, it will affect the plant .
Insufficient Nutrients: You can spray the plant boosters like fish amino acid solutions once in a week. Spray plant booster to any plant, only in the evening to avoid evaporation of the nutrients.
Avoid Excess sunlight : Thought the tomatoes are sun loving plants, but they cannot tolerate the very intensive heat during hot summer. Place the grow bags in the place with moderate sun light.
Avoid Excess Pruning : Though pruning is important, only the suckers of the plants are to be pruned.
Transplant shock : You have to nothing to do on this, the plant will recover itself within few days.
4. Flower Dropping
It is the most common challenge that every gardener faces. The plant needs some acid content at the time of flowering. Spray some coco milk solution or panchagavya solution or even butter milk diluted in water to stop flower dropping.
5. What is known as the end rot problem in tomato planting?
You find the vegetable bottom in blacks in color and rotting. This is due to calcium deficiency. You can provide the egg shell powder to the plant. And there is one more interesting and secret tip! You can mix the lime stone powder paste – which is consumed along with betel leaf to water and give to the plant to give calcium.
6. Pest Control:
You can control the insect by spraying the neem oil solution.
FAQ
1. How many plants can be planted in a grow bag?
As tomato plants have a bushy nature of growth, you can plant only one or two plants per grow bag and allow free space to grow.
2. Do Tomato plants need sunlight?
Yes. Tomato plants love sunlight and you have to place the grow bag at the place where it can get 8 hours sunlight.
3.Why Tomato plants need plant growth boosters?
Tomato plants need plant boosters like panchagavya or Cocomilk solution to provide the acidic content and let all the flowers become vegetables.
4. Is mulching important in growing tomatoes in grow bag?
Yes, mulching is important for tomato planting to maintain the right moisture level of the soil. Mulching protects the soil from sunlight to evaporate its moisture.
5. Do Tomato plants need pruning?
Yes. The sub stems or suckers access the nutrients given to the plant. To get good yields, you have to remove the sucker stems.
6. How do you pollinate tomato plants by hand?
The tomato plants are self pollinated plants. The male and female part of the flower remain in a single flower itself. So, you can simply shake the plant to let the flowers get pollinated.
Conclusion:
Hope you learn how to grow tomatoes and feel growing tomatoes in containers is the better option for growing. Start your tomatoes growing , grow delicious and homegrown tomatoes by your own! Happy gardening!
