What to do if tomato seedlings bloomed at home?

Being engaged growing tomato seedlings, I want to get a strong healthy plant by the time of planting in the ground, but the result is not always happy. A seedling with some defects requires more attention and special care, which violates our plans. Knowing the essence of the problem, you can avoid it, and not fix it. This also applies if tomato seedlings bloomed at home long before planting.

Conditions for growing healthy seedlings

It is quite possible to grow good healthy seedlings by familiarizing yourself with the requirements for the conditions of its cultivation in advance. It is important to take into account that these requirements must be fulfilled in a complex - only then the result that suits you is obtained.

The necessary conditions:

• take into account the characteristics of the selected variety (early, mid-season, late);
• full seed preparation (calibration, warming, disinfection, soaking, hardening);
• preparation of nutritious and loose soil and its disinfection;
• good lighting, excluding elongation of seedlings;
• correct temperature conditions (during the day - up to 20 ° С, at night - 10-15 ° С until the first leaflets appear, then no higher than 22 ° С in the daytime);
• tempering procedures;
• lack of drafts;
• compliance with watering standards and regimen (warm, standing water, moderate watering without overmoistening);
• timely fertilizer application;
• picking on time (there should be 2-3 leaves on the stem).

A preliminary familiarization with the rules for carrying out all stages and their correct implementation will allow you to grow good strong seedlings. From the experience gained by gardeners, there are several points that are useful for everyone to know:

• the stem will not stretch if you remove the two lower leaves in the presence of five leaves on the plant;
• use only the liquid version of fertilizing;
• provide full lighting by installing additional lighting;
• in the absence of flower buds in the first decade of April, it is necessary to cut the stem just above the second real leaf - two stems will grow in this place;
• sow seeds on time.

Why seedlings bloom before

There are several reasons for early flowering. Having familiarized themselves with them in advance, it is quite possible to avoid the premature appearance of flowers.

Incorrect timing

The correct determination of the timing of sowing plays a large role in the formation of seedlings. The date of laying the seeds in the soil can be easily determined - subtract 45-60 days from the estimated date of transplanting the seedlings into the soil (seedlings grow as much) and the days allowed to soak and germinate the seeds (6-10).

If you sow earlier, it may happen that the seedlings are ready, and the soil in the garden has not yet warmed up, and as a result seedlings will outgrow and will be exhausted. Their adaptation will take much more time and this will affect productivity.

What does healthy seedlings look like:

• stalk strong, dense, height from 20 to 35 cm;
• the presence of 1-2 buds (this is the norm);
• leaves (8-10) are green, without damage.

Violation of the conditions of detention

Weak elongated seedlings are difficult to adapt to a new place, the leaves on them are most often small and pale, because of a lack of nutrients the flowers fall.The plant has to spend more effort on the formation of new buds and, as a result, fruiting will begin much later than the set time.

Violation of the conditions (described above) leads to excessive growth of the trunk, the formation of small leaves and flowers, which affects further growth and development.

You should carefully consider the picking - when it is delayed, the seedlings in the box become cramped, ventilation deteriorates, the humidity level increases, which contributes to the development of infections, there are not enough nutrients, they receive insufficient lighting. All this affects the quality of seedlings.

Measures to prevent stretching and early flowering

It happens that spring is late, all deadlines are violated, therefore, to prevent seedlings certain procedures are recommended.

Leaf pruning

Well-proven method of shock exposure to seedlings.

What to do:

• dive into small containers (diameter 5 cm) in the phase of 3-4 leaves;
• after adaptation (about 10 days), active growth begins;
• pruning (shortening) of 1-2 lower leaves is carried out when the leaves of neighboring plants standing nearby are closed.

Trimming for several days suspends growth and at the same time improves ventilation, lighting. In this case, the plant does not outgrow, the buds do not form prematurely, the stem is strengthened.

Transplanting seedlings several times

Transplantation of any plant is known to slow growth. This feature is also used in the cultivation of tomato seedlings in order to prevent its extension, early flower formation when sowing seeds ahead of time and in violation of the conditions of detention (high temperature, insufficient lighting).

The first transplant is carried out in the presence of 3-4 leaves in small containers (diameter 5 cm), the next - in larger containers (diameter 10 cm) with a stem height of 15-20 cm. At the time landings the plant has a good root system, and it quickly takes root. The presence of flowers and ovaries does not interfere with adaptation.

Stem pruning

Pruning is carried out 18-20 days before transplanting seedlings. A long stalk needs to be cut at the level of the sixth leaf, and put the cut off top into a glass filled with 2-3 cm of water. Roots will appear quickly and seedlings can be planted in the soil, observing an interval of at least 10 cm.

Stepsons grow on a cut stem during the week. When their length reaches 5 cm, remove all but the top two. Three weeks later, the seedlings are ready for transplanting to the garden.

Tips & Tricks

Nikolay Sergeevich, Krasnodar

— If the seedlings are elongated, which rarely happens with me, but still happens, then I do this - I lay the stem with a spiral along the diameter of the pot and sprinkle it with earth, water it. The formation of new roots occurs, and the plant turns out to be strong, low.

Andrei Petrovich, Minsk

- Recently, paradoxes have occurred with the weather, and it is not always possible to plant seedlings on time. I plant part of the seedlings earlier, and some later - some still please in time. At the overgrown, I cut off the tops and put in the water. Cut the plant, if the weather is suitable, I plant it on the ridge earlier, and plant the crown of the head later, when good roots go.

Maria Stepanovna, Omsk

- Seedlings I often grew thin and weak, because there is no way to arrange the backlight. On the advice of friends, she began to pick in a different way. Before transplanting, I do not water the tomatoes for several days so that the fragile thin stems become not so brittle, and I pinch the root. I’m not deepening the roots, but the stem, curling it with a spiral. I pour earth to the leaves. I do the transplant immediately in a large bowl, so that later I will no longer touch the seedlings. I regularly sprinkle the earth. The bushes grow strong, take root well. Flowers, if they form, do not fall, give an ovary.

In conclusion, we can conclude that the planting of flowering tomato seedlings is quite possible without removing flowers and buds, if you provide the necessary care and comfortable conditions for adaptation: cloudy weather or shading in the heat, to prevent drying of the soil.