Tomatoes in the greenhouse, watering individual

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many summer residents have the opinion that watering tomatoes in a greenhouse should be daily and plentiful. Unfortunately, this is absolutely the wrong approach. A distinctive feature of this type of cultivated plants is the deep location of the root system. In addition to water, they also need loose soil so that the roots can breathe. Therefore, when planting tomatoes in a greenhouse, watering needs to be organized a little differently.

Microclimate of greenhouses in Central Russia

In Central Russia, air humidity from spring to autumn is from 60 to 85%. In particularly hot years, such as 2010, this parameter did not rise above 40% in August. But this is rather an exception to the rule. Usually hot days alternate with rains when the air humidity is more than 90%. In protected ground, the air temperature is higher than the ambient temperature on cloudy days by 10 … 13 ° C, and on sunny days more than 20 … 28 ° C. Therefore, excess waterhigh humidity adversely affects the tomatoes in the greenhouse. Watering should be buried to the roots. To avoid waterlogging, arrange ventilation. It does not always give the desired result, as a result of which the growth of putrefactive fungi begins. The blackleg is a frequent visitor to wet greenhouses where tomatoes are grown. From mid-July, when the chance of precipitation increases, late blight develops - a clear sign that the condensate from the inner surface of the transparent fences has appeared on the leaves and has begun its detrimental effect.

How much to water tomatoes in a greenhouse, recommendations from abroad

Foreign authors advertise complete watering systems for plants. From their videos, you can see how a jet of water, scattered by shower sprayers, washes tomatoes from top to bottom. At the same time, the off-screen text in a cheerful voice broadcasts about high yields and their quality. One could believe them. Only confuses the fact that the taste of imported tomatoes is far from the usual. To arrange such irrigation, foreign vegetable growers use so many chemical plant protection products that they completely remove the very feeling of the presence of real fruits. In pictures from abroad, you can see beautiful tomatoes in the greenhouse, watering them did not spoil. But there is another truth that advertisers and manufacturers of watering equipment do not like to show. Only a small part of the harvest of the first harvest looks so beautiful, a little later, diseases nullify all efforts to grow tomatoes.

How to actually water tomatoes

It has already been mentioned that the root system of nightshade crops is located 20-25 cm below the soil level. Tomatoes form rather deep roots in the greenhouse. Watering should therefore be directed towards the bottom of the roots. Some critics may object that, for example, in Israel, water drips continuously near the root, and no plant diseases are detected. Of course, this is allowed. But only for one reason - tomatoes in southern countries are grown in open ground in the absence of atmospheric moisture, the relative humidity of the air rarely rises above 40%. In the same Israel, morning dews occur only during the winter, and the temperature on the coldest days rarely drops below 8 ° C. In 2012, there were several cold days when the temperature approached zero. Several people froze to death, and in residential buildings (there is no heating there) it was rather uncomfortable. There is only one conclusion: in our conditions, growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, watering should be organized deep into the soil in order to reduce air humidity.

How to prepare the soil in a greenhouse

In protected ground structures, before laying a new soil layer at a depth of 20-25 cm, a moisture accumulator should be laid. Moss, gel, used sponges for washing and other items that concentrate moisture will keep it at a given level. Above is the soil or substrate. It is necessary to bring feeder tubes to the moisture accumulator, throughwhich water, bypassing the upper soil layer, will penetrate down. Now you can organize drip irrigation of a tomato in a greenhouse. When growing tomatoes, there is also such a thing as "dry watering". In fact, it is loosening the soil near the roots to saturate the top layer with air.

If these recommendations are followed, our gardeners can count on getting a real high yield with excellent quality of tomato fruits.