How to grow tomatoes hydroponically?

Hydroponic cultivation is about growing tomatoes not in soil, as is customary, but on the basis of a solution that saturates the plant with all the substances it needs, and in addition, also substances useful to the human body. Thus, hydroponically grown tomatoes are not only as good as those grown in the usual way, but in some respects, on the contrary, they are better.

Hydroponic Tomatoes

Hydroponics is now a very popular method of growing tomatoes.

Everyone knows that growing tomatoes is not such a difficult process as it would seem at first glance, but it is a very painstaking task. The main thing is not to overlook such small details as good quality mail, lighting and, of course, regular plant care for more juicy fruits.

The hydroponics method also has its own details that should not be missed. For this purpose, a list of tomato varieties that have proven themselves best in hydroponics has been compiled. Among them are such as:

• Gavroche;
• Friend;
• Alaska;
• Bon appetites.

If the choice of how to grow tomatoes still settled on hydroponics, then it is best to do it with a method that is more than a dozen years old. It is advisable to grow the tomato in a small pot. But before planting seedlings there, the pot must be poured prematurely with a washed and disinfected substrate. It can be different, perhaps it will be gravel or expanded clay, slag and, of course, moss are allowed. After that, the seedlings, together with the pots, are placed in a large container, where the necessary nutrient mixture must already be prepared beforehand.

These particular nutrient solutions can be a problem. If it is not possible to purchase a completely ready-made solution, then you can always make it yourself from various fertilizers.

Growing seedlings

The first thing to start with is to prepare a package of mineral wool. After that, cotton wool needs to be impregnated with water with a very small amount of slaked lime, thus, we get an acidic environment for the plant. After that, you need to put the seeds in the already soaked cotton wool, and then carefully put them in containers in which future tomatoes will grow further. It is required to make small holes in the container at the bottom. There should be at least 5 of them, and it is best to make them with a small nail.

In order for the seeds to germinate, you need to ensure that the plant receives light for at least 12 hours a day. You need to be careful with this, since constant attention is required so that the light does not hit the root system of the plant, otherwise it can kill it altogether. If you are growing at home, you can "replace the sun" with ordinary incandescent lamps.

After all the procedures done, it remains only to wait until the roots of the seeds germinate through the holes in the container, which were made prematurely.

Once the plant has germinated, it can be transplanted into a large container filled with disinfected substrate. In this case, the cotton wool can not be removed. After the plants are transplanted, you need to connect a drip irrigation system to them. It can be purchased at any gardening store.

After the plant has already become an adult, you need to take into account that it needs 3 to 4 liters of water per day in daylight. The addition of various fertilizers is allowed, but you do not need to feed the plants with them every day, just once a week is enough. As the plant grows, you can increase the amount of fertilizer intake up to 2 times a week, it is no longer necessary.It is best to use fertilizers that contain minerals and organics.

An adult plant needs more light than seedlings, so you need to increase the plant's exposure time to 16-18 hours a day. In addition, the plant needs complete darkness. It is necessary to ensure that the plant spends at least 5 hours in the dark per day, but not more than 8.

It is necessary to monitor the air temperature at which the plant is located. During the day it should be 18-24 ° С, at night - 15-18 ° С.

Please note that the plant must grow upright. Sprouts that go to the side must be torn off. To tear off, and not to cut with scissors or a knife, as many do.

After the plant blooms, it must be pollinated. To do this, transfer the pollen from the male flower to the female flower using a small watercolor brush. In order to determine which sex the flower is, you need to carefully look at the inflorescences. Male flowers are collected in inflorescences of 3-6 pieces, and female flowers grow one at a time, in extreme cases, two.

Sometimes it is necessary to rinse the plant roots with water. To do this, you do not need to completely dig up the plant, you just need to pull it out of the container along with the soil in which it grows, and pour a little water on it, it is even better to do it with your hands. This is done so that salt does not build up on the root system of the plant, as this can harm it.

What problems can there be?

The main problem that many people have is the attack on the plant by various infections and insects, such as aphids or Colorado beetle.

To get rid of such a problem, it is enough to spray the plants with preparations that are harmless to the human body, but poisonous to beetles and fight infections. These products can be purchased at any gardening store at affordable prices.