How to prepare soil for tomatoes in a greenhouse for maximum fruiting

More than 60 million tons of tomatoes are produced annually in the world. Agronomists have learned to cultivate this vegetable almost everywhere. Good yield results can be achieved, among other things, by preparing suitable soil.

How to prepare the soil for tomatoes in a greenhouse to obtain a bountiful harvest and what to do to avoid the spread of diseases and pests? We will tell you more about this and more in our article.

What kind of soil do tomatoes like?

It is recommended to choose soil for tomatoes with the following properties:

• loose, not compacted, and therefore air- and water-permeable;
• quickly warms up;
• rich in nutrients (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) and mineral elements (calcium, magnesium);
• slightly acidic, that is, with a pH value of 5.5-6.5 (smaller numbers indicate an acidic reaction, and more than 7 indicate an alkaline reaction);
• not infected with pests and infectious diseases.

The following composition meets the listed requirements: peat - 60%, sand - 20%, compost - 20%.

Preparation

Preparation measures depend on the type of soil.

To determine the type of soil, a small test is carried out: a handful of soil is slightly moistened, kneaded, and rolled into a ring about 5 cm in diameter.

The results are assessed as follows:

1. The ring is obtained easily - the soil is clayey and heavy. It takes a long time to heat up and has high acidity.
2. The sausage turns out, but the ring cracks - there is loam in the area.The acidity is optimal for tomatoes and retains moisture well.
3. The sausage crumbles - the soil is light, the so-called sandy loam. It warms up quickly and dries quickly, as a rule, it is poor in nutritional components and has an alkaline reaction.

Structure

To change the structure of clay soil during autumn digging, add 1-2 buckets of rotted manure or peat per 1 m2. For better drainage, you can add river sand: one bucket per 1 m2. Leavening additives should be used every fall. It is useful to populate the area with earthworms, which loosen the soil well.

It is enough to loosen the loams and add humus and mineral fertilizers.

Organic matter will help increase the cohesion of sandy loam soil particles: at least two buckets of humus, peat or rotted manure per 1 m2.

Acidity

Ready-made indicators will help you independently determine the acidity of the substrate: strips of paper soaked in special reagents, or inexpensive field pH meters. They are sold in gardening stores.

Acidity is indicated by the large plantain, creeping buttercup, sedge, and horsetail growing on the site.

High acidity is eliminated by liming. On tomato beds, the procedure is carried out only in the fall.

Deoxidize the soil with substances or compounds with an alkaline reaction:

• slaked lime;
• dolomite flour;
• chalk;
• wood ash.

In clay soils add 4-5 kg ​​of slaked lime per 10 m2, in sandy loam - from 1 to 1.5 kg, and then dig it up.

Important! Liming is carried out no more than once every five years.

To maintain a pH level that is comfortable for plants, wood ash is scattered over the area every fall before cultivation.

Predecessors

Tomatoes should not be planted year after year in the same area, or after potatoes, eggplants, or peppers. Cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, and legumes are considered good predecessors.

When growing indoors, it is better to start 1-2 small greenhouses and alternate plantings. If you use one greenhouse, it is necessary to update the soil.

Fertilizers

Tomatoes are demanding in terms of nutrient content and do not produce a good harvest in poor soil.

Organic matter (rot manure, humus, compost) is added during autumn digging. Clay soils are recommended to be fertilized once every four years, sandy loam soils - once every two years.

At the same time, the beds are treated with mineral preparations containing potassium and phosphorus: monophosphate or superphosphate. Bone meal is often used as a phosphorus fertilizer. It is better to apply nitrogen fertilizers in the spring.

If time permits, it is good to enrich the substrate with green manure: sowing cereals, legumes or mustard in the tomato plot.

Humidity

Tomatoes need areas with good drainage. If groundwater comes close to the soil surface, it is better to choose elevated areas for the beds. Planting in marshy soil leads to rotting of the roots and death of tomatoes.

The optimal soil moisture for tomato growth is 75-80%.

Read also:

How and how often to water tomatoes in a greenhouse.

What is tomato bacteriosis and why does it appear in a greenhouse?

Why do tomatoes fatten in a greenhouse and what to do if this happens.

Tillage

Autumn soil preparation in a greenhouse for tomatoes consists of several steps:

1. In the fall, it is necessary to remove the remains of all plants, or better yet, remove them by the roots. The remaining plant debris retains parasites and outbreaks of disease until spring.
2. Garters and trellises must be removed for the winter.
3. Rinse the greenhouse frame and fencing with a hose. If there have been cases of pests or infections, treat the structure with a solution of bleach: 400 g per bucket of water.
4. Prepare fertilizers: compost, humus. Scatter one bucket per 1 m2 over the garden bed. It’s good to dig up the beds along with organic matter.
5. Apply potassium and phosphorus preparations, use a pitchfork or hoe to plant them to a depth of 5-7 cm, at the same time loosening the soil and removing small weeds.

Screening

Sifting is used as an additional measure of loosening, structuring and oxygen saturation. At the same time, it is possible to get rid of pebbles, remnants of roots and other debris. It is easier to transplant seedlings into sifted soil; the roots of the sprouts are not injured.

For sifting, meshes with a cell size of 6-12 mm are used. You can also use a construction sieve.

Temperature treatment

Temperature treatment destroys insect pests and their larvae, fungal spores, and pathogens.

The most common technique is freezing the soil. To do this, the covering is removed from film greenhouses, and buildings made of polycarbonate or glass are left open. After freezing, the soil is covered with a layer of snow.

Spilling boiling water over the beds kills pathogenic organisms and warms the soil. This method is used only in the spring before planting seedlings.

Disinfection

Autumn work indoors must include soil disinfection.

To disinfect late blight, spider mites, rot and scab, use a three percent solution of copper sulfate. For the same purpose, use a solution of potassium permanganate: 5 g per 10 liters of warm water.

In the spring, the greenhouse surfaces and soil are additionally treated with Fitosporin.To prepare the solution, take 5 g of the drug per 10 liters of water. Spraying is carried out about a week before planting tomatoes.

Conclusion

Tomatoes are a crop sensitive to soil quality. It needs loose, well-aerated, permeable and nutrient-rich soil.

If the soil on the site or in the greenhouse does not meet the requirements, the situation can and should be corrected. Sand, peat, and rotted organic matter should be added to heavy clay soil, and organic matter and mineral fertilizers should be added to sandy loam. Acidity is adjusted by liming. Digging, regular loosening, reasonable feeding and timely disinfection make the soil ideal for growing tomatoes and getting a rich harvest.