Soilless Cultivation of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of the common varieties of fruit and vegetable in our life, and the planting area has gradually expanded in recent years. However, tomatoes grown out from traditional soil come with low production efficiency, small fruits size and poor taste. Therefore, soilless cultivation techniques have been vigorously promoted. Knowing that soilless cultivation brings tomatoes of good taste, large fruits, high production efficiency and good economic benefits, which have reduced unnecessary economic losses to the majority of vegetable farmers. Today, this article will talk about the new technology of tomato soilless culture.
1. Variety Selection.
Choose good varieties with certain resistance to diseases and insect pests, and are of high yield, large fruits, easy-to-store and good taste.
2. Facilities Conditions.
Conditions for soilless culture facilities mainly include culture tanks, irrigation facilities, etc.
2.1 Cultivation Trough.
The width of the inner groove is 50-60cm, and the height of the groove is 25-30cm. The cultivation area should be determined according to the actual situation. The gap distance between the two cultivation tanks is 60-80cm. The bottom of the cultivation tank needs to be drained to prevent nutrient solution from leaking out. After the construction is completed, a layer of plastic film should be placed on top of it, while a layer of river sand should be paved on the plastic film. Then pour the cultivation substrate on the woven bag.
2.2 Irrigation Facilities.
Every 3-5 cultivation tanks need to be equipped with a water storage tank, which is beneficial to timely supplement. The bottom of the water storage tank is more than 1 meter higher than the cultivation tank, which is helpful to maintain sufficient water level difference to save water.
2.3 Preparation of Cultivation Substrate.
The cultivation substrate is mainly composed of organic matters, such as crushed straw, sawdust (40%), organic fertilizer (40%) and the like, which are decomposed and mixed with slag (20%) with 5kg of soilless tomato fertilizer added to each ton of cultivation substrate. The evenly mixed substrate is then covered with plastic film for sterilization and disinfection, waiting for two weeks to be filled into the cultivation tank.
3. Soilless Nursery.
3.1 Seed Soaking and Germination Accelerating.
Seed soaking: Soaking seeds with 1% potassium permanganate solution or 1% sodium bicarbonate solution for 30 minutes, then taking out the seeds and rinsing the seeds with clean water.
Accelerating germination: put wet seeds into plastic bags and place them in a 30-degree environment for sprouting. When more than 70% of the seeds turn white, they can be planted.
3.2 Seedling Sowing.
Before sowing, the substrate should be prepared, and the main components of the substrate require a 3: 1 ratio of peat and bee stone, evenly mixed with compound fertilizer consist of 5.0kg/m2 of disinfected chicken manure and 0.5kg/m2 of bee stone. Filling the prepared substrate into 72-hole plastic suction plates with one beehive stone about 1cm thick in each hole. Spreading a layer of plastic film under the plastic suction plates to separate the beehive stone from the soil. The temperature should be kept within the range of 20-30 degrees during cultivation, which is 20-25 degrees in the day time and 10-15 degrees at night. The seedlings can be colonized when they grow three or four true leaves in about 30 days.
4. Plant Colonization.
Rake the substrate in the cultivation tank before planting, and then irrigate the cultivation tank to make the substrate fully absorb water; Digging holes in the substrate in the groove, with 2 rows of holes dug in each groove, with row spacing about 30cm and 3,000 to 3,500 plants planted per mu. After the seedlings are planted, a small amount of water is needed to keep the roots of the seedlings moist.
5. Cultivation Management.
5.1 Fertilizer and Water Management.
Top dressing is started 20 days after field planting, and then fertilizer is applied every 10 days, with each plant applying 10-15g of specified fertilizer. After fruiting, fertilizer was applied every 7 days in 25g to each plant. Water is poured every 5 days after planting.
5.2 Temperature and Light.
After planting, daytime temperature is 22-25℃, and nighttime temperature is 10-15℃;
After fruiting, the temperature is 25-28℃ during the day and about 12℃ at night.
5.3 Vines Supporting and Pruning.
When the leaves grow to six or seven, vines should be support by polypropylene plastic ropes. The upper part of the ropes is fixed on the iron wire of the trellis, and the lower part is tied on the stem base; When pruning, only the main shaft is kept to grow and fruit, while all the lateral branches in the leaf axil are removed when grow to the length of 10-15cm.
5.4 Flower and Fruit Conservation and Thinning.
Dipping flowers with 10% ~ 15% 2, 4-d solution at 7-9 a.m. is helpful to improve the fruiting rate. Or reserve three or four fruits per plant at the same time, and the remaining flowers and fruits should be removed in time.