Needless to say, tomatoes growth, strength, and other essential qualities depend on the quality of the soil ph. But for every gardener or amateur gardener, the question is always open how to prepare the best soil for tomatoes.
First, tomatoes love phosphorus. No, not so that the gardener could find them on a dark summer night. Phosphorus is extremely important for fruit formation in tomatoes. It is the lack of this “glowing” mineral that causes the color change in tomatoes, they become faded, one might even say cyanotic.
One can, of course, appeal to the fact that tomatoes take much less phosphorus from the soil than other minerals. But it is precisely the lack of phosphorus that will make the future harvest inferior. Also, for growing tomatoes, the soil must contain sufficient potassium and nitrogen. Potash, nitrogenous, and phosphate fertilizers, applied in sufficient quantities to the soil, are the key to successful cultivation and a rich harvest of tomatoes.
In addition to the mineral composition, tomatoes love light, loose, well-moisturized soil. They grow well in places that have a low level of groundwater. If the soil retains moisture, the earth is waterlogged, the water stagnates, then it is not recommended to plant tomatoes in such a place.
In terms of acidity, the soil for growing these vegetables should be slightly acidic – pH 6-6.5, acidity 7.5 pH too high for tomatoes If the soil is more acidic, then liming is necessary before planting tomatoes. Tomatoes also love warmth, everyone knows that, so if the weather conditions are not too favorable, tomatoes are grown in greenhouses.
How do you lower the pH of a tomato plant?
So, what acidity of the soil should be known for tomatoes is no more than 6.5. If the ph tomatoes are higher than normal, the tomatoes will be sore. You can determine the acidity of the earth yourself, just look at the weeds that grow on it. In areas with a low ph level, creeping wheatgrass grows, an almost indestructible pest. But in very acidic soil, woodlice feel good, so the thickets of this grass clearly indicate that the soil for tomatoes must be deacidified.
It is not difficult to check acidity at home. To do this, boil currant leaves with boiling water and let the broth brew. Then add a little soil from the site to the jar and watch the reaction. If there is a lot of acids, the water will turn red, blue indicates low ph, and green indicates neutral soil.
What to use to deoxidize the soil:
- Lime. In autumn, 1 m2 of land is poured into a bucket of fluffy lime, and then the soil is loosened. Mulching for the winter is not recommended, in the spring such soil will thaw for a long time. If the alkaline reaction is too high, sulfate granules are added to the soil.
- Dolomite flour. For 1 m2, ¾ of a bucket of flour is used, and then the soil is poured for winter.
- Ash. For the first time, take a three-liter can of ash per 1 m2 of soil, the next year the amount of fertilizer can be reduced.
- Phacelia. The beautiful lilac flowers grow quickly, reduce the acidity of the earth and prevent wireworms. The plot is sown with phacelia for the whole summer; next year, tomatoes can be grown in such soil.
From the point of view of the ph level, peat is suitable for tomato seedlings, it has low and sometimes neutral acidity. The main disadvantage of such soil in the absence of a large amount of nutrients, the peat soil will need to be refined with turf, sand, and organic matter.
A very good accessible article, I faced such a misfortune two years ago, tomatoes, cabbage, eggplants stopped growing. It turned out that the soil is acidic, the roots do not develop at all and the plants die. This year, 60 tomatoes, 30 eggplants, 30 cabbage have gone missing. She pulled everything out and planted it with mustard. In the fall, I want to add dolomite flour. In general, there are a lot of problems. The vegetable garden is no longer happy, she cried for a whole month, the second year without a crop.