Agrotechnology of tomato seedlings cultivation in protected soil

turn yellow, which will reduce the surface area of the assimilation apparatus. Furthermore, dense leaves do not allow sunlight to pass through well, and the soil does not warm up. Transplants should be watered with warm water (25°C) infrequently, but abundantly (at a rate of 10 l/m2), soaking the soil to the full depth of the pots. You must not allow the pots to dry out. The non-pricking method of growing tomato transplants, used in plastic greenhouses, deserves attention. For this purpose, greenhouses are filled with horse, cow, or pig manure (but if it is moist, the manure is mixed with sawdust or chopped straw). The manure is laid under beds 90—100 cm wide in a layer 20—30 cm thick, leveled, and a 10 cm layer of nutrient mixture is poured on top. Prepared seed is sown in furrows cut 10 cm apart and crosswise every 5 cm. Before sowing, the nutrient mixture is cut through to its full depth lengthwise and crosswise at a distance of 10 x 5 cm. Four to five days before selecting the transplants, the cutting is repeated. Top dressing of the transplants is carried out every 10 days after emergence with a warm solution of mineral fertilizers. For the first top dressing, the following are added to 10 l of water: ammonium sulfate — 10 g, superphosphate — 20 g, potassium sulfate — 10 g. In subsequent top dressings, the fertilizer doses are doubled. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the transplants. If their growth is weak, the amount of nitrogen fertilizers should be increased; if strong, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers should be increased. When growing transplants in a greenhouse, the temperature should be maintained at 18—21°C until emergence, then for four to five days at 14—16°C, and at night at 6—8°C, and subsequently depending on lighting conditions: on sunny days — 20—22°C, on overcast days — 16—18°C, and at night — 8—10°C. Reducing the temperature at night is necessary, as this accelerates the formation of the first fruit set, and hardened transplants tolerate short-term frosts better after being planted in open soil. In addition, in the dark, plants expend the nutrients stored during the day for respiration and other vital processes, and the higher the temperature, the more nutrients they consume. A moment may come when the expenditure of nutrients due to increased respiration of the plants at night at an elevated temperature will exceed the daytime influx of nutrients. As a result, the transplants become leggy and the plants weaken. When growing tomato transplants in protected ground, special attention should be paid to the need for increased ventilation. Tomatoes need a constant influx of fresh air, as the relative humidity of the air should not exceed 60%; otherwise, the plants are affected by fungal and bacterial diseases. The timing of sowing seed and planting transplants depends on where the transplants are intended for — plastic greenhouses, temporary plastic covers, or open soil. Transplants should be prepared 40—50 days before planting, depending on the lighting conditions during their growth, avoiding plant legginess. Planting of transplants can be carried out in heated plastic greenhouses in mid-April, in solar-heated greenhouses — in late April — early May, at the same time under temporary plastic covers, and in open soil — after the passage of the second May cold wave, having covers ready in case of a return of cold weather. Thus, to prepare tomato transplants for unfavorable weather conditions, they must be raised under relatively harsh conditions, starting with seed hardening. Growing eggplant and pepper transplants. Early-ripening eggplant cultivars: Karlikovy Ranny 921, with a growing season from emergence to the first fruit harvest of 85—105 days, depending on weather conditions; Skorospely 148 and Delikates. All these cultivars have small fruits. A larger-fruited mid-season cultivar is Simferopolsky 105; the fruits are ready for harvesting 110—125 days after emergence. This cultivar is successfully grown at the VDNKh vegetable exhibition plot. Harvesting begins in mid-August. The mid-season cultivar Universal 6 with large fruits deserves attention. Early-ripening sweet pepper cultivar Lastochka: in the conditions of the Moscow region, fruit harvesting begins in the second half of July, then the mid-season cultivars Bolgarsky 79 and Podarok Moldovy ripen. This cultivar is distinguished by its thick flesh. The most common hot pepper cultivar is—

Astrakhansky 147. A pungent cultivar deserving attention is Slonoviy Khobot with large fruits. Eggplants and peppers belong to the nightshade family. These vegetables are valued not only for their remarkable taste qualities but also for their beneficial effect on human health; they contribute to lowering cholesterol in the blood, vessel walls, liver, and kidneys, and increase the excretion of harmful uric acid salts from the body, protecting it from gout. In addition to taste, pepper contains more ascorbic acid than black currant and is rich in mineral salts. A feature of these plants is that their root system is weak at the seedling stage and recovers poorly from damage, especially in eggplants; seedlings do not establish well after pricking out. In the initial period of growth, eggplants and peppers grow very slowly; their seeds are sown 7–10 days earlier than tomato seeds. The growing period for transplants can be 45–50 days in 6 cm diameter pots for eggplants and 5 cm for peppers, and to obtain an earlier harvest, they are grown in pots of larger diameter — 8 and 6 cm respectively, increasing the growing period to 60–65 days. Eggplants and peppers are more demanding of heat than tomatoes. Their seeds germinate at a temperature of 13–14°C on the 18th–25th day, at 20–25°C — on the 8th–10th day, while soaked seeds (hardened in the same way as tomato seeds) produce seedlings three to four days after sowing. The optimal temperature for the growth and development of these plants is 25–30°C; at 20°C fruit set and growth are suspended, at a temperature below 15°C flowers and fruit set drop, and at 13°C plant growth stops. A high temperature — above 34°C — combined with atmospheric drought (relative humidity below 35%) has a particularly harmful effect on plants (flowers and fruit set drop). Eggplants and peppers are also more demanding of moisture than tomatoes, but they also respond negatively to excess. To increase the resistance of transplants to unfavorable weather conditions, potassium permanganate (2 g per 10 l of water) should be added to the irrigation water. Of course, the water must be warm. This accelerates fruiting. Ventilation of greenhouses is necessary, but should be done carefully so as not to chill the plants. In stagnant air, transplants are more susceptible to fungal diseases. One must also be careful with irrigation so that a lack of moisture does not lead to lignification of the stems and wilting of the transplants. For transplants, you can use the nutrient mixture prepared for tomatoes, as the requirements for nutritional conditions are approximately the same, but it is better to add a double dose of superphosphate to the mixture, as transplants develop better with increased doses of phosphorus. Pepper and eggplant plants need to be top-dressed twice. For the first top dressing, carried out after the formation of the first true leaf, you can apply 20 g of ammonium sulfate, 40 g of superphosphate, and 15 g of potassium sulfate per 10 l of warm water; for the second — after 10–15 days — 30, 50, and 20 g respectively. Potassium sulfate can be replaced with wood ash in a double dose, which, in addition to potassium, contains essential micronutrients for the plants. Such an increased concentration of the solution is possible only when growing transplants in a nutrient mixture with peat, and after top dressing, irrigation with clean water is necessary to wash the residue of the solution off the leaves to avoid burning them. Growing cucumber transplants. Early-maturing cultivars and hybrids grown in plastic greenhouses: Aprelsky (TSKhA-98), produces the first fruits 45 days after emergence; hybrid Zozulya (TSKhA-77), fruits on the 46th–48th day after emergence; hybrid TSKhA-1, harvesting 46–58 days after emergence; hybrid Maysky, produces fruits 46–50 days after emergence. All these hybrids require almost no pollination; the main shoot of the plants is pinched at the top of the trellis, side shoots — above the third or fourth leaf. Plants of the hybrid Maysky form predominantly female flowers, so it is necessary to place one plant of another cultivar, for example Izyaishchny, for every 10 plants. The early-maturing cultivar Dzhin-ju-si requires neither pollination nor pinching. All these hybrids have rather large fruits with thick flesh and a small seed cavity. Few people like such cucumbers. Moreover, these plants require significant time and labor for maintenance. In a small plastic greenhouse, it is also better to grow them on trellises.

Transplants preparing for pinching. Pinching cucumber transplants. The cultivars and hybrids that are cultivated under temporary film covers and in open ground. The best of them, which has won universal recognition, is the cultivar Izyaishchniy. For cultivation in open ground and under temporary film covers, the cultivars Altayskiy Ranniy and Muromskiy 36 can be recommended. They begin fruiting under favorable weather conditions 30–40 days after emergence, and under unfavorable conditions—in 50–60 days. Their fruits are small (60–70 g). The fruits of the Altayskiy Ranniy cultivar, unlike Muromskiy 36, do not turn yellow for a relatively long time. In addition, this cultivar is more resistant to

Properly selected cucumber cultivars provide an early and stable harvest even during unstable spring weather. When choosing hybrids for greenhouses or open ground, it is important for an agronomist to consider ripening times, fruit mass, and their resistance to pathogens. Below are the key characteristics of cultivars for protected and open ground.

To accelerate the harvest of the first cucumbers, seeds are soaked in solutions of trace elements before sowing. This procedure accelerates the start of the growing season and stimulates earlier fruiting of the plants. Methylene blue or boric acid are used as active ingredients.

• Methylene blue — 0.3 g per 1 L of water
• Boric acid — 0.2 g per 1 L of water
• Seed soaking time — 12 h
• Urea and potassium sulfate per 10 buckets of mixture — 150 g each
• Superphosphate per 10 buckets of mixture — 500 g

Preparation of nutrient mixtures and sowing of transplants

Healthy cucumber transplants require light, air-permeable, and nutrient-rich soil. The composition of the soil mixture can be varied depending on the components available on the farm. Peat, humus, sod soil, or aged sawdust with the addition of mineral fertilizers are used for this.

• Peat-based mixture. Mix 5 parts of weathered limed peat, 3 parts of humus, 1 part of sod soil, and 1 part of cow manure diluted half-and-half with water. If there is no humus, replace it with aged sawdust, adding urea, potassium sulfate, and superphosphate to every 10 buckets of the mixture.
• Mixture without peat. Combine sod or garden soil half-and-half with humus. Add 1 cup of wood ash to each bucket of the finished mixture. The highest efficiency is shown by using a well-composted mixture with ash.

If there are no ready-made plastic containers, cucumber transplants are successfully grown on sod pieces. This method allows for obtaining strong seedlings with a well-developed root system at minimal cost. Harvesting the material begins in advance, back in the autumn.

1. Harvest sod pieces up to 10 cm thick in the autumn and stack them grass-side down.
2. Before sowing, make small holes up to 10 cm in diameter in the sod pieces.
3. Add humus or nutrient mixture with a few grains of superphosphate into the holes.
4. Sow sprouted seeds into the prepared nests.

Cucumber transplants for open ground are grown for three weeks, and in case of insufficient light and the risk of plants stretching, this period is shortened, preventing the leaves from closing. Cucumber seeds, just like tomato seeds, are hardened before sowing. When growing transplants for heated film greenhouses and for open ground, different temperatures are maintained indoors. For example, for transplants intended for greenhouses, such a temperature regime is established. Before the appearance of emergence, the temperature is maintained within 25–30°C; at this temperature, emergence appears as early as the next day. Then, on sunny days, the temperature should be 23–25°C, on cloudy days no higher than 17–20°C, and at night — 13–15°C. For open ground transplants, the temperature regime is as follows: after the appearance of emergence, for three to five days, the temperature is maintained at 15–17°C during the day and 12–14°C at night, and subsequently, on sunny days, 19–20°C, on cloudy days — 16–19°C, and at night — 12–14°C. At a temperature below 12°C for three days, the root system begins to die, just as it does when watered with cold water. The combination of hardening seeds and transplants contributes to earlier flowering of female flowers and, consequently, earlier fruiting. EARLY CABBAGE In the Moscow region, in favorable years, early-maturing cabbage transplants are planted on light soils from the second ten days of April, and on heavy soils — in early May. The readiness of heads weighing 300 g for cutting occurs in the third ten days of June. Under favorable weather conditions and sufficient supply of nutrients and water to the plants, the mass of the head doubles in a week and triples again by the end of the second week. Cabbage is a cold-hardy plant; it grows best at 15–17°C and can withstand spring frosts when planting hardened transplants down to -8°C. Cabbage is a plant demanding of light (it does not tolerate shading) and moisture (but does not tolerate an excess of it); therefore, under conditions of excessive moisture, cabbage is grown on beds or ridges. The greatest need for moisture is during the head formation period. Early-maturing cabbage cultivars are more demanding of soil fertility. This is due not only to the short growing season but also to the greater density of plant stands: transplants are planted at a distance of 60 cm between rows and 30 cm between plants. Growth of leaves and head size depend on the provision of nitrogen to the plants. Cabbage especially needs nitrogen before the beginning of head formation, provided the plants are sufficiently supplied with phosphorus and potassium. From the beginning of head formation, the plants' need for potassium increases, especially on sandy soils, where potassium is leached from the soil. That is why potassium top dressing of plants is effective during this period. For cabbage, there is no need to apply organic fertilizers; a high harvest can be obtained using only mineral fertilizers with subsequent top dressing of the plants. Therefore, against the background of standard soil preparation with a complete mineral fertilizer, one week after planting the transplants, the plants should be fertilized with a urea solution (three tablespoons per bucket of water for 10 plants); at the beginning of head formation — with nitrophoska in the same dose, but for five plants, and on sandy soils, a week later, with potassium in the same amount. When fertilizing plants with organic fertilizers, their solution is prepared a day before top dressing: bird droppings are poured into a tub up to half, filled with water, and stirred several times during the day to obtain a homogeneous liquid without lumps, otherwise plant burns are possible. Before application, the resulting slurry is diluted with water 10 times. A similarly prepared cow manure slurry is diluted with water 5 times. Manure liquid is immediately diluted with water 4 times. After each watering or rain, the soil is loosened: the first time to 10–12 cm, and subsequently the depth of tillage is reduced. This is because the cabbage root system fully covers the row spacing three weeks after planting the transplants. It is also necessary to earth up the plants, but only with moist soil, combining earthing up with loosening the bottom of the furrow. It should be noted that although cabbage is a cold-hardy plant, it is better to plant transplants when the soil has warmed up.

Cauliflower. Soil should be adjusted to 6—8°C, and it should be irrigated upon planting with water at room temperature. The next irrigation should be given in three to four days, as excessive soil moisture leads to poorer development of the root system due to reduced uptake of nutrients by the plants. When loosening the soil and hilling the plants, ensure the apical bud is not covered, otherwise a head will not form. After cutting the head, a new one may form from an axillary bud; no more than two should be left. Cauliflower. Cauliflower is rarely seen in home gardens and is not always grown in community suburban gardens. Meanwhile, cauliflower is significantly more nutritious than white cabbage; its heads are richer in protein and contain more vitamins, especially ascorbic acid. It also surpasses head cabbage in mineral salt content. Cauliflower got its name due to a misconception about the structure of its shoots that make up the head: it was believed that these were floral formations, but in reality, a cauliflower head consists of stem shoots, and flower buds are formed on green shoots. Why is cauliflower not always cultivated in suburban plots? The reason is that it is more difficult to grow than head cabbage, and failures occur more often: the result is small, loose heads suitable only for making soup. What are the reasons for failures in cauliflower culture? First of all, sowing is carried out with unsorted seed. During the cultivation of transplants, boron and molybdenum, which cauliflower especially needs, are often not added during top dressing. And finally, overgrown transplants are sometimes planted. The requirements of cauliflower plants for growing conditions are basically the same as for head cabbage, but of all cabbage varieties, cauliflower is the most demanding plant regarding environmental conditions, especially soil fertility and the humidity of both the soil and the air; for this reason, plants need to be sprayed with water during the hottest hours of the day. At high temperatures and low air humidity, the heads quickly disintegrate, i.e., the small stems making up the head separate, and its density is lost. To prevent this, it is better to grow cauliflower among screens of tall-growing plants or in the inter-rows of a fruit orchard, provided the plants are exposed to sunlight for at least a few hours and are moistened during the day by overhead irrigation from a watering can or hose. With insufficient and untimely irrigation, as well as with insufficient plant nutrition, the result is small, loose heads. For the formation of large and dense cauliflower heads, it is required that leaf growth proceeds rapidly, which can be ensured primarily by nitrogen nutrition. Later, top dressing with solutions of organic fertilizers is necessary, and at the beginning of head formation, it is necessary to add 2 g of boric acid and ammonium molybdate per 10 L of solution. With a deficiency of boron, plant growing points often die off and the heads begin to rot, and with a deficiency of molybdenum, especially on acidic soils, the plants' leaves become deformed. At the same time, phosphorus-potassium top dressing of the plants is also necessary. The quality of the heads and their snow-white color are ensured by covering them from the sun, either by tying the leaves, breaking a pair of leaves over the head, or using plucked lower leaves. Sometimes fuzziness or hairiness appears on the heads; however, this does not affect the taste of the cauliflower. Such a phenomenon is observed during mild weather combined with high night temperatures. Two harvests can be obtained from the same area if cauliflower is grown among head cabbage. Cauliflower should be planted at the end of April, and the Moscow late-maturing cultivar of head cabbage — in mid-May. By this time, the cauliflower manages to develop a good rosette of leaves, but since the leaves of cauliflower are upright, it does not interfere with the development of the head cabbage. Cauliflower is planted at a distance of 70x70 cm, and head cabbage — in rows between them, one plant each. The Moscow late-maturing cultivar of cabbage is distinguished by a powerful leaf rosette, whose large leaves create screens that cover the cauliflower plants and create the best conditions for head development (lower temperature, higher air humidity, protection from sunlight). Cauliflower can also serve as a screen plant for cucumbers when arranging plants in alternating rows of two. Cucumber seeds are usually sown three to four weeks after planting cauliflower transplants. The combination of these crops during further growth is most favorable for both plants, which are distinguished by increased requirements for soil fertility, its moisture, and also for relative air humidity. It should be noted that for the rapid growth of cauliflower leaves, the transplants should be watered at planting not with pure water, but with a weak solution of urea or ammonium sulfate (one tablespoon per bucket of water, at a rate of 1 L per plant). Cauliflower heads can be obtained ten days earlier if transplants are planted under temporary plastic covers, where both air temperature and humidity are more favorable for plants than in open ground. Under the film, transplants are planted in two rows with a spacing of 60x30 cm. To prevent the plants from overheating, it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse frequently by opening the film at the ends and on the leeward side. The film can be removed when the night temperature settles at no less than 6°C. One should grow not one cultivar of cauliflower, but several, with different head ripening periods. Seeds should also be sown directly into open ground at the same time as the transplanting. In this case, it is necessary to provide the young plants with the same nutritional conditions as when growing transplants. It is best to apply half a liter of a seedling nutrient mixture into each hole before sowing the seeds, which will also prevent the formation of a soil crust. When thinning seedlings, initially two plants should be left in a hole, and during the second thinning — one best plant. The feeding area is the same: 60x30 cm. When sowing seeds in the ground, the seedlings are not affected by blackleg, the plants develop a more powerful root system, they better withstand hot weather and are more resistant to pests and diseases. After cutting the cauliflower heads, a new harvest can be obtained from the shoots growing from the axillary buds near the root collar of the plants. However, to form larger heads, only one shoot should be left on each plant, taking care of timely irrigation and top dressing of the plants. Broccoli. In terms of nutritional value and taste, broccoli surpasses cauliflower; it has more protein, carbohydrates, mineral salts, and vitamins, including carotene, which is absent in cauliflower. Broccoli is four times lower in purines than cauliflower, which is why it is recommended for patients with gout. The agricultural techniques for broccoli are close to those for cauliflower, but to obtain the main head, broccoli transplants are planted somewhat denser than cauliflower, at a distance of 20—25 cm between plants. Broccoli can also be grown by sowing seeds in open ground. Broccoli grows better when shaded by screens or fruit trees from 11 to 15 hours, and also when the soil is moistened during irrigation to a depth of 40 cm. After cutting the main head, lateral shoots of broccoli develop, which can be harvested in 15—20 days. Shading the heads of this cabbage is not required. Savoy cabbage. Savoy cabbage is the same head cabbage...