After germination, tomato plants grow rapidly in height. Before moving into the wild, they are transplanted again, given the urgent narrowness in the breeding vessel. This is how you successfully complete the somewhat tricky procedure.
This is how you recognize the right time
The seeds are sown at least three centimeters apart. Even at an even greater distance, the rapidly growing seedlings touch each other within a short time. At the latest when the leaves rub permanently, there is a risk of rot. It is therefore the rule that tomato seedlings should be transplanted at least once before planting outdoors; called pricking in technical jargon.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start the transplanting, the necessary materials will be provided. A 10 cm pot with an opening in the bottom for water drainage is required for each tomato plant. Small pebbles or shards of pottery are suitable for drainage. Use commercial potting soil or vegetable soil thinned with peat and sand as a substrate. Ideally, you have a special pricking stick or a small spoon at hand.
- fill the substrate up to half the height of the pot above the drainage
- Make a small indentation in the middle with the pricking stick
- water the tomato seedlings a little
- After a few minutes, lift the plantlets out of the ground one by one with a spoon or pricking tool
- plant in the new pot up to the lower pair of leaves
- press the substrate down with your thumb
Don't worry if there is no soil around the roots after lifting the seedlings out. The young plants will still grow well if they are cared for properly. These include, in particular, an even water supply and a bright location that is not in full sun, with temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius. Tomatoes are not fertilized at this stage.
tips and tricks
The young tomato plants will try harder to take root in the pot if they are given an incentive. Resourceful hobby gardeners therefore spread a thin layer of compost on the ground under the nutrient-poor growing substrate.