In our country, the tomato is one of the most consumed fruits in every home. There are people who have a small garden at home or a space to plant potted tomatoes. It should be borne in mind that the care of potted tomatoes is different from those that are planted in the garden. Therefore, many people do not know how often to water potted tomatoes.
In this article we are going to tell you how often to water potted tomatoes, some of the care you need and the best tips for it.
Tips for planting potted tomatoes
Before planting a tomato in a pot you should know that there are two varieties. On the one hand, we have the determined ones that are a more compact type of plant that does not need any type of pruning and their growth is limited. It is an ideal variety to plant in pots since they are perfect if you don't have too much space. On the other hand, we have the indeterminate. They are a more traditional type of tomatoes and their size is similar to that of a small tennis ball. Its growth is much greater and it will need space and care.
Once the varieties are known, we will go on to see the appropriate pot to deposit the seed. Should have minimum 30 centimeters in diameter and about 45 centimeters deep, Although the size of the pot will depend on the space we have available. We must bear in mind that the bigger the pot, the better. The ideal is to avoid that the planter is something heavy material so that it does not cost you a lot to move it from one place to another when you have to change it.
One of the tips on watering potted tomatoes is the saucer placed under the planter. It is essential to place a saucer that can collect the drained water after irrigation. It is essential that the pot has holes in the bottom to facilitate drainage. Otherwise, the plant could have too much water and it ends up rotting. It is a plant that needs a substrate with good drainage that does not meet the irrigation water.
Perhaps one of the most appropriate tips for planting tomatoes in a pot is that at the beginning you are going to sow all the seeds in the same pot. Nevertheless, when they germinate and are small plants, they must be transplanted into different pots individually. Thanks to this, you will ensure that you can successfully plant potted tomatoes.
Importance than watering potted tomatoes
The tomato crop is often very sensitive to water. Too little or too much irrigation are often damaging factors for the crop. Throughout the tomato cycle, the presence of water becomes critical, especially in the seedling stage. Therefore, a type of irrigation must be established that provides the regular amount of water that plants require in their different stages of development.
You should know that the irrigation water is rich in some salt that has the characteristics of adhering to the soil. Depending on the type of salt and its concentration, it may or may not cause problems for the growth and health of crops. That is why it is important to establish a balance in the irrigation of tomato plants. Thus, the soil will not undergo alkalization due to the high density of saltas this will lead to irreparable loss of productivity. If the watering of the tomatoes in the pot is neglected it will cause the soil to dry out too much and the plants may suffer from water stress.
On the contrary, if the watering frequency is too high, the they can produce puddles that limit the oxygen of the crop and end up stunting the roots. With the appropriate roots, the consumption of nutrients and minerals is affected, going free to various diseases and fungal proliferation.
How often to water potted tomatoes
The most important factor in deciding when to water your tomatoes is the weather. In addition to the climatic conditions, the quality of the seeds and the types of soil are also very influencing factors. If the substrate for the pot you choose is fine sand, you should water it regularly and briefly, about 3 to 4 times a day. On the contrary, if the substrate is found to be heavier, although it should not be watered frequently, if appropriate, watering can be increased.
For obvious reasons, summer tomatoes should be watered with different standards to other seasons of the year, mainly considering the needs of the plants and the behavior of temperature and soil evaporation. Although regular watering is maintained in these conditions, this is different from garden plants. The best option is to do this, if you are in summer: 3 times per week. If it is not very hot or in winter, 8 times a month is enough.
Try not to get too wet the leaves, flowers and fruits of tomato plants, and use rainwater or water without lime as much as possible. If you are one of the people who put dishes under the crops, when you water them, remove the water that accumulates in these dishes to avoid fungal infection.
Tips for watering
Let's see what are the tips for watering potted tomatoes:
- Water space and frequent: The important thing when watering is not speed, but consistency. The purpose of this is to get the water to enter at least 20 centimeters below ground level. Until you see that the saucer below starts draining water, do not stop watering.
- Don't water at night: at night there is more humidity and less evaporation, so you can create a favorable environment for the growth of fungi. They tend to grow in humidity in cooler temperatures, so it is better to wait until the day when it is warmer.
- Use mulching: it is an art or what consists of creating a padding with organic materials that help reduce the frequency of evaporation of water. It also helps to make better use of rainwater, which contains less lime and dissolved salts.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how often to water potted tomatoes.