After germination, tomato plants grow rapidly. Before moving into the wild, they are transplanted again due to the limited space in the cultivation container. This is how you can complete the somewhat delicate procedure successfully.
How should tomato plants be transplanted?
To successfully transplant tomato plants, prepare a 10 cm pot with drainage and potting soil, make a depression in the middle, carefully lift out the seedling with a pricking stick or spoon and plant it up to the bottom pair of leaves. Then press the substrate and water evenly.
How to 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. If the leaves constantly rub against each other, there is a risk of rot. It is therefore the rule that tomato seedlings must be transplanted at least once before planting them outdoors; In technical jargon this is called pricking.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start transplanting, the necessary materials are provided. Each tomato plant requires a 10-centimeter pot that has an opening in the bottom for drainage. Small pebbles or shards of clay are suitable for drainage. As a substrate, use commercially available potting soil or vegetable soil emaciated with peat and sand. Ideally, you have a special pricking stick at hand or a small spoon.
- fill the substrate up to half the height of the pot above the drainage
- Make a small depression in the middle with the pricking rod
- water the tomato seedlings a little
- After a few minutes, lift the plants individually out of the soil with a spoon or pricking tool
- plant in the new pot up to the lower pair of leaves
- press the substrate with your thumb
There is no cause for concern if there is no soil on the roots after lifting out the seedlings. The young plants will still grow well if they are cared for professionally. These include, in particular, a consistent water supply and a bright, not full sun location with temperatures around 18 degrees Celsius. Tomatoes are not fertilized at this stage.
Tips & Tricks
The young tomato plants work even harder to 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.
