Let's talk about a far from new, but very simple and effective way of picking tomato seedlings, it is also called deep picking. But let's start with something a little different. When growing seedlings, we have two main tasks. The first most important task is to grow a good beard of snow-white roots. And the second task is to get a curly upper part with a thick trunk and emerald leaves. The main, free and most accessible way to grow a good root system of tomato seedlings is picking. Let me remind you - picking is transplanting seedlings with the obligatory removal of part of the roots. and especially the main root. We know that after any damage to the roots of tomato seedlings, there is a rapid regeneration - this is an explosive growth of lateral roots. The root from the taproot becomes fibrous. Do not confuse with transshipment of seedlings. When transshipping seedlings into a larger container, we do not damage the roots. The question is - what is better for the roots - picking or transshipment. Answer.. Some greenhouse farms grow seedlings in cassettes and then transfer them to cups. Other greenhouse farms plant seeds in common boxes with subsequent picking. I myself really like the old and proven method of deep picking of tomato seedlings. It is not so labor-intensive, but the seedlings turn out to be stocky, with good roots and a thick stem. With this method, it is impossible to damage the seedlings and there is much less dirt at home. Now step by step - like in cooking. I plant seeds in small plastic containers. I do not make holes for drainage. I will especially note. For each variety, I take a separate small container. I number the container and immediately write down the variety number. Each container fits up to 6-8 seeds. The most important thing is no dense bouquet plantings. You need to leave 2-3 cm between the seeds. More is better. The soil should be 3-4 cm high. watering. Immediately upon planting the seeds in the ground, watering is done with clean water. After germination, the first watering is with MCF (1 g / l) and then I use the fertigation method. In the previous video, I talked about fertigation in detail. I keep the seedlings in such containers for up to 30 days. After 25-30 days, I pick the seedlings. In the following sequence. The seedlings need to be dried out a little. It is easier for me to get the seedlings out of dry soil. After taking out the seedlings, I, without fanaticism, tear off the long roots, including the main root. I also tear off the cotyledon leaves and you can remove one true leaf. Then I put the seedling with its roots on the bottom, in an empty 500 ml beer glass. I repeat - I put the seedling in an empty glass, I do not pour soil on the bottom of the glass. I use glasses without drain holes. I talked about the standardized glass watering of seedlings. With this watering, the house is clean and you will never flood the seedlings. The link to the video on glass watering will be at the end of this video. After laying out the seedlings in empty glasses, I fill them with sifted soil. The soil can be sifted through a vegetable drawer. It is convenient to apply the soil in a circle and with a simple tablespoon. The soil should be compacted a little with the same spoon. After picking, I water the seedlings with plain water with Zircon. You need 4 drops of Zircon per 1 liter of water. Zircon will remove stress from the seedlings and support the roots. If you have scale on your kettle, you should also add citric acid on the tip of a knife. This is to reduce the acidity of the solution. Let me remind you that tomatoes absorb any stimulants and fertilizers well only when the acidity of the water is about 6 pH. For watering each glass, I use 60 ml of water per 300 ml of soil. - after picking, it is advisable to remove the seedlings from the light for a day. the second and subsequent waterings of seedlings are done by fertigation. For beginners. Watering seedlings. Precise doses. • For beginners. Watering seedlings. Precise doses. ___________________________________________________________________________ Shadrin Viktor Nikolaevich Nizhny Novgorod region, Kstovo. E-mail: [email protected] Mobile phone: +7-904-040-00-07