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With their fleshy fruit body and intense flavor, tomatoes are one of the highlights in the kitchen and are quite easy to grow at home. In order to have a rich harvest later, you have to prick out the young seedlings of the tomatoes. Read here how to do this successfully.
prick tomatoes
Why prick?
Pricking out is an effective way to quickly and easily grow a large number of young tomatoes without much effort. Since it is not worth growing each tomato seed individually due to the time and water consumption, several seeds are placed in a seed tray, which allows them to germinate. A few weeks pass in the seed tray before the seedlings develop their first leaves and can slowly be isolated. When separating, weak, wilted or kinked seedlings are also removed, as these do not offer a good chance of a successful harvest. Therefore, this step should never be neglected.
Prick out the tomato seedlings
Notice: Of course, if you sow tomatoes directly outdoors, transplanting is not necessary unless you want to give the plants a little more space. But pay even more attention to the selection of the variety, as these should be quite resistant.
Best time
When the tomatoes can be separated depends on the time of sowing.
The best time to prick is therefore:
- three to five weeks after germination
- when growing in a heated greenhouse: mid-March to early April
- when growing in an unheated greenhouse: mid-April to mid-May
- when growing on the window sill: early to mid-April
It is particularly important to prick out the seedlings after they have formed the first two leaves and these are sufficiently green. This way you can be sure that the tomatoes have formed enough healthy plant material to survive the move from the nursery to the individual flower pots. After the leaves have formed, you need to integrate the following two points to determine the exact timing.
- pike preparations
- lunar calendar
These two elements are necessary for you to record the exact date, as the formation of the true leaves is only an indication of when the singulation is possible. The right time to separate requires these two components so that you can effectively limit the period so that the tomatoes are not pricked out too early. They allow singulation on a favorable day for the tomato plants, which has a positive effect on the growth of the seedlings and does not overwhelm them during the singulation.
pricking preparation
Tip: Remember or write down the exact date when the tomato was planted. This gives you a fixed starting point by which to determine when the tomato plants should be pricked out.
pricking preparation
After the leaves have appeared, you now have to prepare them with liquid fertilizer over a period of two to four days. This should have a concentration of 1 percent, i.e. one milliliter of liquid fertilizer to one liter of water. This prepares the tomatoes for detachment and provides them with sufficient nourishment until they are planted outdoors. A fertilizer that contains molasses or vinasse is best for this, as tomato plants really like that. This form of fertilizer is mainly found in organic preparations. Moisten the seedlings with the solution so that they have enough energy.
Plant tomato seedlings individually in pots
lunar calendar
Another important element is the lunar calendar. You could start the pricking preparation right after the first leaves have appeared, but the lunar calendar is a good idea for the direct date. The moon has always had a beneficial effect on the growth of numerous plant species, including tomato plants. Tomatoes benefit from the effect of the moon on the earth, so after the leaves appear, you can use the lunar calendar to find the next best date, prepare the plants and then prick them out.
Suitable dates are:
- third week of March (March 17th - 20th)
- last week of March (March 27th - 29th)
- first week of April (April 4th - 7th)
- Mid April (April 14 - 16)
- third week of April (April 22 - 24)
- first week of May (2nd - 3rd May)
- Mid-May (May 12 - 14)
Of course, the days vary from year to year, but move within this framework. These days are considered the favorable days for planting or pricking out tomatoes and other fruiting vegetables. The final date, mid-April, is a bit late for tomato plants germinating in the heated greenhouse, but this period is good for specimens that need a little longer or don't have heat sources available. Mid-March, on the other hand, is only possible if the seedlings can grow in a greenhouse with optimal conditions and do not run the risk of wilting.
separating tomato seedlings
delays
The right time to separate the tomato plants can be pushed back if care mistakes occur during the germination period or if the location is not favorable for the nightshade family. Since the seedlings depend on species-appropriate care, even the smallest mistake can lead to the time it takes for the leaves to form and thus the day on which the tomato plants can be pricked out. These delays can sometimes be as little as a few days, but they can also be a week or two, which ultimately affects the harvest negatively.
The following causes are typical:
- the seedlings are too close together in the culture vessel
- not enough light leads to germination and possible death of the seedling
- location too cool
- Wrong substrate selected
- Substrate too dry
How is pricked?
As soon as it is time to prick out, you can transfer the seedlings to the individual containers provided so that they can mature into state young plants. For this, the seedlings need a suitable substrate and enough space for the formation of roots and plant material. For the process, choose pots about ten centimeters in diameter that have drainage holes so that the seedlings do not stand in the water.
pricked out tomato seedlings in pots
During pricking, proceed as follows:
- clean the vessels before singulation
- this is important if these have previously been occupied by other plants
- in this way you reduce the risk of possible infection by pathogens
- fill each pricking vessel two-thirds full with pricking soil
- water the seedlings two to three hours beforehand
- then loosen the soil around the seedlings in the seed tray
- either a pricking stick, a sharp, clean knife or a ballpoint pen is used for this
- remove the seedlings from the seed tray
- you should be careful not to lift out all the seedlings at once
- otherwise the roots could dry out
- check the roots and shorten roots that are too long to a maximum length of 2 cm
- also check the health of the seedlings
- then place the seedlings in the substrate
- be careful not to snap or injure the roots
- moisten the seedlings with a spray bottle
- then do not expose the tomatoes to direct sunlight for two to three days