Tomatoes require a lot of water. So you can be generous when watering. However, few people know when the right time is to water.
If you don’t have a greenhouse, you can build a shelter for your tomatoes. Then the plants are protected from rain. The advantage: The leaves stay dry and harmful fungi are less able to multiply, explains Svenja Schwedtke from the Bornhöved perennial nursery.
The expert recommends watering tomatoes in the morning so that the leaves can dry if water gets on them. It is also important to water the tomatoes regularly and thoroughly – daily on hot summer days. If you water irregularly, there is a risk that the fruit will burst open easily, says Schwedtke.
You should also fertilize the tomatoes once a week. If the leaves turn yellow between the leaf veins, this indicates a magnesium deficiency. Then you can add 25 grams of magnesium sulfate per liter to the irrigation water. Repeat the application two to three times approximately every two weeks.
You should pinch out tomatoes at least once a week, i.e. pinch out the shoots in the leaf axils. This promotes the plant’s fruit set, explains Schwedtke. You should also remove all leaves near the ground, up to a height of 30 centimeters. This allows the plant to concentrate its energy on the fruit heads.
Most tomato varieties need to be supported. Bamboo sticks are usually sufficient for small bush and wild tomatoes, other varieties need metal spirals. Before hobby gardeners reuse supports from last year, they should clean them with hot vinegar water. This allows them to destroy fungal spores and other pathogens.
By the way: Tomatoes can be planted with basil. Both plants not only go very well together in terms of taste, they also have similar requirements. And basil flavors the tomato salad deliciously.
The original for this post “This is the perfect time to water tomatoes” comes from chip.de.
