Growing tomatoes is one of the hobby gardeners' greatest passions. Harvesting the tasty vegetables from your own garden and enjoying them fresh is always a real pleasure. But before the harvest comes, you first have to deal with the care. If you have already planted the tomato plants in the garden or greenhouse, then now comes the question of irrigation. In this article you will learn how to water tomatoes so that they thrive and reward you with a bountiful harvest.
What happens if you water tomatoes too much or too little?
OneGrow successful tomato plants, proper watering is essential. Unfortunately, this is also one of the practices that many gardeners get wrong.
In the best case scenario, you water too little and deprive the plant of water, which leads to weak growth. If you overwater them, the roots will rot, which in turn leads to weak growth. The worst case scenario is that you go too far in either direction and end up killing the plant. It's a delicate balance.
Warnings aside, watering your tomato plants properly isn't difficult. It may take some practice at first, but once you know when, how often, and how much to water, you won't have to worry about panicking about watering properly.
Why correct watering is important
Watering is, of course, an essential part of caring for tomato plants. Plants simply cannot survive without water. But watering in the right amount, at the right time, and in the right way is more than a standard care task.
Proper watering of tomatoes can prevent a number of problems. Including:
- stunted growth
- Root rot
- poor quality of fruits
- low yield
- Susceptibility to pests and diseases
- Blossom end rot
- cracking
- Yellow and falling leaves
Most importantly, proper watering is good for the fruit. Tomatoes are made up mostly of water, and the plant needs a lot of it to bear fruit. To get a good harvest - the goal of every gardener who grows tomatoes - you need to start with proper watering.
How to water tomatoes properly
Providing your plants with water is important, but the way you water is just as important.
Pour deeply and slowly
The most important thing when casting is consistency. Your tomato plants need a constant supply of water to support their continued growth. This consistent supply is not guaranteed if you water the soil quickly every few days and leave the plant to fend for itself.
If you water in large amounts too quickly, the water will run off instead of penetrating the soil and reaching the roots where it is actually needed. When you water slowly, you saturate all parts of the soil - not just the top layer. This allows the plants to absorb more water over time than if you flooded the soil, even if you use the same amount of water.
If you don't feel like (or have time) to stand around for hours slowly watering your plants, we have good news - you don't have to. Installing a drip irrigation system solves the problem for you and takes a lot of the work away from you. It's easy to purchase such a system and install it around your tomato plants, or you can simply build it yourself using items available around the house.
As a general guideline, the soil should be watered to a depth of at least 6 inches. Again, a drip irrigation system can help by providing a consistent supply of water that penetrates deep into the soil and doesn't just stay on the top layer.
Pour from below
When watering tomatoes, be careful not to wet the leaves. The roots bring water to the parts of the plant that need it. Focus on the roots by watering the soil at the base of the plant and leaving the leaves out of the equation.
Do not water too much directly around the trunk as this can cause the soil to wash away or the trunk to rot. Focus on the area around the plant and water slowly and deeply for best results.
Check the soil moisture
Tomatoes don't like it sometimes wet, sometimes dry. The soil must therefore be regularly moist - only the surface is allowed to dry out. The easiest way to check this is with a thumb test. However, make sure that the soil does not dry out completely, otherwise the fruits may burst - regardless of whether they are ripe or not.
Also interesting:Why water tomatoes with aspirin? That's what science says about it
The right time is crucial
When watering tomatoes, you need to pay attention to several little things to do everything right. In addition to the “how”, the “when” is also very important.
Water tomatoes in the morning or evening?
The correct timing of irrigation plays a crucial role in tomato cultivation. Ideally, you should water the vegetable plants in the morning so that the leaves can dry by midday. Watering in the afternoon or evening will leave plants wet, which can lead to fungal diseases. You shouldn't use a watering can at midday, the hottest time of day, because the water will evaporate quickly before the roots have a chance to absorb it.
How often should you water the tomatoes?
This is probably the most common question when it comes to irrigation. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this. Tomato plants don't live on an easy-to-follow schedule, and simplistic advice like "water every 3 days" isn't meaningful. How often you need to water depends on a number of factors:
Age/size of plant
In the early stages of growth, young seedlings need plenty of water to form deep roots. As the plant grows and the roots penetrate further into the soil, they can be watered less if the soil is deeply saturated.
Larger plants with extensive root systems also need water more frequently than smaller plants because water is absorbed and used more quickly.
When planting
If you have youryoung tomato plants from the potIf you transplant them outdoors, you must definitely water them well.
Temperature
In hot weather, water in the soil evaporates more quickly, leaving less water available for plants. During the hot summer months, you will need to check the soil once or even twice a day to ensure your tomato plants have enough water.
stage of the fruit
Tomato fruits need a lot of water during the development phase. However, once the fruit is fully formed, too much water can cause the fruit's shell to crack. Limiting watering after fruiting can also help tomatoes taste better.
Rainfalls
After heavy rainfall, the plants do not need to be watered for a while because they can absorb water deep in the soil. Prolonged rain can also cause the soil to become too wet, resulting in root rot. To ensure that your plants always receive enough water - no more, no less - you need to work around the rain.
And what applies to tomatoes in the greenhouse and in containers?
If yourTomatoes planted in containersThey need to be watered more frequently because the soil in planters dries out more quickly. In the greenhouse, the plants do not receive any rainwater, so the water requirement is higher.
These are just a few of the factors that affect how often you need to water. Instead of following a schedule that doesn't take into account what your plant needs at the right time, check the soil every day or two and assess the moisture levels. Only water when the top layer of soil - about an inch or two deep - has dried out. This way you avoid the danger of over- or under-watering that comes with fixed schedules, as the plants only receive water when they really need it.
How much water does a tomato plant need?
It's hard to say how much water you should give your tomato plants. According to experts, tomato plants need about 4 centimeters of water per square meter of soil weekly. However, converting this into the right amount of water at the right time is a difficult task. The amount may also depend on the factors mentioned above.
In other words, it's better to assess the soil before watering and adjust as you go, rather than sticking to a specific amount. As long as you water slowly and deeply and don't oversaturate the soil, the amount of water depends on the condition of the soil and the plant rather than fixed numbers.
Watering may take some trial and error at first, but you'll develop an intuition that will help you better understand your tomato plant's needs in the future.
Which water is best?
Tomato plants love lime-free water, with rainwater being the perfect choice. However, you can also water tomatoes with tap water. To do this, it should be left in rain barrels for a few days and definitely have an appropriate temperature (i.e. no cold water).
More tips and tricks for watering tomatoes
Watering tomatoes with a tried and tested trick
Everyone certainly likes practical tricks, especially if they can save the plants and therefore the harvest in the kitchen garden. Since watering tomatoes should be done slowly, you can do the trick with the PET bottle, toowhen watering cucumbersis practical, try it out.
How to water the tomatoes when on vacation?
If you plan to go on vacation during your tomato plants' growing season, consider an alternative watering method so that the plants don't die or become damaged while you're away. The trick with the clay pot helps here. To do this you need two clay pots (unglazed), a small tile and hot glue or silicone. You first cover the drain hole of one pot with the tile and then stick the second pot upside down on top. Dig the whole thing into a prepared hole next to each tomato plant so that only a few centimeters of it are visible. Then fill the water into the water reservoir via the open hole in the top pot. This method provides your plants with water for about 5 full days. To prolong the effect, you can place a layer of mulch around the tomatoes. This further protects the soil from drying out.
Otherwise, you can always ask a friend or neighbor to water the tomatoes in the morning when you are on vacation. You can also hire professional garden helpers to complete the task in your absence.
