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How much water do tomato plants need


How Often Do You Water Tomato Plants in Garden Beds or Pots?

One of the questions I’m asked most is ‘How often do you water tomato plants?’ Too much water can damage the roots and crack or split ripening fruits. Too little water can reduce yield or cause issues like blossom end rot. Smart watering is a skill anyone can learn and can mean the difference between a so-so harvest and a bumper crop of sweet summer tomatoes. Read on to learn more about how often to water your garden and container-grown tomato plants.

It’s important to provide garden and container-grown tomato plants with water consistently throughout the growing season.

How often do you water tomato plants?

There isn’t a quick answer to the question of ‘how often do you water tomato plants?’ Frequency of watering depends on a number of factors: the growth stage of the tomato plant (a newly planted transplant needs less water than a fully grown plant), soil type (in both gardens and containers), container material if growing in pots, and weather (expect to water more often when the weather is hot and dry).

That said, it’s not hard to figure out when to water your tomato plants whether they’re indeterminate or determinate tomatoes, hybrid or heirloom. Garden lore says to give tomato plants an inch or two of water each week. I do a quick daily check to gauge whether my tomato plants need a drink. This check consists of two parts: 1) a visual inspection of the soil to see if it looks dry and 2) me sticking my finger into the soil to feel if it’s dry. If it looks and feels dry, I water.

Early in the season when my tomato plants are young I find that I need to water a couple of times a week. Once the plants have matured and begin to flower and fruit, my container-grown tomatoes are irrigated almost daily and garden tomatoes are deep watered once a week. I’ve also learned a few simple strategies to reduce watering which you’ll find detailed below.

It’s important to understand that inconsistent watering of tomatoes is just as bad as too little water. If tomato plants, particular those grown in pots, are allowed to dry out to the point of wilting, the plants can be affected by blossom end rot. To learn more about blossom end rot, its connection to calcium deficiency, and how to prevent it, be sure to read Jessica’s excellent article.

When watering tomato plants in gardens and containers, avoid wetting the foliage. This can easily spread disease between plants.

How often do you water tomato plants in garden beds

Garden-grown tomato plants like plum, cherry, and slicers for sandwiches need to be watered less often than those planted in containers, especially if the plants are mulched. As noted above, frequency of watering depends on weather and soil type, but also on whether you grow in raised beds or an in-ground garden. Raised beds tend to dry out quicker than in-ground garden beds.

The tomato plants in my raised beds are watered weekly in summer, unless the weather has been cloudy and wet. Mulching the soil around my tomato vines with a three inch layer of straw improves moisture retention and means I don’t need to water as often.

Another factor to consider is the stage of growth. Once my tomato plants begin to fruit in mid to late summer and I’m starting to get red fruits, particularly large-fruited heirloom tomatoes like Brandywine, I cut back on watering to help concentrate the flavors and reduce splitting and cracking.

How often do you water tomato plants in containers

It’s a fact; tomato plants grown in pots, planters, window boxes, fabric bags, and other types of containers need to be watered more often than plants grown in garden beds. It’s because they’re grown above the ground where the tops and sides of the container are exposed to full sun. Plus, there is a smaller volume of soil available to the roots of potted tomatoes than those grown in garden beds. That said there are benefits to growing tomatoes in containers. The biggest advantage is fewer diseases like fusarium wilt and verticillium wilt.

How often container-grown tomato plants need to be watered is based on the size of the plant, the material and size of the container, the growing medium, and the weather. In late spring my newly transplanted tomato seedlings don’t need to be watered as frequently as my late July tomato plants. The young plants are smaller and don’t use as much water as a full-grown plant, but the weather is also cooler. The mid-summer plants are reaching maturity and beginning to fruit. Their root system is dense and thirsty, and those potted plants likely need a daily watering when the summer weather is hot and dry.

Mulching garden and container tomato plants with straw or shredded leaves helps the soil retain moisture.

Retaining moisture in container-grown tomatoes

There are a number of ways you can help retain soil moisture for container-grown tomatoes. Here are five smart ways to reduce watering:

  1. Plant in large containers – A big pot holds a larger volume of soil and doesn’t dry out as quickly as a smaller pot or planter. When planting tomato transplants, select containers that hold at least five to seven gallons of growing medium. Ten gallon containers are even better! I also grow tomatoes in Smart Pot Long Beds which are conveniently divided into 16″ by 16″ sections.
  2. Container material – When selecting containers for tomato plants, consider the material. Terra cotta or fabric planters dry out quicker than plastic or metal containers. Also make sure containers have adequate drainage holes.
  3. Add compost – Compost or other organic amendments increase moisture retention of potting mixes. Add the organic material to the growing medium when you fill the container.
  4. Mulch containers – Once the tomato seedling has been planted in the pot, add a layer of straw mulch on the surface of the growing medium.
  5. Plant in self-watering containers – You can buy or DIY self-watering containers which have a reservoir of water in the bottom. This can reduce watering by half. Check out this video about making a self-watering planter from Kevin of Epic Gardening.  

How often do you water tomato plants in straw bales

I recently compared watering notes with Craig LeHoullier, the author of Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales and Epic Tomatoes about how often he waters his straw bale tomato plants. I live in a northern climate and find my tomato bales need a deep watering twice a week, sometimes three times a week in mid-summer. 

Craig, who lives in North Carolina, says his straw bales, which are blasted by the sun on the top and sides dry out in the same way containers do. He waters daily after planting when the root system is shallow and the bales are just starting to break down. He continues watering daily during the main growing season because the rapidly growing plants need sufficient water to reduce stress. 

The good news is that it’s practically impossible to overwater a straw bale garden as excess water can easily drain out. It’s best to err on the side of watering if you think the bale is on the dry side. Straw bales can be watered by hand or you can set up a soaker hose or drip irrigation system.

Using a soaker hose is a low-work way to irrigate tomato plants

How to water tomato plants

Once you’ve answered the question of ‘how often do you water tomato plants’, it’s time to think about how to water. When watering tomatoes in gardens and containers, water deeply to saturate the soil. Don’t give plants a quick sprinkle of water. Watering deeply, especially in garden beds, encourages a deeper, better developed root system and plants that are more resistant to drought. There are many ways you can irrigate garden beds and containers. Here are five of the most common ways to water:

1) Watering with a sprinkler

While it may seem like an easy way to water, using a sprinkler to irrigate vegetables is generally not recommended. Why? The biggest reason is splashing water wets the foliage of your plants and can spread diseases. Also, overhead watering, particularly on a hot summer day, isn’t very efficient and can waste a lot of water to evaporation or run off. It doesn’t direct water to the root zone of plants, but rather waters everything within its range. 

Watering with a watering can is an easy way to irrigate plants in a small garden.

2) Watering tomatoes with a watering can

In a small garden a watering can is an inexpensive way to water. Unless you want more cardio, I don’t recommend a watering can in a big garden as it requires a lot of running back and forth to fill up the watering can. You can also set up a rain barrel to fill a watering can. Try to avoid wetting the foliage, especially the lower leaves, by watering the soil at the base of the plant.

3) Watering with a hose and watering wand

This is my go-to way to irrigate my tomato plants. I have a hose set up in my garden and one in my greenhouse so I just have to turn on the tap, flip the right switch, and get to work. Watering by hand allows me to keep an eye on my plants (Pests? Diseases? Other problems?) and a long handled watering wand makes it so easy to make sure I’m watering the soil, not the plant. Using a tomato cage to keep a tomato plant off the ground helps minimize splashing water and reduce the risk of sol borne diseases. 

I use a long-handled watering wand to direct water to the base of my tomato plants.

4) Irrigating tomato plants with a soaker hose

Soaker hoses are a low work way to irrigate tomatoes and direct water exactly where it’s needed. Soaker hoses soak the soil by weeping water along their entire length. They look like a regular garden hose, but are made from a porous material that slowly but deeply waters plants. Because the water is delivered to the root zone, none is splashed on to the foliage or wasted in run off.

5) Using drip irrigation to water tomatoes

Drip irrigation uses hoses, tubes, and emitters to water. Like soaker hoses, drip irrigation waters the base of a plant, not the entire garden bed. It reduces water waste and waters slowly over a long period. Setting up a drip irrigation system requires a bit of work, but once it’s installed it’s an easy and effective way to water plants.  

Setting up a drip irrigation system delivers water right to the roots of your plants.

How to reduce the need to water tomato plants

Like most gardeners I don’t want to water my raised beds or containers a couple of times a day. For that reason, I use several few tactics to help the soil retain moisture and reduce the need for me to water.

When should you water tomato plants?

Is there a best time of day to water tomato plants? I try to water in the morning so that if water does splash on the foliage of my plants it has time to dry before night. That said if you come home from work and notice the soil is dry, water deeply. Just try to avoid wetting the foliage’s wet leaves can spread diseases like early blight. Don’t allow tomato plants to dry to the point of wilting as that increases the risk of blossom end rot.

You may also wish to fertilize tomato plants when watering. You can add a liquid organic fertilizer to the watering can to give plants a steady supply of nutrients. Be sure to read the package directions to ensure you’re mixing at the recommended rate.

As the fruits mature, I cut back a bit on watering to concentrate the flavors and prevent splitting or cracking.

Reduce watering when the plants begin to fruit

Once the clusters of fruits on my tomato plants begin to ripen in mid to late summer, I reduce watering of the large-fruited tomato plants in my garden beds. This helps concentrate the flavors of the fruits but also reduces cracking and splitting which can be caused from too much water. I also slow down watering of cherry tomatoes as too much water means those super-sweet fruits can split. You may have noticed this happening after a heavy rain; you come out to check on your tomatoes and many of the fruits have cracked or split. For this reason I always harvest ripe tomatoes before a rainstorm.

Proper watering late in the season when there is a danger of frost can also help the fruits to ripen quickly and evenly. This is why it’s important to keep tending your plants even as the season starts to wind down.

For more information on growing tomatoes, please check out these articles:

Have I answered the question of ‘how often do you water tomato plants?’

Watering Tomato Plants - How To, How Often & How Much

To grow successful tomato plants, watering correctly is essential. Unfortunately, it is also one of the practices many gardeners get wrong.

Best case scenario, underwater and you deprive the plant, causing weak growth. Overwater and the roots rot, again causing weak growth.

Worst case scenario, you go too far in either direction and ultimately kill the plant. It’s a delicate balance.

Warnings aside, watering your tomato plants correctly is not difficult to do. It may take some practice at first, but once you understand the basics of how to water, how often to water, and how much to water, you won’t have to deal with the panic of correct watering any longer.

Why Correct Watering is Important

Watering is obviously an essential part of tomato plant care. Without water, the plants simply won’t survive. But watering the right amount, at the right time, and in the right way is more than a standard care task.

It can prevent a host of problems common in plants with a lack of (or more often, too much) water, that every gardener would be happy to avoid:

Most importantly, correct watering is good for the fruit. Tomatoes are mostly made up of water and the plant needs plenty of it to produce fruits. To ensure a great harvest – the goal of every tomato gardener – you need to start by getting watering right.

How To Water Tomato Plants

‘How to water’ may seem like a trivial question, but it can have a big impact on the health of your plants. Providing your plants with water is essential, but the methods you use to water are just as important.

Water slowly

The key to watering is consistency. Your tomato plants need a consistent supply of water to support their continuous growth. That consistent supply won’t be provided if you quickly flood the soil every few days and leave the plant to its own devices.

When you water in large amounts too quickly, the water tends to run off rather than penetrating the soil and reaching the roots where it is needed. By watering slowly, you fully saturate all parts of the soil – not just the topsoil. In this way, you’ll give the plants access to more water over time than if you were to flood the soil, even if you use the same amount of water.

If you don’t feel like standing around watering your plants slowly for hours – good news. You don’t have to. Installing a drip irrigation system will solve the problem for you and take much of the hassle out of watering. It’s easy to purchase one and install it around your tomato plants, or you can simply make your own with items available around your house.

Water deeply

Even though you can’t see it, what happens to your tomato plant below the soil is just as important, if not more important, than what’s going on above the soil. A strong root system is key to a healthy, productive plant. And one of the ways you can encourage your plant to develop a strong root system is by watering deeply.

When you water the soil slowly and thoroughly, the roots of the plant travel further down into the soil to soak up the extra water. This gives the plant access to more nutrients and establishes a deep root system that will help the plant survive during dry spells.

As a general guide, soak the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. Again, a drip irrigation system can help with this task by providing a consistent supply of water that penetrates deep into the soil, rather than remaining on the top layer only.

Water at the base

This principle is one of the first lessons every new gardener learns, but it is so important that it bears repeating – water the soil, not the leaves.

When you water over the top of the plant, much of the water remains on the leaves and evaporates, serving no purpose to your plants. The water that does reach the soil often does so unevenly, resulting in dry spots in the soil.

Leaving water on the leaves for extended periods can also cause problems with fungal diseases or attract pests that negatively impact the health of your plant.

The roots of the plant take the water to the parts of the plant that need it. Focus on them by watering the soil at the base of the plant and leaving the leaves out of the equation.

Don’t water too much directly around the stem as this can cause the soil to wash away or the stem to rot. Focus on the patch of soil around the plant and water slowly and deeply for the best results.

Mulch

Once you’ve finished watering slowly and deeply around the base of the plant, you may think your job is complete. However, there is one more task left to make your watering far more successful – mulching.

Mulching has a long list of benefits, but the main benefit, in this case, is moisture retention.

A 2-inch layer of mulch around the base of your tomato plants keeps the soil cool and prevents water from evaporating, leaving more available to your plant. Because the water stays in the soil longer, it also lessens the time you need to spend watering your plants. It’s a win-win.

You don’t even need to spend any money. Use common items around your garden – like dried leaves or compost – as a layer of mulch, and mix them back into the soil once they start to break down as extra organic matter to feed your plants.

Before you get started, check out this list of 5 Best Mulches For Tomato Plants to find out which materials to use and the best way to apply them.

How Often To Water Tomato Plants

This is probably the most common question when it comes to watering. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. Tomato plants don’t live on an easy-to-follow schedule, and simplified advice such as ‘water every 3 days’ does not tell the whole story. How often you need to water will depend on a number of factors:

Age/Size

In the early stages of growth, young seedlings need plenty of water to establish deep roots. As the plant grows and the roots travel further into the soil, they can handle less watering if the soil is saturated deeply.

Larger plants with extensive root systems will also need water more often than smaller plants as the water is taken up and depleted faster.

At Planting Time

After getting your seedlings in the ground give them a good soak.

When you transplant your young tomato plants from their pot to the outside ground, it’s imperative that you give them a good soaking.

Temperature

In hot weather, the water in the soil will evaporate faster, leaving less available to your plants. During hot summer periods, you may need to check the soil once or even twice per day to ensure your tomato plants have enough water.

Stage of Fruit

Tomato fruits need plenty of water as they are developing. However, once the fruit is fully formed, too much water can cause the skin of the fruits to split. Limiting watering after the fruits develop may also make the tomatoes tastier.

Rainfall

After periods of heavy rainfall, your plants will not need to be watered for a while as they have access to water deep in the soil. Rain for extended periods can also cause the soil to become soggy, resulting in root rot. To ensure your plants have consistent access to a sufficient supply of water – no more and no less – you’ll need to work around the rain.

Containers

If your tomatoes are planted in containers, they will need to be watered more often as the soil dries out quicker.

Those are just a few of the things that impact how often you need to water. Instead of following a schedule that doesn’t account for what your plant needs at the right time, check the soil every day or two and assess the moisture level.

Only water once the top layer of soil – about an inch or two down – has dried out. This will prevent any danger of over or underwatering that comes with set schedules by only providing the plants with water when they really need it.

Make sure to water in the mornings. When you water in the middle of the day, typically the hottest part of the day, it will evaporate before the roots get a chance to access the water. When you water in the evening, any water that splashes onto the leaves and stem has no time to dry out, leading to fungal diseases.

How Much To Water Tomato Plants

How much water to give your tomato plants is difficult to specify. Experts say tomato plants need around 1.5 inches of water per square foot of soil per week. But translating that into the right amount of water when the plant needs it is a difficult task. The amount can also vary by the factors mentioned before.

In other words, it’s best to assess the soil before watering and adjust as you go along rather than sticking to a set amount. As long as you water slowly and deeply, and don’t oversaturate the soil, how much water you supply will depend on the look of the soil and the plant rather than set numbers.

Watering may take some trial and error at first, but you will develop an intuition in the process that will help you better understand your tomato plant’s needs in the future.

How to water correctly: how much, when, how

Watering is one of the most important processes in growing any crop. The lack of water in the soil can lead to shedding of flowers and ovaries, delayed fruiting, deterioration in the quality and keeping quality of vegetables. However, as well as an overabundance.

How to properly water cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables? When is the best time to water the garden in the evening or in the morning? How much water is enough for a plant? How deep to soak the soil? The answers to these questions depend on the particular vegetable crop. And also from weather conditions and the period of "life" of the plant.

Watering tomatoes

How much water do tomatoes need

Before planting tomato seedlings in a permanent place, pour from 0.5 to 1 liter of warm water into the planting holes, depending on the size of the seedlings. Due to this deep soil moisture, the tomato root system begins to develop deep in search of moisture. Therefore, after planting, watering the tomatoes is stopped for 7-10 days. Then the tomatoes are watered once a week at the rate of 20-30 liters of water per square meter.

Reduce the watering of the tomatoes during bud formation and flowering. Otherwise, there will be an excessive growth of green mass and a delay in fruiting. The water consumption rate is 1-2 liters per plant.

When fruits begin to set on tomatoes, it is recommended to increase watering again to 3-5 liters per bush. Lack of moisture during this period can lead to shedding of the ovary.

During the ripening period of tomatoes, watering of plants should be sharply reduced or stopped altogether. High humidity at this stage of development can cause fungal infections. And above all the hated phytophthora. In addition, the fruits from excess moisture crack and rot.

How to properly water tomatoes

Tomato plants do not like high humidity. The fact is that at a humidity above 80%, pollen sticks together, and pollination does not occur. Therefore, it is preferable to irrigate under the root, along the grooves. Water should not fall on the stems and leaves of plants.

In a greenhouse, tomatoes should be watered early in the morning until noon. If additional watering is required on a hot day, it must be carried out no later than 17 hours, so that the greenhouse has time to properly ventilate.

Water temperature for watering tomatoes

Tomatoes are best watered with warm settled water. Cold water is harmful for them, and plants should not be watered with water colder than 12 ° C in any case. In hot weather, the ideal water temperature for irrigation will be 18-22°C. On cool cloudy days, especially after cold nights, warmer water (25-30°C) will be required.

Optimum watering depth for tomatoes

During the period of active growth and flowering and the first fruit set, it is advisable to soak the soil to a depth of 20-25 centimeters. And during mass fruiting, it is even deeper - by 25-30 centimeters.

How to water cucumbers

Watering at different periods of cucumber life

To stimulate the plant to set fruit, cucumbers are watered moderately before flowering - 3-4 liters of water per square meter every 5-7 days.

During flowering and fruiting, watering should become more abundant and more frequent - 6-12 liters per square meter every 2-3 days.

When to water cucumbers

At the initial stage of growth of cucumber lashes, watering is recommended in the morning until 10 am. During flowering and mass fruiting, all waterings are transferred to the evening.

Water temperature for watering cucumbers

Irrigation water should be warm - 23-25°C. If the weather is cool without rain, cucumbers can be poured with hot water (up to 55 ° C). In this case, it is important to pour water strictly under the bush, preventing water from getting on the leaves.

The right way to water a cucumber bed

Cucumbers are best watered from a watering can directly into the holes. A strong jet from a hose in the blink of an eye washes away the soil under the plants. Because of this, small suction roots are exposed, and then die off. As a result, cucumber leaves turn yellow faster and fruiting declines.

The drip irrigation system using plastic bottles works great on the cucumber bed. It is done like this:

Dependence of the frequency of watering cucumbers on weather conditions

In a hot, dry summer without rain, cucumbers can be watered every day early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset.

In cloudy cool weather, watering cucumbers is reduced to a minimum. Otherwise, infection of plants with downy mildew or various rots cannot be avoided.

Watering Peppers

How to Water Peppers Properly

Peppers have a shallow root system, so they need a lot of moisture. Watering pepper in the greenhouse is carried out in the morning. It is better to pour water from a watering can directly under a bush, moistening the ground by 10-15 centimeters.

In hot, dry summers, peppers are watered every day to keep the soil under the plants moist, but not flooded.

Under normal weather conditions it is enough to water the peppers once a week, during the fruiting period twice a week.

Water temperature for watering peppers

Watering water for peppers should always be warm, around 25°C. Cold water in a watering can can lead to hypothermia of the roots. Then the bushes stop growing, and the timing of flowering and fruiting is delayed.

Watering carrots (beets, radishes, root celery, daikon)

The main rule when watering carrots and other root crops is the regularity and abundance of watering. At the beginning of growth, carrots are watered once every two weeks. In the second half of the season, during the formation of root crops, the frequency of watering can be increased up to once a week, and in dry summers - up to 2-3 times.

Do not allow the soil to dry out and then rush to water - carrots can crack or form a clumsy root crop.

Watering depth for carrots and other root crops is 30-35 cm. If the soil does not get wet to such a depth, the growth of lateral roots begins in carrots, it becomes shorter, it may fork.

One to two weeks before harvesting carrots, watering is stopped altogether. Only on the night before harvesting carrots can be watered - so it will retain juiciness longer.

Radish with low soil moisture coarsens and quickly goes to the arrow, so it is watered every other day.

Root celery requires constantly moist soil, otherwise it will not form roots. It is watered every 2-3 days, on hot days - every day.

How to properly water onions

Onions need a lot of moisture only during the initial growth period, especially in the first two weeks after sowing and the first month after germination. At this time, the onion intensively forms the root system and feather.

In May and June, onions are watered weekly, using 5-10 liters of water per square meter of plantings. Starting from the first days of July, onions are watered once every two weeks. And in the second half of July, when the bulb begins to form, watering is completely stopped.

If it is a rainy summer, the onion should generally be left without additional watering.

It is not recommended to water the onion after breaking the leaf, otherwise it will not store well.

Seed-growing onions have the greatest need for moisture during flowering. The lack of moisture at this time leads to a decrease in seed yield.

With a lack of moisture, the color of the onion feather becomes bluish-white, its tip is bent. With an excess of moisture, the feather acquires a pale green tint.

Watering potatoes

How much water do potatoes need

Potatoes do not need to be watered after planting until germination. An excess of moisture during this period does not allow the root system of the plant to develop.

Potatoes should be watered for the first time approximately 3-5 days after germination, and 2-3 liters of water should be poured under one bush.

During flowering, when the tubers are set, the potatoes especially need watering. One abundant watering during flowering is enough to increase the yield of potatoes by 20-30%. The rate of water consumption per bush during this period is 3-5 liters.

When and how deep to water potatoes

Ideally, there should be enough water to wet the soil under the potato bush to a depth of 15-20 centimeters.

In June, if the weather is hot, it is recommended to water the potatoes late in the evening.

In the second half of summer, potato beds can be watered both in the evening and early in the morning with warm, settled water in barrels.

With the onset of September, it makes no sense to water the potatoes. Completely stop watering 5-7 days before harvesting the tubers.

Cabbage: basic rules for watering

After planting, cabbage seedlings are watered every 2-3 days at the rate of 8 liters of water per square meter. During this period, soil moisture of 70-75% ensures the development of a powerful root system.

In the future, in the absence of rain, cabbage is recommended to be watered twice a week by sprinkling, that is, directly on top of the head. Water consumption is 10-12 liters per square meter of plantings.

Early cabbage needs intensive watering in June, late cabbage needs intensive watering at the end of July and in August at the heading stage. Keep in mind that the water temperature for irrigation should be 20°C. And the best time for watering cabbage is morning or evening.

2-3 weeks before cutting heads, watering cabbage is stopped. In rainy years, cabbage should not be watered.

So, we have decided on the rules for watering the garden and know how to water cucumbers, carrots, onions and other crops at each stage of plant development. However, there is no such thing as too much knowledge. And therefore we advise you a few more articles on the topic of watering:

- How to water tomatoes correctly
- Watering the garden with a shortage of water

We wish you success and excellent harvests!

How to properly water tomatoes in the greenhouse and open field

Proper watering of tomatoes is the key to a good harvest. How often do you need to water tomatoes in the greenhouse and open ground. How much water is needed for irrigation. Is it possible to combine watering with top dressing. We will talk about all this in today's material.

Watering tomatoes is a simple matter. But there are a number of nuances. Especially progressive gardeners are experimenting, trying to do without water at all. However, the technology of growing tomatoes without watering is quite controversial. As a rule, with insufficient moisture, the leaves of plants shrink and turn yellow. Not many people have the willpower to see this experiment through to the end.

The ideal water temperature for irrigation is also controversial. Most gardeners agree that watering tomatoes with cold water (below 15 ° C) is permissible only during the hardening period of seedlings before planting in open ground.

Watering tomato seedlings

Before the seedlings sprout, the ground is sprayed once a day with water and covered with foil. In the future, the film is removed and the seedlings are watered 1-2 times a week.

The optimum water temperature for tomato seedlings is 20-25°C. Some summer residents heat water and then dilute it with colder water. But when water boils, it loses the oxygen that plants need. Therefore, it is better to let the water stand warm for a while in order to warm up to room temperature on its own.

Watering tomatoes after planting

Immediately after planting in a greenhouse or open ground, it is better not to water the tomatoes for 5-10 days. In the future, it is desirable to moisten the soil on average once a week (or more often - as the soil dries up). Water consumption - 3-5 liters per bush.

Watering tomatoes during flowering

Tomatoes are watered only under the root. This advice is especially relevant during the flowering period, since sprinkling causes shedding of buds, and also delays fruit set. In addition, an increase in air humidity can cause the development of fungal diseases. During flowering, the amount of water is reduced to 1-2 liters per bush.

Watering tomatoes during fruiting

During the growth period, tomatoes are watered 1-2 times a week at the rate of 5-12 liters per square meter of beds or 3-5 liters per bush (depending on weather conditions and soil moisture). If you are late with the next watering, and the soil is very dry, the amount of water should be reduced to 0.8-1 l per bush. Otherwise, the fruits may begin to crumble or crack, and the plant will become especially vulnerable to blossom end rot.

Watering tomatoes in the greenhouse

During the formation of fruits, tomato bushes are watered abundantly (20 liters per 1 sq.m) as the soil dries. However, this increases the humidity in the greenhouse, which the plants do not like too much. Airing, as a rule, does not allow maintaining a constant humidity at the level of 45-65%. In this case, you can use a drip irrigation system with a centralized water supply or using plastic bottles that feed each plant individually.

Watering tomatoes outdoors

The rate of irrigation of tomatoes in open ground depends on weather conditions. For these plants, both excessive and insufficient moisture is harmful. So that the leaves of tomatoes do not turn yellow, it is necessary to water the bushes as the soil dries.

On average, irrigation can be carried out 1-2 times a week. For one bush, 5 liters of water is usually enough.

Rainwater can be used for irrigation of tomatoes in the open field, since its degree of hardness, saturation with microelements and oxygen is optimal for plants. Of course, there are exceptions: for example, if you live near industrial plants or if you collect water from roofs, the materials of which contain copper, lead, asbestos and other substances that can have a negative impact on plant and human health. Such water should never be used for irrigation.

Drip irrigation of tomatoes

Drip irrigation is the most convenient technology for irrigating the soil, as water consumption is significantly reduced. At the same time, it is not wasted on the needs of weeds and does not fall on the leaves of plants, which reduces the risk of fungal diseases. It is especially convenient that, together with drip irrigation, root dressing can be organized.

Watering and fertilizing tomatoes

Many fertilizers, including organic ones, are quite aggressive and can burn fragile plant roots. Therefore, it is desirable to combine top dressing with watering. And in some cases this is a prerequisite, for example, if you bring bird droppings to the beds.

Watering tomatoes with iodine

Experienced gardeners believe that feeding tomatoes with iodine can speed up fruit ripening and protect plants from late blight. The simplest recipe is to dissolve 4 drops of an alcoholic solution of iodine in 10 liters of water and water the tomatoes at the rate of no more than 2 liters per bush.

Also, in order to combat late blight, you can add 1 liter of skimmed milk and 15 drops of iodine to 10 liters of water and spray the plants with this solution no more than once every 2 weeks.

Irrigation of tomatoes with yeast

Tomatoes can be fertilized with yeast already a week after transplanting into the ground. To do this, 100 g of dry yeast and 2 tbsp. sugar is dissolved in 10 liters of warm (25-30 ° C) water. After two hours, this mixture is diluted with 50 liters of water and no more than 0.5 liters of solution is poured under one bush. Repeated top dressing is carried out after the rooting of the bush and before flowering.

Irrigation of tomatoes with mullein

Mullein is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:20 and fed to tomatoes 10 days after planting in the ground. You can reapply this organic fertilizer no earlier than 10-14 days later. You can also feed your green pets twice during fruit formation. Under one bush, previously abundantly watered with water, 0.5 liters of solution are added, after which the plants are watered again.

Watering tomatoes with ammonia

Ammonia is a nitrogenous compound sometimes used for root dressing and insect control. A pungent smell, which after some time is not felt by a person, repels pests for a long time.

Most often, 10 ml of ammonia is diluted in 1 bucket of water and the beds are watered up to 4 times for 2 weeks. When signs of nitrogen deficiency appear, the seedlings are watered with a 2% solution of ammonia in one of the four regular waterings.

Irrigation of tomatoes with ash

Wood ash contains about 30 minerals that contribute to the proper development of plants. These elements are involved in the process of photosynthesis, improve metabolic processes, help your green pets absorb vitamins and regulate water balance. Ashes are brought in for digging when preparing beds for tomatoes (3 cups per 1 sq.m) or in holes when planting seedlings (a handful of ash in each hole). As an alternative, you can use ash infusion.

Watering tomatoes with potassium permanganate

Due to its antiseptic properties, potassium permanganate fights fungi and bacteria.

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