Materials and Equipment: To carry out the transplanting of tomatoes in this mini-nursery, you will need:
- 1 plastic bottle that doesn’t roll
- ½ liter of special seed substrate
- 5 tomato seedlings
- ½ glass of water
- 1 stake
How to transplant tomato seedlings in a bottle:
- Cut one side of the bottle.
- Place the cut-out part at the bottom of the bottle to create drainage.
- Pour ½ glass of water into the bottom.
- Fill the bottle with the seed substrate and lightly compact it with the back of a spoon to distribute it evenly.
- With the help of a stake, make a hole about 3 cm deep for each seedling.
- Extract the tomato seedlings planted in another bottle with a small spoon.
- Transplant the tomato seedlings by burying the roots and positioning them upright.
- Lightly compact around the plant.
- Place your mini-nursery in a well-lit area, on the edge of a window or next to a glass door, at a temperature of 18°C.
How to maintain your mini-nursery:
- Keep the substrate (soil) slightly moist by pouring a few drops of water at room temperature (minimum 20°C). It’s better to see the tomato seedlings wilt from slight drying than to have them too wet.
- Excess water promotes the development of a microscopic fungus (damping-off disease) that causes the collapse of the tomatoes (seedling rot).
- To stop rot, sprinkle the equivalent of a capful of wood ash or pellets among the seedlings.
- When the seedlings are well-developed, transplant them into pots and always keep them in the light, at 18°C.
