Tomatoes taste best when they come from your own garden. However, the plants are quite specific when it comes to watering. We have tips for you.
Tomatoes can be found in many small gardens and also on the balcony or terrace. After all, the cultivation is simple and uncomplicated. When pouring, however, a sure instinct and a sure hand for the sensitive tomato are required. The nightshade plants want to be watered regularly but not uncontrolled. If the hobby gardener overdoes it with the watering, this will not benefit the tomatoes, just as careless watering has a negative effect on plant growth and the tomato harvest to be expected. In the following we give tips on the right watering and tell you what is really important when watering tomatoes.
When do tomatoes need to be watered?
Unfortunately there is no panacea for this. Many factors play a role. It is important where the tomatoes grow, what the location is like or which weather conditions prevail. It can happen that tomatoes need water several times a day. If the fruit grows in particularly humid regions, watering every third or fourth day can also be sufficient.
Tomatoes should only be watered when they really need moisture!
A lot helps a lot - but not with the tomato! If this is literally drowned in water, the roots can no longer breathe and the absorption of nutrients is disturbed. Very few plants get waterlogged. Too much water washes out important nutrients from the soil and causes the roots to rot.
Hobby gardeners can make watering tomatoes easier by checking once a day whether the plants need to be watered. The best time for this is in the evening hours.
If the leaves hang limp in the evening, you should use a watering can. If this picture is available during the day, this is no cause for concern. In most cases, the plants then only protect themselves from the sun's rays and reduce their area. What matters is the impression the plants make after sunset.
Tip: Don't water in the evening, but the next morning. lateWatering can encourage disease and pest infestation as temperatures drop and the soil is already damp.
What water should be used?
Tomato plants grown outdoors get most of their moisture needs from rainwater. The soft and lime-free water is best for tomatoes. Therefore, you should collect the rainwater. The classic rain barrel is suitable for this, for example.
Watering with tap water is of course also possible. However, this should be stale so that the lime content is reduced. You should also avoid giving the tomato plants a cold shock.
Tip: Fill a watering can with tap water and leave it in the sun for a few hours. Then the temperature is right and limescale has also settled.
How much water do tomatoes need?
Every hobby gardener should ask themselves this question, because most care mistakes are made when watering.
Casting errors can have serious consequences:
- Growth Reduced
- Disease and pest infestation promotion
- poor harvest results
- weakened and sickly plants
Bring routine into the watering process, then watering will not be forgotten. Before watering, check whether there is a need for watering at all. It is always poured when the upper layer of soil has already dried well.
Tip: Tomatoes should be watered in the morning. Then they are sufficiently moisturized even on hot days.
Tomatoes can store water in their roots and thus compensate for dry periods relatively well. The amount of water does not have to be adjusted on hot days. You can water as usual. Long periods of heat only force more intensive and possibly more frequent watering.
Adapt the watering behavior to the location - this is how it works
Tomatoes can be grown in a number of ways. The pouring behavior must be adjusted accordingly.
Tomatoes can be cultivated as follows:
- Cultivation in the bed
- Cultivation in greenhouse
- Cultivation in planters
Water outdoor plants properly
The tomatoes in the bed are exposed to wind and weather. A fixed watering plan can rarely be followed. Ultimately, the weather dictates when and how much water tomato plants need.
The following specifications can be used as a guidebecome:
➩ In the first few days after planting, tomatoes need a lot of water.
➩ During further growth, give about half a liter of water per plant daily.
➩ Water only when the soil appears to be one to two centimeters dry.
➩ After fruit set, the amount of water is increased by about 250 milliliters per plant.
➩ Tomatoes like moist and fresh soil. What they don't like at all, however, is wetness on leaves and flowers. It is therefore always poured directly onto the ground and never onto the plant itself.
Tip: If you apply a layer of mulch, the plants are better protected against spray water.
Watering tomatoes in the greenhouse
If you plant the tomatoes in a greenhouse, they are largely protected from wind and weather. There is also no supply from the natural amount of rain. This gives the hobby gardener the opportunity to specifically monitor and control the water requirement.
In the greenhouse, the following factors influence the amount of watering:
- Temperature
- Soil condition
- Light conditions
To check the water requirement, the procedure is similar to that already described. Once the soil has dried, it can be watered. Even watering reduces the risk of bursting tomato skins.
A simple trick has proven itself for watering the greenhouse. The bottom is removed from a commercially available PET bottle. Then stick the bottle upside down in the ground next to the tomato plant. The bottle is filled with water and the tomatoes can practically feed and hydrate themselves.
Water the tomato properly in the bucket
For tomato plants in pots or tubs, it is particularly important to have sufficient sensitivity when watering. In the bucket, plants often suffer from waterlogging, which literally drowns the roots.
The finger test is not a sufficient criterion to determine the water requirement. Here, too, a gardening trick helps. There is no bottom opening in the pot as usual, instead you drill a hole in the side of the planter and close it with a dowel that has been ground conically.
Removing the plug makes it easy to check if the root is moisturized or needs watering. If the water has accumulated in the bucket, it can be drained off through the side opening.
The most important watering tips outdoors,Greenhouse and tubs at a glance
| Location | Watering Tips |
|---|---|
| Outdoor | • high moisture requirement after planting • water plants from below • mulch soil |
| Greenhouse | • Water regularly and evenly • The soil should dry out • Determine the water requirement with a thumb test |
| buckets | • high need for moisture • risk of waterlogging • check liquid need through side opening |
Water tomatoes correctly - what else should be considered
Tomatoes may only be supplied with liquid directly from the ground. The water must not get on leaves or fruit. Exposure to the sun will cause burns.
Pour slowly. Tomatoes don't want to be inundated with water. The water should first be able to penetrate the ground before pouring again.
Tip: Root growth is stimulated when the moisture penetrates to a depth of 20 centimetres.
The water should hit the bottom at some distance from the stem. Not watering the stem yourself encourages the roots to spread.
The tomatoes benefit from mulching the soil around the plant. The mulch layer can regulate moisture and provide the soil with important nutrients. The substrate becomes looser. The irrigation water evaporates less quickly.
Top tips for he althy tomato plants
- pour slowly
- Avoid waterlogging
- Mulch soil
- pour with soft rainwater
- Water tomatoes only from below
- Avoid splashing water
- Check plants regularly
- Let the floor dry slightly
- remove diseased plant parts