The right materials - the best substrate
After a successful sowing followed by pricking, strong tomato plants up to 40 centimeters in size have developed. Before the youngsters move to the balcony in mid-May, they are repotted in their final pots for the summer. The following materials should be available:
- a bucket with a volume of at least 20, better 40 liters and a bottom opening
- Good vegetable soil as a substrate, enriched with compost and horn shavings
- Coarse, inorganic material for drainage, such as gravel, grit (€ 44.95 at Amazon *) or crushed pottery shards
- a stable climbing aid such as a bamboo stick, a fiberglass stick or a trellis
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Those who prefer to mix the soil for tomatoes by hand can combine clay-containing garden soil with compost, horn shavings (€ 6.39 on Amazon *) and a little sand for permeability.
Step-by-step instructions
Before you start the actual repotting, place the tomato plant in a container with room temperature water. Here the root ball can soak itself up with water until no more air bubbles rise. How to proceed:
- Spread the coarse drainage material over the opening in the floor
- Fill the pot one third with substrate
- pot the tomato plant and shorten the longest root strand with your fingernails a little
- Place in the middle of the bucket and anchor the climbing aid
- Fill in the rest of the substrate and press down
- Leave a few centimeters free of pouring edge and pour
Always plant tomatoes as deep as possible. The soil should reach up to the cotyledons. A possible refining point must nevertheless be located just above the surface of the earth. It is advantageous to insert the young plant at a slight angle. As an adventitious root, a tomato also develops roots from the stem, which is beneficial for stability.
Tips & Tricks
The drainage immediately loses its function against waterlogging when it becomes clogged with a fine, crumbly substrate. Knowledgeable hobby gardeners spread an air and water-permeable weed fleece (€ 28.90 at Amazon *) over it before filling in the vegetable soil.
