The popularity of tomatoes is so high that it is already impossible to imagine a cottage without them. Numerous varieties are adapted to different growing conditions. This places culture lovers with the question - how to place all the bushes in a limited space.
One method is to grow up roots. We will figure out what its essence is, how convenient it is, and clarify its pros and cons.
The original way to grow tomatoes - up roots
Who owns the idea is difficult to establish. It is believed that the Dutch scientists were the innovators during the development of technology for the rapid increase in the root mass of seedlings. According to another version, the initiators of the unusual methodology were American farmers.
A non-standard approach was adopted by Russian amateur gardeners. Craftsmen even build special greenhouses where they place containers with bushes growing upside down.
Pros and cons of the method
The atypical tomato farming technique was tried by many summer residents in different parts of the country. For several years, they have compiled a detailed list of all the advantages and disadvantages of technology, sometimes called vertical.
Indisputable advantages include:
- Harvesting a decent harvest from small plots. Plantation equip over other crops. Usually strawberry beds are used - the ripening dates of the berries do not match.
- Placing a hanging garden is not only in the country. City balcony, loggia, window openings - also a suitable place. You can even harvest all year round.
- Use of the free space of greenhouses with stunted crops.
- Save time and energy in the battle with weeds, pests, diseases. No need to huddle bushes, remove stepsons - the trunk does not experience overloads with any number of ripening tomatoes. Excluded plant overflow, stagnation of water in the ground.
- There is no need to install a variety of designs for tying stems.
Sometimes summer residents use suspended containers to zone the site, mask unattractive walls and fences. "Gardens" are mobile, they can be moved around the territory, creating new compositions.
The disadvantage of the method is considered a more careful selection of varieties due to the fact that tomatoes grow in a limited amount of land. Other disadvantages - they need more frequent watering and top dressing.
Secrets of Technology
A good crop of tomato shifters depends on the exact observance of technological rules. Although in general they do not differ from the standard ones, they pay attention to a number of nuances.
Variety Selection
Choosing the right one is paramount. Even for years, a proven variety when grown upside down does not give the desired result. Preference is given to tomatoes with thin, lianike-like trunks, which under normal conditions require support and garter.
The size of the fruit is also important. It is best to use small fruited species and cherry. Experienced summer residents recommend the following varieties and hybrids:
- Pearl;
- Red hunter;
- Wagner Mirabelle;
- Ampel F1;
- Black bunch;
- Roma;
- Arctic;
- Mascot.
Container preparation
A prerequisite is sufficient volume. 5 liter pots, plastic bottles, buckets are recommended. For very small tomatoes - undersized cherry, it is permissible to use 3-liter containers.
The following requirements apply to containers:
- Material - food-grade plastic, metal is not welcome due to the large weight.
- The presence of a cover that protects against premature drying of moisture.
- The diameter of the hole in the bottom is 3-5 cm. It is easy to do it yourself, the bottles are simply turned upside down, cutting the bottom.
- Handles must withstand a load of 20 kg. For containers from under the water, you can weave something like a net from the cords.
Lazy summer residents use special kits for growing plants upside down, sold in specialized stores.
Priming
Soil is either purchased or prepared on their own. In the first case, the best choice is a special mixture for tomatoes, which already contains all the substances necessary for growth and fruiting.
Self-nutrient substrate is prepared from compost, peat and humus, taken in equal volumes. To 10 liters of soil mix add a tablespoon of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate. All mix thoroughly.
Seedlings for the Changeling Method
Sowing seeds and growing seedlings is carried out according to a standard method. Labor is greatly simplified by the fact that there is no need to diligently expose seedlings. Adherents of the scruffy-twist method argue that elongated stems are the key to a good harvest. All other activities are performed according to the usual rules.
Planting seedlings
Germinating seeds is more convenient in peat tablets. The term of transplanting seedlings to a permanent place is determined by the roots: when they completely entangle the earthen lump, they can be relocated. If they are in tablets, this moment cannot be missed.
There are two methods of planting seedlings. According to the first, the container is first filled with soil mixture, then it is turned over and young plants are planted in the hole at the bottom. You can turn over pots only when the tomatoes start to grow.
In the second method, the capacity is already suspended. A seedling is carefully inserted into the hole at the bottom. Its roots are inside, the stem with leaves is outside. Experienced gardeners recommend deepening by 8-10 cm, so the tomato will quickly master the territory and begin flowering.
The next step is the holding layer. The method uses moss-sphagnum, a dense thick tissue that is equally good in moisture and air, mineral wool.
The third step is to gently fill the substrate. At the same time, they make sure that the roots do not crumple, do not break. A mulching layer is spread to the very top to prevent intense evaporation of moisture. At the same time, it will contribute to the preservation of soil friability. The best option is hydroponic material.
The final stage - the containers are hung in well-lit places. The distance between them is maintained 15-20 cm, so as not to impede the circulation of air. Drafts are not allowed. The option is ideal for placing bottle changers in plastic bottles.
Supports for tomatoes upside down
About where and how to hang containers with bushes of tomatoes you need to take care in advance. A variety of objects and structural elements of country houses can serve as supports for pots:
- Branches of trees giving a slight shadow.
- Walls, fences, where pre-hammered strong hooks.
- Crossbeams adapted for heavy loads, for example, under the roof of a gazebo, terrace.
- Stairs that have served their age, ladders, securely fixed in the soil.
- Flower lattices, pergolas, arches.
- Specially prepared wooden blocks or metal pipes driven into the ground.
- Forged or cast flower coasters look spectacular, but this is an expensive pleasure that not everyone can afford.
The height of the supports should be such that the suspended plants are conveniently watered without substituting a stool or stepladder.
Garden Care
Hanging beds are much easier to care for than traditional ones - there are no weeds, which means you do not need to weed them.
Hobbing stems is also not necessary. Pest and disease control is minimized - preventative measures are sufficient to prevent the bushes from being exposed to them.
The main and sufficient measures for the care of tomatoes "upside down" - watering and feeding. Irrigation is carried out every 2 days, with extreme heat daily. Fertilizers are applied every 10-14 days. You can use ready-made complexes (Fertika, Agricola) in accordance with the recommendations of the manufacturers.
Periodically, you need to look into the containers to check the shrinkage of the substrate. If it exceeds 2 cm, add a portion of the nutrient mixture.
Mr. Summer resident warns: mistakes when growing a tomato upside down
The technology of tomato shifters does not seem complicated. However, possible errors result in crop loss. They occur when summer residents do not see the difference between growing crops in open ground and limited soil volume.
Untimely watering. Potted plants have nowhere to take moisture from; its supply is limited. Therefore, they irrigate crops in containers much more often. The daily water consumption for one bush is approximately 5-8% of the volume of earthen coma.
The soil is not covered with a mulching layer. Even under the cover, the evaporation rate of water is high, this causes the soil to dry out. At the same time, the earthen lump is compacted, the roots lack oxygen.
The absence of a retaining layer leads to leaching of the soil mixture. Failure to feed. Potted land is depleted very quickly. Tomatoes need additional nutrition in open ground, but in pots it should be mandatory, at least every two weeks.
It is unacceptable to use for planting land taken from the beds where solanaceae grew - diseases in this case are difficult to avoid.
