Mulching garden plantings is an agrotechnical technique used to protect the soil and cultivated plants from various troubles – freezing, drying out, rampant growth of weeds, and in some cases – from the spread of diseases. Mulching is a measure that facilitates care and is aimed at shortening the ripening period of the crop and improving its qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Let’s consider how to mulch tomatoes in a greenhouse and how to do it better for a good tomato harvest.
Benefits of mulching
You can not mulch the beds with tomatoes – nothing terrible will happen, they will grow, bloom, set fruits and ripen. Also, weeds will grow, pathogenic microorganisms will develop, additional efforts will have to be spent on maintaining the health of plantings.
Mulch, which covers the ground on the beds, gives the following advantages:
- The upper layer of the earth does not dry out, the dry crust that forms on the surface without a protective coating does not prevent the access of oxygen. Accordingly, you can loosen the soil less often.
- Properly laid mulch helps to preserve moisture in the soil, which reduces the number of waterings. It is also important that the water poured under the root erodes the soil. This is not the case in mulched beds.
- Evaporation from the soil surface is reduced, which is especially important in the conditions of greenhouses, film or polycarbonate: high air humidity is a factor that provokes the intensive development of fungal infections.
- A layer of mulch reduces the risk of damage to tomatoes by phytophthora – the main enemy of greenhouse nightshades.
- Organic mulch reduces the amount of necessary fertilizers: the bottom layer that touches the ground serves as food for beneficial microorganisms and worms, which, in turn, enrich the soil with the results of their activity.
- The ripening period of fruits is reduced, their quality increases.
Thus, a simple agrotechnical measure greatly simplifies the care of beds with your favorite tomatoes.
How to mulch the beds?
Mulching materials are divided into two types – organic and inorganic.
- The first include everything that grows (grass, bark, leaves), including their derivatives – cardboard and paper.
- The second type is film and other materials produced by industry.
Let’s consider them in more detail.
Inorganic materials
They have two advantages over organics:
- Durability. They are able to serve as reliable protection for the whole season, some species and more.
- Good thermal insulation. The soil under them is always a couple of degrees warmer than the air. This contributes to the faster development of tomatoes.
Materials of industrial production are used as coverings – films and agro-fabrics. The latter allow moisture to pass through, allow the root system to breathe, and serve up to 5 years.
Roofing material is not used in greenhouses due to its high toxicity, and it is also undesirable to use this material in open ground.
Inorganic options require significant costs, so instead of purchased materials, simple polyethylene or old bags are often taken. But it should be remembered that mold appears under the polyethylene film.
Of the inorganic mulching materials for tomatoes, a film or red agricultural fabric is considered the most suitable, since the soil does not overheat in this case. The covering is chosen completely opaque, strong, so that weeds cannot penetrate it.
It is advisable to use inorganic fertilizers at the beginning of the season, when the air temperature is not very high. The greenhouse effect created by it does not allow seedlings to freeze or stop developing. With the onset of heat, it is replaced with organic mulch so that the roots do not overheat, and the film cover does not become a shelter for slugs and other unwanted inhabitants of the greenhouse.
Pebbles, crushed stone, expanded clay are not used in greenhouses for mulching tomatoes. There is no benefit from them, but they will cause a lot of inconvenience when the preparation of the beds for the next season begins.
Organic mulch
Nature is more inventive, and the choice of mulch for tomatoes is wider – freshly cut grass, hay, leaves, sawdust, tree bark, etc. Decomposing, they feed the soil with various trace elements – depending on which of them are in insufficient quantity, certain materials are selected.
Straw
It has an excellent ability to pass air and moisture, retains heat well. Layed in a layer of 10-15 cm, straw creates a protective barrier that significantly slows down the development of diseases: various leaf spots; rotted; anthracnose
The disadvantage of mulching with straw is that rodents and insect pests often settle in it.
Freshly cut grass
Freshly cut young meadow grass feeds tomatoes with nitrogen. It is laid in a thick layer – after its natural deposition, the protection height should be at least 5 cm. To prevent rotting processes that infect the soil, as well as to get rid of possible pests, the cut grass is pre-dried in the sun for 1-2 days.
The disadvantage of mulching with mowed grass is that it decomposes quickly, and it has to be renewed often. Instead of grass, mowed weeds that have not yet started flowering are often used. They also need to be spent in the sun beforehand.
Siderate plants that structure the soil during growth are sown in greenhouses in early spring. After mowing, you can use them to mulch plantings, simultaneously fertilizing them.
As an option, finely chopped young willow, pine, oak shoots are used. However, it is possible that such material will take root by autumn, and it will be difficult to remove it.
Forest mulch
Forest litter collected in a mixed or coniferous forest will last a long time and will add beneficial microorganisms and trace elements to the soil. Usually, the top layer of soil with coniferous and/or leaf litter, pieces of bark is used for mulching.
When using coniferous mulch, you need to take care of means that prevent acidification of the soil – wood ash, dolomite flour, lime.
Sawdust and bark
Sawdust, small shavings, pieces of bark – all woodworking waste is also a good mulch for tomato beds in greenhouses.
The use of wood waste has its own characteristics:
- before mulching with sawdust and chopped bark, they are well dried;
- the thickness of the layer is 8 cm;
- the packed mulch must be poured with a solution of urea (5%).
The material helps to increase the acidity of the soil, so chalk, slaked lime or dolomite flour is sprinkled on top of it.
Compost
An excellent mulching material, rich in substances useful for tomatoes. However, it has two disadvantages:
- worms living in the soil process it quite quickly;
- tomatoes actively grow tops, but very few flowers and, accordingly, fruits are formed.
To smooth out these effects, compost is used as a supplement to other types of mulch, such as paper or cardboard.
Paper, cardboard
Since these materials are made of wood, they are often used as mulch. Old newspapers, magazines, unnecessary cardboard packaging of food products are finely cut and laid in a thick layer. Compost is placed on top so that light pieces are not crushed by the wind when ventilating the greenhouse.
Such mulch will last 2-3 years.
The only drawback of paper protection is that it needs to be stirred regularly so that small pieces do not start sticking.
What else is organic mulch?
Pure peat is not used as organic mulch, as it increases the acidity of the soil, as well as manure, especially fresh, so as not to burn the roots.
Such materials as sunflower seed husks, walnut shells, buckwheat husks are also successfully used for mulching. However, they are not available to all summer residents.
How to mulch tomatoes?
Before you begin mulching tomato greenhouse beds, it is important to understand several rules that affect the final result.
- For heated greenhouses, where the ground is warm all the time, the term is of no fundamental importance – the mulching layer is placed or renewed at any time, if necessary.
- If the greenhouse is not heated, wait until the threat of repeated frosts finally passes, and the soil warms up enough. A layer of mulch makes it difficult to warm the ground, which delays the planting of seedlings.
- The soil is preliminarily cleaned of last year’s plant residues, enriched with granular fertilizers, and deoxidizers are added.
When using organic matter, tomatoes need more frequent, but abundant watering to saturate the mulching layer with water.
Mulch also needs attention: as it is produced or the layer is thinned, it is updated. Experienced summer residents recommend pouring a solution of EM drugs over organic mulch. A simple procedure creates uncomfortable conditions for ants and slugs, and they leave the greenhouse. In addition, the entire organic layer, including the renewed one, is completely decomposed during the season and returned to the soil.
Industrial roll materials are spread over the leveled bed and cuts are made in the form of a cross at the points of planting tomatoes. Organic matter is sprinkled after planting seedlings, leaving free space around the stem.
Mulching tomatoes in the greenhouse – although a somewhat expensive or troublesome measure, in any case it pays for itself by significantly facilitating the summer life of a summer resident: the amount of watering is reduced, the amount of fertilizers and means of protecting the crop from diseases is reduced, there is no need to constantly loosen the ground and pull out weeds . A huge plus to these pleasant little things is a high-quality tomato harvest.