Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is native to Central and South America. This plant is ideally planted in the temperature range 20-27oC with rainfall of about 750-1250 mg per year. In general, tomatoes can grow well at an altitude of 0-1500 m above sea level.
1.Choosing a tomato seed
To choose the type of tomatoes to be planted should be adjusted first with the characteristics of the location. If your garden is in the highlands choose a suitable varieties for the highlands and vice versa.
Tomato seeds can be obtained easily in various stores saprotan providers. If you find it difficult or the price is too expensive, we can make it ourselves. How to select the best tomato fruit in terms of size (large) and shape (not disabled).
The liver as follows, select the tomatoes to be used as seeds. Then let the tomatoes ripen on the tree. After enough old take the seeds and clean from the mucus that enveloped it with water. After that soak in water, choose seeds that sink. Then do the selection once again to the tomato seeds, choose the perfect shape (not defect or wrinkles). After that dry with dried and store in a dry and sterile container.
2.Seedling of tomato seeds
Before planted widely, tomato seeds should be seeded first to have leaves and stems strong enough. Seeding should be done on separate media with mass planting.
IndonesiaFor cultivation of tomatoes, you should select the nursery media with ploybags. This is to reduce the risk of stress plants when transferred. But this polybag seedbed is relatively more expensive. If you choose a seedbed nursery, be careful when removing and moving the seedlings. The duration of seeding until the plant is ready to move about 35-40 days.
Tips for seedbed nursery, make a run (line) above the medium of seedbed with the distance between the array 5 cm and 1 cm in the depth of the array. Then sprinkle the seeds in the run, not to pile-stack, preferably the distance between seeds 2-3 cm. Then cover the run with soil and flush to taste. The transfer method can be done in two ways. First with revocation, before the seeds are flushed with water to soften the media so that the roots do not break when pulled. Second, the way of rotation is to take the plants with the surrounding soil.
Tips for seedbed polybag / pot, after the media nursery made holes surface as deep as 1 cm. Then Dab seeds one grain tomato for each polybag, cover with planting medium. How to move it is to tear or remove polybag / pot. Then enter the plant along with the soil contained in polybag / pot into the planting hole.
Soil processing
Tomatoes grow well at soil pH level of 5.5-7. If the soil is too acidic (<5,5), add dolomite or agricultural lime. Benefits of calcification in addition to raising the soil pH also to improve soil structure. The dose should be adjusted to the pH level of each soil.
Plow or hoe to loose soil then form the bed with a height of 30 cm, width of 1 meter and display the contour of the land. Make the distance between beds as wide as 30-40 cm. Then leave the soil for about a week.
After that, give the basic fertilizer in the form of organic fertilizers such as manure or compost as much as 20 tons per hectare. Stir to evenly over the bed. To enrich the phosphorus content can be added enough TSP fertilizer (approximately 5 grams per plant). For organic tomato cultivation, do not add chemical fertilizers but basic fertilizer should be more, approximately 30-40 tons per hectare.
Then cover the bed with plastic mulch, closing with mulch is very useful especially in the dry season. Plastic mulch is useful for maintaining soil moisture, controlling weeds and keeping the tomatoes clean without touching the ground. Let the soil return for a week before planting.
IndonesiaPlanting of tomato seeds
First of all make a planting hole on mulch with a diameter of 5-7 cm. In one bed there are two lanes of planting hole, the distance between the lanes of 70-80 cm and the distance between holes in one lane 40-50 cm, the depth of the planting hole approximately 5-7 cm.
After that enter the seedlings ready to plant. For seeds sown in polybag or pots, remove the container first and then put all the planting medium without removing the roots of the plant. Then cover and flatten with the surrounding soil. For seedlings planted in a seedbed nursery, enter the plant and then heap with the former hole excavation. Flatten and flush with water to keep the moisture.
IndonesiaMaintenance and maintenance
Tomato plants are quite sensitive and need intensive care. This plant is very susceptible to pests and diseases, especially those planted in the lowlands. After harvesting, the risk of tomato fruit damage is still high around 20-50%. Here are some important treatments if we want to do tomato cultivation.
a. Stitching
Embroidering works to replace plants that fail to grow, either sick or fall due to weather. Embroidering is done after a week of planted tomatoes. Unplug the plant that looks unhealthy (yellow / wilt) or die. Replace with seedlings remaining seeding.
b. Weeding
Weeding in tomato cultivation is usually done 3-4 times during the growing season. In the planting area closed mulch weeding can be more rare. Weeding aims to remove existing weeds in the planting area. Growth of weeds will disrupt the plants, because the plants have to compete in getting the nutrients. In addition weeds also invite pests and diseases that can attack the main plant.
c. Pruning
Pruning on tomato plants is done every week. Pruning shoots that grow on the armpit of the leaves should be immediately so as not to grow into stems. Pruning young shoots can be done by hand. But if the stem is too hard, you should use a knife or scissors. To adjust the height of the tomato plant, the tip of the plant can be cut. Cutting the tip of the plant is done after seen the number of dompolan fruit about 5-7 pieces.
Indonesiad. Additional fertilization
In organic tomato cultivation, spray liquid organic fertilizer that has high potassium content when the plant will be flowering and fruiting (generative phase). Spraying can be done every week. It should be noted, liquid organic fertilizer must be diluted first, 1 liter of liquid fertilizer with 100 liters of water. It is important to note, the concentration of liquid organic fertilizer should not exceed 2%. In addition, we can add manure or compost after 2-3 weeks old plants with a dose of one hand g per plant.
For non-organic tomato cultivation, at one week age give a mixture of urea and KCl with a 1: 1 ratio of 1-2 grams per plant. Then after the age of 2-3 weeks give back urea and KCl as much as 5 grams per plant. If at the age of more than 4 weeks the plant is still seen lack of nutrition give urea and KCl as much as 7 garm per plant. Note, giving urea and KCl do not get to the plant because it can hurt the plant. Give a distance of 5-7 cm from the plant.
e. Watering and Watering
Tomato plants do not need too much water, but do not lack. Excess water in tomato cultivation makes vegetative growth (leaves and stems) fertile but will inhibit the generative phase. Conversely, prolonged water kekuranga can cause cracking in the resulting tomato fruit.
Long droughts can cause flowering. Watering should be adjusted to weather conditions. When rainfall is relatively relatively no longer need watering. Precisely what must be improved is the drainage channel so that water does not pool around the plant area. In the dry season, watering can be done in the morning. Prevent land from cracking drought.
f. Installation of lenjeran
Installation of lenjeran or ajir aims as a place to tie the plant so as not to collapse. Lenjeran made from bamboo along 1.5-2 meters. Lenjeran ditancapkan at a distance of about 10-20 cm from the plant. Lenjeran can be left stand-alone or its ends tied with other adjacent gaps. End binding is useful to strengthen the lenjeran position.
Installation of lenjeran should be as early as possible to prevent injuries to plant roots due to tapping. Plants are still small roots have not spread everywhere so that possibility tertancap small. The injury to the root caused by the lenjeran puncture can inhibit growth and invite disease.
Installation lenjeran done after plant height ranges from 10-15 cm. Tie the tomato plant with a plastic strap on the lenjeran. The bond model should be a figure 8 so that the tomato bar is not injured as it rubs against the lenjeran pole. The bond should not be too strong so as not to inhibit the enlargement of the stem. After that, each plant grows 20 cm tied the stem of the plant with a plastic strap on the lenjeran.
IndonesiaControl of pests and diseases
Some types of pests and diseases that often attack tomato cultivation, among others, fruit caterpillar, aphids thrips, whiteflies, fruit flies, mites, nematodes, wilt disease, leaf spot, leaf blight, brown spots, rotting leaves and fruit rot. If the attack craze, pests and diseases can be sprayed with pesticides. The use of pesticides should be wise, adjust to the environment (other farmers), history of spraying and follow instructions / dose of use. If the tomatoes to be produced are intended for the organic market, should use natural pesticides. Please see how to make organic pesticides.
Pests and diseases of tomato cultivation can not be eradicated by just relying on pesticides alone. Because the benefits of pesticides are only temporary and short term. The rest of the pest and disease attacks will still come and will likely be more resistant. Increased doses of pesticide use may be effective but will cause adverse environmental effects and also increase production costs. If you have to use pesticides should alternate brands with different active ingredients.
To cope with pests and diseases thoroughly use the principles of integrated pest control (IPM). IPM implementation should be done on an ongoing basis. The variables that must be considered include the selection of superior seeds or suitable varieties, disease-free seeds, balanced fertilizer, crop rotation, utilizing natural predators, exploit pest repellent plants and the last spraying of pesticides both synthetic and natural chemistry.
Harvesting of tomato cultivation
Cultivation of new tomatoes can be harvested 60-100 days after planting, depending on the variety. Timing of crops based on plant age is sometimes ineffective. We recommend using physical observations of plants. Tomato plants are said to be ready for harvest when the fruit shells change from green to yellowish, the edges of the leaves turn yellow and the stems dry.
Picking should be done in the morning or late afternoon because during the day the plants are still doing photosynthesis. In such circumstances evaporation is high-high so that the picked tomatoes will quickly wilt. Harvesting can be done every 2-3 days. In Indonesia the productivity of tomato plants on average reaches 15.84 tons per hectare. But for certain varieties and certain areas can reach 25-30 tons per hectare.
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