Are you anxious about the stunted growth of classic tropical Tomatoes? You may have crashed to provide favorable conditions for them.
Let me provide you with a few tips to speed up Tomato growth.
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How to Speed up Tomato Plant Growth with Tips?
Tomatoes favor a warm and humid environment, with humidity between 65 and 75%. On top of that, here are some other great tips that support Tomato’s growth speed.
1. Heat the Soil
For the seeds of tropical plants like Tomatoes, the seed germination rate is higher in warm soils.
However, the warmth of the soil entirely depends on the weather and the soil type.
Seeds of Tomatoes germinate well in soil temperature of 65-85ºF, so check the soil with a Soil Thermometer before sowing.
In case of seeds are sown in wet or cold soil, the chance of rotting seeds would be high.
You can heat the soil by various below-mentioned methods:
- Cover the soil with polythene or mulch fabric to keep it warm during winter. During summer, remove the covering to provide direct sunlight to the soil.
- You can use Cloches two to three weeks before sowing. They are used for covering the soil to trap the temperature within the soil.
- Mulch prevents the soil water from evaporation and keeps the soil warm. Moreover, mulching keeps the soil warm during winter and cool during the summer.
2. Temperature & Sunlight
Make sure you choose the sunniest part of your house to place the tomato plant.
Direct sunlight is always the best choice, rather than placing it in the shade.
Keeping your tomato plant on your house’s south side makes a big difference. Terraces, where there are no shade interferences, are also good options.
Tomatoes favor a temperature between 15 and 32°C for fruitful growth.
3. Spacing and Root Depth
Low spacing brings about improper distribution of nutrients and water among the plants.
Moreover, inappropriate spacing leads to stunted growth, reduced yield, and diminished overall plant performance.
The perfect spacing for Tomatoes would be between 24 and 36 inches.
Also, adequate spacing between plants is a remedy for outspreading microbial diseases.
Seeds are sown 8-12 inches deep to support healthy root growths.
On top of that, mix the soil with organic perlite to improve soil aeration.
4. Nutrient Requirements
Usually, Tomatoes thrive well in soil rich in micronutrients counting Phosphorus, Potassium, and Calcium.
These nutrients play a significant role in plants’ growth, increased root growth, enlarged stem strength, and improved crop quality.
It would be best to fetch optimum nutrients to the soil, but excessive is also not good. In case of deficiency, it can be detected through an indication of yellow leaves of the plant.
The most common lacking nutrient is nitrogen. However, too much nitrogen can again cause ample green growth at the cost of fruits and flowers.
Moreover, supply your plants with Nitrogen fertilizers.
Apply a balanced ratio of NPK in the ratio of 10:10:10. Also, they must be fertilized immediately after planting and just before fruiting.
Not the garbage, but the waste composts extracted from eggshells, onion skins, potato skins, banana peel, etc., help transport the nutrient properly.
5. Transplant Shock
Transplant shock is a concern many of us do not pay much attention to. Instead, we get excited about bringing a plant to our house and directly cultivating it without adjusting them to the sudden temperature change.
The changing environment can differ in the amount of light, air, and heat. Hence, this gives shock the plants.
Try to acclimatize them firstly to the outdoor atmosphere to speed up Tomato growth.
How to do it?
- Firstly, try to keep the plant outside for a few hours every day and then bring it back. Keep doing this for a week.
- Keep the plant away from harsh wind, rain, and direct sunlight while shifting outside.
- Finally, you can transplant it into your garden or outdoor pot once it is hardened. This eliminates the shudder effect on the plant.
6. Watering Frequency
DO NOT Overwater
Don’t overdo your plant with excessive kindness!
Overwatering is the most common issue for slowing the growth of Tomato plants. It usually instigates in heavy clay soil, which does not drain well, leading to Root Rot.
Sandy or loamy soil is suitable for planting Tomatoes as it drains quickly.
Too much watering generates moisture in the soil for a long time, leaving no space for air and suffocating the plant to breathe. Also, it gets difficult for the plant to absorb the required nutrients and water. This ultimately stops the plants’ growth.
Be Careful: Even though the soil is moist, the plant may still look underwater sometimes. You can use your fingers to feel the soil a few inches in depth. Henceforth, watering the plant is recommended if it feels dry.
DO NOT Underwater
Tomato plants need plenty of optimum water to grow. Nevertheless, it should be the right amount.
Too much or too little watering at any stage of plant growth leads to slow development.
The plants are deep-rooted, with 2 feet or more inside the ground. As a result, they prefer receiving enough water to soak thoroughly into the ground and roots.
You will be able to see some indications in case of underwater:
The dryness of the soil causes floppy and yellow leaves, but if water is on time, it revives back rapidly again.
How do you water your plant to speed up Tomato growth?
- Water 1-2 inches of water per week in the Tomato plants.
- Smear the water directly into the soil around the base of the plant with a garden pipe.
- Water the plants in the morning if you are using an overhead sprinkler. This helps to lessen foliar disease problems.
7. Fast-growing Varieties
Several varieties of Tomatoes speed up the Tomato growth to different maturity extensions.
The most common type of Tomato is “Fourth of July Tomatoes.” As much as the name defines, it ripens within the fourth of July. They are easy to plant and grow.
Early girl Tomatoes produce fruit and flowers until they are destroyed by external factors or frost.
They are inexhaustible, reliable, and harvested within 50-62 days after transplantation. It is an excellent early yield, the same as its name.
These varieties continue ripening even after the harvest.
Whereas heirloom Tomatoes take a bit longer than 65-75 days to rip, beefsteak Tomatoes take much longer.
8. Pests and Pathogens
The prevailing obstacles during the plant’s growth drag the time of receiving our fully ripe Tomatoes.
Fungal diseases are caused due to the bottom leaves of the plant.
The reason behind the infestation of pests and pathogens on these leaves is their presence near the ground. Likewise, soilborne pathogens and pests directly get to them.
These lowermost leaves are old and receive little sunlight exposure and airflow.
Tomatoes’ most prevalent pests and pathogens are Verticillium, Fusarium, Alternaria, Aphids, and Spider mites.
Compost tea is also effective in managing the fungal disease of the plant. You can spray it weekly to speed up the Tomato growth.
9. Pruning of Tomatoes
You can find small leaves in between the branches of Tomato plants. They will be popping up unnecessarily, absorbing the plant’s and fruit’s nutrients.
These side vines suck up the energy of the whole plant, leading to small Tomatoes rather than big plump ones.
Though the vines can bear fruit later on, the compromise will be on Quantity over Quality.
Pruning is significant for bigger, redder, early-ripening Tomatoes.
However, you should not do too much trimming. It leads to less sweet Tomatoes ripening.
This is so because the leaves are photosynthesizing in generating sugar, giving flavors to your fruits.
10. Trellising the Tomatoes
Trellis supports your Tomato plant by promoting good air circulation, strengthening the stems, and preventing the outspread of diseases.
It works perfectly for garden Tomatoes by providing more sunlight, ensuring that the trellis does not disturb the sunlight exposure to other plants.
Additionally, a 4 feet tall Tomato trellis gives the best result.
Tomato plants can get infected by pests and pathogens when coming in contact with the ground, so trellises prevent them from the problem.
Moreover, you can use various methods to trellis Tomato.
- Place a Tomato cage of about 4 feet high immediately after pruning. It prevents pests and other herbivores.
- Trellis Net would be the best option to cover the entire field if you have a huge Tomato field.
- The stake would be an excellent option to trellis individual Tomato plants.
11. Grow in Containers
You can plant your Tomato plant in containers and place it anywhere.
Add a layer of mulch immediately after planting to prevent the escape of moisture from the soil.
Growing in containers speeds up Tomato growth by preventing leaching out the nutrients from the soil.
Moreover, the growth of weeds can be prevented in containers, which implies the nutrient intake by Tomatoes alone.
Water directly in the soil since moisture invites fungi on the aerial plant parts.
Consider the video given below to know tricks to speed up Tomato growth.
From Editorial Team
Conclusion!
Despite proper care and nourishment, it isn’t delightful when our Tomatoes grow slowly.
However, Tomato propagation is undemanding; just take cuttings from the high-yielding and fast-growing varieties, and the new plant will retain all characteristics of the mother plant.
On top of that, Tomatoes don’t like the wetness of their leaves, so avoid overwatering them.
Prolonged wetness will invite fungal infection on them.
Happy Gardening!
