Content
Feeding tomatoes with bread is carried out at the main stages of growth, starting with picking and ending with the formation of buds. To prepare the infusion, you can take any bread, including old, stale and even moldy. It is dissolved in water, left for several days, then filtered and watered. Basic cooking rules and processing times are described in this article.
The benefits of bread fertilizer for tomatoes
Unlike conventional fertilizer, even with a rich and balanced composition, bread fertilizer for tomatoes contains quite a lot of valuable components. Among them are:
- minerals;
- carbohydrates;
- vegetable proteins;
- amino acids;
- vitamins;
- yeast.
The last component provides particular benefit to the bread feeding of tomatoes. These are microscopic fungi that are rich in proteins and organic compounds. They stimulate the growth of beneficial soil bacteria and inhibit pathogens.
Bread feeding is useful for all tomatoes at different stages of development from seedlings to the formation of ovaries and fruits. The main advantages of such folk fertilizer are as follows:
- growth activation;
- strengthening the root system;
- increasing endurance and resistance to disease;
- restoration of weakened seedlings and adult tomatoes.
Other advantages of bread feeding include ease of preparation and availability of the product. It costs practically nothing and can be made from various types of bread, including stale and dried bread.
Timing for applying fertilizer
Tomatoes are demanding when it comes to feeding, so the bread composition should be given quite often. The main deadlines that many experienced summer residents adhere to are:
- During seedlings in the period 5-7 days after the dive, i.e. transplanting grown seedlings to a new place. If tomatoes are grown without picking, fertilizer is given after 3-4 pairs of true leaves appear.
- A week after transplanting to the garden bed. This is necessary so that the plants quickly adapt to the new place, take root and begin to grow green mass.
- At the stage of formation of peduncles and buds. At this time, grain feeding protects tomatoes from late blight, enriches them with mineral and organic components, and stimulates the formation of ovaries.
Feeding tomatoes with bread infusion
To feed tomatoes, you need to prepare a bread infusion, then give several waterings at intervals of 2-3 weeks. It is better to prepare the mixture in advance, since the process will take at least two days. For production, you can take a variety of varieties of both expensive and quite affordable bread:
- white;
- grey;
- with bran (more useful composition, enriched with vitamins);
- rye;
- Borodinsky;
- whole grain and others.
Bread fertilizer for tomato seedlings
To feed tomato seedlings with bread, prepare an infusion according to the following recipe:
- Take a loaf or roll weighing 500-700 g.
- Add 5 liters of water at room temperature.
- Insist for two days.
- Squeeze well and strain using a sieve.
Next, the resulting infusion is used to fertilize tomato seedlings. This can be done already in the first week after the pick. It is better to prepare a fresh composition, since it cannot be stored for long. As a last resort, you can keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks until next use. Immediately before watering, you need to take it out and let it stand at room temperature, since cold water harms the roots of tomatoes.
Fertilizers during budding and flowering
Bread infusion is used to feed tomato seedlings and adult plants. One of the most important stages on which the harvest depends is the period of bud formation and flowering. At this point, you can give fertilizer prepared not only according to the basic recipe described above, but also with some additions.
For example, you can give a bread infusion along with hay, mown grass and jam. The main ingredients are as follows (per 10 liters):
- bread – 1 kg;
- freshly cut grass – 3 kg;
- hay dust – 500 g;
- kefir – 1 l;
- jam (preferably old, candied) – 500 ml.
All ingredients are mixed and poured into the bucket to the brim. Let stand in a warm place for two weeks. After fermentation is complete, when bubbles stop forming, you can strain, dilute with water 10 times and start watering.
You can also prepare a simpler bread topping based on black bread. They work like this:
- Take 2 kg (3 loaves) of old black bread.
- Pour in 5 liters of ordinary water.
- Cover with a lid and let stand for a week in a warm place.
- Then filter, bring to a total volume of 10 liters and begin watering.
Recommendations from gardeners
Feeding tomato seedlings with bread crusts and crumbs is quite simple. But in order for the fertilizer to give a noticeable effect, it is recommended to listen to the advice of summer residents with experience:
- It is important to follow the indicated dosages, i.e. approximately 100-200 g of bread per 1 liter of water, but no more. You can take both the crumb and the crusts - it doesn’t really matter.
- It is advisable to use stale bread to feed tomatoes. If it is fresh, you can pre-dry it in the oven, but only for a few minutes.
- If some pieces are covered with mold, they can also be used, since the fungus does not pose any danger to plants.
- You should not use grain fertilizer together with bird droppings and liquid organic matter in general (mullein, humates). In this case, the effect of yeast will be practically reduced to zero.
- For watering, be sure to use only strained grain fertilizer. The cake can be placed in a heap to make compost.
- As in other cases, it is better to plan watering in the evening. At the same time, it is recommended to pour water at the root, without getting on the leaves and especially the inflorescences and ovaries.
Conclusion
Feeding tomatoes with bread is a fairly effective measure, which many experienced summer residents know about. The composition is quite simple to prepare; it will require a minimum of costs and only a few days. The solution is applied only by the root method, i.e. regular watering. This can be done 2-3 times per season - at the stage of seedlings and bud formation.