Tomatoes are among the most popular garden crops that possess the capability to thrive best in a range of soil and climatic conditions. Like any garden vegetable, only the right mix of soil can produce the best type of tomatoes.
Recently, French scientists have discovered that the growing media has a significant role in developing the ‘flavor’ of tomatoes; it was previously considered as only a genetic factor. Tomatoes need well-aerated soil with a high water-holding capacity, rich in nutrients and free from pathogens, to maximize production.
In this article, we will discuss the properties of various growing media that make them useful for tomato production:
Loamy Soil
An ideal soil provides a proper balance between air, water, and nutrients— the plant’s roots rapidly grow under such ideal conditions. Tomatoes thrive best in loam or sandy loam soil, rich in humus but can also grow in nearly all soil types except heavy clay. Clay’s hard texture, accompanied by poor water drainage, restricts the growth of roots. If your soil is clay type, its texture can be improved by proper tillage (the preparation of land for growing crops) and incorporating peat moss, perlite, sawdust, or other amendments before planting tomatoes.
Loam soils have an equal proportion of sand and silt with a little bit of clay, and each ingredient serves the right purpose. Silt becomes easily compacted and is good for allowing water to drain. The sand serves the purpose of good drainage and proper aeration. Lastly, the little amount of clay in loam provides essential nutrients and keeps the silt and sand properly mixed. Conclusively, loam soils have all the right ingredients for proper growth and development of tomatoes.
Organic Matter/Medium
Any plant or animal-based by-product derived from nature is termed as organic matter, i.e., dead leaves or a banana peel. Organic medium maintains a stable soil structure, supplies nutrients to plants, and improves the soil’s water-holding capacity. Sterilization of greenhouse soils and well-rotted manure is done to reduce the release of ammonia and other toxic substances, which help inoculate the soil with beneficial organisms.
Moreover, the addition of organic matter improves the texture of both light and heavy soils. In recent years, it was discovered that the addition of organic matter improves the soil condition by releasing additional nutrients during decomposition of its organic component. Hence, by using organic growing media, the plant growth and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses would be greatly enhanced, which ultimately results in higher tomato yield.
Perlite
The sterile nature, physically stable, chemically inert, and well-drained properties make perlite the ideal rooting medium for tomato crops. It’s a white color volcanic rock, lighter in weight with good water holding capacity that ensures better drainage and a perfect aeration system. Perlite is an inorganic material with a neutral pH (6.5 to 7.5) required for tomato production. It is commonly available in stores.
Peat
Peat, or peat moss, was the first non-soil medium used for the production of tomatoes. Presently, coarse peat is the most satisfactory material that is a rich, readily available source of organic matter. Peat can be used alone or in combination with other growing materials such as vermiculite, perlite, turface—all of these possess different physical characteristics. It has a completely inert nature that does not affect nutrient availability when mixed with other growing media.
This lightweight growing medium provides good water-holding capacity, drainage, aeration, biological and chemical stability. The good aeration properties of peat allow rapid root growth that promotes vigorous foliage and therefore increases yield. Moreover, it has a high cation-exchange capacity and maintains an adequate structure during cropping.
Flavor tests demonstrated that plants grown on a peat substrate produced more tasty fruits compared to other growing media. It is preferred over vermiculite because it does not break down as quickly and allows better nutrition for the crop. Peat filled plastic bags are now readily available on the market. Each peat bag (14 x 41 inch {35 cm x 105 cm}) contains a mixture of peat with polystyrene, perlite, or vermiculite, and it can support 2 to 3 plants, provided with regular watering and appropriate fertilization.
Sawdust
In addition to peat, sawdust is also an important organic medium for tomato cropping. Cropping in sawdust is now being substituted by rockwool. Some noticeable advantages of sawdust medium include wide availability, lightweight, cost-effectiveness, and easier disposal than rockwool. This substrate’s physical and chemical attributes could be improved if mixed with other growing media (organic or inorganic).
Rockwool
Several countries are manufacturing horticultural-grade rockwool. This spongy fibrous material is produced from a granite-like rock (diabase, or basalt) and is available in the form of blocks, slabs, or granules. Rockwool is important because it is chemically and biologically inert, which makes it free from pests, diseases, and weed seeds, and it is commercially used all around the world. Its chemical composition varies with the manufacturer.
The ingredients that make it are not readily available to the plants, so all essential nutrients should be added to the crop in a liquid form. Rockwool has a good nutrient solution holding capacity that allows plants to get nutrients effectively.
Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a satisfactory growing medium to increase tomato yield. It is spongy and inorganic and can soak water 3 to 4 times its size. It is dark brown to a golden brown and is created from a magnesium-aluminum-iron-silicate mineral with neutral pH (7). Its lightweight nature makes it easy to handle.
It is considered a partially inert medium because it contains some K (potassium) and Mg (magnesium) that gradually releases to plants during its breaks down. It’s a sterile medium (free of pathogens and weed seeds) combined with the higher cation-exchange capacity and water-holding capacity. It provides adequate root aeration and good control overwatering and fertilization. It also helps to develop a good drainage system and retain water.
Conclusion
- Tomatoes are well adapted to various growing media.
- They can easily grow in pots, containers, or in raised beds.
- All the above discussed growing media have similar yield potential if properly managed.
- It would help if you remembered that regular potting soil doesn’t provide the required nourishment that tomato plants need to flourish. That’s why; make sure to choose a soil with the correct mix of right ingredients to provide optimum nutrition.
- By adopting the right planting technique, good soil, and adequate watering, you would be able to grow plants successfully with a wonderful harvest.
- For the best yield and quality, an equal mixture of loamy soil, perlite, and peat moss recommended.
