TheNaturePlanet

Want to grow cherry tomatoes heavy with fruit on your balcony? Every step, from seedling care to harvesting, requires attention to detail. Today, I’ve compiled ultra-detailed planting tips—even beginners can收获 a bountiful harvest by following these steps!


### I. Preparations Before Transplanting

1. **Seedling Acclimation**
Don’t rush to pot your newly arrived online-purchased cherry tomato seedlings! Soak the roots in clean water for 2-3 hours to revive dried-out roots. If the leaves are wilting, soak the entire root ball until the leaves gradually舒展—this boosts survival rates.

2. **Soil and Pots**
Choose pots with a diameter of about 25cm (15cm for dwarf varieties), *must* have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging and root rot.

Use loose, well-aerated organic nutrient soil, or make your own mix (leaf mold + garden soil + perlite = 3:2:1). Never use heavy, compacted soil—roots won’t spread, and fruit production will be scarce.


### II. Transplanting Tips

1. **Root Handling**
Gently loosen tangled roots at the bottom—don’t pull hard! Plant slightly deeper, burying the stem up to the second true leaf. This encourages more fibrous roots, stabilizing the plant and preventing later lodging.

2. **Watering Method**
After transplanting, water thoroughly until water drains from the bottom. After that, follow “water only when dry, soak thoroughly when watering.” Wait until the soil surface feels dry—overwatering suffocates roots, and root rot is hard to fix!


### III. Growth Management

1. **Fertilization**
- Seedling stage: Use more nitrogen fertilizer (e.g.,腐熟 sheep manure). Bury it near the pot edge to grow thick, green leaves.
- Budding stage: Stop heavy nitrogen! Switch to bone meal + wood ash (buried or soaked in water) to promote flowering and fruit set.
- Fruit enlargement stage: Use banana peel water (fermented for 1 week, diluted) to water roots. This补充 potassium, making fruits sweet, plump, and less prone to cracking.

2. **Light**
- Acclimation period (after transplanting): Keep in scattered light for 3 days—avoid direct sun to prevent wilting.
- Post-acclimation: Gradually increase light to at least 4 hours daily.
- Flowering and fruiting stage: Ensure 6-8 hours of sun daily. Adequate light = more fruit and sweeter taste!


### IV. Pest and Disease Prevention

1. **Physical Control**
- Spider mites: Boil dried chili peppers, cool, strain, and spray on leaf undersides. Repeat 2-3 times.
- Aphids: Wipe leaves with 10x diluted soapy water—simple and effective.

2. **Chemical Control**
- Seedling stage: Spray carbendazim (1000x diluted) weekly to prevent damping-off (sudden seedling collapse).
- Mature plants: Spray chlorothalonil or mancozeb every 2 weeks, especially after rain, to prevent leaf spot and blight.


### V. Tips for More Fruits

1. **Hand Pollination**
- On sunny days (11 AM-1 PM), gently shake plants to spread pollen, or use a cotton swab to transfer pollen between flowers for even fruiting.
- Avoid pollinating on rainy days. Prune dense leaves first to improve ventilation and reduce rotten flowers/fruits.

2. **Pruning and Topping**
- Keep only the strongest side shoot per branch; remove weak/dense branches to save nutrients.
- Top the main stem (pinch off the tip) after 3 fruit clusters form—this directs nutrients to fruits, making them larger and sweeter.
- Leave 3-4 healthy fruits per cluster; remove misshapen ones to ensure full growth.


### VI. Seed Sowing Reminders
If starting from seeds:
- Soak seeds in 40℃ water for 6 hours to hydrate.
- Cover with 0.8-1cm soil (too thick = slow germination; too thin = drying out).
- Keep temperature at 20-25℃—sprouts emerge in ~3 days. Gradually expose to light after germination.