Growing Tomatoes Upside Down

Tap to Read ➤ Aparna Jadhav

Tomatoes are normally grown on the ground. There is also a practice of growing them upside down which is becoming popular lately. Here we shed some light on the same.

'Upside down' is a very old house technique which has its own pros and cons. Though this is a very unique and different way of growing tomatoes, it is still practiced in many regions all over the world. It is a very simple method which is useful in many ways.

It does not mean growing the tomatoes upside down in the ground, but in a bucket hung up in the air. There are many reasons why people do this and there are also many problems caused by this, but majorly, the yields are better and thus people prefer it.

There is a particular method of doing it and you have to make sure you follow it to avoid problems. Nowadays, many nurseries prefer to follow this kind of cultivation for convenience sake, as tomatoes are much easier to cultivate in air than on land.

Upside Down Plantation

Tomatoes are the most widely used vegetable all over the globe. They are produced in variable numbers for these reasons ✦ To protect them from the strong summer winds that can damage the stems. ✦ The late summer rains can also be harmful as they bring on the blight.

✦ As these are container plants, they are grown in sterilized soil and are thus kept away from the diseases that come from the soil. ✦ They are also hung in containers so that there is a lot of air circulation around the plant and it is uniform in manner.

✦ This air circulation aids in pollination and pest control as it is at a height from the ground level. ✦ Watering and fertilizing the upside down tomato plants is easier and less messy. The watering is also enhanced only to the roots and not the plants because of this arrangement.

✦ The tomatoes which yield after these attempts turn out to be a very good.

Procedure To Grow Tomatoes

Things Needed

✦ A young tomato plant

✦ A large plastic milk bottle

✦ Compost and/or garden soil

✦ Hook (or if you have something else it can be hung from)

Directions

✦ When you have all the materials you need, choose a sunny place where you will be hanging the plant. ✦ Using the string, make a knot on the basket on which your upside down milk bottle will be placed, and then attach it to the ceiling.

✦ Cut the top off the milk bottle and add the soil to it. Press it in the bottle so that it is fixed properly to the base. ✦ Once the soil is added, make sure you have holes in the bottle so that there is air circulation around the soil and the plant.

✦ Then put the plant into the soil from the lid end and make sure the roots go deep into the soil. Fill the bottle with some compost and water it for the time being. ✦ Make sure that the plant is subjected to appropriate amount of sunlight but not very hot winds as they can ruin the leaves of the plant.

These steps have many advantages of space as well as maintenance. Hence, if you want to try this out at home, make sure you take all the necessary care for obtaining the best yield of tomatoes.