Want More Successful Tomato Plants? Plant Them Deep
This spring time technique can help you get your garden off to a strong start and add value all season long.
It’s a simple trick gardeners use to grow healthier, higher-producing tomato plants: when placing saplings in the ground, plant them deeper than ground level. The way you might think of digging hole at the beach and burying yourself up to your knees, do this with tomato saplings.
Unlike many plants, tomatoes thrive when buried slightly under the ground, meaning a decent portion of their stem covered up below the soil line. You may instinctually think you’re hurting the plant, but this technique can actually help it.
The reason: tomato plants can sprout roots along its stem, a process called adventitious rooting. When you bury the stem deeper, ideally up to the lowest set of leaves, you are encouraging the plant to develop a larger, more extensive root system.
More roots mean better access to water and nutrients, resulting in a stronger, healthier plant. It’s more stable against strong winds and the increased access to nutrients makes the plant more capable of producing more fruit.
Here’s how you do it:
Select a healthy tomato seedling.
Gently remove the lowest set of leaves to avoid rot underground. Use trimmers or gently snap the branch down and remove. Don’t worry, you won’t hurt it.
Dig a hole deep enough so that the root ball and about one-third of the plant stem (the green part) is below the soil surface.
Place the plant in the hole, backfill with soil, and gently press down around the plant. You want the soil to be firm, but not compact.
When you’re done, only the top (roughly 60% - 80%) of the plant should be above ground, depending on overall plant type, height, and where you plucked the lower branches.
Water thoroughly. A key to healthy tomato plants producing abundant fruit that doesn’t split is to maintain a consistent watering schedule.
By planting tomato seedlings deep at the start, you’re providing them a solid foundation to grow vigorously. It’s a small step that can really pay off as you continually harvest from the plant all season long.