Pull tomatoes from tomato slices yourself

Muddy tomatoes belong in the trash? Not correct. We'll show you how you can easily make new plants from the slices of an old tomato.

On average, we Germans consume around 26 kg of tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) per year. This puts tomatoes at the top of the most popular vegetables. But not every tomato finds its way from the supermarket to our stomach. If they fell down, got muddy or simply bought too much again - the tomatoes quickly end up in the garbage can and not in the saucepan. But instead of throwing the vegetables away, you can also grow your own tomato plant from them. We will show you how you can grow new plants from tomato slices quickly, easily and simply.

Planting tomato slices in soil: materials

Growing a new plant from tomato slices is child's play and can be done with little effort. You only need the following materials:

1. A tomato
2. A knife
3. A flower pot
4. High quality potting soil like ours Plantura organic herb & seed compost
5. A pricking stick, alternatively also cutlery
6. A tomato fertilizer - for example that Plantura organic tomato fertilizer

With tomato slices for your own plant: Instructions

Growing a new tomato plant from an old tomato is anything but difficult and quick.

Step 1: selection, location and requirements

First you choose a suitable tomato from which you want to grow your new tomato plant. The tomato can be a bit older or overripe, but it should not go moldy, as this can limit the germination of the seeds. Now carefully cut the tomato into slices. Fill a flower pot three-quarters full with soil and place the slices in it. A special potting soil is ideal, because this promotes the root growth of the young plants particularly well and thus ensures healthy and robust seedlings. If the slices are in the flower pot, they are covered with a layer of potting soil about 1 to 2 cm high. Now we have to wait and see.

In the next few weeks, the seeds in the tomato slices will begin to germinate. It is important that the soil always remains moist, but also does not get too wet - the sensitive seeds do not tolerate drought, but even great moisture is not good for them. At the Pouring the tomatoes So a sure instinct is required. But the location for germination also needs to be carefully considered: the tomato prefers it to be light and warm, so a light window sill is perfect for them.

Step 2: prick the tomatoes

After about three weeks, the first small seedlings can be seen. However, since quite a lot of the small tomato plants have to develop under optimal conditions, it is time to thin out the crop a little. This is the only way that all plants get enough nutrients and space to be able to develop optimally. The right time for Prick the tomatoes is reached when most of the seedlings have developed the first or second true pair of leaves. The small plants are carefully lifted out of the ground with a pricking stick and placed in their new pot. Make sure that no leaves or roots are damaged if possible. If you don't have a pricking stick, you can also use a spoon or fork: the sprouts can also be easily removed from the ground with the shank of the cutlery. In the new pot, the tomatoes should be in the ground up to the base of the cotyledons. It is also advisable to plant only one seedling per pot - this guarantees that each seedling has enough space to develop into a vigorous tomato plant. If you only want to grow one or two tomato plants, consider pricking the Pick out the strongest seedlings, as these are also very likely to become robust plants will.

Step 3: regular care of the tomato plant

From now on the plant will grow almost by itself. Unfortunately, only almost, because regular watering is still mandatory so that the plant grows and thrives. The plant should also be given some fertilizer about four weeks after pricking out. A special tomato fertilizer like the is particularly suitable for this Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, because this has a balanced nutrient ratio, which guarantees an optimal supply of the plant. Other fertilizers often contain too much nitrogen for tomatoes - as a result, the plants form countless leaves, but the growth of their fruits unfortunately falls by the wayside. But if the plant is looked after regularly from now on, it will soon bear delicious tomatoes and thank you for its second life.

Plant tomato slices in the soil – Summary:

1. Cut the tomato into slices
2. Fill the flower pot with potting soil
3. Place the tomato slices in the pot and cover with 1 - 2 cm of soil
4. Water regularly
5. After three weeks, prick the tomatoes and place them individually in flower pots
6. After another four weeks fertilizer - like the Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer - add
7. Maintain regularly
8. Enjoy delicious tomatoes

You can also grow new plants from leftovers with other types of vegetables. You can find out how this works in our article on Reuse vegetable scraps.

Many thanks to Cuxin for the support!