Hydroponics farming is one of the latest farming techniques to grow tomatoes. You can grow tomatoes hydroponically using ebb and flow, the Kratky method, Dutch Bucket, and various other techniques.
Hydroponics grows tomatoes 50 percent faster than traditional farming using soil.
However, hydroponics needs a constant supply of electricity and indoor arrangement for better growth, and in outdoor premises, traditional soil farming is more convenient for growing tomatoes.
Now you must be thinking, Transplanting hydroponic tomatoes to soil? Is it safe to transplant them? As a solution, we can transplant our indoor-grown hydroponic tomatoes to an outdoor soil garden.
The answer to both of these questions is yes! Although it is challenging to transport hydroponic tomatoes to soil from its hydroponic setup, this guide will discuss how we can achieve it.
Reasons for Relocating Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
Hydroponic gardening allows you to prolong your tomato growing season in your indoor gardens.
Whenever the seasons change, in warmer seasons, you can simply transplant them in the outdoor garden to increase your tomato yield.
Growing your tomato seedlings using hydroponics has several advantages, as seeds take a long time to develop when established in the soil in the outside garden from scratch.
So you can quickly grow tomato seedlings in hydroponics and then transfer them to soil for more sustainable growth.
As tomatoes need sunshine for optimum growth in soil, you can grow your seedlings in a hydroponic system instead of waiting in winter.
Furthermore, tomato seedlings purchased from local nurseries may be overpriced, insufficient, or challenging to locate in soil.
Is it Safe to Relocate Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil?
Growing tomatoes is easier when we use hydroponics, but can we quickly develop hydroponic seedlings in ordinary soil?
Many gardeners feel this step is challenging. They always fear whether it is safe to transport hydroponic seedlings or plants to the soil for further growth.
If you have the same concerns, let us put those to rest by informing you that it is safe to relocate hydroponic tomatoes to the soil for further growth, but this growth depends on your handling technique.
When transplanting hydroponic tomatoes seedling or plants, you need to gently transport their plant roots to the soil.
For your tomato plants to thrive in soil from water, you must first let them endure plant shock caused due changes in their growth environment.
Lastly, transplant your tomato seedling in its growing season to safely transport them in soil for future growth.
Ways to Transfer Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
If you want to transport hydroponic tomatoes to the soil, you must prepare their seedlings from tomato seeds or use plant cuttings and wait until they develop roots.
Use plant incubators with hydroponic water mist so your seedlings can quickly develop for relocation in soil.
- You can develop seedlings or plant cuttings in hydroponic nutrient-rich water and transplant them once their healthy roots are developed.
- It would help if you decreased the volume of water in your hydroponic tank a week before tomato transplantation to develop their roots thicker to transport in soil.
- Normally, you should grow your tomato seedlings in Rockwool cubes during winter and transport them in a hydroponics system until the cold season is over.
Once the weather is nice and sunny, transport your hydroponic tomato plant to the outside soil garden for further growth.
Material Needed to Transfer Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
| Growing Pot/ Gardening Field |
| Growing Medium/ Compost/ NPK Fertilizer |
| Well-drained and Aerated Soil |
| Gardening Tools |
| Trimmer/ Scissors |
| Water |
Steps to Transfer Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
Transferring hydroponic tomatoes into the soil are challenging and needs expert handling. We must use the following steps in order to transfer tomatoes seedling from hydroponic to soil
Step 1: Preparation of Soil
- Prepare your tomato growing beds or pots before the growing season starts by preparing its soil.
- Purchase high-quality soil from the market and mix compost or fertilizer with it in a 1:4 ratio. Here 1 part is composting to the four parts of soil.
- If you are reusing previous soil, plough your soil and remove waste material from it before mixing compost or any other fertilizer.
- It is best to use a growing medium with your soil for better results, as it contains all the essential minerals needed for plant growth.
Step 2: Preparation of Tomatoes Plant Transfer
Secondly, once your field is prepared and the tomato growing season is near, reduce the water flow in your hydroponic system.
As tomato roots are fine and delicate in water growing medium, once we reduce water flow to absorb more water, the roots will thicken.
Step 3: Preparation of Pot/ Field
Before the transplantation step, prepare your pots or field for this transport by developing small holes in the field or pot soil so we can shift tomato plant roots in them.
If you are using a pot to grow a tomato plant, use a pot of double size compared to the size of the plant.
Step 4: Trimming and Transferring of Tomatoes Plant
Trimming back part of the tomato plant stem and leaves. It reduces the tomato plant’s stress to obtain water and nourishment to maintain its growth throughout the soil shift.
Remove the tomato plant from the hydroponic system after trimming and carefully transfer the plant’s roots to a pot or field soil hole.
Compress the pot or field soil around the tomato plant’s stem to keep them holding in the soil, and avoid pushing its delicate roots.
Step5: Water and Wait for Plant Growth
Because hydroponic tomatoes are constantly fed with nutrients and water, once transplanted into moist soil, add additional fertilizer and water misting to aid their development.
It is vital for hydroponic tomatoes’ successful growth to keep their roots hydrated. Water them daily for one week, then gradually reduce them to once a week with occasional fertilization.
Once the hydroponic tomato plant successfully passes its transplant shock duration and adjusts to its new environment, it will grow tremendously.
Once the flowering is started, give them adequate sunlight for 1-2 hours daily for their growth and fruit development.
Other Tips to Transfer Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
- Always transplant hydroponic tomatoes to the soil during its growing season.
- Avoid direct sunlight in hydroponic tomato plants and provide them with mild sunlight from 1-2 pm in the daytime.
- Remove any leaves that wilt after transplantation to save energy.
- To minimize plant transplant shock, make a solution of sugar and water and feed it. This could help; even if it does not seem to, it will not hurt your tomato plants.
- Before transferring hydroponics tomatoes, immerse their root ball in hydroponic water, then after shifting their root ball in a hole, press soil around its stem for good grip.
Benefits of Transplanting Hydroponic Tomatoes to Soil
Some of the essential benefits of transplanting hydroponic tomatoes to soil are as follows
1. Expansion of your Farming Field:
Transferring tomato plants from the hydroponic system into soil-filled pots or outdoor garden fields is an excellent method to increase the size of your farming garden.
Once your tomato plant shifts to an outdoor garden, you can grow other vegetables in your hydroponic system.
2. Increase in your Tomato Yield:
It keeps the indoor garden dirt-free tomato seedlings developing in a soil-less system. Due to this, tomato seedlings are disease free.
Once these healthy seedlings are planted in your outdoor garden with soil, the yield of tomatoes increases due to the larger space.
3. Faster Yield:
This indoor hydroponic system can also assist tomato seedlings in avoiding problems caused by adverse weather.
Because of the controlled temperature environment of hydroponics, it can also help you produce tomatoes in colder seasons.
When the weather is warm enough, you may quickly transfer your tomato plants to larger areas for faster development. Thus, using hydroponic and traditional farming combined gives us better yield in less time.
4. Better tomatoes Crop in Outdoor field
Among the top reasons for employing hydroponics to grow tomatoes is to get a good start, as seeds take more time in the outdoor gardens to develop into seedlings.
So when outdoor tomato growing seasons begin, farmers will already have good quality seedlings to grow better tomatoes.
FAQS of How to Transplant Hydroponic Tomatoes into Soil
Q: Is Soil Farming Better Than Hydroponics Farming?
No, both farming used to grow tomatoes have their own benefits. However, using hydroponics, tomatoes can be grown faster.
Q: Can You Shift Tomatoes From Hydroponics Farming To Soil Farming?
Yes, it is possible to grow tomatoes using hydroponic substrates rather than shifting to soil farming in its season.
Q: How Much Sunlight Is Required For Hydroponic Tomatoes To Grow In Soil?
We can supply our hydroponic tomatoes for 1-2 hours for proper growth. In extra sunlight, they can burn.
Q: What Is Hydroponic Tomato Plant Shock Or Stress?
An adjustment period of hydroponic tomatoes after shifting from a hydroponic system to a soil field is known as hydroponic tomato Plant shock.
Q: Is Growing Hydroponic Tomatoes From Soil Farming Costly?
No, once your hydroponic tomato seedlings are well-developed in seedling growth, the soil field is less expensive as soil farming provides a larger area for tomato growth.
Final Words:
Finally, we can conclude that transplanting hydroponic tomatoes into the soil is tricky and needs extra care. However, it can grow quickly once you have successfully relocated the soil field.
In this article, we have discussed how to transplant hydroponic tomatoes into the soil with detailed steps.
We have also discussed the tips and benefits of this relocation which will change your opinion on this issue and boost your confidence in growing tomatoes using a mix method.
My name is Olivia, and I live in the United States and love having plants in my garden. Lots of plants are there on my balcony, indoor and outdoor garden also. Here I am trying to share useful gardening tips, how to grow and care for various plants, etc.
