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Tomato seedlings won't grow

Alyonka
10 years ago

Hello Everybody

I started my tomato seedlings by winter sowing method at March.
On the beginning everything were fine. They were growing closed containers.
Then I opened it, when it got warm. I didn't water too much, because soil was wet enough. Some nights was cold and I didn't cover seedlings.
Now seedling almost doesn't grow.
On the beginning I thought that problem was that I didn't transfer seedling on separate containers. But even after I did, they not doing too well.
Can somebody tell me what could be wrong?
I used mix of peat moss + vermiculite + perlite for seedlings.
Pots with seedling on full sun now.
Please help.

Comments (11)

  • Alyonka
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Another picture of tomato

  • ericwi
    10 years ago

    They look healthy to me. I don't see the problem. Are they not growing fast enough?

  • thedarkness
    10 years ago

    i have some that grew an inch or two, then just started wilting over- planted in a min green house thingy with pellets

  • Alyonka
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It grows slow. In two months the size you on the picture, is it normal?
    My mother-in-low uses miracle grow and she has big tomatoes by now.
    But I don't want to use soil from this company.
    I want to grow organic, but I guess I made some mistakes.
    I replanted some of seedling to garden beds, will see what will happen.

  • Hammerga
    10 years ago

    i am going to guess that there is little to no soil in that.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    10 years ago

    Plants grown in containers do better in a soilless medium such as the one described by OP. I'd like to see these tiny seedlings in individual containers with drainage holes. Keep up with a fertilization program.

  • Alyonka
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Honestly I don't know what to use as organic fertilizer. I started using used coffee grounds, also I tried to water plants with yeast. I don't know if that will do anything. Also I making my own EM. I would love to hear any suggestions.

  • ericwi
    10 years ago

    When seedlings are started in a warm and damp environment, this will promote germination, but it also leads to fungal growth, and can result in "damp-off," a term used to describe damage from fungus. That's why its a good idea to get the seedlings into individual pots, when possible. Intermittent watering helps. Sometimes, you just have to start over.

  • Alyonka
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ericwi you probably right. I replanted seedling to individual pots and sowed some seeds directly to garden bed. I have a few tomato plants that I sawed couple months ago directly to bed, now they are the best seedlings. My does it every spring in little green house tunnel. I will try to plant more seedlings like her next spring.

  • GrahamBuck
    10 years ago

    Once the seedlings get their second set of leaves (first true leaves) it's best to pot them up. With tomato seedlings, you can plant the really deep, all the way up to the leaves. Growth will probably be quite slow for a week or so after that, but only because the majority of the growth is happening in the soil, from the roots. After the roots are more established, you'll start to see the stem and leaves really take off.

    Don't worry, things are looking ok. They'll catch up!

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    10 years ago

    Looks pretty damp in there. They like fresh air and a bit of wind. At that age i water from the bottom...Your container should have lots of drainage holes. Set the whole thing on a deeper tray of water and give it time to soak up. Then let it dry out a bit for a few days. Or one day, but keep an eye on it. They don't like fertilizer just yet. Like mentioned above, they do catch up. I also pot up and deep. Adding a bit of soil around the stem as they grow. When moving to their final bed, for me 2nd weekend in june, they go in deep again...got about 60 going strong.
    Don't give up. If you experience a failure, try some small plug trays next time and a few different ways that suit your location. I lost one tray this year due to a mis-labeled bucket of planting mix. On closer inspection and smell when wet, it had moodoo fertilizer in it. The soil fuzzed with mold near overnight. Lost a dozen or so but some didn't mind a shake and new soil. Tough little guys.

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