#REPOTTING TOMATO SEEDLINGS FULL#
"Harden" the plants for a week by setting them outdoors in a spot protected from the full brunt of wind and sun before planting them in the garden. Then, a gradual introduction to outdoor conditions is beneficial. Brush your hands over the leaves or shake the plants one or two times a day and they'll develop into stocky, dark green youngsters. What's more, stress can, to some degree, make up for insufficient light and too much heat.
It sounds harsh, but a bit of stress indoors prepares the plants for buffeting wind, pelting rain, bright sunlight and cooler temperatures (early in the season, at least) outdoors. One more thing a tomato seedling needs for good growth is stress. The light from an incandescent bulb isn't the right spectrum, and the heat the bulbs give off if hanging close above the plant will scorch the leaves. Many seedlings can bask under a double fixture of two 4-foot-long fluorescent bulbs. Use a fluorescent light and keep adjusting its height so it's within inches of the plant. A sunny window in a cool room is ideal.Īrtificial light is another option. The plants also need abundant light and relatively cool temperatures - ideally around 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and this is a combination not easy to provide on a windowsill or, without care, in a greenhouse. So much for the easy part of keeping tomato seedlings that were planted early growing happily. The only problem is all the window space that lots of large pots eventually gobble up, even moreso the earlier seeds are sown. Repotting is not difficult, but does demand attention. Ideally, repot whenever plants grow taller than one-half to two-thirds the height of their container. Don't start those tiny seedlings in large pots, because they'll just sulk in a large volume of wet soil. To avoid any hesitation in the plants' growth, they need to be shifted to larger pots as they grow. Cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and feather meal are other organic, slow-release fertilizers that can be added to a potting mix.
My potting mix includes one-quarter, by volume, compost, and this, along with a smidgen of soybean meal, steadily feeds my potted plants in sync with their needs. No need for high-tech, "slow release" fertilizers here, although they will do the trick. Fish emulsion is a good, soluble organic fertilizer.Īn even easier way to feed is to mix into the potting soil some insoluble fertilizer that slowly but steadily releases nutrients. One is to add soluble fertilizer to the water use a fertilizer formulated for this purpose and follow the instructions, because too much fertilizer can be as harmful as too little. There are a couple of ways to feed your seedlings. Keep tabs on your watering by periodically poking your finger or an electronic water meter down into the potting soil, or by lifting the container to check its weight. Consistently moist soil and regular feeding, both easily provided, are part of this prescription. The ideal tomato seedling (also called a "transplant" or "start") plods along, growing steadily, making a seamless transition to the outdoors when transplant time finally comes. And the earlier tomatoes are planted, the harder it is to give them what they need. Even with a greenhouse, such conditions are not easily created. Occasional warm, spring-like breezes and longer hours of sunlight kindle an urge in me to plant tomatoes, starting them indoors, of course.Īfter all, the sooner the seeds are up and growing, the sooner I'll sink my teeth into a garden-ripe tomato, right?Įarlier planting leads to better harvests only when tomato seedlings have consistent, near-perfect growing conditions.
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