imo they look like the compost that you have used is to stong. i have a few that are doing the same thing and they are starting to come out of it. i used a bark and steer compost and peat moss for my second stage potting and the first mix was mixed wrong (girl friend doesnt have measurements right).

Are they coming out of it while still in the pots and the same mix or did you re-pot to correct the problem?

Would you advise that I stick em' in the ground now to let those roots seek out less noxious soil?

I've seen worse. Suggest getting them in the ground asap.

They need some phosphorus, so give them a mild fertilizer. A lack of phosphorus causes the purple coloring and the eventual yellowing of leaves.

Do not use full strength fertilizer when plants are small or in pots. Use a starter solution.

Also, I would not keep them continuously damp; let them dry out more between waterings. If the soil is wet down by the roots they don't need additional watering. If the soil is dry to almost dry a few inches down, then water.

They should green up nicely once they get some fertilizer.

i agree with ed. and i left them in the same cups and as they got bigger they grew out of it. i let them really dry out and when it was time for watering i gave them a good shot of water. tried to flush out.

@edweather and @lionheart:

Is the stunted growth just a regular symptom of an unhealthy/unhappy plant? In other words, should I worry about that as well or just treat the P deficiency?

I don't have much experience "correcting plant problems" and as such I don't know how long a successful correction will take before i can see the benefits or get some indication that "it's working" - can you advise? Should I wait a week? A month?

Also, this is embarrassing but the reason I'm holding off putting them in the ground is that I got the labels all swapped around and now can't tell which plant is which type. I was hoping that if they got a little bigger I could group them by their appearance and plant the same types together. Sounds like i may just need to throw em' in and see what I get! ;)

Thanks for the comments!

Well, whatever you decide about when you'll plant where, fertilize now. Use an all-purpose fertilizer for veggies (or for tomatoes).

I agree with lionheart and jean001a. Fertilize them now whether you plant them in the ground or not. They show all the signs of needing it. Start out at one quarter strength every other watering. After they start to grow a little you can work your way up to half strength. When you plant add some tomato fertilizer to the planting hole. Then don't fertilize again until after tomatoes are set and at least dime size. If your soil is good and you start with a good tomato fertilizer in the planting hole. You should not have to fertilize very often.

Sklett -
It looks like your pots are large enough to support further growth. I am no professional expert but I can only tell you what I would do.

If you are trying to be as organic as possible (which I am) - I would use fish fertilizer - half strength every time you water. Be sure it dries out between watering. Not necessarily bone dry, but dry.

Another fertilizer choice is 'Monty's' liquid plant food 8-16-8 which is mostly organic. I am using that this year because I have a coon problem when I use even 'odorless' fish fert.

There is a website - www.mymontys.com

I use Monty's half strength (1/4 tsp. per gallon) and all my plants are doing very well.

Hope this helps.

"Is the stunted growth just a regular symptom of an
unhealthy/unhappy plant?"

Your plants are not unhealthy; they just need some food. :-)

The nitrogen in the fertilizer will also coax some growth out of them. I've always found that tomato plants slow their growth after being transplanted. Each transplant is a little bit of shock. They need a little time to settle into their new locations.

Remember that growth happens below the soil line first, in the roots. Once the roots get established and grow then the growth will happen above the soil line.

This is why I generally only transplant once before putting the plant into the garden (or container), so that it can get established and not be disrupted. But I have a much shorter growing season.

The other thing that slows growth is an extended period where temps are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I doubt that's an issue in zone 9, but it's possible. Have the temperatures been below 50 for more than a night or two? If so, the plants will stop growing and just sit there. They'll resume growing once the temps warm up, especially at night.

@all-

Thanks for the additional info. The consensus seems to be nutrients so I will pick up (I JUST ran out) some fish emulsion and kelp organic fertilizer. Understood on the dilution rates and watering levels.

@lionheart - It has not been cold below 50 here, it's been chilly (for us), but more like mid 60s.

I'll update this thread in a week and let you know how things are going. Hopefully they will be dark green and leaves uncurled.

Thanks again!

I know everyone seems to think you need fertilizer, but I just wanted to contribute another theory. My seedlings stopped growing at one point too, and judging from your pictures, I re-potted them at the exact same time/size you did. I read on a few places that if you re-pot right under the first set of true leaves too soon, when the plant is still really small, it can actually stunt their growth. Next year, I'm going to wait until my seedlings are about 3 inches tall with at least two to three sets of true leaves before re-potting them. That could be part of it.

Also, don't worry too much about the purpling. That'll correct itself when you plant them in the ground.

If you have the materials and equipment, I suggest a foliar feeding with a good, balanced fertilizer (I like the nutrient solutions for hydro growing) at half strength with some liquid seaweed. Soak the leaves, underside especially, and the stems. You should see improvement in days.

Good luck.

"They are planted in a mix of compost and potting soil."

I think that's your problem right there, though I'll admit that I didn't read the full thread; Once I got to that line, it pretty much made it clear. I've seen that look on plants before - ones basically sitting in water.

You should never use "potting soil" for seedlings; you need potting mix - a soil-less mix. The mix is likely retaining too much water, amongst other things.

You could try giving them a shot of dilute fertilizer, but I don't think that will help much since the problem, in my opinion, seems to be an issue of nutrient uptake and not a matter of lacking nutrients.

I've grown much bigger plants than those with only giving them one very dilute shot of fertilizer before putting them into the ground - so I doubt it's a fertilizer issue.

I would do one of two things at this point:
1.) Put them into the ground as-is.
2.) Re-pot them into a more appropriate (less water retentive) soil medium.

If I got this all wrong, and you slipped and meant to say "potting mix" instead of "potting soil", I still believe it's an issue of too much water in the potting medium - I've just seen it too many times. How often do you water them?

Forget organic fertilizer for small seedlings being grown in soilless seed starting mix. Organic fertilizers are slow acting, and need soil bacteria to break them down into chemicals the plant can actually use. Good old Miaracle-Gro works fine, but dilute it more than the label says.
Once you have your plants planted in the garden in garden soil then you can use the slow acting organic fertilizers if you wish.
I grow tomato plants to sell, and one of my competitors was touting his organic methods. Plants I started two weeks after his would be twice the size of his little runts at six weeks, and I use Miracle-Gro or single ingredient soluble fertilizers like potassium nitrate or epsom salts.

my tomatoes are growing good but I was wondering what would happen if the lights were too close?
I'm keeping them about 4" - 6" above the plants.
Thanks for any help.

I used to think a balanced fertilizer right off the bat was very important back when I was a green horn but that has changed with experience. Seedlings need a fertilizer higher in phosphorus for good root development IMO. Once they have a proper root system to support the plant then you can give them a balanced fertilizer. People who grow to sell are not selling healthy plants. They have lush top growth but the root system alone can't support the plant unless they are pumped up with fertilizer and watered often. I prefer focusing on the root system so that the plants can develop faster on their own and once planted in the ground they don't need constant fertilizer or watering. I also inoculate with endo and ecto mycorrhizae so they make better use of fertilizer and don't need as much added.

Taz6122, are you one of these guys who claim you have runty looking plants because you are developing the roots? Thats what my competitor said. We were growing different varieties so we traded a few plants. His plants had almost no roots, while mine were rootbound with big thick healthy looking roots starting to circle the pot. One of his "organic" runts was so set back that it never produced a single tomato when I planted it in my garden.
And many of my customers have told me my plants were the best anyone was selling, and did great in their garden. Some repeat customers drive from 30 miles away to buy my plants.

If they are just starting to circle the pot, that's not root bound IMO. Root bound is when the soil gets pushed out by roots because there's no room for both. I don't let the ones I use get root bound. I pot up to keep them healthy. My plants are far from runts and don't need a bunch of steroids added weekly to grow and produce. They will also withstand gale force winds shortly after being planted. How about some pictures of your plants?? I've already posted some of mine. I'd also love to hear from these repeat buyers. LOL, like that will ever happen!

reminder, dont poop in taz"s wheaties or he will get madd.

Yes I would get mad if someone did that.

I suppose you would just eat them anyway?

Wow, looks like a missed a couple of threads after getting back to work ;0)

So I thought I'd update this thread and let everyone know that getting my plants in the ground solved the issues. I did NOT fertilize, I just transplanted into my wonderful soil that I had been building up for 6 months and they took right off. Of course we've had crappy weather in my zone so they have slowed down and are exhibiting some odd symptoms, but I think they will be fine.

Tomatoes on twine
transplanting day
Pruning

I'm still trying to learn when they do and don't need water. I plan to let them dry out and see what it looks like when they wilt a little, then I'll learn to watch for that and water when I see it approaching.

Thanks again for all the info everyone, it helped!

Are you watering with city water? I started my seeds, and 2 month later they were stunted with only 2 sets of regular leaves. I had used soil-less starting mix. I found out the city adds a anti-fungal to the water supply. I planted them in the ground and watered from the rain barrel, and everything in right on schedule now.

For the past two years have been living in Colorado. After a so so season last year, I saved seeds from what worked (cherry tomatoes). I planted my seeds in yogurt cups in late Feb,early Mar.I used plain old Miracle Grow potting soil.I put them in a sunny west window.When they were 6-8" i moved them into 1 gallon nursery pots. When they were 2-3' tall i put them in 7 gallon grow bags. I have huge beautiful plants
covered with tomatoes to be. Did i get lucky or can it really be that simple?