Tomato Seedlings Slow Growth and Cotyledon leaves drying
I'm afraid I might be losing all of my tomato seedlings. I started these seeds on February 28 on a warming mat in peat moss. The photo shows the last of the peppers germinating, right before I took away the warming mat on 3/16. Everything looked fine up until then. I water from the bottom usually every 5 days or so. The trays are in a south facing sliding glass door and have 3 high output t5 "daylight" bulbs hanging above them. The heat mat was on 24/7 until the last pepper germinated, and the lights were on 13 hours (maybe 14?) along with some sunlight through the slider.
They survived almost a week when we were on vacation, and I've started misting the tops for water in the last week or so. I've had one (late germinating) bell pepper wilt before watering, but it recovered, and I had one cell of tomato seedlings wilt before watering since starting to mist from the top.
These seedlings have not really grown much since I took the heat mat away around 3/16. They are all about 1-1/2" to 2" tall and just starting to poke the first true leaves out, but they have been holding at this stage for the last week. The stems are darker purple than in the photo. Last night, I noticed that the cotyledon leaves are drying up!! I was happy with their slow growth as long as they weren't getting leggy. The seedlings on the window side lean slightly toward the artificial light, so it is nice and bright under there. It may be slightly cool near the window, but that should be ideal...we keep the house at 65F, so I imagine it could be 55-60F near the door at night.
I pulled a few of the weaker seedlings in one cell and they have tiny roots, not well branched, and about 1" deep...seemed weak to me.
I don't want to fertilize too soon, but I might feed a weak solution tonight...the stems are dark purple. Any ideas?
I'm almost thinking the cotyledon leaves could be sunburned from the misting (water magnifying the light on the leaves). The pepper seedlings still look small but ok, but are also growing slowly, have purple stems, and have no sign of true leaves.
I know people hate the peat cells, but I'll be potting up to plastic if they ever grow and those cells were what I grabbed this year. I was going to add a fan and thin them this week, but now I'm thinking of starting backup plants...Help!
Could it be simple sunburn? Should I feed? fan? pray? raise the lights slightly? start over? Did I weaken the roots waiting an extra week for the last of the peppers to sprout?
I gave up last year after mice ate my seedlings in the basement. That's why they're in the living room this year.
Comments (10)
Seysonn_ 8a-NC/HZ-7
8 years ago
etherealsunshine5
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoThe medium is peat moss (zero nutrients). The lights are mounted to a scrap of plywood suspended 1-2 inches above the tops of the seedlings. And it may look like I have the tray wrapped in plastic, but it's just a barrier to keep the cats from snacking or walking over the tray. The seeds sprouted from about 3/5 to 3/16 (peppers a little slower).
The natural light that they do get is shaded a little from the mounting board right now. Only the row closest to the slider gets any real sunlight for now, and those seedlings are leaning ever so slightly toward the artificial light.I'm starting to think the cotyledons are sunburned from the water left on the leaves after misting. I'm just worried that the true leaves won't grow before the cotyledons have dried up...the first true leaves were poking up maybe 2mm last night.
I keep tricking myself into thinking these are older than they really are (24days). I was quite satisfied with my results until I saw the slightly browned cotyledons last night. I'll have to take a pic of the "burned" leaves tonight...the OP pic is from about a week ago, and I guess misleading. I'll be back home in a few hours...
the spots weren't there last night, so maybe these got too wet for a few days?
It's hard to take a pic of such small leaves!
These are the San Marzanos...one is a faded green. I'm hoping the true leaves will grow FAST!
Related Discussions
Slow seedling growth, yellow/brown leaves..
Comments (7)If in fact the test results are correct, then what does "N = 0.1 out of 4 "mean? Does it mean that 4 is normal and you got 0.1 ? so this then shows real severe shortage of nitrogen. Also, on the pH, a reading of 7.2 not quite ideal but is ok Most veggies prefer slightly under 7(6.8 ). 7 being nutral, less than 7 acidic, greater than 7 being alkaline. So the conclusion: soil lack nitrogen, plants don't get enough direct sun. have thing that get only 3 to 4 hours of direct sun. Doing ok, not great. I don't think water hardness is a real issue here. Is it city water or well water ? ANOTHER USEFUL INFO: Ok. your pH is on the sweet side and Nitrogen is almost non existing. But P and K are fine. Here is what I would do: Just get Ammonia (NH3) . and apply it per instructions . This is going to be double edged sword: (1) take care of nitrogen deficiency (2) reduce alkalinity (somewhat. anything is good). Avoid applying P, Magnesium (like Epson salt..) This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, May 31, 13 at 0:17...See MoreAlpine strawberry seedlings slow growth
Comments (3)I have no personal experience with them but from everything I have read about germinating them they are notorious for low germination rates (about 25%) and for very slow growing - months. I know there are several how-to info sheets on them on the web and they all seem to share the same points: cold stratification first, then surface sow, keep soil lightly moist (cover with plastic if necessary), and wait - for a couple of months it sounds like. Check out link below and see it it helps. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: How-to germinate alpine strawberries...See MoreSLOW seedling growth
Comments (21)Hi Bruce, similar to you the MG Orchid mix along with MG Organic Choice, a little extra perlite. When I pot up I use the same mix but throw in bonemeal at that time so it's useable down the road when they will need it. I use the Espoma brand as its almost a fine powder. I use floro lights a grow lux and a cool white both T12 none are 6500K one is in the 4000 range and the other 3900 I think, but I know for sure none are 6500k as some recommend to use. I use tap water that has sat in an open container for at least 24 hrs and top water. At this point no additional ferts just what comes with the MG mix. Here is a pic to see the container and the size of the peppers. Mark This post was edited by habjolokia on Mon, Apr 8, 13 at 7:42...See MoreSlow tomato seedling growth // Fast zucchini growth
Comments (13)First, trying to compare squash growth to tomato growth is apples to oranges. Squash normally grow at 10x the speed of many things. One reason why they are normally direct seeded in the garden. That plus they are a summer crop not a spring crop. Second, look at the BIG difference in the growing mediums you provided - big containers of potting mix vs. multiple seedlings coir pellets. No comparison there either. Separate and transplant those tomato seedlings into small containers of potting mix and they will take off. And check out the Growing from Seed forum here. There are great FAQs there and many discussions about the various steps in growing from seeds. Dave...See Moreetherealsunshine5
8 years agoI raised the lights a few inches and sprayed diluted fert. on the tomatoes. Fingers crossed...
etherealsunshine5
8 years ago
ncrealestateguy
8 years ago
digdirt2
8 years agoetherealsunshine5
8 years agoaruzinsky
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
digdirt2