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Tomato Pests & Diseases

Help: All of my indoor tomato seedlings are dying

7 years ago

I've been growing vegetables for the past few years, and recently I've moved to Michigan. This is my first time starting summer vegetable seedlings indoors (I grew them in an outdoor cold frame before). Everything is growing really well, except for the tomatoes.

I've so far planted Black Krim, Black Cherry, Glacier, Siberian, Yellow Pear and Red Currant in two separate batches.

I'm really sad to say that none of them is doing well at all. They will germinate fine, but after a while the leaves turn purple-ish red and curl, and start to wither from bottom to top.

I grow them under a T5 4ft grow light with 40k lumens, around 12-14 hours a day.

I give them a liquid 4-6-6 fertilizer once a week in half strength, and the potting mix also contains some organic fertilizer (3-4-4) and lime.

I am not really sure if this is early blight, or some kind of fungal issue as the ventilation isn't the best in this room. I only open the window every so often, and am not using any fan or anything in the area.

I've attached pictures below hoping that someone could point out to me what I might be doing wrong. Thanks so much in advance.

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Comments (5)

gorbelly
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
That's edema/oedema. It's not a disease but a problem in which the plant takes in more water than it can transpire. It's common in seedlings and can be fixed by a well-draining potting medium and restraint with watering, i.e., letting the mix dry out properly between waterings.

What mix are you using in those pots? How often are you watering?

The purple is phosphorus deficiency, but in seedlings, it's usually due to immature root systems not being able to take up the nutrient efficiently. It's fairly normal and, as you have learned, it's not something you can fix by fertilizing. It could very well improve once the soggy root situation is addressed--drowning roots are less efficient at taking up nutrients.

I think you're also overfertilizing.
Momo Mochi thanked gorbelly
Momo Mochi
Original Author
7 years ago
I'm using Ecoscraps potting mix and water the plants around 3 times a week. I'll let the soil dry out more before I water to see if the situation improves. Thanks!
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gorbelly
7 years ago
Make sure it's not a "moisture retaining" mix. Those are terrible.
Momo Mochi
Original Author
7 years ago
This mix does say "moisture retaining"... I don't think it's a good quality mix, does have a lot of pearlite but the rest appears to be just manured wood chips. Last time I grew tomatoes from seed I just used organic compost and garden soil, didn't have this issue. I might try that out again. Thanks.
gorbelly
7 years ago
Garden soil can increase chances of damping off, although it can be OK with older seedlings. But it needs more than compost to keep it from compacting. I would personally avoid it and just use plain old potting mix.

Moisture retaining is problematic because it drains poorly and basically makes drowning roots way too easy to do.

Organic potting mix can be an issue because it can result in a fungus gnat infestation.

Personally, I use sterile seed starting mix for starting seedlings, then just regular old cheap non-organic potting mix (miracle gro or whatever--something I know will be fluffy and well-draining and won't have big chunks of wood, etc. in it) when I pot up.

Using compost can result in fungus gnats, too. It also has a tendency to get and stay mucky. I think a small percentage mixed in with a nice, fluffy potting mix is fine, though, as long as you don't have fungus gnat issues.

I like to use organic materials and methods, but seedling time isn't really the best place to use those, IMO, unless you are a commercial grower that needs to keep things organic throughout the entire process for certification purposes.

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