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Tomato Pests & Diseases

Tomato seedlings curling under and wilting... Need help!

7 years ago

I have 4 tomato varieties (Vinson Watts, Black Brandywine, Mortgage Lifter, Matt's Wild Cherry Tomatoes) and 2 pepper varieties growing in my kitchen, waiting to be transplanted in roughly 4 weeks.

The peppers are looking fantastic, but 3 of the 4 tomato varieties are showing strange symptoms that are worrying me (Black Brandywine looks okay) :

- Leaves and stems are curling under like pigs tails.

- Bottom branch leaves are starting to wilt.

- Two of the plants have a strange white "foam"-like bark appearance on the main stem.

They were started 4 weeks ago, half in a mix of vermiculite and peat moss, half in a Miracle Grow seed starter mix. Both mediums are showing similar symptoms across my plants. I added 1/2 strength fertilizer tea last week (at 2 sets of true leaves). This tea is made from Dr. Earth Homegrown Organic Tomato and Herb Fertilizer (5-7-3); 1/2 cup diluted in a gallon of water and sprayed on foliage and into soil with a mister.

The plants are on a light schedule of 16-8, using a full spectrum LED light strip designed for seedlings. A small computer fan is setup to get air flow to the seedlings.

Average temperature in the growing area is 68F with average 40% relative humidity.

I have no idea what to do, every day the plants look worse.

I popped one out to see if the roots were binding and they are not - pots are 2.5" wide but 4" deep.

.

What should I do?!

Flush the plants with water and transplant to larger pots? Add fresh potting mix?

Add Diatomaceous Earth to kill potential pests in the soil?

Cut off the wilted leaves?

...

I need serious help here.

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Comments (5)

gorbelly
7 years ago
Those are classic signs of overwatering. Epinasty, oedema... Soil a little too dry is much better for seedlings than soil that is too wet. Never water on a schedule. If a beginner, check the soil moisture with your fingers before watering and only do it when needed.

How far are you from plant-out? The plants should recover well once in the actual ground, so if you're past your LFD, check the long-term forecast. If nighttime temps are staying above the mid-40s, I would start hardening them off ASAP and get them into the ground. They'll do better in slightly cold real soil than with whatever corrections you could make to your indoor growing situation right now.
Logan
Original Author
7 years ago
Woops. I had no idea I was over watering...

Forecast 46 tomorrow night; rest of the lows this week around 50+.

I'll start hardening off the plants showing symptoms.

Thanks for the advice!
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If I understand you correctly then yes, WAY too much fertilizer. And that explains the aphids - they love all that excess N. 1-2 staged doses of very dilute 1/4 strength of normal is more than enough for most seedlings. And, if you used MG Gardening Soil rather than their potting mix then that too could be part of the problem as it is not made for containers (it's on the bag) and there have been several reports of problems with it in the past here when it is used in containers. The Neem also needs to be used at a diluted strength on seedlings as does anything you use on them. They simply cannot tolerate the normal doesage mixes recommended for established plants. If it were me I would hose off the seedlings well with the sink sprayer to remove the aphids, flush out the root balls to get rid of all the extra fertilizer, and repot them in a fresh, neutral potting mix. They may very well recover. Meanwhile, start some new plants if you have time. Good luck. Dave
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Likely if you eat tomatoes from the store they are production tomatoes. 1. They won't have the taste like a good gardener hybrid or heirloom tomato (in other word they tastes like cardboard). 2. They are hybrid, when you replant a seed from a hybrid plant, it won't be exactly like the original plant, it will have different characteristic and may not taste as good or have desired traits. I would rather order some seeds online and grow some dwarf tomato instead. If you intend to grow indoor you will need some good lighting and space. Something like this is minimum I would recommend for full size tomato indoor: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8256/FC105-S50OD.htm. So as you can see, tomato need lots of light which isn't not going to work in a single room dorm. Not only that, they need lots of soil, at least a 5 gallon container. So it's better off growing something like lettuce or basil indoor, or look for a dwarf or microdwarf tomato variety. Some variety to consider are: Red Robin, Tiny Tim, Silvery Fire Tree. For indoor potting soil, make sure you ask question and find the right potting soil that does not smell and perhaps pasteurized for indoor use, otherwise it will be an unpleasant experience. I don't buy potting soil, but I know "FoxFarm's Potting Soil" have good reputation so you may want to check them out, but I don't know how it'll smell. In my bedrooom I have an "AeroGarden Extra LED" that let me grow vegetable hydroponically, and it's LED light is bright enough to provide light for some extra plants in smaller container next to it. It is full spectrum and would be adequate for small dwarf tomatoes. It have a timer and shuts off after 12-16 hours. It is also very easy to make your own affordable indoor hydroponic setup. However, considering you live in a dorm, I don't know if you may have issues with campus authority who will be concerned with cannabis growing which is quite popular with hydroponic growing (not that I'm trying to give an idea).
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gorbelly Yep, they're my grandfather's plants from that other thread. Who would've thought that that sickly seedling on the brink of death would have gone on to become a thriving (regardless of its current issues) monster in the making. Maybe 'thriving' is a relative term in this case, but it's certainly come quite a long way. I've found a space outside where I can grow maybe 2. My friend doesn't know if she'll be staying where she currently lives or if she'll be moving, but she expressed a willingness to take some plants if she ends up staying. But, even if she doesn't, I'll be able to get a couple in the ground. You asked where I am: 6B (southwestern Pennsylvania) stevie Thank you for posting that picture. Goodness gracious... looks like I should hold off on clipping suckers for a while, otherwise I'm just going to end up with the same problem!
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gorbelly
7 years ago
Let the surface of your medium dry out entirely between waterings. A pot that size, I'd wait until it was dry 1/2" to 1" down and the rest of the medium was only slightly moist before watering. Depth of moisture, etc. though depends on how moisture-retentive your medium is. IIRC, the Miracle Gro seed starting mix is pretty moisture retentive, so you have to be pretty conservative with the watering. A very peat-heavy mix will also hold on to a lot of water.

You eventually can kind of gauge by how much the pots weigh whether you need to water. But until then, don't be afraid to gently dig down a bit and feel for yourself. Medium should not stay soggy with moisture constantly--that will drown the roots and increase risk of root rot, nutritional problems, etc.
gorbelly
7 years ago
50+ nighttime temps are a good time to plant out.
Logan
Original Author
7 years ago
That's pretty much how I managed watering, would dig down a bit with a chopstick and feel for moisture.
I popped one of the plants out yesterday to see if it was root bound, it was not. But I noticed a clump of soil at the top was darker than the soil at the bottom of the pot. I don't think it's draining properly, so I drilled 4 extra 1/8" holes into each pot.
When I get home tonight I'll start hardening off my plants, over the next week we'll see what happens!

Thanks again!

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