newbie questions on growing tomatoes and peppers from seed
Tomatoe Lover
6 years ago
Hello everyone,
We are trying to grow our own tomatoes and peppers from seed this year in Toronto and we have some newbie questions :). First, as per the set up photo, is the grow light close enough? Do we need a bigger light? Second, some of our leaves on the tomatoes are droopy and then others on the peppers are curling, do these seedlings look healthy to you? We have many different varieties growing from Dancing with Smurfs to Indigo Apple to Pineapple Pig and our own question mark "It's a Mystery Tomatoe/Pepper" from eBay. I have given up on our basil and cilantro as they just fell over - way too soon here. As a newb, any suggestions are appreciated.
Tomatoe seedlings. Suggestions anyone? · More Info
Tomatoe seedlings. Suggestions anyone? · More Info
Tomatoe seedlings. Suggestions anyone? · More Info
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Comments (10)
lgteacher
6 years agofunkyhat
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Eggplant & Pepper & Tomato from seed
Comments (1)Sounds like you're doing just fine. Some tips; Don't water directly on top of the tiny seedlings. The force and weight of the water might break the small stems. You might want to provide some afternoon shade if the plants are in a totally open area. Try an uncapped 2-liter bottle painted on the side facing west (evening sun. I actually cut the top off so that I have a larger opening for better air circulation. I actually plant them in a 6-inch depression to provide a larger root-ball. I use a very diluted mix of a water soluble 20-20-20 (Peters) fertilizer on my seedlings about twice a week. My family has made our own root-promoter for many years by cutting young willow tips, crushing them by wringing them like a dish towel, soaking them in a bucket of water for a couple of days and watering your seedlings. Willow, in a very similar way, is also used to make aspirin....See MoreQuestions on Musa Growing From Newbie
Comments (4)What John said. :) A pseudostem (pstem) is the thing that looks like a stem, but isn't. It is the elongated leaf "stalks" all wrapped around each other. When the plant finally fruits, it pushes up its meristem or growing point which has (before it comes up) already decided to become the flower and it can't revert. That growing point is done and that "tree" will grow no more. Hopefully some tissue on the corm (a bulb-like shortened underground stem) will develop a new growing point. When this comes up it is called a pup. When young, musas are very tender. But once the woody corm forms they are tough. You can cut off, freeze off, or kill off the leaves and if that pstem doesn't grow back, there are plenty more that will. The collection of old and young pstems and their shared roots is called a mat. Musa seeds seem to be fussy about conditions, and difficult to germinate in general, and one person will have great luck with one variety and another person will have great luck with another variety. I've never gotten Sikks to germinate. Are you doing it from seed as a challenge? Most varieties are available as living plants for varying costs from a number of sources. Commercial growers charge the most. Since most kinds pup quite well and are fairly tough in frost free climates many home growers in Z9 and south sell excess plants for cheap or trade or even give away. Ask around. If you are able to find homes for a large number of plants, there are tissue culture facilities who sell dozens, if not hundreds, of varieties for under $1.00 each plant (what many people will pay for seeds that never germinate) for a tray of 72 baby plants. Musa species mixed means mixed seeds, no guarantee of variety. If you do get germination, keep them very humid until they are a couple inches tall. Keep the grow light just above them. The Miracle Grow soil should be OK. You might do well to add a bit of a fine grade of perlite to keep it light. If you mix your own soil, be sure to use lots of perlite or vermiculite (or a mix). Musa of all sizes, but especially little ones, grow roots far better in light soil and don't like wet mucky soil. Absolutely you must go slow in adapting them to the outdoors. Outdoors, in the shade, the light intensity is 1000x as great as indoors....See MoreNewbie to Bonsai, Growing from seed question
Comments (3)Well, if you want create bonsais by own sown seed plants then it will take a lot of years before you can start to cut and wire them. The thing is that it will take a long time before you've a plant from which it's trunk is thick enough for bonsai ttaining. You better buy older plants at a garden centre or at a nursery unless you're only 20 years old ;0)...See MoreNewbie grow log, Tomatos under a 400w HPS
Comments (24)Thanks guys, no I did not supercrop. In fact, I did prune off the suckers ... later I found out that I should NOT have done that. It will severely hurt your yield they say. However, the plants are much bigger then the previous photos and are setting fruit quite nicely. Ill try to get some pics posted tonight. Also, my green pepper plants have sprouted, along with a pretty purple pepper plant, and a beefmaster indeterimante tomato plant. My basil is growing great, and I have been topping the basil which is in turn responding nicely and starting to grow "tops". My lettuce is like a wildfire as well .. fun stuff! Now that I got my newbie mistakes out of the way I think Im ready to rock on the next grow ;) I need to take a few clones of these totem hybrids though, I really like them. I think my next grow however, will be an INDETERMINANT cherry type tomato plant, and an indeterminant slicer variety as well, along with a few green peppers, lettuce, and spinach. Then I want to try a blueberry bush and some strawberries. I dont think the blueberries will be any problem but the strawberries are a different matter. In trying to find a continously producing line. The june bearers only fruit once a year, and then theres a seasonal variety that fruit twice a year.... neither will fit my requirements. I think I need to go with a day neutral variety to get a continous fuit production for the life of the plant??...See MoreTomatoe Lover
6 years agofunkyhat
6 years ago
albert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
6 years agofunkyhat
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoTomatoe Lover
6 years agoTomatoe Lover
6 years ago
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