Tomato is a very useful vegetable for the body, you can cook a huge number of different dishes with it. Huge areas are allotted for its cultivation around the world, the tomato is the most widely cultivated vegetable.
In Our Country, the cultivation of tomatoes begins with planting seeds for seedlings. The desire of gardeners to get a harvest as early as possible is quite understandable. So, the culture has a fairly long vegetative period.
Growing seedlings of tomatoes is associated with certain difficulties. Which are quite successfully overcome by experienced gardeners, but gardeners without experience can even be left without a crop. Tomato seedlings are stretched, becoming thin. It is not necessary to expect a rich harvest from such plants. There is another extreme, when tomato seedlings slow down in growth.
But, if you understand the reasons in time, take action, then young plants can be helped.
Tomato seedlings are stretched
Reasons why tomato seedlings are stretched:
- Lack of lighting. If you planted seeds for seedlings too early, when the daylight hours are still too short, or if you have windows facing the north side;
- Temperature too high. Growing tomato seedlings in an apartment is quite a difficult task, since a high temperature is required for seed germination, and much less for seedlings, and the air in the apartment is heated quite strongly;
- Frequent feeding. Excessive care in the form of a desire to often feed tomato seedlings also does not lead to anything good. Especially bad for young plants is an excess of nitrogen fertilizers, which cause the growth of green mass to the detriment of root formation;
- Abundant watering leads not only to stretching the seedlings of tomatoes, but also to the threat of such a dangerous disease as the black leg;
- Landing thickening. There is little space for tomato seedlings, but I want to plant more, which is why some gardeners often sow seeds. And as a result, they sprout like a dense forest. And from the first days of life, shoots begin to fight for existence, for every ray of the sun, obscuring each other. As a result, we get an elongated seedling.
The lack of lighting is solved by additional illumination of young plants. For this, fluorescent lamps, special phytolamps, LED lamps are used. Phytolamps are quite expensive and not affordable for all gardeners. But LED lamps are gaining popularity, as they are affordable, save energy and are easy to use.
They do not have the spectrum necessary for plants. Therefore, supplementary lighting with them is completely useless for tomato seedlings.
If you do not have the opportunity to organize additional lighting for tomato seedlings, then be sure to make reflective screens. Place mirrors, foil screens, or plain white paper around the plants. Sunlight will bounce off a shiny or white surface and the plants will get more of it.
Observe temperature conditions to avoid pulling tomato seedlings. As soon as shoots appear, lower the temperature to +23 degrees. It is especially important to observe the temperature conditions in low light, reduce the temperature. The critical mark will be +15 degrees. Regulate the temperature by ventilating the room regularly. If you have the opportunity, then put the plants on the balcony or loggia. At low temperatures, the plants harden, never stretch, their stem is thick, the leaves are dark green, the bushes are squat, stocky.
Do not overfeed young plants. At first, they have enough nutrition, which is contained in the planting soil.
But, if you think that the soils are poor in trace elements, then it is best to feed the tomato seedlings 10 days after picking. Use complex mineral fertilizers for seedlings.
Do not delay picking, especially if the crops are dense. Otherwise, you can not avoid pulling seedlings. A small plant is separated from the main mass along with an earthy clod with a toothpick and placed in a new 0,5 liter container, in which drainage holes are made. Try to place the root system vertically, otherwise the development of seedlings will slow down for a week. Elongated plants need to be deepened to the cotyledons.
For watering, use warm water when the earth ball is dry. High humidity will lead to diseases and pulling seedlings. How to avoid pulling seedlings, look at the video:
In the case when your actions do not lead to a slowdown in the development of tomato seedlings, then you can influence the plants with the Athlete preparation. It’s a growth regulator. Slows down the development of the ground part of the plant due to the development of the root. The stem thickens, the leaves become wide. Acting according to the instructions, you can adjust the growth of tomato seedlings. But keep the number of treatments.
tomato seedling not growing
Another common problem faced by gardeners is that tomato seedling growth is slowing down. The reasons can be varied, in order to eliminate them, you should figure out why the problem arose.
Improper care can lead to a halt in development. Excess moisture or, conversely, its lack. When there is a lot of moisture, the roots suffer from a lack of oxygen. Perhaps the fact is that the drainage hole is clogged or it is missing. Clean out the drainage hole and gently loosen the topsoil. Do not aim for your plants to be in constantly moist soil. Tomatoes should be watered sparingly.
High soil moisture can persist if your plants are densely planted. Then the exit is in a speedy pick. Moreover, these are preventive measures to exclude the disease of tomato seedlings.
Perhaps the soil in which they are located did not suit the tomatoes. Then the way out is in transplanting plants. Unfortunately, buying ready-made soil is not at all a guarantee that everything will turn out well. Here, as luck would have it. If you are compiling the soil mixture yourself, then pay attention to the following soil composition requirements for tomato seedlings.
- The soil should be light in structure and fertile;
- Should absorb moisture well and retain it;
- There should be no worms in the soil, rotting parts of plants that are a breeding ground for rot and pathogenic bacteria;
- Do not use clay when compiling the soil mixture, which significantly worsens the composition of the soil;
- The soil should not contain fresh manure or bird droppings, only compost. Actively decomposing components lead to an increase in temperature and loss of nitrogen, which will not affect tomato seedlings in the best way;
- The best composition of the soil for seedlings of tomatoes: soddy land, humus, sand. Take all the components one by one. Instead of sand, you can use vermiculite or perlite. If you are not sure about the quality of garden land, then type it in a forest, grove.
With the wrong picking, the seedlings freeze in growth. The reason for this is damaged roots, or they are bent or an air gap has been created as a result of the roots being poorly compressed.
Seedlings should not be overfed. Examine the plants carefully. By external signs, it is possible to determine which microelement is lacking in plants.
- When there is not enough nitrogen, the plants become pale green, the stem becomes thinner, the leaf blades become smaller. Top dressing with urea will solve the problem (1 tablespoon per bucket of water – 10 liters);
- The lack of phosphorus is expressed in the purple tint of the leaves on the underside; phosphorus-containing fertilizers will be required;
- Yellowing of the leaves and their twisting indicates a lack of potassium, use ash or potassium chloride – 1 tsp. per liter of water;
- The lack of magnesium is expressed in the marbling of the leaves, they turn yellow, but red and purple appear through the yellowness. Spray with a solution of magnesium nitrate (1 tsp per bucket of water);
- Leaf chlorosis occurs when there is not enough iron. The leaves turn yellow, but the veins remain green. If the situation is not corrected, then the leaves will fall off, and the roots will begin to die. Spray the plants with such preparations: Ferovit, Micro-Fe, Antichlorosis.
Pests are very fond of young plants. Carefully inspect your plantings, as some insects are located on the back of the leaves. Aphids, spider mites, thrips pose a threat to seedlings, as they suck out nutrients, and are carriers of viruses, spores and pathogenic bacteria. Look at the video:
Lack of lighting or too low temperatures have a depressing effect on tomato seedlings. Especially the temperature below +20 degrees.
Growth stimulants
Influence growth stimulants for seedlings. They work on natural components: growth hormones. They improve not only the health and immunity of plants, but also form the future crop, increase the resistance of plants to diseases and negative environmental manifestations: lack of lighting, temperature changes, transplantation. A growth stimulator that can be used if tomato seedlings are stunted: Epin, Biostim, Kornevin and others.
Conclusion
A timely detected problem and its timely solution will save your crops from death. Observe agricultural practices, especially do not be zealous with watering, harden plants, feed and dive in a timely manner. And then your hopes for the harvest will come true.