Tomatoes are capricious plants. It is important to know that tomatoes require careful care, constant treatment and compliance with all rules. For gardeners, especially beginners, the question arises – why tomato seedlings are stretched. We will talk about this today.
Why seedlings are stretched
How can you tell if a tomato is stretching? If there are large distances between the nodes on the trunk, this is a signal of excessive growth. The main problem is non-compliance with the temperature regime. It applies especially to those vegetable growers who grow seedlings indoors or on a balcony. A comfortable indicator for planted seeds is a temperature in the range of 22-24 degrees. As soon as the seedlings have hatched, it should be reduced to 15-20 degrees. It is difficult to do this in an apartment setting.
The most common reason is lack of sun. Unfavorable weather conditions or, more often than not, the layout of the room causes the tomatoes to stretch. This is natural: for normal growth and development, the plant needs photosynthesis.
The lack of solar activity is also the reason for the stretching of the culture. Usually the first shoots appear in early spring, when the sun does not appear enough and gives off heat. Unfavorable weather conditions are also the cause of stretching, for example, the plants have already grown, and the spring has dragged on or it suddenly became cold.
Another reason is too thick seedlings. Even with good lighting, not all plants get it equally well, because they obscure each other.
It is important to know that tomatoes stretch when the gardener has picked up the wrong soil, which has a lot of nitrogen and little phosphorus and potassium.
Too careful care does not improve the quality of vegetables: due to excessive fertilization and watering, they tend to rise.
How to fix
What to do if tomato seedlings are stretched out? First, initially, plants should be planted in soil rich in phosphorus and potassium. The first element is responsible for the development of a powerful root system, and the second thickens the intercellular sap in plants and acts as a deterrent. Therefore, tomatoes do not have strong cell expansion.
In most specialized peat for seedlings, a mixture of lowland and high peat, sand as a baking powder, and dolomite flour are added. This is the main combination. There are options, for example, dry chicken manure is mixed into the soil. Secondly, the land for seedlings needs to be fed. By itself, it is malnourished. Thirdly, the soil must contain a minimum amount of nitrogen.
The task of the gardener is to use the soil for nightshade crops. It makes the right balance of nitrogen and potassium with phosphorus, since these plants are demanding on nutrition. It is advisable to add biohumus, depending on how long the plants will be in seedlings. For tomatoes, an indicator of up to 50% will be optimal. You need to mix up to 3% wood ash, but do not overdo it so that there is no strong inhibition in growth.
Photosynthesis can be powered by the sun, so make sure your tomatoes are in a good location with lots of sun.
What to do: tomato seedlings have stretched out, but it is not possible to change the composition of the soil? Also, is your apartment located in a shaded area? Vegetable growers use in such cases drugs that are stimulants and fertilizer at the same time. Athlete is one of them. It stops the growth of the aerial parts of plants by thickening and shortening the trunk. During the week, the vegetable will decrease in height, but the root system will begin to actively develop.
The drug should be used several times, since its effect on the root system is a week. Then the tomatoes will stretch again. “Athlete” consists of ampoules. It can be sprayed on the leaves.
The manufacturer recommends dissolving the substance in 1,5 liters of water. Remember: small plants cannot be processed, you need to wait for three leaves. If tomato seedlings have stretched out a week after using the drug, they can be sprayed again. This procedure is recommended by the manufacturer no more than 3 times. If, due to planting density, the vegetable needs to be kept for 5 days before planting, then a week before transplanting, you can spray it a fourth time or water it.
In case of an overdose of Atlanta, white spots may form on the leaves, which disappear after a couple of days.
There is a non-standard method, thanks to which you can not only save tomatoes from pulling, but also increase the yield. It is necessary to cut the stem of the plant above the second or third leaf and put it in water. After about five days, the cut vegetable will develop roots and is ready for planting. On the other cut trunk, stepchildren will sprout during the same time – new branches, which can also be cut off and lowered into the water or left to grow. In the future, stepchildren need to be planted so that their lower part is in the ground. That is, the plant is planted lying down.
If the tomato variety is determinant (undersized), then it is undesirable to use the above method.
To eliminate the problem with light, you need to organize additional illumination of plants through a lighting device. It is equipped with a special twine, with which you can change the height, bringing the lamp closer to the seedlings; as it grows, it can be raised. The advantage of such clarification is convenience. But electricity costs may follow, so gardeners will be happy to purchase not only useful, but economical lamps.
Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) will serve simply and cheaply. If the backlight area is approximately 60 by 60 cm, then 4 lamps of 15 kW each should be used. The color temperature for such fixtures should remain in the range of 2700-6400K, since plants need blue color.
Vegetable growers can use LED strips and LED lamps. The main task is to find out if the color temperature is suitable for growing a nightshade crop. Devices can be purchased at a free price in special stores.
Video “How to prevent pulling seedlings”
After watching the recording, you will get answers to such questions: what to do if the seedlings are stretched and how often it is necessary to water the seedlings.
