HELP! Mold on Tomato Plants (indoors) after adding fertilize

[floppydee]

This is the first year I started everything from seed while trying to stay organic. I am having more troubles than I invisioned.

I transferred my seedlings into larger 3" pots last week. They didn't look good and started getting yellow leaves, and very slow growth (if any). So I bought a bag of organic fertilizer made from manure and other good stuff. The package said it was okay was seedlings. So I added a teaspoon to each plant.

First off, is this okay for seedlings inside the home? My whole kitchen smells like a farm! And now only on my tomatoes, the soil is covered in gray fluffy mold! Is this from the jiffy pots or the fertilizer? Do I toss them and start all over? I also just found out I started some types of seeds WAY too early and I don't know what to do with them.
I have several cucumbers ready for outside and I am in zone 5, so I have about another month.


Thank you for any help!!

[StorageSmart2]

If you are worried about the cucumbers not having enough space, you could try planting them in bigger pots. I don't know much about cucumbers specifically, so I'm not sure if they'll have enough sun, but I would assume something larger would be better if you're not getting them into the ground for another month.

I always use fertilizer in my indoor seedlings, but I have a vermicompost set up, so there is no "animal" manure in it. That way I don't have to deal with the smell. If you want some tips on setting up a vermicompost, you can check out the composting forum. A new one just went up about having compost in the kitchen.

I'm not sure what to do about the mold. Personally, I would try to assess the damage. Is the mold only on the top layer of soil? Can I scrape it off without damaging the seedlings? If I can and do, does it return in a couple of days? If I couldn't get rid of it without damaging the plants, I would probably get rid of them and start over.

Out of curiosity, did you manage to mix the fertilizer in with the soil or just put a layer of it on top? There's a possibility it is the fertilizer that's molding and not the soil.

[rainbowgardener]

Starting seeds is a bit tricky until you get the hang of it and (IMO) some basic equipment. The equipment being fluorescent lights to put them under, plastic pots/cups (not peat!), trays to put the pots in, potting soil, and preferably some kind of heat source for germinating them. Without all that it gets a lot harder.

"I transferred my seedlings into larger 3" pots last week. They didn't look good and started getting yellow leaves, and very slow growth (if any)."

Is that how they looked before you up-potted or after? If before, just up-potting into the 3" pots should have solved the problem. What kind of soil is in the 3" pots? If it is basic potting soil with Miracle Grow, by transplanting into new soil, you are not only giving them more room, but fresh MG. When I transplant mine from the little cells they start in, to the 3" pots, they usually take off immediately.

The yellow leaves and slow growth could well have been lack of nutrients. What were they in before you transplanted them? How long had they been there and how big were they?

But especially if they developed the yellow leaves and not growing after being transplanted, it could also be a sign of over-watering and roots being drowned.

The mold is definitely a sign of too much moisture and not enough air circulation. You mentioned the Jiffy pots-- that is peat. I hate those things; they should be banned. They are famous for holding too much moisture and getting moldy -- the pot itself often gets mold on it. The mold won't kill the plants -- but the too much moisture can.

" So I bought a bag of organic fertilizer made from manure and other good stuff. The package said it was okay was seedlings. So I added a teaspoon to each plant.

First off, is this okay for seedlings inside the home? My whole kitchen smells like a farm! "

A teaspoon per 3" pot sounds like a lot to me. Is that what the directions said? If you are going to fertilize seedlings other than the MG in the soil, I would usually suggest liquid fertilizer. It is easier to dilute. Usually you would use no more than half strength of what you would use for regular plants. And the liquid spreads itself through the soil better, instead of staying on top.

The cucumbers are going to be very hard to maintain indoors for a month. They are fast growers and will be huge in a month (if you could find a way to keep them happy). I would suggest chalk it up to learning experience and start over. Being such fast growers, they don't even need to be started indoors. Once the ground has warmed up, you can just plant them directly in the ground.

[floppydee]

thank you everyone!! I LOVE this board, everyone is so friendly and speaks in terms that I can actually understand, lol.

My seedlings were looking good before I transplanted them. Other than a little leggy. I transplanted them into MG Organic potting soil, all I had at the time. I planted the stem close to the top of the leaves. About 2-3 days later the leaves (not the first leaves) the true leaves started yellowing. Growth rate seems very slow. I have them on my kitchen table with a light about 8" above them. I know that's not enough, so I need to figure something else out for more light. It ended up getting really cold here in NY again

You are right it is the fertilizer that is moldy I would assume. BUT my tomatoes are the only one in Jiffy pots as well. My cucs, peppers, and others are in either styrofoam cups or plastic cups. So I can't say whether the fertilizer caused the mold or the Jiffy. I did water them ALOT after I fertilized so I would say it is most likely a combo of all 3.

I am in Zone 5 is it too late to start my tomatoes over? I have some cherry and beefsteaks I still need to transplant, so I will NOT use the Jiffy! Its the Cannonballs I am having trouble with right now.

I don't mind started the cucs over. I have 94 more seeds where they came from, haha. These have been my favorite, almost impossible to mess these guys up

And lastly is it too late to start my brussels? I understand they may not be ready until Fall now.

THANKS!!!

[rainbowgardener]

The issue with starting tomatoes over, is that it is more or less four months from planting seeds to ripe tomatoes (depending on variety, weather, etc). So if you plant now, you start having ripe tomatoes in mid Aug (ish). So if your average first fall frost like mine is mid Oct, that means you spent 4 months of caring for your tomato plants so that you could have two months of production from them. If that's worth it to you, go for it. On the other hand you could just go buy some tomato plants from a good local nursery and figure that this was your learning year and next year you will know more about how to do it!

I haven't grown brussels sprouts, but what I've read is that they really need cool weather for developing the heads. So they do better planting the seeds mid to late July, so that by the time the heads are developing it is getting cooler again.