-
Tinybu88les8
- Senior Member
- Posts: 217
- Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:36 pm
- Location: Southern California
curling seedling?
Ive planted a couple different types of black tomatoes from seed. They are sprouting but curling in the process? Are they over watered? Under watered? They are growing but the leaves look all curly and something isnt right. Did I do something wrong? Ive grown these same seeds before and this didnt happen. Its tomato season now! I may have to forfeit my super cool black tomatoes
Misshapen seedling leaves won't affect the way the rest of the plant grows.
Here is the way I water. Plant seed, put pot in deep water (almost to the top of the pot), soak until all soil is wet. Let pot dry out until it is light weight when picked up. The sprouts are usually up and about by this point. Submerge pot until soil is wet, wait until it dries out again, etc. Often times the largest seedling of the lot will just start to wilt when I water the whole batch, but I usually catch it before then because of the way the soil looks. I usually have my pots in flats or bus tubs/sweater boxes where I can simlpy run watter into box, wait awhile and then dump the water out.
One year I helped students grow plants to sell we grew maybe 500 in a greenhouse sitting in shallow pans of water (the pots, not us). It wasn't the best thing growth-wise but there were no plant deaths or deformities, and we could take long weekends off. So, it is hard to screw up tomato seedlings with different watering habits.
If you live close to the Torrance airport there is a source for seedlings of hundreds of heirloom varieties (Laurel's Heirlooms... heirloomtomatoplants.com)
Here is the way I water. Plant seed, put pot in deep water (almost to the top of the pot), soak until all soil is wet. Let pot dry out until it is light weight when picked up. The sprouts are usually up and about by this point. Submerge pot until soil is wet, wait until it dries out again, etc. Often times the largest seedling of the lot will just start to wilt when I water the whole batch, but I usually catch it before then because of the way the soil looks. I usually have my pots in flats or bus tubs/sweater boxes where I can simlpy run watter into box, wait awhile and then dump the water out.
One year I helped students grow plants to sell we grew maybe 500 in a greenhouse sitting in shallow pans of water (the pots, not us). It wasn't the best thing growth-wise but there were no plant deaths or deformities, and we could take long weekends off. So, it is hard to screw up tomato seedlings with different watering habits.
If you live close to the Torrance airport there is a source for seedlings of hundreds of heirloom varieties (Laurel's Heirlooms... heirloomtomatoplants.com)