Growing Tomatoes! What to Do Now?

Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:58 am

Q1. Anyone not plant any tomatoes yet?

Here are some seedlings I had started first.
Q2. What would you guys do now? Wait longer and keep them in cells?
Q3. When to pot up?
Q4. Which leaves and when do you pinch off? (For the better root system)

(To view up close and personal and notice every detail. Click on photo)

I don't have my DSLR with me. But this old 07 Coolpix S700 point-shoot is pretty darn good!

Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:30 am

I'd wait a bit longer before transplanting them, myself. Then, you might want to consider moving them to 4" pots for awhile, before putting them into the ground. That isn't absolutely necessary, but if they're larger when you set them out into the ground, they'll have an advantage against things like cutworms mowing them down overnight.

Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:35 am

I would transplant them now. Plant deeper, right up to the cotyledon. Like Kisal said 4" pots would be next for me. I find they grow much faster if potted up to more soil early.

Eric

Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:54 am

I think I'll wait a bit. I'll wait until I get ready to start more seeds. (Within 1-2 weeks)

When I pot up to 4" should I still use my seed starting mix? Or begin to use my final mix?

So do I need to pinch off the cotyledon?
BTW, how are they looking to you guys?

Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:37 am

Geez, I wouldn't be thinking about repotting them. They will be content where they are until late April, have a great rootball, lots of leaves and if you get a fan to blow on them for a while each day, strong stems. Maybe you all have a lot more room than me but even before I switched from dozens to hundreds of plants, no way would I have had room for 4" pots. Not to mention the cost of potting mix. Even as it was, and by transplant time the plants were 10" tall, the roots did not consume to the entire 3" cell.

YMMV,

Mike

Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:58 am

room for 4" pots. Not to mention the cost of potting mix.

I think it worked out to about .08 per 4" pot last year. You have to add nutrients to this cost also.

Another way to look at it is, I sell plants in 4" pots for $2.00 each.

Eric

Tue Mar 08, 2011 4:18 am

Alright. So they won't be rootbound or anything?
What would you do after it's time to transplant? Which leaves do you pinch off?

Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:15 am

This years cost $48.50 for 8 cuft of 50/50 Peat and Perlite.

120 cups to a cubic foot x 8 = 960 cups.

2 cups to a 4" pot. = 480 4" pots

$48.50 divided by 480 = $0.10 per 4" pot

A little more than last year.

Eric

Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:25 am

I-boy,

I'm not sure what others recommend, but I don't pinch off the cotyledon they just wither away. There are many styles of tomato growing like there are many styles of pruning fruit trees. One thing I do is remove some of the lower leaves and branches to keep up off the soil.

Your little tomatoes look good to me.

Eric

Tue Mar 08, 2011 6:32 am

I agree with Eric. I wouldn't pinch off any of the leaves or branches, until the plants are much larger. Then, I'd just remove the suckers.

Tue Mar 08, 2011 1:57 pm

DoubleDogFarm wrote:
room for 4" pots. Not to mention the cost of potting mix.

I think it worked out to about .08 per 4" pot last year. You have to add nutrients to this cost also.

Another way to look at it is, I sell plants in 4" pots for $2.00 each.

Eric

Eric,

I sold them in 3" pots (actually nursery flats) for $3 each last year.

Mike

Tue Mar 08, 2011 11:44 pm

At this stage, I would be transplanting them. And as suggested, do not pinch off the cotyledons or any other leafs. But transplant them into new pots, all the way up to cotyledons and watch them take off!

Regards,
D

Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:40 am

KK.
So just plant up until the soil reached right up to the cotyledons.

Thanks!

Wed Mar 09, 2011 12:14 pm

Yup, and the next time they are transplanted (either to bigger pots or to the garden) bury them up to the true leaves.

As noted, don't pinch anything until your plants are a lot bigger.

Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:53 pm

When does transplanting to 4" seem like a good time?
Today?

Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:22 pm

When does transplanting to 4" seem like a good time

My definition of a "good time" is friends, pizza and beer. :lol:

I would transplant now, but I said that already. :wink:

Eric

Sat Mar 12, 2011 3:09 am

DoubleDogFarm wrote:
When does transplanting to 4" seem like a good time

My definition of a "good time" is friends, pizza and beer.

I would transplant now, but I said that already.

Eric

Indeed sounds like a good time with food and beverages to share

And I'm with Eric, 3 days ago :wink:

Regards,
D

Sat Mar 12, 2011 3:33 am

Alrighty then.
I gotta find time!

Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:28 am

Potted up!
Let me know how there are. When should I bottom water them again?

I remember from long ago to not water then after potting up? Avoid shock?

Potted up to cotyledons

A couple of them

New seedlings! First one popped yesterday.

Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:43 am

Excellente! Magnifico!

I would water if they need watering :wink:

Eric

Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:54 am

DoubleDogFarm wrote:Excellente! Magnifico!

I would water if they need watering

Eric

Thanks Eric!
I'll save it for a couple days then. Afterwards, I'll soak them in a tray for ~10 minutes.

After this they will go into 1 gallons. After that, to their final container.
How can I tell when it's ready for 1 gallons? If roots go out the drainage holes?

Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:15 am

I would skip the one gallon and go right to the final container. Couple weeks or so.

Eric

Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:43 am

If you say so.
Then I'll just use the 1 gallons as 4" containers for other plants then.

Thu Mar 17, 2011 11:40 pm

I would wait about 2 weeks from the first pic to pot up. You want to have the roots just hit the cell wall before removing them from the cell.