Growing Tomatoes! What to Do Now?

[Imperialboy]

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!

[Kisal]

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.

[DoubleDogFarm]

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

[Imperialboy]

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?

[wordwiz]

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

[DoubleDogFarm]

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

[Imperialboy]

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?

[DoubleDogFarm]

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

[DoubleDogFarm]

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

[Kisal]

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.

[wordwiz]

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

[Duh_Vinci]

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

[Imperialboy]

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

Thanks!

[rainbowgardener]

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.

[Imperialboy]

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