How long does it take?! Tomato Seedling and Leaves

Dixana · Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:37 am

I'm getting annoyed/concerned that my tom seedlings SILL have no true leaves. It's been two and a half weeks since they sprouted! I'm getting worried they don't like the tp seed starters I made and/or the fuzzy white mold on the tp tubes is stunting/bothering them

What's normal?

rainbowgardener · Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:59 am

Normal for me is about a week to ten days. But that is with plenty of light and on a heat mat. Without that it could be slower. The mold may not be directly stunting them, but the fact that the cardboard is molding suggests the soil may be staying too wet.

Dixana · Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:52 am

I don't think light is an issue, they've been outside everyday since sunday. We've had unseasonably wamr weather here the last few days and it's been 65-80 in the afternoon with sunny days

I hope I didn't stunk or kill them...I'm debating on moving them to bigger/different pots with different soil. I used organic jiffy seed starter an frankly, I'm not impressed. I think if I use it again it will be with 50/50 worm castings to help with moisture.

hope they don't die on me.

applestar · Wed Apr 13, 2011 9:18 am

I think your problem is combination of the jiffy seed starter which contains NO fertilizer and the cardboard TP tubes tying up nitrogen. Try watering with tea made with worm castings or diluted worm tea to boost the fungal and bacterial activity

-- What? did she say BOOST the fungal activity? --

Yes I did. You want polyculture of fungi, especially decomposers, to break down the cardboard and turn it into nutrients for the seedlings as well as compete with the mold already growing there.

sheeshshe · Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:18 am

so, TP rolls are not good? I planted in those this year. I'm having a terrible time this year! I feel like such a failure. I never have problems with my seedlings!

rainbowgardener · Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:56 pm

I see lots and lots of people write in here with problems with their biodegradable pots, whether newspaper, cardboard or peat. Little seedlings need a delicate balance of never drying out but not too moist, which is difficult to maintain with moisture holding pots.

I really think you are better off with plastic. I use plastic and never have problems. It may not be biodegradable, but I use the same plastic pots year after year after year. They don't hold moisture, they don't get moldy, the roots don't grow into them so it is easy to slide the plants out ... They are cheap to buy in quantity or you can use plastic drink cups.

DoubleDogFarm · Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:04 pm

I really think you are better off with plastic. I use plastic and never have problems. It may not be biodegradable, but I use the same plastic pots year after year after year. They don't hold moisture, they don't get moldy, the roots don't grow into them so it is easy to slide the plants out ... They are cheap to buy in quantity or you can use plastic drink cups.

She's right dontcha you know!

Eric

Kisal · Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:06 pm

I, too, use and recommend plastic pots. [img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/agree.gif[/img]

Bobberman · Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:07 am

Too start seedsplastic or styrofoam cups work great! Peat pots are fine if you plant them in the garden but they are terrible in regards to drying or being too wet from bottom watering! weat fertiizer is ok but watch too much! I always add strained garden soil to the bottom of my containers and only have 2 inches of bought soil on top! It works great and composted soil even works better in the bottom!
+++
This year I have added a sprinkle of blood meal to all my bottom soil in my greenhouse boxes and it seems to be working well!
+++
I even have news paper in the bottom of each box and added a few leaves then covered with a few inches of strained garden soil then the 2 inches of bought peat type soil mix! I tried alot of new things to make the seeds start and grow stronger! I even have some boxes with a little mix of new compost in the bottom like bananna skins covered with leaves and garden soil and sprinkled with blood meal! I bought about a pound of blood meal and it lasted for over 40 boxes 12 by 15 and I still have some left! I probably have 20,000 plants up mosty tomatoes with 15 varities!!

rainbowgardener · Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:53 am

Well I have very respectfully disagree on a couple points.

To start with I would never plant a peat pot in the garden (well not with a plant inside it anyway). At the end of the season, you will have a perfectly intact peat pot with a dead plant in it, whose roots got smothered and never could escape out of the pot. They will biodegrade eventually, but not in time to do the plant any good.

And I wouldn't plant things in styrofoam. It is a petroleum product made of benzene, styrene and a bunch of other stuff, has a lot of toxic chemicals. And it is more unstable than other plastics so it outgasses and leaches out a bunch of bad stuff. https://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html

Dixana · Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:06 am

Bobberman if you want to use something that can be planted directly in the garedn, go to instructables.com. There's one on there that shows you how to make 4" pots out of newspaper. Make them, use them, and when you plant them use a razor knife to slice an X on the bottom and throw em in the hole.
They work well for me! (except for molding)

Bobberman · Fri Apr 15, 2011 9:59 am

Styrofoam are no worse than plastic since they are just for starting the seed. Peat pots can be planted in the garden just make a few holes in the side and the roots will grow into the wet peat but bury most of the pot! If styro foam cups were that bad they would not serve hot drinks in them .
+++
If I listened to half the stories about polution of some things I would not have anything to use for my garden! Regular soil is loaded with deadly toxins and run off poses just as much danger. I do follow some guide lines but gardening to me is like politics, who and what do you believe!. Even card board has all kinds of tapes and glues attached to it!

applestar · Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:11 am

Ohhh... This makes me sad....

Bobberman · Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:14 am

What makes you sad cardboard or me?

kimbledawn · Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:18 pm

If styro foam cups were that bad they would not serve hot drinks in them

I'm with apple. This makes me sad.

What can I say. If lawn and garden spray were that bad they wouldn't sell it in the stores....?But they do. They sell and serve and make many things that are poisonous and detrimental to the environment.

But I'm no expert.

Dixana · Fri Apr 15, 2011 1:27 pm

LOL AS, that's the second time today something someone on this forum posted made me bust out laughing.
A few of the little seedlings have true leaves! They're tiny but they're coming. I've never used tp tubes before, but I used paper pots without problems in the past. Unfortunately, I had worm castings to mix with the soil which is probably why they did so well. Seeing as I still have no worms I'll have to figure something else out (there's nowhere around here to get worm poo) maybe mushroom compost mixed with the soil?
I packed up all my ACT stuff already in preparation for moving, is there something else I can give them to help combat the cardboard sucking the nitrogen?
Would it make things worse to up pot them now in a good mix of soil and mushroom compost? OR

I may have inadvertently left a bag of tomato tone open in the rain after packing up the garden shed..... could I use that water diluted down even further to water them?

Bobberman · Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:03 pm

Sprays are a different story . I very seldom use sprays except for raid sometimes in the house! I believe in not poluting and being careful what you use but you can make anything look bad if you dig deep and over shadow something on the border line! Many potting soils are bad!

applestar · Fri Apr 15, 2011 6:23 pm

Several members, including Duh_Vinci I believe, have mentioned adding some amount of Tomato Tone in water for watering their tomato seedlings. Since it's already wet, you might as well use it.

There was a thread in which I mentioned buying Tomato Tone and Dr. Earth veg and Tomato fertilizers for comparison. They both contain beneficial microorganisms.

Bobberman · Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:08 am

I try not to think extreme about what is wrong with everything made. If I did I would not be installing carpet since it has so many negative connatations with the air in your home! Waters bad water in plastic bottles is bad. I guess glass is the safest thing made from sand! Anyway going over board wih refrain is just as much a problem as being to rceptive of everything around us!
+++
I don't think a tomato started in a plastic or styrofoam cup will be tanted forever and make the plant bad to eat.! A person that smokes has a worse effect on plants than styrofoam in my opinion!!

Kisal · Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:17 am

applestar wrote:Ohhh... This makes me sad....

Me, too! [img]https://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/sigh.gif[/img]

(

)

Bobberman · Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:19 am

Explain what makes you sad? I have no idea what you are saying!

applestar · Sat Apr 16, 2011 1:44 am

Sorry Bobberman. You had to be there... But if you want to be there too, OP of this thread Dixana has a thread in the What Doesn't Fit Elsewhere forum "Does it make anyone else kind of sad?" Note the time stamps and you'll see why Dixana thought it was particularly funny. Kisal's follow-up was an icing on the cake!