Planting HELP: Tomato seedlings have their second set of leaves

packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
And it’s going to bloody freeze here tonight. Seriously I don’t know what to do, my dad is dead as are my elders. My seedlings have gone mad and now have their second set of leaves. Do I pull them and put their gangly selves into deeper pots? If so how do I keep them alive? I’m talking forty different plants here.
 
M

Martinhouse

Deceased
I sometimes buy tomatoes in 4" pots and they already look like tomato plants. They do okay until I plant them even if I hold them for a couple of weeks or more. If your little plants are just now getting their second leaves, I'm sure they will be just fine. If they are getting tall and lanky, just pinch off lower leaves and plant them deeper than you usually would.

At times some of my bedding plants have gotten so pale and tall and lanky I'd swear they'd never make it, but it seems like they are so relieved to finally get into the ground that they outdo themselves to respond with incredible recovery out of sheer gratitude.
 
Last edited:
M

moldy

Veteran Member
Bring them inside and set a fan on low in front of them. Just enough to make the leaves blow a little bit. This will strengthen the stalks. Give extra water as the fan also dries them out a little.
 
M

Murt

Veteran Member
I covered mine with weed block fabric when we had had 2 nights of freezing temps and they came through fine
Mine were already in the ground and about 6 inches tall
 
Cyclonemom

Cyclonemom

Veteran Member
Just bring them indoors if they're still in flats.

For the next few days though, if they are leggy, repot them deep. As in buried up to the top set of leaves, and make sure they are in STRONG light for 8-12 hours a day.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
My hubby has become an avid gardener of heirloom tomatoes. He knows what he’s doing.

Hubby currently has about 150 tomatoes going. It’s a busy time for him. Lol

He said the best thing you can do is bring them indoors and put them under a light. If they have already germinated, you should remove the dome on them. This can cause too much moisture which can lead to “damping off” (have no idea what this is. I’m just typing what hubby says) or fungus.

Good luck!
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
_______________
Agree with britches. Once seeds have germinated, remove the domes. Its WAY too early for baby plants (tomatoes, for sure) to be outside, unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed.

If you used those Styrofoam blocks with the peat inserts, you will need to transplant at least once before its warm enough to put them in the garden. If they are in decent sized six packs, they shouldn't need transplanting, unless the weather doesn't cooperate and they start getting root bound.

But they need to be getting 70s during the day and no colder than 50 at night (preferably 60s minimum) for awhile yet. Once they are 6 weeks old or so you can start putting them out on nice days to harden them off.

Summerthyme
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
Yup..just bring them in the house. I end up hauling seedlings inside and outside for darned near a month because we have frosty nights into the first week of June. Love using those cloudy/clear looking plastic totes for the plants.

When they get leggy, which they always do, I plant them deeper in beer cups (punch a hole in the bottom). Then plant them even deeper when they go in the ground.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
WalknTrot said:
Yup..just bring them in the house. I end up hauling seedlings inside and outside for darned near a month because we have frosty nights into the first week of June. Love using those cloudy/clear looking plastic totes for the plants.

When they get leggy, which they always do, I plant them deeper in beer cups (punch a hole in the bottom). Then plant them even deeper when they go in the ground.
Click to expand...

what kind of soil do you plant them in? Right now mine are in seed starter soil, we used a soil blocker to make the soil cubes.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
summerthyme said:
Agree with britches. Once seeds have germinated, remove the domes. Its WAY too early for baby plants (tomatoes, for sure) to be outside, unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed.

If you used those Styrofoam blocks with the peat inserts, you will need to transplant at least once before its warm enough to put them in the garden. If they are in decent sized six packs, they shouldn't need transplanting, unless the weather doesn't cooperate and they start getting root bound.

But they need to be getting 70s during the day and no colder than 50 at night (preferably 60s minimum) for awhile yet. Once they are 6 weeks old or so you can start putting them out on nice days to harden them off.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

My domes have vents I can open and close. I have a mouse problem when I take the domes off they come out and eat my seedlings. Will have to figure something out for that problem.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
summerthyme said:
Yeah, you really can't leave the domes on for long, once they sprout... if they have any condensation on the inside, its too humid and at high risk for damping off.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...

'most' of the plants have their second set of leaves, but some still don't. I removed the lids for now anyway and may put them back on at night as a mouse proofing method.
 
briches

briches

Veteran Member
Hubby uses a seed starter mix for soil too. He says not all mixes are created equally.

He never uses miracle gro unless it’s outside. He says it’s a Monsanto company that has too much organic matter (lots of sticks and rocks) which isn’t good for seedlings. He’s also gotten fungus gnats with miracle gro seed starter.

A few seed starters he has had good success with are promix, metromix 360, black kow, and fox farm.
 
Cyclonemom

Cyclonemom

Veteran Member
Packy, I struggled with seed starting mix(store bought various brands, and homemade) for years. Lost twice as many seedlings compared to just good quality potting soil. Now I rarely lose any using regular potting soil

It's opposite of what every book, article, and vid will tell you.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
briches said:
Hubby uses a seed starter mix for soil too. He says not all mixes are created equally.

He never uses miracle gro unless it’s outside. He says it’s a Monsanto company that has too much organic matter (lots of sticks and rocks) which isn’t good for seedlings. He’s also gotten fungus gnats with miracle gro seed starter.

A few seed starters he has had good success with are promix, metromix 360, black kow, and fox farm.
Click to expand...

I bought my seed starter mix at the local green house, it's what they use to start their plants that they sell.
 
W

WalknTrot

Veteran Member
packyderms_wife said:
what kind of soil do you plant them in? Right now mine are in seed starter soil, we used a soil blocker to make the soil cubes.
Click to expand...
I just use Miracle Grow potting soil for transplanting into bigger pots. (Hey...I LOVE Miracle Grow..so shoot me! :lol: )
I start all my seeds in those little Jiffy peat pellet things...the little disks that "inflate" when you soak them.
 
S

seraphima

Veteran Member
When i repot tomatoes, I always plant them as deep as possible. The stem will grow more roots and the plant will be much sturdier. A couple days before repotting, the lower leaves, including the cotyledons ('seed leaves') are removed to let the stems heal up.
 
L

LC

Veteran Member
Always bury tomatoes as deep as possible for reasons stated above. I start in potting soil from an area greenhouse. It's what their p!ants are in. Sometimes I pick out a little bark when seeding.
 
S

seraphima

Veteran Member
I've had good luck covering little plants with overturned clear plastic boxes/drawers. Sort of little greenhouses. Some are a foot deep. Right now I've got my one zucchini plant under one, and it is growing well.
 
West

West

Senior
packyderms_wife said:
My domes have vents I can open and close. I have a mouse problem when I take the domes off they come out and eat my seedlings. Will have to figure something out for that problem.
Click to expand...

I used a old tub, a old plastic barrel/bucket, old garbage can, anything that's about a foot tall (or you cut a foot tall) and about 12 inches+ in diameter and cut out the bottom making a collar of sorts. And plant that around the plants. Like a barrier that the critters can't easily get over. Have even used screen/tight hardware cloth. But the solid barriers seem to work better.
 
Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior

Illini Warrior
West said:
I used a old tub, a old plastic barrel/bucket, old garbage can, anything that's about a foot tall (or you cut a foot tall) and about 12 inches+ in diameter and cut out the bottom making a collar of sorts. And plant that around the plants. Like a barrier that the critters can't easily get over. Have even used screen/tight hardware cloth. But the solid barriers seem to work better.
Click to expand...

I plant with a tomato cage around them - if there's some protection needed >> I open the bottom of a poly retail chek-out bag and pull it down onto the cage - second bag can close off the top if necessary ....
 
W

WanderLore

Veteran Member
Old way of using milk jugs with bottoms cut off. Shove in the ground. I've used clear jugs when I have them. Inside house I take the lids off, outside sometimes too. Mound little dirt around bottom keep jugs from flying off in wind.
 
packyderms_wife

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
So I took the domes off and within a week every single tomato plant had been chewed off at the base. So I'm buying plants again this year.
 
dioptase

dioptase

Veteran Member
Wow... I have never heard of rodents chewing tomato seedlings. :eek: We have a perpetual rat problem here, but the tomato problems don't start until there is actually ripe fruit; the rats otherwise leave the tomato plants alone. (We are building some serious critter cages this year to keep the rats out.)

But this discussion of cutworms reminds me to be sure to turn the soil over well in the beds that I am currently working on (yes, I know, late planting). The first bed that I worked on had a lot of cutworms in it! So thanks!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top