Is it TOSS TIME

jwr6404 · April 14, 2007

Started seeds from a couple varieties. They germinated well and I transplanted them to larger (20 oz) pots and placed them under my pricey flourescent light set.. I watered them well,maybe to well. I was so proud as this was,to date my first successful seed effort. i watered them a couple more times thinking this would guarantee my success. The tomatos wilted and the leaves dried up on most. When I removed a couple of the seedlings from the pot the stems were green and the root system was intact. Question is it over for thes plants and should I trash them? maybe next year.
jwr

gardenpaws_VA · April 15, 2007

I can think of two possibilities - drowning and drought. Offhand, I'd say drought is more likely, even tho' you transplanted into much bigger containers than I would have used for first transplanting. My guess is that if you're using a peat-based mix, the potting medium isn't getting fully wetted. If this disaster happened in the first day or so after transplanting, then you probably didn't get the medium moistened initially. Try adding enough water to the mix when you're potting, so that there is NO dust. After transplanting, put the pots in a dishpan, water them with WARM water, and then leave them there until they feel fairly heavy.

If you have green, and unwilted, at a growing point (ie, if you have good stem just above a leaf, even if the leaf is awful), I'd try to revive them. If they're past that stage, then you'd better start over - it shouldn't be too late for you.

April 14, 2007	#1
jwr6404 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: University Place, WA Posts: 481	Is it TOSS TIME Started seeds from a couple varieties. They germinated well and I transplanted them to larger (20 oz) pots and placed them under my pricey flourescent light set.. I watered them well,maybe to well. I was so proud as this was,to date my first successful seed effort. i watered them a couple more times thinking this would guarantee my success. The tomatos wilted and the leaves dried up on most. When I removed a couple of the seedlings from the pot the stems were green and the root system was intact. Question is it over for thes plants and should I trash them? maybe next year. jwr __________________ Jim

April 15, 2007	#2
gardenpaws_VA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northern Virginia, USA - zone 7+ Posts: 161	I can think of two possibilities - drowning and drought. Offhand, I'd say drought is more likely, even tho' you transplanted into much bigger containers than I would have used for first transplanting. My guess is that if you're using a peat-based mix, the potting medium isn't getting fully wetted. If this disaster happened in the first day or so after transplanting, then you probably didn't get the medium moistened initially. Try adding enough water to the mix when you're potting, so that there is NO dust. After transplanting, put the pots in a dishpan, water them with WARM water, and then leave them there until they feel fairly heavy. If you have green, and unwilted, at a growing point (ie, if you have good stem just above a leaf, even if the leaf is awful), I'd try to revive them. If they're past that stage, then you'd better start over - it shouldn't be too late for you.