Definitive answer on large seedlings!

[MrBig46]

I have a translation problem
"stimulated by brushing across the tops"
I don't understand what you mean.
Vladimír

[Milan HP]

I may have gotten it all wrong: when you say a 5-gallon container, you are referring to "trade gallons" that equal 2.8 liters each? If so, my idea of how big the containers should be was really off the target. It's a tough job to get used to completely different units. Still learning.

Milan HP

[Salaam]

Originally Posted by Milan HP

I may have gotten it all wrong: when you say a 5-gallon container, you are referring to "trade gallons" that equal 2.8 liters each? If so, my idea of how big the containers should be was really off the target. It's a tough job to get used to completely different units. Still learning.

Milan HP

Actually 3.8 litres. So five gallons is really big! I plan on trying big seedlings (as Karen suggested) in one gallon containers and most of my ordinary (about 30cm) seedlings in 2L (1/2 gallon) yoghurt containers. This time I'll try to record the data on seedling height and rootboundness.

[habitat_gardener]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

I have a translation problem
"stimulated by brushing across the tops"
I don't understand what you mean.
Vladimír

This is a way to produce thicker or stockier stems. You can use a fan to move air across the plants. Or you can gently move your hand across the tops of the seedlings.

[Salaam]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

This is a way to produce thicker or stockier stems. You can use a fan to move air across the plants. Or you can gently move your hand across the tops of the seedlings.

Does this actually work? It's one of those things I've heard often, nodded my head, but not quite believed!. The fan I have for air circulation.

[Fusion_power]

MrBig46, here is an article on thigmotropism. In Czech, it looks like the word is thigmotropismus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thigmotropism


When a tomato plant is brushed across a couple of times a day, the plant responds by changing the way it grows. It is shorter and usually sturdier than tomato plants that are not stimulated. A simple way to do this is to use a broom handle to rub across the tops of the plants once or twice a day. Don't damage the plants, just make them bend a bit. This is one of the three special methods that MUST be known by a commercial tomato seedling producer.

[Milan HP]

Does it also work with plants grown partly under artificial light? Can I use a hair drier (of course with the heating switched off)? At what stage of development should I start applying this treatment? Thank you.
Milan HP

[Fusion_power]

You can use a fan to stimulate tomato plants any time after they are 4 inches tall. Yes, a hair dryer on cool setting would work.

Since someone is going to ask, all three of the tips needed are:

1. Grow your seedlings dry. Let them get so dry they wilt at least 2 times. This stimulates the roots to expand and they keep expanding as the plant grows larger.

2. Let your tomato plants go down to about 40 to 45 degrees (5 to 7 Celsius) at least once as seedlings. Bring the temperature back up over 90 degrees (32 C) the next day to reverse the stunting effect. Cold temperatures stimulate a tomato plant to produce much more fruit compared to hothouse grown plants.

3. Use thigmotropy to produce sturdy and hardy seedlings as per above.

[jmsieglaff]

Really interesting stuff. My seedling raising setup checks a lot of these boxes by necessity. I start seeds, they go under lights in the basement which is usually upper 50s. They get potted up and then after 5-10 days, get acclimated to sunlight slowly and live in a cold frame on my deck, up against the house with southern exposure. Being in Wisconsin the cold box gets checked, usually multiple times. The hot box gets checked being in a cold frame in a sheltered southern exposure, which can also check the wilt box. What I haven’t done is run hands over them from tiny onward. Some years my plants get too tall if they have to stay in the cold frame due to weather. So this year I’ll try running my hands over them a couple times a day to see how works!

[Yak54]

I've used the fan method for a few years now and find it really does work. 2-3 hrs per day seems to work well for my seedlings. Definitely makes a difference.

Dan

[aclum]

Darrel,

Do those same 3 rules apply to eggplants and peppers?