Show OFF your Seedlings ..2017

[Lindalana]

Fritz, I have gently teased out seedlings like this and repotted them in same cell but deeper when I have this situation. Does require gentle hand though.

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by Lindalana

Cole, do you use any fert during this stage? Specifically anything from Kelp4less?

I use the "Ultimate Blend" product, which is kelp plus humic, fulvic, and amino acids. They are the four naturally occurring growth hormones for plants. A tiny bit goes a long way. I mix one tbsp to about 5-7 gallons of water. There are also traces of worm castings in the bit of Light Warrior that I combine into my seed starting media.

Once out in the greenhouse, I only water when the plants get very dry, and I use a tiny, tiny bit of Miracle Grow in the water, far below the recommended dose. The ultimate blend, plus the mycogrow I use are all nutrient uptake accelerators, so the plants can get by on a very small amount of fertilizer.

Osmocote is the first real fertilizer I use. If I were starting plants later in the spring when it was warmer, I might begin using Osmocote at the six-pack stage, instead of the next transplanting into 4" pots.

[Gardeneer]

Here is mine:
I already planted out some of them, after taking the picture.

[Cole_Robbie]

they look great

[Psalms441]

Finally my Prudens Purple tomato seedling is outside in a pot! Hopefully, tomatoes this summer. The rocks are to discourage squirrels from digging. I'll remove them when the plant has grown larger.

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Here is mine:
I already planted out some of them, after taking the picture.

Nice weather for you now, and nice starts. Good luck, I hope the weather is kind to you guys.

[loulac]

Originally Posted by Fritz77

If I look at your pics I get almost discouraged.

You have no reason to, remember Cole is a professional, has been gardening all his life and must have top class products if he wants customers to ignore the competition and gather round his stall.

Originally Posted by Fritz77

As you can see, I have a problem in providing them enough lights, but there’s very little I can do about that. I don’t have/use artificial lights and during the day I keep them in my balcony under a semi transparent plastic box to prevent them from strong wind and occasionally from chilly weather.

Your seedlings may be a bit leggy but you’ll just have to bury them deeper when you transplant them. I think you could do without the plastic box, some kind of vertical screen stopping very strong winds could be an answer, keep in mind it has been suggested we should gently stroke the seedlings by hand to harden them. Mid May is still far away, I think you could first transplant the seedlings into bigger pots in 2 weeks…

All the best

[Cole_Robbie]

Thank you for the compliment, Loulac. It's relative, though. I am just a hobbyist, if compared to AKMark.

Regarding legginess, I think you are correct. My plants have been transplanted twice by the time they reach 4" pots, stuffed down each time, which corrects legginess. It's more work, but it pays off.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by AKmark

Yes, they are a very nice BW. However, I have a new one that I am trialing this year that I got from a member here who knows his tomatoes, and he said it was the best he has seen. It is growing right beside a BW Sudduth's, if it passes the test, I will send out some seed.

I hope it passes with flying colors. My bias towards Cowlick's comes from a mini head to head trial last year, where it proved superior and was only bested by SOTW in terms of productivity.

[Cole_Robbie]

Creative minds are seldom tidy

[BigVanVader]

Looking great Cole.

[loulac]

And Cole will say he is only an average hobbyist...

[Fritz77]

Originally Posted by loulac

You have no reason to, remember Cole is a professional, has been gardening all his life and must have top class products if he wants customers to ignore the competition and gather round his stall.


Your seedlings may be a bit leggy but you’ll just have to bury them deeper when you transplant them. I think you could do without the plastic box, some kind of vertical screen stopping very strong winds could be an answer, keep in mind it has been suggested we should gently stroke the seedlings by hand to harden them. Mid May is still far away, I think you could first transplant the seedlings into bigger pots in 2 weeks…

All the best

Thank you Loulac. I didn't know you could gently stroke your seedlings in order to make them stronger. You're right, May is far away so I will definitely repot, probably in a couple of weeks or less than that.
I've built a wooden shelf and I placed it in my balcony. I converted it into a tiny greenhouse by upholstering it with transparent plastic cloth. I keep my seedlings inside and I uncover it when it's warm and not windy. My plants are starting to look better.

[Cole_Robbie]

Powering ahead of the rest of this flat is the Russian tomato called "Viagra." It is indeed a symbol of virility. Among its peers it is by far the most erect.

[MissS]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Powering ahead of the rest of this flat is the Russian tomato called "Viagra." It is indeed a symbol of virility. Among its peers it is by far the most erect.

It sure is... I think that I should get grow some.