Are my seedlings alright?

[RomanX]

This is the first time I've started from seed; I must have done everything right, 'cause ALOT came up!!

Unfortunately, I don't know what a healthy tomato seedling looks like! The main site I used to learn how-to (before I found THIS one) tells me that purple seedlings are suffering a Mg deficiency and to mist with a weak Epsom Salt (in water).

I have two batches of seedlings, almost 2 weeks apart. My oldest seedlings (sown 2-28 and most sprouted 6 d later) most have their first set of true leaves. . . their foliage is solid green, but they have dark purple/maroon stout hairy stems and I just noticed the underside of their leaves are purple, too. The youngest batch (sown 3-8 and most sprouted 6 d later) most are still unfurling their seed leaves, but their almost all have pencil-lead thin stalks that are a smooth, translucent purple..... . very few (4 of 5 for one variety) have green thin, smooth stalks. (I tried to attach photos of each batch, but was told I must manually re-size them to be smaller. . . which I do not know how to do! )

Are my seedlings healthy??

How MUCH is a weak Epsom Salt solution? 1 tsp per 1 gallon of water?? Less?? More??

[RayR]

Purple stems are nothing to worry about, it's normal for some varieties. Even purple undersides is normal for some new seedlings and it should fade away as they grow as long as certain conditions are correct. I don't know who told you that it means a lack of Mg, but that's not it at all. So no Epsom Salts.
What can cause purple under the leaves is a problem with Phosphorous uptake. That can be caused by cold soil temperatures or a lack of P in the soil. So are your seedlings in a warm place? What kind of soil mix are they in? Have you added any fertilizer yet?

[AlittleSalt]

Blue varieties such as Helsing ★★★★★★★★ Blue and Dancing with Smurfs have a purple looking stem.

I'm new to this too - that's all I can help

[Al@NC]

As RayR said, it's probably just the cold nights...

[RomanX]

Jiffy mix, first fertilizing scheduled for tomorrow (1/4 strength MG Tomato); under Sylvania Daylight bulbs for 16 hours a day -rest of time just ambient temperature, which is about 60.

I have eleven different varieties and all varieties show purpling (Fourth of July, Baxter's Bush Cherry, Early Girl, Rutgers, Super Sioux, Big Beef, Tumbling Tom (Red), Jelly Bean, Bush Big Boy, Ace 55 and Abe Lincoln. The four green seedlings are scattered and not for the same variety.

[ginger2778]

60 is a little bit cool for the seedlings. They like it much better in the upper 70s. I am with the others, I think it's just purpling from cold. Can you get them out in the sun? A little at a time until they harden off.
BTW- epsom salts is the answer to yellowing leaves. 1 Tbsp per gallon H2O.

Theres an app you can get called simply batchresizer which easily resizes your photos. Or you can use one of the outside photo reloading websites. I use the resizer app. It's free.

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by RomanX

(I tried to attach photos of each batch, but was told I must manually re-size them to be smaller. . . which I do not know how to do! )

I don't know what type of program you have but try this:

Right click on your picture

When a list of different things comes up , look for the word edit or resize and click on it

It will open your picture up in another window for you to resize

Look and see if across the top of the pic you have a topic that says Image and click on it

A little box opens up click on the one that says says stretch. You will then see a box that opens that says horizontal and one that says vertical. They may say 100% in them. Change the 100% down to about 60% . I generally use 40% in both places.

Your picture than resize to the smaller size for loading. Than I click the X to exit and it will ask if I want to save the changes. I click yes and the pic is resized smaller.

If it is in a file folder I will then go back to the pic and right click and click on the link that says Send to: and send it my Documents to be able to load .

My system is old and I have paint, but if you have a help button somewhere type in resizing pictures and copy down the directions .

Hope that helps some. Once you find where you can resize , it is easy.

[Worth1]

Do you have Microsoft office picture manager?
If you do right click on picture it will ask a question (open with).
You will have a choice and one will say Microsoft picture manager.
Choose it.
On the upper left hand side it will say picture.
Click on it.
It will give you a choice resize.
Click on it.
It will give you several choices.
One will say predefined width and height.
It will be a little round button.
Click on it.
It will give you a choice the first one will be, large(1024x768)
chose it.
At the bottom of the list it will say ok.
Click on it.
Then go to the section at the upper left hand corner and click on file.
It will give you choices.
Click on save as.
Just add an r to the end of the file name and click on save.
Close the file it will ask you if you want to save the original file name say no.

This way you will now have the original picture and the new smaller picture.
When you go to load the picture here you will be able to load the smaller picture.
It sounds like a lot but it isn't.

Worth

[RomanX]

Many thanks to y'all for telling me ways to re-size pics, especially RayR for re-sizing my pics overnight (posted below). Unbeknownst to me, a new program (Windows Live Photo Gallery) will resize pics!

Soil temps average 75 for the 16 hours these seedlings are under lights; they do the best they can for the other 8 hours, with ambient temps averaging 62. Today the 1st batch is scheduled for their first fertilizer (1/4 strength MG Tomato) and (once it gets warmer outside. . now 63) for their fist outing outdoors, to the shade for an hour.

Again, these re-sized pics are courtesy of RayR: how do my purple seedlings look?

[RayR]

I think they are doing fine. They top of the leaves are nice and green, the stems look strong.
Soil temp is fine, you'd have to get a lot colder soil temperature for P deficiency to occur. After I take mine off the heat mat in my basement, my soil temperature tends to be around 60²F-62² and I don't have any issues.
Jiffy Organic Seed Starting Mix doesn't have any nutrient charge that I'm aware of, at least they don't say so on the bag so the light dose of the MG should be OK on the seedlings with new leaves. I've never used MG but the people who do use it around here say 1/4 strength is enough at that stage. The purple will fade away as new leaves develop.

[Al@NC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NM0AL1jqOE

[RayR]

Good video, but I don't get the relationship of purpling and Mg. A balanced fertilizer would have enough Mg in it, so why add Epsom Salts? If it was an Mg issue it would show on top of the leaves as intravenous yellowing.

Here's some young seedlings of mine from a couple years ago. Normal purple stems, under leaf purpling too although you can't see it too well from this angle..

[danwigz]

One of my best season had all of my seedlings looking like yours above. Purpling at this age for me is usually due to the lower temps (I don't use a heat mat and usually grow in my basement). Once you get true leaves I would consider adding some very mild nutrients as described above. Generally the purple will go away as the plant matures without much harm. As long as the tops are looking good I'd probably not worry about them too much until your first transplant.

[Stvrob]

I notice that oregano does the same..the new growth is purplish until the soil warms up, then its fine.

[Father'sDaughter]

I have seen this purpling every year in my seedlings and they always "outgrow" it. In fact, I was just thumbing through my copy of "Epic Tomatoes" and found two pictures of Craig's densely planted seedling, and they all looked just like yours.