gardenhead

gardenhead · March 20, 2009

My tomato plants are about 5 to 6 weeks old, they apeared to be doing fine until recently. The stems are bulky, the foilage is good but they seem to be drooping. I have them in my sunroom under lights, for 10 to 12 hrs. a day. Could they be over watered? Over fertilized, or could it be we smoke occasionaly in the room? I have too much time invested to lose them now. Help!

newatthiskat · March 20, 2009

If you could upload some pictures of the setup and the plants that would help a whole lot

Kat

gardenhead · March 20, 2009

If I knew how I would. I will try tommorrow, it's bed time. Thanks for answering.

dice · March 22, 2009

Overwatering would be guess number one.

Do you have a couple of spares there that you could empty out
of whatever kind of pots they are in and take a look at the soil?
Maybe a couple that look completely dry?

I have been potting up some from small seed-starting cells to
newspaper pots, and it is amazing how they can look absolutely
bone dry on top yet the bottom inch of soil in the seed-starting
cell is still moist.

Barbee · March 22, 2009

I'd pop one out of the pot and take a look to see what's going on. Could they be rootbound?

gardenhead · March 22, 2009

I use a moisture meter , maybe i'm not using it deep enough. I just got through moving them to a larger pot. Maybe that will help. Thanks for the advice. I am going to wait a couple of days and if they don't snap out of it, I will upload some pictures, now that I know how.

Ruth_10 · March 23, 2009

What I do to figure out if watering is needed is to lift the pot and see how heavy it is. If you want to calibrate to what "dry" is, fill a pot with dry soil mix and compare the weights of your pots with that. After you've handled your seedlings for a while, you'll get the feel of "just right."

Polar_Lace · March 24, 2009

Gardenhead,

Have you given them any fertilizer yet? Or not?
If you have, what strength/kind and mixture (concentration?) This info could help determine your problem too.

~* Robin

amideutch · March 25, 2009

Normally when my potted plants are drooping it's because they need water as the pots are generally 4" and don't hold enough water to support the plant all day as it gets bigger, especially when they are placed in a sunny south facing window. Ami

Barbee · March 25, 2009

Same here Ami. That's when I follow the rule of my FIL which was "pot up or plant out".

gardenhead · March 25, 2009

I have been fertilizing once a week with Miracle Grow liquid Quick Start. I am beginning to think that's my problem. I am going to go to just regular Miracle Grow every 2 weeks.

gardenhead · March 25, 2009

I have been gardening for 25 years, but have only started growing from seed the last 2 years. It keeps me from getting cabin fever. It is definitely a learning experiance. I am glad to have found this web site.

dice · March 26, 2009

Seedlings are kind of tender for MG. It's like giving a little kid
an espresso and a bowl of sugar cubes (kids do need more sugar
than adults, but they can still overdo it).

They may do better with something a little mellower, like
1/4 strength fish emulsion. Organic fertilizers are a lot
friendlier to seedlings, because they generally break down
more slowly, so the seedling does not get fertilizer-burned.

Polar_Lace · March 26, 2009

Yes, I do agree with dice.

Maybe you need to give them just plain water for a week before starting them on the 1/4 strength fish emulsion. That should clear up the over fertilization problem.

~* Robin

dice · March 27, 2009

Worm casting tea, a tea made out alfalfa or comfrey, clover or
chickweed from your yard pureed in a blender with water and
then strained, those are all alternatives that will not burn and
give seedlings enough to keep them going until transplant. (A
lot of people keep some fish emulsion around for the trace
elements in it and for plants that need a little nitrogen boost,
so I thought of that first.)

March 20, 2009	#1
gardenhead Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 6	gardenhead My tomato plants are about 5 to 6 weeks old, they apeared to be doing fine until recently. The stems are bulky, the foilage is good but they seem to be drooping. I have them in my sunroom under lights, for 10 to 12 hrs. a day. Could they be over watered? Over fertilized, or could it be we smoke occasionaly in the room? I have too much time invested to lose them now. *Help!*

March 20, 2009	#2
newatthiskat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: texas Posts: 1,451	reply If you could upload some pictures of the setup and the plants that would help a whole lot Kat

March 22, 2009	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Overwatering would be guess number one. Do you have a couple of spares there that you could empty out of whatever kind of pots they are in and take a look at the soil? Maybe a couple that look completely dry? I have been potting up some from small seed-starting cells to newspaper pots, and it is amazing how they can look absolutely bone dry on top yet the bottom inch of soil in the seed-starting cell is still moist. __________________ -- alias

March 22, 2009	#5
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	I'd pop one out of the pot and take a look to see what's going on. Could they be rootbound? __________________ *Barbee*

March 23, 2009	#7
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	What I do to figure out if watering is needed is to lift the pot and see how heavy it is. If you want to calibrate to what "dry" is, fill a pot with dry soil mix and compare the weights of your pots with that. After you've handled your seedlings for a while, you'll get the feel of "just right." __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

March 24, 2009	#8
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Gardenhead, Have you given them any fertilizer yet? Or not? If you have, what strength/kind and mixture (concentration?) This info could help determine your problem too. ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

March 25, 2009	#9
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Normally when my potted plants are drooping it's because they need water as the pots are generally 4" and don't hold enough water to support the plant all day as it gets bigger, especially when they are placed in a sunny south facing window. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

March 26, 2009	#13
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Seedlings are kind of tender for MG. It's like giving a little kid an espresso and a bowl of sugar cubes (kids do need more sugar than adults, but they can still overdo it). They may do better with something a little mellower, like 1/4 strength fish emulsion. Organic fertilizers are a lot friendlier to seedlings, because they generally break down more slowly, so the seedling does not get fertilizer-burned. __________________ -- alias

March 27, 2009	#15
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Worm casting tea, a tea made out alfalfa or comfrey, clover or chickweed from your yard pureed in a blender with water and then strained, those are all alternatives that will not burn and give seedlings enough to keep them going until transplant. (A lot of people keep some fish emulsion around for the trace elements in it and for plants that need a little nitrogen boost, so I thought of that first.) __________________ -- alias