My 1st gardening question this week is:
Does anybody have a guess as to why my tomato seedlings that I have started in small pots or other containers always seem to start off ok, shoot up a 2-4 inches but are very “spindly”, then fall over and die. I’ve tried varying light, and water to no successful effect. These are usually but not always started indoors, in April-early May to avoid frost worries. Volunteers out in the garden seem to do ok (if frost or cutworms don’t get ‘em) but their quality & flavor is hit and miss.
PH is ok (usually around 6.5), I’ve tried potting soil(s), bagged garden soils, and composted soil of my own.
My best guess is “too moist”, but that is tough because often I’m gone for 2-3 days, so sometimes I have to overwater them a bit so they don’t dry up B4 I return. (I have had that happen in the past, too.)
Never can I seem to get to healthy, slightly bushy plants 5-6” tall, like one sees in the “4 packs” or “6 packs” one can find @ Lowes and so on.
Anyone have any ideas?
Sounds like you have a real soil problem. What are you using for potting soil? How much sun are the plants getting? Any problems with your water? How many worms do you see in your garden soil? Since you are near Lowes (and if they actually have it, as they do not online), I would recommend Black Kow 1-cu ft Organic Compost and Manure (50lbs $5:26) or Hapi-Gro Timberline 40-lb Organic Compost and Manure (1.88) and Peat Humus40-lb $2.28) And if you have acidic soil Espoma Garden 6.75-lb Organic Lime PH Balancer ($4.98)
10 Easy Soil Tests That Pinpoint Your Garden's Problems
Hope this helps. PeaceByJesus .
From the symptoms you describe, your issue is most likely light. Are you using a grow light or even flourescent bulbs? Light from a window, even a southern one, is not enough light in late Winter/early Spring.
16 hours ON, 8 hours OFF after germination with the bulbs 2” above the top leaves, so you need to be able to adjust the lighting up as the plants grow. They need HEAT to germinate, not necessarily light, so someplace warm (the top of the fridge is a good choice) or set them on a heat mat or an electric blanket.
If they are getting dark on the stem where the stem comes out of the soil and THEN falling over, that’s a product of too much water. It’s called ‘damping off.’
They also need to be man-handled a bit when they get their first set of adult leaves (the first leaves are called ‘seed leaves’). You can do this by lightly brushing your hand over them a few times a day, or setting up a fan to GENTLY blow them around. This strengthens their stems as they grow.
They don’t need any fertilizer until they have TWO sets of adult leaves - and then, a VERY weak solution (read the package) because, well, they’re babies! ;)
Also, using a true ‘seed starting mix’ versus potting soil or dirt from the garden will help with the damping off and water retention problems.
Mine are not looking too good either. But they are just in peat moss. I am putting them in larger pots today with some of my good garden soil, some bone meal, and a little fertilizer. they need food!
In my other plants, sprouting, reaching, and spindly gets over is a light issue. I grow indoors a lot and it helps to keep the light close. Real close sometimes. I also have a variable speed fan going. The slight breeze stimulates the stem to get thicker and support more weight.
a possible reason other than soil issues could be level of seed/soil in pots/cells.
if the soil level is below the lip of the cell by any significant amount the seedlings will put all their energy into reaching for sun...and they can become spindly.