Why tomato seedlings do not grow well

Many gardeners sometimes notice that the growth of tomato seedlings becomes slower or stops altogether. To fix this, you first need to understand why the seedlings stand in one pore.

Reasons why tomato seedlings grow poorly

Reasons why tomato seedlings grow poorly

Tomato seedlings can stop growing for a variety of reasons, namely:

  • due to lack of nutrients;
  • as a result of poor seedling care;
  • due to picks carried out incorrectly or untimely;
  • as a result of a disease or invasion of harmful insects.

Very slow seedling growth may be due to poor seed quality. Remember that it can only be used for five years, and then the seeds not only deteriorate in germination, but the seedlings from them appear weak and painful.

Pay attention to the choice of substrate for sowing. It is recommended to use a fertile soil mixture, but if it is poor, then the seedlings will have to be fed regularly.

Remember that if the plants feel a lack of nitrogen, then they grow weak, pale, while their stems become very thin.

Another reason for stunted growth is iron deficiency.

If you have a cat in your house, then it may happen that her urine gets into the soil mixture where the seedlings grow. Because of this, the growth of seedlings can not only become very slow, but they often die altogether. In this regard, it is better to protect the plants from your pet.

Tomato seedlings will also grow extremely slowly in a cool place, and even with poor lighting. Also pay special attention to watering. The fact is that both the stagnation of fluid in the root system of plants, and the drying of an earthen coma, can have an extremely negative effect on the growth and development of young tomatoes.

What to do if the seedlings stand in one pore?

What to do if the seedlings stand in one pore?

If tomato seedlings grow very slowly or stand in one pore, you must certainly try to identify the reason why this is happening. When you understand why the seedlings stand in one pore, it will be much easier to help her.

Poor growth after germination

Very often, tomato seedlings that appear in winter are characterized by extremely slow growth due to excessively poor lighting and lack of heat.

Experienced gardeners recommend, in this case, to make a mini-greenhouse over the box with seedlings, next to which you need to put 2 lamps. They will not only illuminate the seedlings, but also warm them.

In the event that in the room where the seedlings are located, on the contrary, it is very hot, it will need to be systematically moistened from a spray bottle with warm, well-settled water.

If the problem of slow growth is associated with poor or excessively abundant watering, then its regimen must certainly be reviewed.

Watering is carried out only when the top layer of the substrate dries out. Please note that it is highly undesirable to water tomatoes with hard tap water. Seedlings can be revived by watering with melt or rain water.

Many more gardeners, stunted seedlings, recommend feeding, while you can use the following folk remedies:

  1. Yeast feeding. Dissolve 5 g of dry yeast in a liter of water, as well as 1 tsp. Sahara. After a day, the infusion will be ready for use. Top dressing is recommended after watering.
  2. Egg shell. You will need the shell of 3 or 4 eggs. It needs to be ceilinged to make a very small crumb, which is poured into a plastic bottle filled with warm water. It is not necessary to close the container with a cork. The infusion will be ready after 5 days, while it should become cloudy. During feeding, 1 small spoonful of infusion is poured under each bush.
  3. banana fertilizer. You can also feed tomato seedlings with banana peel, which contains a lot of potassium. It is very easy to prepare such an infusion. To do this, the skins of three or four fruits are placed in a glass jar with a volume of 3 liters. Then it is filled with warm water. The infusion will be ready after three days, young tomatoes are fed to them after watering.

Stands in one pore after picking

Stands in one pore after picking

Quite often, tomato seedlings stop growing after picking. This can happen for several reasons:

  1. If the picking of the seedlings is carried out very early, then the probability of severe damage to the delicate roots increases. Because of this, the plants will be very sick, and it will take them a long time to recover. That is why the pickled seedlings stand in one pore.
  2. If, however, such a procedure is carried out later than the due date, then the overgrown roots of neighboring bushes will intertwine with each other. And during the transplant, they will also be severely injured.
  3. Before you start picking, the soil mixture in the box must be well watered. Otherwise, it can also lead to severe injury to the root system.

If you see that the growth of the picked seedlings is very slow, you can try to fix it.

It is recommended to cover the weakened seedlings from above with transparent glass cups, or you can put a plastic bag on the container with the seedling, while fixing it at the base with an elastic band. This will create greenhouse conditions, which will help the seedlings recover faster.

It is not recommended to cover the plant immediately after watering, because high humidity can cause the development of fungal diseases.

In addition, newly transplanted seedlings, experts advise, for the first time to put where they grew before. At the same time, try at first to provide them with the usual air temperature and light.

It is also recommended to place the smallest seedlings after picking closer to the window so that taller plants do not shade them.

Read more in the article: Tomato seedlings have outgrown what to do

Seedlings in peat cups grow very slowly

Seedlings in peat cups grow very slowly

Often, gardeners note that tomato seedlings sown in peat cups grow extremely slowly. This can happen for several reasons:

  • low-quality peat cups;
  • the root system of the plant is very crowded in a glass;
  • due to peat, the soil mixture in which the seedlings grow can be oxidized, and this leads to the fact that it begins to lack potassium, as a result of which its growth slows down;
  • the substrate often dries out due to the fact that in such cups the moisture from the soil evaporates much faster;
  • due to frequent watering, nutrients are washed out of the substrate, and the seedlings begin to starve.

Experts advise paying special attention to the quality of peat cups when buying. You also need to consider that the seedlings grown in them need more frequent watering and top dressing.

What conditions do seedlings need for good growth

What conditions do seedlings need for good growth

In order for tomato seedlings to grow well, they need to provide suitable conditions for growth. They also need good care.

Optimum temperature

After sowing, the container must be removed to a warm place (from 23 to 26 degrees). If it is at a temperature of 10-15 degrees, then the appearance of seedlings can be delayed for a long time.

As soon as the seedlings that have appeared form the first pair of true leaf plates, the air temperature at night is reduced to 16–18 degrees, while during the day it should be from 20 to 22 degrees. Thanks to this temperature regime, the seedlings will grow and develop well.

Substrate temperature is also important for the growth and development of seedlings. It should be warmed up to 20-25 degrees.

If the earth ball cools down to 14 degrees and below, then the growth of the plants will stop or stop altogether. If the substrate temperature is above 25 degrees, then the tomatoes will grow much faster, but this may adversely affect the future crop.

Read more in the article: How to illuminate tomato seedlings

Daylight hours

Daylight hours

Immediately after the seedlings appear, they need to provide additional lighting. The optimal length of daylight hours for tomato seedlings is from 12 to 15 hours. At the same time, all tomato seedlings must be illuminated, regardless of which window it grows on.

In the cold season, you need to turn on the lamps at about 6 o’clock in the morning, and turn them off at about 9 o’clock in the evening. On a sunny day at midday, the lamps can be turned off.

Due to insufficiently long daylight hours and poor lighting, the seedlings are stretched and become weakened.

Optimal humidity level

Tomato seedlings grow well at normal air humidity typical for living rooms. However, due to the intensive operation of heating devices, the air becomes very dry, therefore, in the cold season, it is recommended to systematically spray the plant from a spray bottle or you can use an air humidifier.

If there is excessively high humidity in a warm room, this can cause the development of fungal diseases. In this case, ventilation should be carried out systematically.

Correct watering

Correct watering

While the seedlings are very small, they need to be watered in a timely manner, while trying to keep the soil mixture in the container a little moist all the time. In no case do not allow the earthen coma to dry out, as this may cause the tomatoes to die.

The grown seedlings are watered less frequently, while trying to wet the substrate to the full depth, but do not allow moisture to stagnate in the root system.

Watering is recommended in the early morning. But in the evening it is not worth moistening the soil, since at night the air temperature can drop significantly, which will lead to problems with seedlings.

Availability of essential nutrients

For growing seedlings, a light, loose soil mixture of a neutral reaction should be used, which passes water and air well, and is saturated with nutrients.

Young tomatoes need potassium and phosphorus the most. However, feeding should be moderate. If the plant is overfed, then they will begin to grow rapidly, and this may adversely affect future yields.

Read more in the article: How to feed tomato seedlings for growth at home

Seedlings are sick and growing poorly, what to do – video

As soon as you discover the reason why the growth of tomato seedlings has deteriorated, you must try to eliminate it. Only in this case you will be able not only to save the plant, but also to grow good and strong seedlings.

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Anna Evans

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