Sad Baby Tomato Plants

[Perry17]

I attempted to start my own tomatos from seed this year. I did it last year and they turned out great, I had then in a room upstairs and would put them on the roof to get sun everyday, then brought them back in. But then again I started them really late in the season, so it took forever to get tomatos. And only the small cherry tomatos produced.

The first time last year was kinda just to try it out. I thought I knew what I was doing this year, but now I'm not quite so sure.

I am from south ga, I started my seeds in January. In those containers that hold like 70 small compartments. Took about 2 weeks but they did sprout nicely. I moved them out during the day and in at night when it got cold. They did get a little spidery, I didn't use the humidity lid or my plant lamp. I didn't think I really needed them. Now realizing I was dumb not to.

Because they were spidery, I decided to repot them after a few weeks. They were a little to long for the container. I moved them all to regular sized foam cups, labeled, with holes in the bottom.

They looked good, but now they look really bleached. It has been warm so I have just kept them outside, and my work schedule has cause them to be a little abused lately. Still keep them watered though. Don't seem to be growing much either. And on a few, the leaves are twisted.

Question is, will they get over the sun burn bleaching? Assuming that is what's wrong. Or should I just chunk them and start over?

They have been in vegetable starter bagged soil, says it feeds them up to 3 months. The only thing I can think of is to get them out of the sun, maybe water them with some miracle grow, and hope for the best.

Or am I just wasting my time?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Windburn kills baby plants fast. Did you adjust them, beginning with twenty-minute increments every day? That's what my mother always did. If they're burnt, bring them in and let them recover before trying again. You'll probably lose a few. You could just restart, tomato seeds don't cost that much.

I'm in PA, so take my advice as possibly not applicable to your climate.

Good luck.

 

[Perry17]

Than you! It's mostly warm and humid this time of year. In January it was warm enough to start them outside, so I just left them out all day, unless we had a cold day. They all looked healthy up until a week or 2 ago. I'll bring them in and hope for the best, I really hope they can recover. I have plenty extra seeds, just the 2 months of time for them to grow sets me back some.

We have had a few high 80 temps these past few days, maybe it was just too hot? Had no idea about the wind!! They didn't get bleached bad until this past week, but it has been extremely windy this past week. Does that cause them to change color? I'll get pictures of them tomorrow.

Guess I should mention what types I have. I just picked a few different varieties from a few different online seed producers to compare.

I have some
Beefsteak - Sprouted Good
Roma - Spriuted Great
Large Red Cherry - Sp Good
Better Boy - Sp Great
Homestead - Sp Good
Maybe something else??

And for the others...
1. Wonder Bell Pepper - took a while but good number sprouted
2. Banana Pepper - same as bell pepper
3. Jalepeno - same
4. Eggplant - only been a week, but no germination yet

 

[sylviethecochin]

Living in North central PA, I have never actually encountered sunburnt tomato plants and I had to look it up. (I mean, obviously, it's possible, but windburn was the first thing that came to mind upon reading your description.)

So apparently the damage from each looks similar--and windburn definitely leads to bleached plants with twisted leaves. (I accidentally left mum's month-old plants outside for six hours once. Never again.) Using your description of the weather, I'd guess that you have a problem with both sunburn and windburn.

Hope that you're not set back too much!

 

[lazy gardener]

They could be wind burned, sun burned, shocked b/c of transplanting, or in need of a good dose of fertilizer. I use a very dilute Miracle Grow type of product @ 1/2 tsp/gal. and Epsom Salt @ 1 TBSP/gal. Both products can be mixed in the same gallon of water. I use this about every 2 weeks.

 

[member 373180]

X2 on the fertilizer. I also fertilize seedlings every 2 weeks, otherwise they just kinda stall.

 

[Perry17]

I'll try the fertilizer, they do seem like they are stalling. They were growing so well, but once they get a few inches, they just stop. Even the ones that aren't burnt.

Forgot to get pictures, I'll try again tomorrow.

 

[Perry17]

Yay! Great news! I did the epsom salt and vegetable miracle grow in the water, and moved them into the shade full time, to see if they would recover.

They look good! So here is a picture of them now. You can see the bleached pale yellow on the two "first leaves", but a few days after I fertilized them they started getting new growth that was green.

I'm thinking they will pull through after all! I went through and culled the ones with curled leaves, since I had plenty extras that looked better.

 

[Perry17]

i have a few that I never replanted in bigger cups. This is what they look like now.

Very leggy, about 4 inches tall. The repotted plants are the same height, but I covered them up to the leaves.