Oh, that excitement when you see the seeds sprouting and your seedlings popping out of the ground. The last thing a gardener wishes for is to grow seedlings that start off nicely but all of a sudden, they just stop growing! It is called stunting, the seedlings that stopped growing are called stunted seedlings. Yes, it happened to me too. I learned that I did not provide my seedlings with what they needed to grow.
Tomato seedlings need adequate bright light for 12-18 hours a day with adequate warmth between 65-85F. They also need moist soil and a good feed of nitrogen and phosphorus. When the tomato seedlings do not get adequate light, and warmth and are deficient in feed, they might grow leggy, stunted, or stop growing. The young plant does not have the energy to put out more leaves and grow. It took all the energy that the seed had to push through the seed shell, through the soil to reach the surface and grow a little. Now the energy needs to be supplied from the outside source, the light, warmth, and feed in order for the plant to grow healthy. Because tomato seedlings are living plants, they also need good oxygen flow and air circulation.
Do tomato seedlings need light?
Yes, tomato seedlings need light. And a lot of it. They need bright, light daily for at least 12-18 hours.
If using a grow light, ensure the daily dose of bright light. Hold the light close to the seedlings, about 5 inches away from the top of the leaves. The grow lights differ, and therefore each light might need adjustment in the distance to the seedlings. Hold the light close to the seedlings to provide adequate light but not as close as to burn the leaves of the seedlings. Some lights give more warmth the closer they are, and the seedlings might get burned by the grow light. Adjust the grow lights to be close enough to provide enough light but not burn the leaves of the seedlings.
I use Mars Hydro TS 1000 grow lights to provide my tomato seedlings adequite light. It is a bright, full spectrum grow lights. I am very happy with it and since I bought it, my seeldings look better than the ones offered in garden centers! I am very happy with it! As I write this artilce, it is too early to show my tomato seeldings becuase they are just popping out of teh ground. But just to show you how well my grow lights work, see the photo of a red cabbage i grew. The seeling is healthy with immence amount and strnght of root system! I was so amazed, the seeling was able to develop such a great root system in just 5 weeks since sowed! And check out those seedligns in the background, they have the same strong roots at the one I am holding. Since I got my Mars Hydro grow lights, I am just amazed how well my seedligns do! If you are looking for good grow lights with proven resuls I strongly recommend Mars Hydro TS-1000. Here is the link to the Mars Hydro TS-1000 that I use. Another great part is, the light comes wiht the strong cords to hang it easily right after they arrive, and they are dimmable! Yay!
A GOOD READ: What are some common seedling problems?
How many hours of light do tomato seedlings need per day?
Tomato seedlings need at least 12-18 hours of bright light daily. If they are light-deprived the seedlings will slow down their growth or might become leggy, and spindly. They might become leggy, spindly, and stretched, which is a sign that the seedlings need brighter light and more of it. They are leggy because they stretch for light sources.
What do leggy tomato seedlings look like?
Leggy tomato seedlings have skinny, thin, long stems with small leaves on top. The stems are very weak and will not be able to support the whole weight of the maturing and growing plant, including leaves and fruit. Leggy seedlings mean that the plant is stretching for more light. It is a light-deprived seedling.
Can leggy tomato seedlings be fixed?
Yes, leggy tomato seedlings can be fixed and helped. Fortunately, tomato is the plant that sends the roots out along the whole stem. Repot leggy tomato seedlings deeper in the pot and provide bright light for at least 12-18 hours daily. Move the tomato seedlings as close to the light source as possible, but not too close to burn it, about 3 inches away, further if the light gets too hot. The seedlings should bounce back. It is always easier to prevent the leggy seedlings rather than fix them. So always provide your new seedlings with adequate light. Not all seedlings can bounce back from being leggy.
A GOOD READ: How to start seeds and care for seedlings
Why are leggy seedlings bad?
Leggy seedlings have tall, weak, spindly thin stems that will not be able to carry and support the weight of the whole plant including leaves and fruit. The thicker, and stronger the stem the more weight it will be able to hold and carry the growing plant through the whole life cycle of the plant. The weak stem flops fall over and break, and the plant ultimately dies. The stronger the step the stronger the plant.
If I have any leggy seedlings, I would rather start over than save them. Not all leggy seedlings can be salvaged, it is better to start the sowing process over and this time with adequate light.
How to fertilize, and feed, tomato seedlings?
Some gardeners choose to start their seeds in sterile seed-starting mixes. Most of these seed-starting mixes do not contain any feed for the young plants. It often happens that the seedlings grown in sterile seed starting mixes are nutrition deprived and need good feed. Feed tomato seedings with nitrogen and phosphorus-rich liquid fertilizer when watering. Mix the correct ratio of the fertilizer to water following the instructions on the packaging. If in doubt, feed rather less than too much, as young seedlings are still very tender and might get burned.
Fox Farm, has a quality tomato fertilizer, with Nitrogen at 6%, and Phosphate at 4%. It is a 16-ounce bottle, that weighs a little over a pound, so it will last a very long time. It is a liquid concentrate with detailed information on the back of the bottle about how to use this fertilizer. Fox Farm liquid plant food, can be purchased here!
When to fertilize, and feed, tomato seedlings?
Feed tomato seedlings once the plant develops its second set of true leaves.
I do not like to use seed-starting mixes. I use a potting mix which usually has everything that the seed-starting mix has plus fertilizer and many other beneficial ingredients mixed in. Thus, I do not need to fertilize my seedlings while they are growing in the seed trays. It lessens my workload and ensures that my young seedlings are fed and grow strong.
This year to sow my seeds and especially my tomatoes I used Coast of Maine – Platinum Grower’s Mix, Super Soil, Stonington Blend, 1.5cf. I got 1.5 cubic feed large bag and was able to fill so far about 9 seed trays and repot about 7 of my amaryllises plants. I still have some left. So far my seedlings love it! I do not need to fertilizer my seedlings using this soil mix. The price is also grat for 1.5 cubic feet, compared to 8 quarts I paid about 10$ for the mix of less quialy bought at bix box store. With Coast of Maine – Platinum Grower’s Mix, I get large amount of soil to fill tens of seed trays and it is a great quilay mix including compost, lobster, kelp, fish bone meals, worm casting, slow release nitrogen, and mycorrhizae. It has no smell, it is very dark and so easy to work with! I am buying more of this for sure for all my seedlings when starting them in seed trays from now on. Coast of Maine-Platinum Grower’s Mix can be found here. I have included the links to the products so they can be easily found if you want to give them a try too!
I am a part of Amazon Affiliate program and get a comission from sales of the products I recommend which I put back into my garden! It helps to pay a portion for my gardening needs and supplies.
A GOOD READ: When and how to plant a seedling
Can a stunted tomato seedling be fixed?
Provide adequate bright light for 12-18 hours a day. Feed the stunted seedlings nitrogen and phosphorus-rich feed, and place the seedlings in a well-vented, and warm pace. If the seedlings do not bounce back within a week or two, toss them out. When planting stunted tomato seedlings, plant them very deep so the stem underground can produce more roots to support growth. Some stunted seedlings will recover, but some not.
Why did tomato seedlings stop growing after transplant?
The cause the tomato seedlings might stop growing after being transplanted is that the plant suffers from a disease, or insect infestation, or the tomato plant needs pruning or a good feed to boost the growth.
Inspect the tomato seedling and look for disease signs like yellowing leaves, browning leaves, or dark spots, which might be the signs of disease. Look also for signs of insect infestation such as spots or holes on leaves, or insects under leaves. Feed the seedling with good nitrogen and phosphorus-rich feed according to the instructions on the feed’s packaging. Do not overfeed. If this does not help, simply prune your seedling. Look for suckers, which are side shoots off the main stem, and cut them off.
Why does my tomato seedling stop growing with 2 leaves?
The tomato seedling stopped growing with only two leaves because it needs brighter light and more hours of it, it also might need to be watered more or lightly fed. Ensure the seedlings receive direct bright light for at least 12 hours, up to 18 hours is best. Ensure the soil the seedling grows in is moist, but not overwatered. Provide the seedlings with warmth. Tomato is a warm-season crop and likes warm temperatures between 65-85F. Also, ensure the seedlings are in a room with good air circulation.
Why are my tomato seedlings shriveling up?
Tomato seedlings might shrivel up when they lack water, but also when they have too much water. Ensure the tomato seedlings are watered but not sitting in wet soil or in water. Check the bottom of the seed tray and ensure there is no water in it for the seedling to sit in. Water your seedlings once a day, and never let the soil dry out. The leaves might also shrivel because the heat of the light might be too much for them. The leaves shriveling up is a sign of seedlings protecting themselves from something that is harming it. If the grow light or the sun is too hot the seedling will turn the leaves inwards. Ensure the light the seedling receives is adequate but not too hot. Pull the light further from the seedling, or cover it with a shade cloth during the hot summer days. Leaves of any plant will curl up in the presence of the herbicide. Some soil, or compost might have herbicide in it. Ensure the soil and compost or feed do not contain herbicides.
