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katy_bug_gw

stunted WS tomatoes?

KH 888
11 years ago

I WS'ed some tomatoes and they sprouted well over a month ago and just aren't putting out any secondary leaves. The tops are off because our temps are routinely in the 80s during the day and been in the 40 - 50s at night. Is this normal? I don't have much experience with WSing 'maters.

Comments (5)

  • docmom_gw
    11 years ago

    Even though the tops aren't growing, the root system is developing. Once the night-time temps stay in the 60s or higher, the tops will explode. Also, are your sprouts in containers deep enough to allow the roots to spread? Give it time. Once those babies are planted out in the sun, they'll take right off.

    Martha

  • growsy
    11 years ago

    mine didn't like sticking around in the seed starting mix I sowed them in. I had a big batch of Yellow Pear (I sowed a lot because I had old seed that I didn't think would sprout well - ha!) They had to hang out in there a while because I wasn't ready to deal with them & had other things to do. Finally I put them in some old flats & it took a little while but they've perked up a lot. I used a mix of cheap stuff - garden soil (my dh got by accident) & potting mix & seed starting mix because the other two were pretty heavy. We've had a lot of rain, so I've had to be careful to empty the trays that don't drain, but once in a while when they were dry I gave them a little bit of plant food (Schultz) in their water. Those were the tomatoes that were the most stressed before re-potting, & the others that weren't as stressed are about as big on top now as their solo cups below! So, if I were you, I'd move them along - either to their permanent spot or to solo cups - or whatever you have handy.

    Hope it works out for you! Good luck!

  • ladyrose65
    11 years ago

    They will start off slow, but once they get going, you are going to say "When can I stop pruning"? You might want to find out if you have a determinant or indeterminant variety? Some are slow growers.

  • KH 888
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I went ahead and potted them up. Roots look good but I am beginning to think that this is related to the fungus gnat infestation that I just realized that I had. Ugh.

  • caryltoo Z7/SE PA
    11 years ago

    I keep seeing references to fungus gnats, but I'm not sure what they are. Can you see them hovering around the plants?

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