Slowing up tomato seedlings

16 years ago

I have a flat of 18 tomato seedlings that's growing faster than expected - not sure why, but something must have been just perfect for them. I'm worried they might start to set buds before I'm ready to set them out in the garden (in early May), and would appreciate any tricks or methods for slowing up their growth a bit. I'm planning on moving them to individual pots and then out to a spot with constant 50's temps. We are also past our last frost date (I think), so I'm wondering about hardening them off for a couple weeks and setting out 2-3 weeks earlier than normal. In worst case, they'd encounter 40F nights and 50F days through Memorial day. I've also got cloches to put over them if that would help. I'm also game to keep potting them up, but understand it's a bad idea to set out tomatoes once they get flowers on them. (Is this true?)

I've started another flat so it's no big loss if this doesn't work, but I'm now curious about what can be done to ensure plants are at their very optimum stage when being set out in the garden.

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Comments (3)

mulio
16 years ago
First its not the ideal situation to set out plants with flowers but its not the end of the world either. It just sets them back a week or so unless the rootball is big enough.

You could "pot up" your plants into larger containers (1 gal pots) so that the roots will be larger when you do set them out even if their are flowers at that time. This can actually speed up production.

Otherwise do as you have done and give them cooler temps. Cut back on the watering too - this is tricky. Only give enough to maintain them. It may also become necessary to fertilize. It would be best to cut back on fert but, if you have to, go with weak solutions.

You could also control the light some by covering them with something that blocks out light earlier in the evening - this is tricky and probably isnt the best solution for most. I wouldnt use a shade cloth all day because too little light will make them stretch and leggy. But if you can control the total amount of time they get light in a day that will slow them down a little.
suddensam
16 years ago
I would simply step them up,constant 50's stepped up wont hurt them, it sounds like your about to set them outside anyway.
Plant em if you got em.
Sam
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digit
16 years ago
Josko, I have something of the same problem. I suppose that I should have, once again, set up lights in the greenhouse but it always becomes a compromise - which plants get the supplemental light, and which don't.

The problem here is about 3 weeks of storms. The greenhouse is also crowded, so they are shading each other quite a bit. What looked like an early spring back in February is turning out to be a lingering winter . . .

Less sunlight/better go for lower temperatures - I'll have trouble potting up to a larger size. I may have no choice but that option. I'd go for a 3.5" square pot from the 4-packs they are in. This would be a good thing, just not the course I'd prefer to take.

From 48 plants in a flat, I'd then have 18/flat. 3 flats would turn into 8, and I've got more than 3 flats . . . It will take a couple of weeks for them to recover and benefit from the larger container. If you count backwards from your usual plant-out date and have say, 3 weeks - you may want to take this route.

I try to remove the flowers of any quick-maturing varieties that get ahead of me before/when I can set them out.

. . . just my 2Â¢.

digitSteve