I can't really help you with the transition from hydro to soil. I've never been able to make it work, make the plants survive the transition, even with much smaller/younger plants than these in your photo. So the folks on the Hydro forum might help best with that aspect.

But they are very leggy plants due to insufficient light. If i were going to plant them into the garden then all that leggy stem would be buried, right up to the top leaf clusters. It is called trenching them in. Roots will then develop all along the buried stem and result in a much stronger circulatory system then they have now.Plus it appears you have multiple plants in each cell? That also contributed to making them leggy.

dave

Yes, the instructions recommended two seeds per pod and they all sprouted, and I couldn't bring myself to kill the extra ones. Probably a very bad decision.

I know that can be difficult but look at it this way. You still have to sacrifice one of each of them as the odds of untangling their roots now without harming both is slim. Meanwhile by leaving both they have had to compete with each other all this time and somewhat damage both in the process.

What you might do if you want more plants is root cuttings from the sacrificial one. Many posts here about how to root cuttings.

Good luck getting them to make the transition to soil. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you and then you can tell me how you did it. :)

Dave

Ok, day one. Removed seedlings from Aerogarden. Pruned one each from the six that had two in the grow pod. Pruned some leaves and stems. Transplanted to peat pots filled with damp potting soil. Set out in the sun to harden off for a few hours. I have a bad feeling about this, but should know how it worked in a day or two. Should have done this a couple of weeks ago. Also think I started the seeds too early. Headed to Walmart for Superthrive.

On second thought, very hot so we put the tomato plants in the shade. I am such a complete newbie at this. Usually buy my tomato plants from a local grower, but got some Garden Gem and Garden Treasure seeds from University of Florida so wanted to try them.

Day 11. Amazingly, most of them have made it so far. Well, all of them, but one looks puny. Little leaves are sprouting on the poor lopped stems. We've been taking them out in the morning and bringing them back in the evening, except when it's chilly. They rest on a table by a sunny window when they are inside. When they were transplanted, I first watered potting soil with the Aerogarden nutrient solution, since then been watering with a Superthrive solution. Not a testiment to my gardening chops, which are very rudimentary, but the amazing persistence of life to go on living. This weekend should I start leaving them out 24 hours a day to finish hardening off in the pots or go ahead and transplant them?

I suggest you stop using the Superthrive and any fertilizer, then transplant as deep as possible as soon as you can. This is assuming you live where it is safe to plant outdoors now (after last frost date). They need a lot more sun and root room. Follow Dave's advice. If you can get new roots to grow along the buried stem, there may be hope that they will survive.

The peat pots can cause major problems for tiny seedlings and are way too small for plants the size of yours. They are not recommended at any time by most experienced growers.

Total plant mass for 33 days looks really good actually. They're tall because they're crowded. A single plant would be a bush about that size too. But it's fine because trench planting tomatoes is a beneficial thing anyway.

Well, although I messed up big time to begin with, half the Garden Treasures made it, and the Cherokee Purple, too. By the time I planted them, everybody had aphids, which I washed off with soapy water and squished with my fingers, then sprayed with a pyrethrin/sulphur combo. I bought more plants from DeBaggio, an excellent local grower, and those look much better but the Aerogarden ones are catching up. The reason I am using the Aerogarden is for the LEDs, when I've used grow lights in the past the cats lie on top of the pots in the warm light. I waited to see if it would work, now will try Garden Gem and Amy's Apricot. Yes, it's rather late, but they should be big enough to start hardening off in two weeks, believe it or not. And then will grow basil, which seems to be ideal for an Aerogarden. Next year, will find an LED system for plants in pots. Maybe protect the plants by sticking plastic forks into the dirt tines up, that should discourage cats.

Thanks for the information. I, too, have to admit I wasn't expecting them to survive. A testament to the resilience of tomato plants. I think I could have saved more of them if I had been able to plant them out but it was so cold I figured that would not be a good idea. The bottom leaves are sort of mottled and I am thinking it's because there is still not enough root for all the leaves. At the same time, there needs to be enough leaf for the root. Think I will prune off the mottled leaves tomorrow, there is now a lot of healthy leaves, and even some flowers.

Hi ilaine,

I have an aerogarden myself. I find that the reservoir is just too small to handle anything more than herbs (effectively), or 2 dwarfs planted at opposite ended pods. If pruning heavily and working with very small varieties you'll get away with it, but it is definitely a challenge. As Dave and others have said, it's not advantageous to start a seedling (or clone) in a hydroponic environment and then transition to a solid matrix (soil, soilless etc). While it is very possible as you now see, and I have myself, it just provides added stress, slowed growth/recovery and an increased risk of transplant shock while the roots try to adjust to their new environment. If you don't want to purchase an extra light you could always stop using the aerogarden in late winter/early spring and just lay a flat on top of the reservoir to use the light and timer..

Mike, that (putting a flat on top to use the lights) is a WONDERFUL idea! Brilliant! Re: herbs. After googling about and reading comments on Amazon, etc., it seems like herbs are the way to go, especially basil. I just bought an international basil pack and will plant tomorrow. I also got a three pod Aerogarden Sprout for my office and am planting cascading petunias today. Comments are that the pods don't always sprout but I got a seven pack of pods. Seems like the only negative comments are that pods don't always sprout, and sometimes the lights are defective, but otherwise it's fun and easy to use. This fall I will try cherry tomatoes, as you suggest, just two dwarf plant planted at the opposite ends. Comments say the yellow is better than the red.

I've grown herbs in one in my office. My favorite is to grow an assortment of basils. It works well for me, and it's lots of fun. It makes up for not having a window.

ilaine, I also have an Aerogarden. Like you, I really hate to kill off a plant just because both seeds grew, so when I started my tomatoes (using the seeds that they had pre-seeded into the pots), I realized fairly early on that what appeared to be 4 tomato plants would not do well in a garden where they only intended that two be planted, based on the instructions. (My Aerogarden has openings for six pods, but the instructions said, if planting tomatoes, to plant no more than two, preferably in the back on either side.) Anyway, I also waited too long to try to remove one pod. (The heirloom cherry tomato plants that came with the kit are obviously dwarf varieties, and the foliage is so dense that I really can't tell very well whether there were one or two plants in each pod, but I believe both seeds in each pod germinated.) By the time I decided to remove one pod, it would have been impossible to pull them out of the pod because the roots were crazy long and bountiful and were firmly entangled. So, I cut the plastic pod off and gave up trying to separate them. I just planted it/them in a peat pot in potting mix and transitioned it/them to the greenhouse to harden off. (I also started mine too early.) It finally went into a large enough pot to grow in about two weeks ago.

It has been an interesting experiment in that the pod that remained in the Aerogarden has flourished, and I have harvested tomatoes 3 times already (about 15 or 20 cherry tomatoes). The plant is very healthy, but, sadly, the tomatoes have little flavor. (I am using the nutrient as directed in the instructions, replenishing it and changing out the water every two weeks.)

The one that was repotted in potting mix and compost is doing just fine. It has one tomato on it currently ripening, so it's progress, at least in terms of harvest, has been much slower. I am eager to find out if there is a taste difference between the tomatoes grown strictly hydroponically and the same plant variety grown in "soil".

I have since purchased the seed-starting kit for my Aerogarden. I have learned that I will need to be prepared to transplant them much sooner than I did this time, my first time using an Aerogarden. That probably means starting them a bit later. I have also learned that the standard pods, even the ones that don't come pre-filled with peat and seeds, are really meant to stay in the Aerogarden. It is not easy to get them out of there without damaging the roots. A guy at a shop that also sells hydroponic supplies tells me that plants grown hydroponically develop a different root structure than those grown in "soil". They don't tend to develop the shorter, finer roots, which may explain why my transplanted tomato is lagging so far behind its hydroponic sister plant(s). I'm just glad that it didn't die during the transplant process.