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Are these tomato seedlings worth saving?

7 years ago

I currently have some 4-5 week old Celebrity tomato seedlings growing indoors under a grow light. The temperature is a constant 70-72 degrees, and the soil is moist but not wet. Also, I fertilized with fish emulsion about a week ago.


The Sungold and Sweet 100 in the back are over double the size of the Celebrity (maybe because the Celebrity is determinate?), but the leaves are curled and some are drying up. I had a similar issue last year, and the plants did fine outside. I am not sure if this is the same condition, and if there is something truly wrong, is it worth it to save these plants?


(The new leaves look better, so maybe there is hope?)


Anyways, any input is greatly appreciated!


Comments (10)

  • 7 years ago

    I would just plant them out and hope for the best. Was the seedling soil properly sterilized? Were the leaves touching the light bulbs?

    containertime thanked daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
  • 7 years ago

    I used the Jiffy seed starting mix. I do not think it was sterilized, but my other plants are doing great. The leaves are not touching the bulbs too. Currently, like you, I am planning on planting them out and hoping they grow!

  • 7 years ago

    The new growth in the middle looks good, so it might survive. Seems the plants should be bigger at 4-5 weeks. I started seeds on 1/5, and my plants are over a foot tall. Trim the bad leaves and hope for the best. Be careful with fertilizer on seedlings. 1/4 strength.

    containertime thanked edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    My tomato seedlings are three weeks in, also at 70F, and a few inches high. Height of these seems about right. Maybe just a bit small. They grow a lot faster if it is warmer. Usually I try to hit 80F.

    My point about sterilized soil was that the soil might contain diseases that are more or less specific to tomatoes. Commercial soil mix is probably pretty sterile, however.

    containertime thanked daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
  • 7 years ago

    last year I used fish emulsion on my tomatoes all of them started to wither then at the bottom where the plant came out of the soil they completely dried out and died. I may have used too much but I will never use it on my tomatoes again

    containertime thanked tom jones
  • 7 years ago

    Just a thought. You could check the list of ingredients on the Jiffy seed starting mix. I recently read that coir can contain a lot of salt, which would be bad for seedlings. Usually it is flushed/buffered, but who knows? A couple of years ago I had major problems with my seedlings, and I eventually noticed salt crystals on the surface of the potting mix.

    containertime thanked Labradors
  • 7 years ago

    I am planning on planting them outside next week. Chance of frost is very low in North Texas now. I do not have spares, but it won't be a big deal if I do end of losing these plants. The Sungold and SS100 plants (which are growing fine in the same conditions) grow so fast, I can easily replace the sicky Celebrities later. Also, rhoder, I really like your idea of using boiling water for the seed starting mix. I will try that next time I start seeds!

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I think Celebrity is a popular one for sale at nurseries - in my area, at least. Usually one of the earliest to be offered for sale. You can probably easily get another plant if the other one tanks. Hope you have a good tomato season!

    eta: I learned the boiling water trick on this forum...

    containertime thanked User
  • 7 years ago

    Thank you for all the input and ideas everyone!