Gardeners - What in the world did I do wrong?

[Luv2Camp]

I need some expert help. I planted tomatoes by seed in March and kept them under grow lights. They looked strong and healthy until about a week before I planted them outside. All of a sudden they got limp-looking, and they just looked really wimpy, like they hadn't been watered. I planted them in Miracle Grow, kept them watered (but not too much!), and kept them under the grow lights. When they got big enough, I transplanted them into 3-4" pots. They even did great through that! Any idea what I did wrong? I planted the strongest looking outside on Monday, and only 2 out of 9 have survived. I'm so bummed!

 

[gina2000]

How cold have your nights been? Anything under 55 degrees really tortures plants.

Did you harden them off by placing them outdoors a few hours each day before planting them? They need to get used to the outside air....put them in direct sunlight and indirect sunlight rotating them every hour or so.

 

[hopemax]

Did you "harden" them? That means you take your plants outside for a couple hours each day, extending the length of time you leave them outside. After, a week or so, then they are ready to be planted. From what I've read, with my own gardening experimentations, you can't take from the nice warm inside and stick them in the ground. It's too much of a shock. You also need to "harden" plants that have been kept in a nursery greenhouse environment.

 

[overlyspoiled4sure]

I heard you can take a clay pot & place it upside down over newly planted tomato plants too. Leave the pot there for several days while the plant gets used to being in the ground. I used to do that & it worked well. Also works for other veggie plants.

 

[Luv2Camp]

Yup, I did harden them. They started looking "sad" before I even started hardening them. Could it be the pots were too small? Was it possible that I had them too close to the grow lights? Did I keep them in the pots too long? I'd like to figure out what I did wrong for next year!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am a little confused with your statement of watering them "not too much". Once they are transplanted they need to be watered well and then they should dry out. I think your container was too big and then perhaps your tomatoes fell prey to Wilt.

Secondly, did you put tiny plants into the 4" pots? How big were the tomatoes? The transplants should not have tons of soil below the root zone. You need to be able to water vigourously and the plant needs to dry out quickly. It is a delicate balance.

Thirdly, I think you skipped a step. Basically you have germination in a seed flat, then growth into a "plug", and then if you have time you can transplant into a larger container but have to be careful that it is not too large. Needs to be able to dry out quickly. Standing water in the soil invites disease.

I would suggest reading up on tomato plant diseases and select seeds that are more resistant to common tomato diseases, for next season.

And then learn how to harden off tomatoes for planting outdoors. I am not sure you went about it correctly. It may have been part of the problem with your wilt. Hard to say really without seeing the plants.

Anyway, that is my 2cents. Sorry about your plants.

 

[Colleen27]

March was probably a bit early to start them, and they may have depleted the nutrients in the soil before it was warm enough to set them out. Tomatoes are pretty heavy feeders and can deplete small amounts of soil quickly. I start mine around the end of March/beginning of April in half-pots of soil. Once they're taller than the edges of the cups, I add a spoonful of coffee grounds and fill the cups the rest of the way with potting soil. My full-sized tomato varieties are about 10" tall now and ready to put out, but right now the nights are still too cool for them. As Gina said, they really don't like temps under 55 or so, and here in SE Michigan we're still seeing 40s overnight on a pretty regular basis. There have been years I didn't plant the tomatoes outdoors until Memorial Day!