Tomato seedlings problems

[JustJuju]

I live in Northern Illinois grow region 5. This is my third year planting tomatoes. Last year I set up grow lights/shelves indoors but didn’t get started until the last week of April. This caused all my flowers and vegetables to not even get outdoors until mid-July, so I had a short season. However most seedlings did awesome indoors and my tomatoes were robust, so much so I gave plants away to neighbors because they were too beautiful to throw away and I only had so much room.

This year I started the beginning of March. Same homemade starter soil as last year :equal parts of vermiculite, perlite, and sphagnum peat moss. Same indoor temperatures (70-72°) and same humidity. Same grow lights. I also started in the same pots (6-cell 2.5” square 3” deep.) I water from the bottom, which I learned to do last year after much frustration.

This year though right off the bat my tomatoes became leggy and whenever new leaves grew from the top any leaves beneath it died and fell off. I finally repotted all of them into separate pots up to their leaves. My pictures show the first repotting and the second. I am stumped because they are doing the same thing. The plants in the picture are two months of growth. Last year they would have been so full and leafed out. I replanted new seeds two weeks ago in smaller pots again to have backups, but I’ll be darned if they aren’t doing the exact same thing.

I gave them Jack’s tomato feed for the past three watering being sure to not overdose. I stopped bottom watering when I transplanted and switched back to top watering and use a gauge to check when almost dry before watering next, in case they were getting too much water initially.

Why is this happening when I have followed all the advice to prevent or treat leggy seedlings? Will I be able to save them? Why when repotted do they not root out properly to make full plants and instead keep losing all leaves beneath the top ones?

Fyi all my other plants are flourishing in same conditions. Pepper plants started to really fluff out after repotting. All flowers are getting full.

 

[JustJuju]

I was transplanting them again today and the ones that just looked ridiculous I pulled up to see the roots and they had like one root each.

This is what went wrong, but why didn’t my roots grow??

 

[redback]

Welcome to the forum.
That soil mix is light on soil. I know you say it worked last year but the roots say there isn't enough microbial activity and a lack of nutrition generally.
I would try a liquid organic feed to one plant - and transplanting into a pot of rich organic potting mix on another plant.
Give it a week and if it improves the look of the plants do it to all of them. I can't explain why the other types of plants are doing fine.

 

[YumYum]

The grow lights aren't strong enough at that distance.

When you water from the bottom, are they sitting in water for a long time. If so, that is suffocating the roots and not allowing nutrients to be absorbed.

 

[JustJuju]

The grow lights aren't strong enough at that distance.

When you water from the bottom, are they sitting in water for a long time. If so, that is suffocating the roots and not allowing nutrients to be absorbed.

The first few weeks were like that then I realized that while my flowers were ok, tomatoes like to dry out a bit so I removed the water from the bottom tray and started to just water from top as needed. It was too heavy to lift up the trays they were in before to empty the water, so I chose to not bottom water anymore.

The lights are at brightest setting and they are pretty bright. My walls in kitchen are yellow and they jazzed with the photo, so it’s hard to tell how bright they are.they were certainly bright enough last year.

 

[JustJuju]

Welcome to the forum.
That soil mix is light on soil. I know you say it worked last year but the roots say there isn't enough microbial activity and a lack of nutrition generally.
I would try a liquid organic feed to one plant - and transplanting into a pot of rich organic potting mix on another plant.
Give it a week and if it improves the look of the plants do it to all of them. I can't explain why the other types of plants are doing fine.

This mix is what all the expert sites said to use to germinate seeds. They said the seed has everything it needs inside it. And last year showed they were right.

But I did wonder this year if I should start adding manure or compost to the mix too?

 

[redback]

Like you I have had so many good tomato seedlings that I have given them away to charities. I use quality organic potting mix with coir seed raising mix on top.
We are both experts in tomato seedlings. I say that mix (recommended by experts) is wrong. Good quality potting mix doesn't need vermiculite or perlite because its already free draining. It's up to you.

 

[DirtMechanic]

And what age was the seed?

 

[JustJuju]

And what age was the seed?

Brand new. Just ordered them from Harris Seeds. Packed for 2024

 

[DirtMechanic]

They have a 12 step program? LOL sorry that was a mean bad joke! But it is a list and I am curious if you could go down the list and expand on what you are doing relative to their bullet points? A lot of times it is just drainage issues because people think plants breathe dirt but those roots want the same air you breathe. Its the upper part that needs carbon dioxide.

12 Reasons Why Your Seeds Aren’t Germinating

Troubleshooting Seed Starting Problems and How To Fix Them Growing your own food and flowers can be very satisfying, but if you are struggling with getting your seeds to germinate, it can also be very frustrating. There are a few mistakes that first time gardeners, and even experienced...

www.harrisseeds.com

 

[JustJuju]

They have a 12 step program? LOL sorry that was a mean bad joke! But it is a list and I am curious if you could go down the list and expand on what you are doing relative to their bullet points? A lot of times it is just drainage issues because people think plants breathe dirt but those roots want the same air you breathe. Its the upper part that needs carbon dioxide.

12 Reasons Why Your Seeds Aren’t Germinating

Troubleshooting Seed Starting Problems and How To Fix Them Growing your own food and flowers can be very satisfying, but if you are struggling with getting your seeds to germinate, it can also be very frustrating. There are a few mistakes that first time gardeners, and even experienced...

www.harrisseeds.com

Yes I studied that last year when I first started to plant seeds indoors. It’s really about germination, and I’ve mastered that part. But thanks! I appreciate all the replies trying to help. I may just have to give up on the tomatoes this year. We will see what they do in the window, but they already are behind season due to the troubles.

I think I’ll mix in a good organic starter mix next year so there’s more than just the three things I used, like more actual soil or compost. Not sure why they didn’t need that last year, but possibly that’s what went wrong this year.

 

[YumYum]

Yes I studied that last year when I first started to plant seeds indoors. It’s really about germination, and I’ve mastered that part. But thanks! I appreciate all the replies trying to help. I may just have to give up on the tomatoes this year. We will see what they do in the window, but they already are behind season due to the troubles.

I think I’ll mix in a good organic starter mix next year so there’s more than just the three things I used, like more actual soil or compost. Not sure why they didn’t need that last year, but possibly that’s what went wrong this year.

You still have time to start tomatoes. I haven't started my "Fall" tomatoes yet. Good time to practice at minimum.

When you do, start them indoors with a light fan breeze for about 4-5 days then move them outside in the sun when the first one sprouts and forget the grow light. Don't need the grow light this time of year unless it happens to be overcast that week then they may get leggy on you.

Seed starting mixes won't have nutrients. If they contain some they don't amount to anything useful. You will have to add fertilizer about the time the true leaves form or transplant them into some sort of potting mix and go from there.

 

[redback]

I think I’ll mix in a good organic starter mix next year so there’s more than just the three things I used, like more actual soil or compost. Not sure why they didn’t need that last year, but possibly that’s what went wrong this year.

Do it this summer. If necessary, buy six tomato seedlings and put them into your prepared bed. The reason we grow toms is - the canned ones have too much salt and the ones from the grocer are tasteless.

 

[Tesla6518]

I live in the UK, when the first 2 leaves show, I put a small amount of Mycorrhizal Fungi next to the root, this increases the roots greatly, also when reporting I put a teaspoon of ground eggshells on the compost/soil before placing the plant. Gives better yield and stronger plants.

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[JustJuju]

I live in the UK, when the first 2 leaves show, I put a small amount of Mycorrhizal Fungi next to the root, this increases the roots greatly, also when reporting I put a teaspoon of ground eggshells on the compost/soil before placing the plant. Gives better yield and stronger plants.

​

Yes!! I’ve been grinding all our eggshells to a powder all winter to use when transplanting them! Can’t remember where I read it last year but collected a lot and am ready.