Quote:
Originally Posted by murihikukid
Hi..I have no Time release ferts in my seedlings..only sphagnum moss/Perlite and vermiculite ...I have mist sprayed with a weak solution of Miracle gro (I thought that may give them some Trace Elements??)....The photo I posted is not representative of all my seedlings because there was a couple of seedlings that just would not stand up in my mix so I carefully put some other seed raising mix on the top round the stem to hold them upright...I cannot recall now but having scraped most of my initial seedlings off the floor and then later sifting through the mix to "recover" them and repotting its quite possible that is why I had to prop a couple up...
I am waiting for the opportune time to get most in my so called growth chamber which as i understand will "harden off" my seedlings and make them into super plants??......
My present plan is to make up a mix of Tomato soil in a container and test its ph and add dolomite lime if required ...then I fill the new pots and make the indentation in the soil so the Peat Jiffy cup can be just dropped in ...I will sprinkle Mycorrhizae in the indentation and I thought of some light calmag also.....and spray some Miracle grow at say 1/2 strength for moisture and just drop the jiffy cup in....i have read that the soil level should actually fully envelop the jiffy cup so that may require some careful work ....
The repotted seedlings will be sitting on a capillary cloth drawing water from a tray while enclosed in the chamber ...So I think I have everything covered...I have no way of seeing my plants within the chamber once the lid is lowered ...So I will check them every couple of days by raising the lid and could mist spray the top of the soil in each with Miracle Gro..
Because this is all unknown to me I just have to work out a daily time table for all the lights to be on
Plus The Fans ..I wonder if they can be on with the lights ....I presume the seedlings do not need air flow when they are sleeping? Or do they..
As usual I am always grateful for comments ....Thanks Ron
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I was trying to stay out of this. I'm going to sound a bit negative, bu it is not personal, Ron, you are making it hard on yourself to grow tomatoes.
Seeds generally WANT to grow, that is the whole purpose of a seed. So, for tomato seeds, give them the right conditions, a LITTLE food and a LITTLE water with the right temps and plenty of air exchange, you'll get sturdy tomato seedlings and then plants.
Closing them up in a tight container with moisture seems to be a recipe for damping off and for sick or dead seedlings. Why such extremes? All this building things to start the seeds.
A shelf rack, with lights close to the seedlings, good drainage and letting them dry some between waterings, some heat early on for sprouting, and bang, you will have seedlings that should be healthy. Not complicated.
I am not getting it as to why all the making it more complicated on yourself? You've spent a lot of money the last 2 years to get very few tomatoes to eat.
Not that everyone doesn't make mistakes, but the more you choose to complicate any process, the more chances there are for failure or less than desired outcomes.
Look at the other threads on here, on how many others start the tomato seeds and grow their plants; there are many ways, but there are common things we all do pretty much. Read those threads, learn from things that did not work for you, for instance crowding too many plants in your greenhouse last year and disease taking over - and keep it simple.