Purple Stems/Leaves - When to Fert

[TexasTomat0]

Originally Posted by mobiledynamics

I started all my seeds about 3 weeks ago or so . Everything germinated - leaves were green upon initial germination. I've since repotted all of the into their own plugs last Thursday. They have been under lights since day one so none are leggy. Some of them are on their 3rd set of true leaves. However, they are all not green like it when when it sprouted and it it's all purple....



They are in a soil-less, no fert mix (Promix).

I've got some seed starting fertz somewhere in my stash - 12-48-8 .

Is it too early to give these purple *tater plants* a drink of fertz yet.

They literally were just transplanted into plug packs 3 days ago.

Small signs of translant shock as I spy some small leaves that wilted.



I dunno how good or bad all these 'mato plants are all purple.



I've got probably another solid 4 weeks-5 weeks til they go outside.

You’re saying your growing POTATOES *tater plats*? If so some are just purple stemmed.


Pictures would be a big help


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bower]

When leaves and stems are purple, it means short of phosphorus, whatever the cause is. Cold is the most common cause - I was really surprised to see how purple my seedlings in one window were compared to the other, which looks onto the greenhouse. Probably a few degrees difference no more, but the difference in the plants is very clear. I shuffled them around today so they all get the desirable cold - those ones are also the sturdiest and tallest of the lot.
Besides cold there could be other causes for low phosphorus/low uptake. pH is another one. LED spectrum seems to be a possible cause. And of course a lack in the potting mix.
I watered my LED-traumatized seedlings with dilute fish fert, it certainly did them no harm. Liquid ferts of either kind may be easier to handle if there's another cause preventing uptake.

I also agree there's a genetic component, some varieties don't purple nearly as easily as others, meaning they are able to take up phosphorus even in colder soils.

[mobiledynamics]

Well the plants got their 1st drink of fertz today. Need to pay more mind of the soil mix. 2 day ago, I felt it could probably go until Sunday for a drink. Today, it was dry enough . Ahh...the nature of peat...

[bower]

You said it! I'm working with a mix of compost, perlite and peat. I added a LOT more compost this time trying to get it right. Starting to think a tiny pinch of peat is all you really need. Can't get it to normalize between the Sahara and a northern bog.

[mobiledynamics]

I use soil-less Promix. Anyone here does flowers/trees/shrubs? Peat is the bane of all evil. If I buy/plant a potted shrub anything larger than 1G, I try to get rid of as much of the peat pot medium within reason without killing all the roots.

When peat drys, it takes forever to get back so it absorbs. It causes different effects of water absorption rates for roots to settle into their ~native soil planting~

Case in point. Planted a tree, got rid of as much medium within reason.
2 Years in ground, plant some annuals flowers around the tree. When I removed my shovel, DRY pieces of wood bark came out. Surely, I would have expected after 2 years, the potting medium would have decomposed to a point

[bower]

I bought a bale of peat the year before last, that was so dry and impossible to work with, last year I bought a scoop of locally sourced peat that had never been through the drying and baling process. Even in spite of that, still having trouble with too much peat in my potting mix.
It's a good thing the trees/shrubs etc that I've planted were mostly bare root, as I'm sure what you're saying is true.

[mobiledynamics]

To bring this thread full circle, as long as leaves are not wilting, and it continues to remain purp. even after fertz, I should be okay till outdoor transplant ?

Too early to tell as I gave it a fertz. drink today - 12-48-8 and I might have even diluted that ratio ---

Just got home. No real change...
I keep on hearing blurbs about the LED and tomatoes ? Is there a conclusive definitive consensus.
Same lights on my annual flowerbeds seeds - leaves are nice green

[bower]

I don't worry about a bit of purple on stem or underside of leaves, as long as the plants look healthy otherwise. (The leaves tend to get better ie they unpurple, but stems stay a bit purple usually).

You'll find some pics and discussion if you cruise through this recent thread about various LEDs including simple shoplights, and tomatoes vs other things.
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=46760

[mobiledynamics]

Thanks for the link Bower. I'm running with LEDS that have a ~array of colors~, blue, red, white, purple, ir, uv....

It's hard to explain my concern as the 1st 10 days when I setup the lights, I would literally need to turn them off before entering the room as it would cause me to be dizzy and nauseous. In retrospect, I think it's color/brain/color distortion as around 2 weeks later, my eyes were semi comfortable in the lights. Still makes my head a bit dizzy if I happen to catch overspray of the light. If I check the plants, I generally DIM down all the settings so the color is more neutral white/blue.

Anyhow, this sensation I speak of (while plants don't have eyes or a brain), that is what I'm not sure of re plant health. While they are not wilting are are nice and perky, I'm not sure if the LED lights are causing ~issues~ not yet brought up since these LEDS seem fairly new on the horticultural consumer-base

[bower]

I must admit the colors bother me a bit - at least I don't find the pictures of them at all soothing like the way I feel when I look at a row of lovely green plants under a light.

TinyTim has experience with the multi-spectrum LED's too, and asmx91 is using them:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=46739
He says they work well with daylight.
Your light sounds like it has everything though, the whole spectrum.

[mobiledynamics]

I hope all of ya'll are right and once it goes outdoors, it should green right back up.

I would hate to be nurturing it for 6/7/8 weeks under lights, watering, feeding it only to have a bad bumper crop this year.

[Goodloe]

From a friend in FL (mid-Gulf Coast)...sandy soil.29598240_10156224455994110_2760034876376343215_n.jpg

Jon

[mobiledynamics]

Sandy soil = fast drain . Yellow for me is usually both sides of the coin - it wants water or there is too much

[zipcode]

Originally Posted by Goodloe

From a friend in FL (mid-Gulf Coast)...sandy soil.Attachment 80016

Jon

If all new growth looks like that it's most likely iron/manganese deficiency. Probably the soil is high pH, so add some chelated fe/mn or better, spray it to make sure it works. It's getting quite advanced so if you spray now they might recover still (recovery should be quick, a few days). I've also seen something similar looking having something to do with some types of herbicide but I don't have experience with that myself.
I would test the soil for at least pH to make sure.

[mobiledynamics]

Heh Maybe it more leaves but soil seems to be drying out faster now. Gave me a chance to take a pic. Leaves look better after a drink with fertz. STILL purple underneath though.

I Could JUST KILL myself. I was holding a tray and DROPPED it. I had a mix of plum, green tie dye, cherokee and large barred. It was all mixed up on the floor.

Scrapped it and ended up regerminating tonight.