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New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.

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Old March 31, 2018   #1
pjhootch
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Default Over watered

Well I blew it. Hopefully not irreversable yet. I should know more tomorrow. I had to leave for a week with two week old seedlings in the basement. I thought it would be fine since the lights are on a timer and i had not started a fan yet. Nope. My daughter gave them too much water and they must have been standing in water in the trays for a couple of days. I pulled the cell packs out of the trays and turned a fan on. I turned the furnace up a couple of degrees to try and warm the room a little more. I lost a few leaves on a couple of plants and just pitched those.
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Old March 31, 2018   #2
loulac
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With two week old seedlings we are still in a delicate period. If the mix has the right proportion of peat it will absorb water by capillarity, pouring a ¼ inch of water at the bottom of the flat will send water to the roots. Then waiting till the surface of the pot is dry before resuming the operation is usually safe. Later on things will become simpler, plenty of roots will get out of the pot / flat and thrive in a nearly constant bath, the plant will be OK as long as the upper part is reasonably damp and allows air to reach the roots.
I suggest you keep your seedlings in a warm place with plenty of light to have water evaporate quickly. Some roots may die while others can recover. Keep us informed !
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Old March 31, 2018   #3
greenthumbomaha
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If you have a cookie cooling rack or similar open grated surface, place the cell packs on top so they can dry from the bottom too.

- Lisa
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Old March 31, 2018   #4
sjamesNorway
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Norwegian seed starting mix retains too much water, even with some added Perlite. Last year I bottom watered, then placed the flats on 4 sheet thick paper towels, which suck up the excess. I've since learned to add a lot more Perlite to the mix.

Steve

ps: You can dry the paper towels, and use them again.
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Old March 31, 2018   #5
mobiledynamics
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SJ. I always a sprinkle of extra coarse perlite, even when the mixes come with nice perlite in it already.
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Old March 31, 2018   #6
sjamesNorway
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mobiledynamics View Post
SJ. I always a sprinkle of extra coarse perlite, even when the mixes come with nice perlite in it already.
With the seed starting mix I can get here, there's no Perlite, and I can't sprinkle. I think my final mix is now 20% horticultural Perlite.

Steve
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Old March 31, 2018   #7
mobiledynamics
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Heh, when I say sprinkle, it's like cooking, a little bit of this and a bit of that.

I have a mainly a bark mix for my tomatoe containers. Usually get 3-4 years out of them. I tend to add a splash of bark and perlite every year as it settles and break down. Just wish super coarse was a smigen more cheaper where I am .
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Old March 31, 2018   #8
pjhootch
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This morning things are looking up. I only have two trays this year so about 140 seedlings. The baking rack idea is great, thank you. My starting mix is okay, the little things were sitting in standing water. My daughter apparently was afraid they would get too dry. It was time for a fan anyway. I lost a few cotyledon leaves much earlier than is normal, but I did not lose any true leaves on tomatoes. The cilantro is unhappy but that is easy to reseed. I think the tomatoes are going to be fine. It is time to pot up out of the cells now too, so once I make sure the plants are not as stressd I will start repotting.

It is still miserably cool here for spring and freezing hard at night. I sure hope I can get these outside on a decent schedule this year.
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