This week, I've finally gotten around to "potting up" my tomato seedlings. This is the part where they move out of the little 6 cell pack into their own peat pot, that they will live in until it's time to plant them outside.
As I explained in this post, tomatoes are pretty easy to grow, especially if you follow some tips to give your seedlings the best start possible.
The most useful info you'll ever need to know about tomatoes is that they will grow roots wherever their stems touch soil. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and their roots grow deep, looking for water. A strong root structure is vital to any seedling, but few can sprout root along the stem like a tomato.
So, what's my method for potting up a tomato? Glad you asked! Here's some photos to help you!
First, take your very best seedlings. I'm looking for the most "true" leaves, strongest stems and a good root system started.
As I explained in this post, tomatoes are pretty easy to grow, especially if you follow some tips to give your seedlings the best start possible.
The most useful info you'll ever need to know about tomatoes is that they will grow roots wherever their stems touch soil. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, and their roots grow deep, looking for water. A strong root structure is vital to any seedling, but few can sprout root along the stem like a tomato.
So, what's my method for potting up a tomato? Glad you asked! Here's some photos to help you!
First, take your very best seedlings. I'm looking for the most "true" leaves, strongest stems and a good root system started.
The next thing I do is remove the cotyledons. These are the leaves that sprout first, and they support the life of the seedling in the beginning. At this point, I'm potting seedlings with a few sets of true leaves, and I'm burying the seedling with soil, so it'll develop more roots. The cotyledons are just taking energy away from the roots that it could be putting into growth for the actual plant. I pinch them with my fingers, and collect them in a cup for my rabbits.
Now it's time to get the roots in soil! Since we now know that tomatoes will develop roots wherever the stem touches soil, I will put the seedling in the peat pot at an angle. The stems will bend to a point, so don't stress about bending the seedling just a little. Then, I cover the steam up to the leaves with soil.
The last two things I do is sprinkled a few capsules of time-released, slow fertilzer. I currently am using Bonnie Plants Pro-Formance Time Release Fertilizer, with a 19-7-10 NPK ratio. Since the seedlings are pretty new, I will add just a few; the tomatoes will get fish fertilizer when they head to field.
Finally, water your seedlings well. Mine went back under our shop lights by our southwest facing wall. They'll get a lot stronger and put on many more leaves before they are ready to harden off and go to the field. That'll be my next chat on tomatoes, in a couple months! Come back then to follow along with us as our tomatoes grow!
Til Next Time,
Katie
Finally, water your seedlings well. Mine went back under our shop lights by our southwest facing wall. They'll get a lot stronger and put on many more leaves before they are ready to harden off and go to the field. That'll be my next chat on tomatoes, in a couple months! Come back then to follow along with us as our tomatoes grow!
Til Next Time,
Katie