Tomato Seedling Issues

[Manny]

Hi, I am growing tomatoes indoors and using a humidity dome with a grow light bulb. Grow light is about 10 inches away from the bottom of the dome. I have noticed it like falling sideways and leaves starting to curl.

I took some pictures to see what you guys think. I noticed the tips curling upwards.

Not sure if it's too much water or not enough light.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Your soil looks like it's absolutely soaked, so I would worry about rootrot causing issues. But other than that, I'm not sure, @daveb ?

 

[daveb]

actually combination of both, soil is way too wet and humidity too high as result. The grow bulb that style really is not as efficient as they like you to believe.

so first take the film off the top of the tray let the soil dry you should see the top surface dry between watering. a taller dome or covers need vents so air flow can be adjusted humidity. A RH % ( relative humidity ) at max for a mature plant would only be in 80% range day time and 60 to 70 % night when cooler under ideal conditions at fruit bearing , for seedlings i like to stay in 60 and no higher then 75% RH.

My seed area i watch my covers, during day the top of soil slightly damp to touch not soaked, no moisture on inside of lid, at as night temperatures drop a slight moisture film on inside surface of cover. Moist soil is more then enough to germinate a seed. even i have had a few issues this spring i had a timer malfunction in my hydroponics and it was over watering the young seedlings plus i was experimenting with a new blend of nutrient.

Tomato and many seed do not need a light to germinate only once they break the soil and if you are only starting a couple plants that light may fill the need but do not expect much past first of second set of true leaf, 10 inches for the out put is too high that is an LED blue/red what you will hear some refer to as a Plurple most manufacturers inflate just what it puts out for light. Advantage the full spectrum is usable lower it down to 2 to 4 inches above the seedlings you wont have to worry because the do not produce heat except at very surface of the led it emits little or no heat to the plant just set your gauge up on toothpicks so it is raised to about top of plants to keep eye on temperature.

not to worry even i have had moisture and equipment issues i have a timer malfunction and was soaking my seedlings in the hydroponics and i tried a new blend for nutrient i am not pleased with

 

[Manny]

Sorry for the late response. The seedling ended up dying you guys were right @Lunai and @Mandy Onderwater too much water seedling got root rot and died. I will try again and this time I will follow your instructions @Lunai. Thank you so much for that info. I'll keep you updated. Thanks again.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Aw, sorry to hear they died. At least it was a learning experience! Or at least, that is how I like to see it. Knowing what not to do is just as important as what to do

 

[Manny]

Aw, sorry to hear they died. At least it was a learning experience! Or at least, that is how I like to see it. Knowing what not to do is just as important as what to do

Yes, I totally agree The problem for me is how do I know when to water? I feel like sometimes the soil feels dry when I put my finger in it, but deep down might be moist. So what's a good rule of thumb to watering and not over watering? going to try it again. I'll take some pics on the updated batch.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

A good thing to use is a plain wooden chopstick. If dirt sticks to it, the soil is moist and doesn't need water.
My partner actually bought me a moisture meter as a gift once, it's been my trusty tool for indoor plants especially, as they are very different from outside plants in my experience. They tend to "look" dry a lot sooner than when they actually need water from what I've seen.

In all fairness, you can't really overwater provided the soil is well draining. You can however drown it by watering too often. Also, having a bigger pot than needed could mean that the roots can't absorb the water quickly enough as they simply don't extend out that far. This could cause wet spots, which in turn can cause root rot. Frankly, I would recommend clear plastic pots to beginners. You will be able to see what the water-level might actually be at, and wether it's getting rootbound or not. I feel like it's a beginner-friendly way to learn how to garden - even if they don't quite look too pretty.

Hold on... I have one in the kitchen...

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

On top the plant looks bone dry. Like the soil looks like it could turn to dust any second dry. But with the clear pot you can clearly see the moisture beneath (also shown by moisture meter).

I haven't watered this particular plant in 2 weeks, I think.

 

[Lunai]

with tomatoes it's pretty easy... If they start to droop their leaves it's time to give them a good watering. Let them soak up everything they want and take away what's left over after 10 minutes.

Tamotoes can actually handle a fair bit of dryness. Only until they sprouted you need to keep them constantly moist.

 

[Manny]

A good thing to use is a plain wooden chopstick. If dirt sticks to it, the soil is moist and doesn't need water.
My partner actually bought me a moisture meter as a gift once, it's been my trusty tool for indoor plants especially, as they are very different from outside plants in my experience. They tend to "look" dry a lot sooner than when they actually need water from what I've seen.

In all fairness, you can't really overwater provided the soil is well draining. You can however drown it by watering too often. Also, having a bigger pot than needed could mean that the roots can't absorb the water quickly enough as they simply don't extend out that far. This could cause wet spots, which in turn can cause root rot. Frankly, I would recommend clear plastic pots to beginners. You will be able to see what the water-level might actually be at, and wether it's getting rootbound or not. I feel like it's a beginner-friendly way to learn how to garden - even if they don't quite look too pretty.

Hold on... I have one in the kitchen...

Mandy,

Thank you so much for all this info, I will see if I can find a good moisture meter for my plants. Right now I am using woven or cloth pots for my outdoor garden; someone told me they aerate better for the roots. But since they are made of woven cloth, It's hard to tell if the root base is moist or wet. I really love the idea of using plastic pots to see the wetness of the root base and moisture. I need to get me some of those I love that idea. I have a tomato plant that I planted in a 10 gallon container a while back that produced some tomatoes until I had the green worms eat them and the birds started eating them too :/ So this time I'm trying to germinate seeds indoors to grow them quicker. Since I am mostly a beginner I am definitely going to get some plastic containers.

 

[Manny]

On top the plant looks bone dry. Like the soil looks like it could turn to dust any second dry. But with the clear pot you can clearly see the moisture beneath (also shown by moisture meter).

I haven't watered this particular plant in 2 weeks, I think.
View attachment 9208
View attachment 9209

Wow that's amazing!

 

[daveb]

with tomatoes it's pretty easy... If they start to droop their leaves it's time to give them a good watering. Let them soak up everything they want and take away what's left over after 10 minutes.

Tamotoes can actually handle a fair bit of dryness. Only until they sprouted you need to keep them constantly moist.

a simple key wet the potting soil take a hand full squeeze if water runs out as you squeeze in a stream and/or forms a mushy glob too wet, if you cannot pack it into a ball and falls apart as soon as you release pressure its too dry, pack it in hands if a few visible drops of water come out or hand has light coating of damp soil and the soil form a nice compact semi rigid ball that will crumble lightly in finger or if drop it and it crumbles its about right . that will be enough moisture for 90 % of all seeds to germinate proper in a lightly covered starter tray. better to error on slightly dry side and mandy tip on chop stick is a good tip

 

[Manny]

with tomatoes it's pretty easy... If they start to droop their leaves it's time to give them a good watering. Let them soak up everything they want and take away what's left over after 10 minutes.

Tamotoes can actually handle a fair bit of dryness. Only until they sprouted you need to keep them constantly moist.

So I fill the tray with water and then put the liner with dry dirt on top, let it soak and then after 10 minutes remove the water from the bottom of the tray and put the liner back. My dome has holes, and has a warmer. Also question for @Lunai and @Mandy Onderwater Is a 10 gallon pot enough for one plant of tomato. Also if I add mulch to the top layer of the pot will that help with moisture? I noticed that direct sun burns the leaves, but then when I am move them to shade they have potential to get root rot from the rain. So now I am thinking of testing it with mulch in full sun and see what happens.

 

[Manny]

a simple key wet the potting soil take a hand full squeeze if water runs out as you squeeze in a stream and/or forms a mushy glob too wet, if you cannot pack it into a ball and falls apart as soon as you release pressure its too dry, pack it in hands if a few visible drops of water come out or hand has light coating of damp soil and the soil form a nice compact semi rigid ball that will crumble lightly in finger or if drop it and it crumbles its about right . that will be enough moisture for 90 % of all seeds to germinate proper in a lightly covered starter tray. better to error on slightly dry side and mandy tip on chop stick is a good tip

Got it. What I tried one time is putting dirt in a bowl of water and mixing it and then squeezing it so no water drips and it kind of turns into like a soft clay? Is this kind of what you mean?

 

[daveb]

Got it. What I tried one time is putting dirt in a bowl of water and mixing it and then squeezing it so no water drips and it kind of turns into like a soft clay? Is this kind of what you mean?

add less water and and gradually add water very small amounts until it clumps when squeezed not add until soaked then squeeze out excess, if too much water add more soil aand mix it in well. some dirt will clump very hard depends on content of clay in it some with large content of humus or sand will clump much different, you want to add just enough so it will pack

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I have grown tomatoes successfully in 10 gallon pots multiple times, but they do prefer a lot of space so bigger is better. Especially if the plant is indeterminate they need quite a bit of space. I believe they recommend 20 gallon pots for indeterminates. But in saying that, just because it's recommended doesn't mean it's always necessary. Use what you got and see how it goes. I've grown them in smaller pots and just made sure to keep up with fertiliser and water, as it could get dry fairly quickly.

 

[Manny]

Thank you!

I appreciate all the help and tips for starting a successful tomato plant. I'll post here some updates on my new seedling and fully grown tomato plants. Hopefully I can get some good harvest this season. @Lunai , @Mandy Onderwater, @daveb

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

It's what we're here for

Let's hope this batch is going to grow really well. And don't be afraid to ask more questions - we learn alongside you as well!

 

[Manny]

Thank you so much I will try my best. I appreciate all your help. @Mandy Onderwater

 

[Mandy Onderwater]