Tomato seedlings are not so whimsical compared to eggplants and peppers, however, this culture can also cause a lot of trouble. Often, it happens that it does not grow. This problem can overtake both novice summer residents and experienced vegetable growers. In this article, we will analyze what to do if tomato seedlings grow poorly, and the factors that led to this.

There are a lot of reasons why tomato seedlings have stopped growing.

Improper nutrition

When the seedlings began to grow very poorly, first of all, you need to pay attention to feeding the seedlings. Often vegetable growers do not pay due attention to this, although tomato substrates are in great need of feeding. Before plant transplantation open ground, this must be done at least 4 times with certain breaks.

To begin with, carefully examine the seedlings themselves:

1. From a lack of nitrogen, the stems become thinner, the leaves become pale and small, and the seedling itself looks frail. In this case, the seedlings must be fed with urea (4 g of the substance per 10 liters of water).
2. If the leaves of the tomato turned red on the underside, then this indicates a lack of phosphorus. Fertilize with superphosphate (12 g per bucket of water).
3. Yellowing and curling of leaf plates is observed with potassium deficiency. Feed with potassium sulfate as directed.
4. With a lack of magnesium, the seedlings become marble, and they stop growing from a lack of iron. To cure seedlings, remove the bushes in the shade and add magnesium sulfate (25 g per bucket).

It is important to adhere to the indicated proportions so as not to overdo it with fertilizers. It is also extremely useful bird droppings. Fill it with water and let it brew for several days. Pour the resulting mixture into the root zone of the tomato.

Diving errors

When seedlings do not develop, it is likely that the reason for poor growth lies in improper picking. This procedure is very important for the full growth of tomato seedlings. It is carried out when it is time to separate the grown sprouts from each other so that they do not intertwine with roots.

The process is quite delicate. When transplanting weak plants, the root system can be damaged. In this case, it remains only to wait until it grows and recovers.

If you are a beginner gardener and don't want to mess around with a pick, then this can be avoided. In this case, sow the seeds in different containers.

Mistakes in care

If the tomato seedlings have risen and stopped growing further, then perhaps you are not taking care of the seedlings so well.

The most common care mistakes are:

1. Poor seed quality. Experts recommend planting only those seeds that are younger than 5 years old.
2. Lack of heat. Tomatoes are very thermophilic plants. Optimum temperature for them is from 24 degrees and above. If the room is cold, then periodically turn on the lamp above the seedling box.
3. Low nutritional value of the soil. Of course, land from the private sector and the garden belongs to budget option, however, it may not always be good quality. It is best to buy the substrate in a flower shop.
4. Wrong watering. Seedlings should be watered once a week. It is not worth overdrying the soil, excessive watering is also harmful.
5. Cat urine. Oddly enough, a pet can greatly harm plants. It is generally accepted that cat urine destroys tomato seedlings, so try to remove containers with sprouts as far as possible.

When growing tomatoes at home, keep an eye on every little thing. Only in this case it is possible to grow full-fledged seedlings. Separately, we will analyze about diseases and pests that prevent seedlings from growing.

Diseases of seedlings and their pests

The most common lesions are:

Blackleg

This fungal disease, which poses a particular danger to seedlings. First, the stems darken from below, then the plant dries up and the roots begin to rot. In addition, this disease is contagious - there is a possibility of infection and other germs.

Sick plants should be removed, and the remaining ones should be transplanted into another container. The soil is taken new and calcined sand is added there and wood ash. After that, it should be sprayed with the "Fundazol" preparation in accordance with the instructions and do not water until the soil is completely dry.

Septoria

The main symptom of the disease is dirty white spots with a dark border around the edges. It is too fungal disease which is carried along with the soil. Diseased plants are completely removed, and the surviving ones are transplanted. Before sowing, it is necessary to warm up and disinfect the earth.

Root and root rot

Appears in case of soil overflow or a long stay of a container with seedlings at low temperatures. You will have to act quickly. Dig up the seedlings, wash the roots in a solution of potassium permanganate or "Fitosporin" and plant in new soil.

spider mite

In general, as vegetable growers and amateurs note, growing tomato seedlings does not take too much time. The most important thing is to provide the plants with an optimal microclimate and periodically monitor them, because most growth problems can be prevented.

Most best practices to save tomato seedlings from problems are as follows:

• read the recommendations for growing tomatoes;
• prepare in advance the conditions for their successful growth (take care of the temperature, humidity and lighting parameters);
• choose a good soil;
• grow stress-tolerant varieties.

Grow healthy and strong seedlings a tomato is much easier than it seems at first glance.

Qualitative planting material Growing your own is not easy. It happens that tomato seedlings do not grow well after picking. Should find out possible reasons this, and also what needs to be done so that by the time of planting in open ground the plants are developed and healthy: they have a height of at least 25 cm, strong stems and leaves without signs of wilting and yellowness.

Of particular concern is the situation if the seedlings do not grow after picking.

Of particular concern is the situation if the seedlings do not grow after picking. The reason for this may be that when transplanting seedlings into cups, the roots were injured or turned out to be bent. The plant needs time to restore the root system. Seedlings do not grow when air bubbles formed near the roots interfere with it. In this case, the soil in the cup must be compacted. A transplanted seedling does not grow well if the soil does not suit it. Sometimes a partial replacement is enough for the plant to grow.

A fungus in the soil is often the answer to the question of why ov. When spores from contaminated soil penetrate the tomato root, develop, enter the stem and clog vessels, interfering with the movement of water and nutrients. The plant looks like it hasn't been watered in a long time. In this case, the soil should be treated with a solution of manganese, potash and phosphate fertilizers should be applied. High temperatures promote the spread of Fusarium wilt.

Often fades, seedlings do not develop in a cool room. If you add to a low temperature or a sharp change in it high humidity and excessive acidity of the soil, root rot and other diseases that inhibit the development of plants cannot be avoided. The most dangerous of them is the black leg. You can help seedlings only on early stages disease, do the following:

• ensure good ventilation;
• sprinkle wet soil with ash or sand;
• pour the soil with 1% Bordeaux liquid;
• spray biological preparations(Baktofit, Fitosporin).

When the black leg is damaged, the tissues of the stem soften, become watery, later blacken, become thinner and dry out, which causes the seedlings to fall and die.

A fungus in the soil is often the answer to the question of why tomato seedlings wilt.

The older the plants, the greater the chance of coping with the problem. Soil is poured into the pots, and additional roots form above the site of the lesion, after which the plant grows.

If seedlings grow poorly (video)

The importance of watering and lighting

Proper care of tomato seedlings after picking involves timely watering. Often, fearing that young seedlings grown on the windowsill above hot battery, dry up, they are not watered, but filled with water, and tomato seedlings do not develop, suffocating from a lack of oxygen. Ensure that the drainage holes in the cups are free to drain excess water. Seedlings wither and with insufficient watering. The older the plants, the more often they should be watered, especially on sunny days.

The older the plants, the more likely to cope with the problem.

Often late in development and seedlings turn yellow after picking due to insufficient lighting. With sluggish photosynthesis, the green mass grows slowly, the plants begin to hurt. Even tomato seedlings located on the south window receive only 37% of the light they need. The duration of lighting should be 12-16 hours a day. Its intensity is also important. Many gardeners believe that seedlings of early planted tomatoes grow well, provided that they are additionally illuminated with red and blue LEDs. Red color improves plant development, stimulates flowering, blue (purple) - regulates cell growth, helps the formation of short and strong stems. In any dark corner of the house, healthy seedlings can be grown under full artificial light.

Timely top dressing

Caring for tomato seedlings involves inspecting them from time to time for signs of disease or pests so as not to be late in taking action. Single spider mites and their eggs can only be seen with a magnifying glass, but if their colony is extensive, infection is noticeable to the naked eye: tomato leaves turn pale, turn yellow and crumble. Destroy the pest preparations of enteric-contact action Fitoverm, Actellik, etc.

One of the reasons why seedlings turn yellow may be a lack of nutrients in the soil. When a bush grows on a windowsill in a small amount of earth, yellowing and falling leaves indicate a lack of nitrogen or magnesium. If tomatoes do not grow well after picking, growth stimulants can be used. The most popular - Heteroauxin, Zircon, Etamon - promote root formation, which is very important after picking, and increase plant immunity. They are brought under the root in the form of an aqueous solution prepared according to the instructions.

The first top dressing of tomatoes after picking is done after they take root in pots, after about 7-10 days. Before planting in open ground, it is fertilized once a week, most often complex top dressing is used.

Proper care of tomato seedlings provides good harvest the most useful product

To increase the resistance of seedlings to adverse conditions and diseases, recently gardeners have been using yeast-based mash. Before planting in the ground, tomatoes need only one top dressing, which must be combined with ash fertilizer. If you have your proven growing recipes healthy seedling vegetables, you can make a video about it and post it on your page on social networks.

Seedlings should be cared for in moderation so as not to overdo it with watering, heat and fertilizer. It should be noted that if seedlings are illuminated for more than 20 hours a day, iron deficiency may form. At the same time, the bush does not grow, its upper part turns yellow. And from an excess of nitrogen, the leaves become brittle and curl.

Proper care of tomato seedlings ensures a good harvest of the most useful product.

Sometimes tomatoes planted in open ground or in a greenhouse slow down growth, shed fruit that has set, or give a very modest harvest.

Air temperature

Tomatoes are a thermophilic crop. In northern and temperate climates, they suffer from cold. Tomatoes feel best at 24-28 ° C. They grow rapidly and set fruit.

Favorable temperature for pollination of flowers:

• sunny weather – +24…+28;
• cloudy weather – +20…+22;
• at night - +18 ... +19.

Temperatures above 32 ° C are detrimental to pollen, which in this case becomes sterile, that is, incapable of fertilization. At temperatures below 15°C pollen does not ripen. In both cases, pollination becomes impossible, and the flowers fall off without forming an ovary. The tomatoes themselves grow, but there are no fruits.

If the outdoor temperature is not suitable for growing tomatoes, they use covering material, small collapsible greenhouses and grow vegetables in a greenhouse. In such facilities, you can regulate the temperature by slightly opening them in hot weather or closing them in cold weather.

Lack of water in the soil

Tomatoes are not as demanding on moisture as their relatives peppers and eggplants, but love watering. Moisture is especially required during the period when tomatoes set fruit. At this time, the soil must be kept moist, otherwise the plants may drop some of the ovaries.

Tomatoes are watered warm water- plants can go into shock from cold. You can not water in the sun.

Some summer residents can visit the plots once a week, so they try to catch up on this day and water the tomatoes more abundantly. The approach leads to cracking of the fruit. Having quickly absorbed a large amount of water, the dried plant sharply directs moisture into the fruits, from which they crack. To prevent this from happening, the dried soil is watered in small volumes, making several approaches per day.

Too humid air

Tomatoes prefer "wet bottom" and "dry top". In our climate, outdoor air is rarely humid. But the situation often occurs in greenhouses. It is necessary to remove excessively wet and heated air through the vents in the upper part of the greenhouse.

If the climate in the building resembles a Russian bath, then there will be no harvest. At relative humidity air, more than 65% of the ovaries are not formed at all. The fact is that in moist air, pollen gets wet, becomes sticky and cannot wake up from the anthers to the pestle.

In order for pollen to retain its flowability and ability to fertilize on hot days, the greenhouse must be ventilated. When warm weather sets in, the windows on the south side are covered with a solution of chalk. On sunny days, lightly tap the twine to which the plants are tied so that the pollen can spill onto the pestle.

Helps the formation of ovaries processing flowers with stimulants: "Bud" and "Ovary". The substances contained in the preparations provide pollination even at unfavorable temperature and humidity.

Diseases and pests

Tomato bushes can slow down growth and stop fruiting as a result of disease and pest attacks. If tomatoes grow poorly in a greenhouse, and humidity and temperature are normal, take a look at reverse side sheet. If there are cobwebs on it, then the cause of poor growth is a tick - a microscopic pest that often settles on tomatoes in a greenhouse.

Ticks suck juices from plants, leaves turn yellow on bushes, shoots stop growing, tomatoes tie, but do not increase in size. Karbofos Fitoverm and Actellik will help get rid of the pest.

Tomatoes are susceptible to viral diseases. Pathologies can be expressed by different signs - deformations of leaf blades and growth of stepchildren, on which fruits are not tied. Tomatoes that often appear on diseased bushes do not develop and remain small.

To get rid of viral diseases, seeds are soaked in a dark solution of potassium permanganate before sowing. Affected plants are dug up and burned.

Food area

If tomatoes grow slowly, you need to pay attention to the nutritional area. Plants planted too densely cannot develop a powerful root system, so they lack useful elements.

The tomato naturally has a tap root system, but when grown from seedlings, the lower part of the root comes off during transplantation. After the root system of the plant is formed from a mass of horizontal roots located in the arable layer - 20 cm.

When planting seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground, the planting rate per square meter should be observed.

Table 1. Tomato planting rate

If the feeding area is chosen correctly, then adult plants completely occupy the space allotted to them. In this case solar energy used most efficiently and the yield will be maximum. By placing tomatoes rarely, you risk getting a small crop, as with thickening.

​Related Articles​

And you didn't fill them up? Try not to water for a week.​

Some Plutonium-239!

Often the growth of tomato seedlings can be slowed down by pests. Harm earwigs, wood lice, spider mite. To get rid of pests, seedlings are treated with drugs such as karbofos, fitoverm, actellik.

If the sprouts are heavily flooded with water, then they will not have enough oxygen, and they will suffocate. Hence the halt in growth. Plant growth can also be stopped if the wrong soil is used. Here, the solution to this situation is to clean the drainage hole in the pot. And in the second case, you need to transplant the plants into another soil.

and are indispensable in the kitchen, they are recommended to be consumed as often as possible. From these vegetables you can cook a huge number of dishes, and all of them will be very tasty and healthy. Of course, it is better to grow tomatoes yourself than to buy vegetables of unknown origin in the market or in the store.​

move to a cool place

OgorodSadovod.com

What to do if tomato seedlings stretched out?

they begin to grow rapidly and stretch upward. Seedlings need to be watered only when the ground becomes dry.

Not enough good lighting for each tomato stalk. The cut should be done after the fifth leaflet. The upper part of the plant must be placed in a jar of water, for the formation of roots, this happens within one week. After the root system has appeared, the upper parts of the tomato must be placed in pots for seedlings. The result is another seedling of a tomato and it can also be grown outdoors. One of the biggest problems when growing tomatoes is pulling seedlings. Seedlings grow, leaves touch neighboring plants and a struggle for living space and light begins to take place. This is a natural reaction of seedlings going through all stages of growth to produce seeds. To complete the life cycle, the plant reaches for the streams of light, because the process of photosynthesis depends on it. The stems do not become thicker, quickly turn yellow and old leaves begin to fall off at the bottom.

When growing such a wonderful crop as tomatoes, gardeners face a number of difficulties, the most common problem is that tomato seedlings do not grow.

Stretch prevention

Something is stopping them! Perhaps they got sick after transplanting, maybe you need to change the irrigation regime. You can feed (if you didn’t add humus or mineral before planting). Maybe the weather is not favorable? Too cold, for example, or vice versa ... There can be many reasons. Think about what is wrong and eliminate the cause (well, except for the weather, of course, this is not in our power)))) By the way, when they planted, did they use pesticides to soak the root system? I fed my seedlings with liquid Biohumus and now you don’t recognize her ... Many gardeners stop at one variety of tomato, which is planted year after year. Often they select the largest fruits in the old fashioned way and use their seeds. As a result, the variety and fruiting of plants worsens. Many agronomists in the country recommend changing the variety of grown tomatoes every three years.​

There is a misconception that tomatoes should be poured with plenty of water once a week. Such watering is very harmful to growth. As a result of the sharp absorption of large volumes of moisture, the skin on the fruit cracks. After a long drought, water in small portions. Anyone who wants to enjoy the taste of self-harvested tomatoes in their own garden faces many difficulties, because growing tomatoes at home requires a lot of effort and patience. To get a good tomato crop, it is necessary to grow seedlings that are very capricious and constantly require care and attention. If you do not take into account all the rules, it is unlikely that she will live to the moment when she needs to be planted in the ground, where the temperature will be about ten degrees and wait until the color returns to normal, and then return the seedlings to their original place. As a result, not only the color is restored, but growth also stops a little.

The temperature should be twenty-five degrees. Sometimes tomato seedlings change color and become pale green. This means that tomatoes

Why are tomato seedlings stretched?

. In nature, everything is thought out: if there is not enough light, you need to reach for it. In winter, daylight hours are reduced, respectively, plants need additional lighting.

not enough nitrogen Due to in 3 weeks

create good conditions

Then the temperature can be raised to 20°C during the day and 16°C at night. Specified temperature regime observe until the third true leaf appears in the tomato (approximately 30-35 days). During this time, the seedlings are watered 3 times under the root, the third time watering is carried out on the day of picking an hour before it starts. The recommended water temperature for irrigation should be 20°C.​

After transplanting, the seedlings are not watered for a week, so it takes root better, feed it.

Same problem. Never used any chemicals. And now "Energen" had to be used. Although they also say everything is natural, but ... I will land in the ground and only then will I take up the mullein. I have never seen a better fertilizer! Feed with a yeast solution - you will see the result 3-4 days after feeding. for a 3 liter jar of water 100 gr. yeast, 50 gr. sugar - insist a couple of days in the warmth. i.e. get mash. take 100 ml. this mash in a bucket of water and pour a liter under each bush. Tomatoes will start to grow by leaps and bounds. If the plants lack nitrogen, the plants become stunted, they have a thin stem and small pale leaves. When plants lack phosphorus, they develop a reddish-purple tint on the underside of their leaves. When the leaves at the edges turn yellow and curl, it means that the plants do not have enough potassium. The marbling of leaves in plants indicates a lack of magnesium. In all these cases, tomato seedlings provide the necessary feeding. Ordinary ash can serve as top dressing. You can use preparations specially created to protect and feed plants. The most common such drug is Fitosporin-M. It is used to protect plants from diseases and to accelerate growth.

Innovative Solution

Gardeners growing tomatoes for seedlings have often noticed that sometimes tomatoes do not grow well after transplanting into open ground. Or, slow down their growth rates. The ovaries and flowers fall off. Or it may be that with good appearance the plant is not able to give a good harvest. Not every gardener knows the true reason for poor growth and low yields of tomatoes. stops growing tall​.​

too much density of plants

Before planting tomato seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground. for seedlings. You need to treat this very responsibly. After the appearance of two true leaves, seedlings should be sprayed daily (in the morning) with low-fat milk (1 cup per liter of water), this procedure is a prevention of viral diseases.

During planting, abundant watering is recommended. And then do not water for 5-6 days. Feed your tomatoes with fertilizer. Watering often is not worth it. Tomatoes like plentiful but not frequent watering. Or maybe they're just cold, so they don't grow.

garden.guru

Why do tomatoes grow poorly? | First pancake

make the pot bigger

Feed.

Wrong pick or transplant

Do not overdo it with top dressing, because the rule of the golden mean applies here. Overfeeding the plants will result in excess vegetation at the expense of the crop.​

Low temperature

Tomato seedlings can stop growing if transplanted incorrectly. The roots of the plants could be bent or damaged, or when planting, the roots were not compressed enough and air cavities appeared next to them.

Wrong watering

Methods for preparing top dressing for tomatoes:

on the windowsill. No need to be greedy when planting tomatoes in boxes. Shouldn't be stuffed a large number of tomato in one box. Better smaller bushes, but healthy and strong. The seedlings will then bear more fruit than the feeble sprouts that have grown in crowded conditions. It is more convenient to take care of twenty bushes than fifty, giving the same amount of harvest.

When planting tomato seedlings in the ground, it is imperative to deepen the stems. It is not necessary to make the holes very deep, because after the winter, the earth does not have time to warm up, it is enough to be able to plant on a slope. First you need to form grooves, they should be eight or ten centimeters deep, pour water and wait until complete absorption occurs. After that, you need to spread the tomatoes along the grooves, the tops of the bush should not be closer than fifty centimeters to each other. It is better to lay the roots to the south so that the plant straightens up, reaching for the sun.

nutritional deficiency

When the tomato seedlings are stretched out, the stems weaken, become thin and appear bad smell from tomato. Most people immediately throw out tomato seedlings and buy another, however, do not rush, there is a way to save a young plant. What needs to be done so that the seedlings do not stretch out?

On the 12th day after picking, the seedlings are fed with nitrophoska (1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water). Watering is carried out moderately as the soil dries.

Be sure to feed with azofoska and water ...

Diseases

grows slowly, and where, in a greenhouse or about. g., then feed with urea or any manure, just keep the proportions!

what about nakuya? let it grow as it should

Tomato seedlings may stop growing due to any disease. The most common diseases in which tomato seedlings stop growing are root rot and the so-called black leg - infection plants, which develops mainly under adverse conditions.

Pests

Before the fruits are formed, there are several stages of formation. The plant blooms, the ovary is formed from the buds. They are already producing a long-awaited harvest.

Degeneration of sort

The stem thickens when the plant stops growing in height, which is exactly what is needed in order to grow powerful, stocky seedlings. You need to understand that this operation is carried out when at least one leaf has formed at the points of growth. Repeated pruning will improve the result and tomato seedlings with strong and thick stems will surprise everyone. Even cotyledon leaves are often cut off and this always leads to an exclusively positive result.

1bl.in

My tomato seedlings are growing very slowly. What can I do to make it grow faster?

Lera Swallow

If tomatoes are often

Lesya

Main reasons:

Joe Frazier

If the tomato seedlings stretched out very much, you need

frilija

If, under the specified conditions, the tomato seedlings do not grow or grow slowly, then the tomatoes can be fed with a growth stimulator, for example, sodium humate. The solution is diluted to a consistency resembling tea in color and tomatoes are fed 1 cup per plant.

Galina Alieva

Did you accidentally water it with "Athlete"? Buy "Energen" or "Epin" - relieves stress in plants and gives growth.

Doctor

Feed, maybe the land is unsuccessful or container

Valentina Timofeeva

If you have already planted seedlings in a greenhouse, then it needs time to adapt and root. Create comfortable conditions - difference between night and day temperatures.​

svetlana faynleyb

Root rot can appear after transplanting seedlings at low temperatures. In this case, the roots should be washed with a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin. Then the seedlings should be transplanted into fresh soil.

Julia Sokolova

But often flowers and ovaries fall off, barren flowers appear on the first brushes. main reason the temperature may become too low. Tomatoes do not grow well if the temperature is below 28°C. To avoid this, it is recommended to plant seedlings in small greenhouses. The presence of vents and doors will allow you to maintain the desired temperature, if necessary, airing or, on the contrary, completely closing the greenhouse. Create a small draft in the greenhouse. It favorably affects the pollination of plants.

coconut kikoskin

Tomatoes are the most widespread vegetable plants in the world. There is very little information about their origin, many scientists believe that the birthplace of this fruit is Peru and the mountainous regions of Ecuador. Tomatoes are very

Marina Filippova

Dilute ten liters of water with one tablespoon of urea and the liquid that turned out to be poured over the tomatoes.

Elena Gubaidullina

watered and fertilized abundantly

Tanula

This may happen due to

I PLANTED TOMATO SEEDLINGS IT ALREADY A MONTH EVEN MORE, DOES NOT GROW, WHAT TO DO, HELP!

Lesya

cut into two pieces

Angry cat Nataly

Two weeks before planting, tomatoes must be hardened by placing them on a balcony or under an open window. First for 2-3 hours then for the whole day. The hardening temperature should not fall below 8-10 degrees C.

Seryoga Soghomonyan

1 speech a box of Carbamide on a bucket of water and pour 0.3 l under each root, then clean water water. As soon as the earth dries up, push through and push after each watering. After two weeks, feed again, but already 0.5 liters under a bush with clean water. Any seedling loves watering with fluff. You need to push while the seedlings are given, and when it grows to such a size that you can’t approach it with a hoe, then stop weeding. Only watering and fertilizing with slurry or infusion of herbs will remain.

Salamon Petrov

Depending on where: if still at home, then the plants may simply not have enough depth of the container or unsuccessful soil, for example, too dense. Once it was also with seedlings, it began to be transplanted into a greenhouse, and the roots of the tomatoes went only 5 centimeters deep, and then it was a solid stone, not earth, although it was watered and loosened regularly. After transplanting into the ground, the seedlings quickly began to grow. If the tomatoes are already planted in the garden, then they need to be fed.

Anaida Zagoskina

And I think this is good, it should not grow now. and grow the root system. Specially, the temperature is reduced in nurseries. Am I wrong?

Svetlana Shcherbak from Krasnoyarsk shares her personal experience of growing seedlings:

Finding out why seedlings GROW BAD

It happens that seedlings grow poorly, or even simply stop developing. Such a nuisance can happen to any culture. What is it connected with? In my practice, there were such reasons:

1. Poor quality seeds.

It is especially clearly observed when you sow one crop, but several different varieties. At the same time, the soil is the same, and the conditions of detention, but in one container there are strong and joyful shoots, and in the next one there are thin small “misunderstandings”, which at first noticeably lag behind in growth, and then may die altogether.

You can try to feed the seedlings complex fertilizers, support growth stimulants. But in my case, as a rule, such seedlings still remain among the “lagging behind”. I think so: it is easier to come to terms with the loss at this stage, because then you can not wait for a normal harvest at all. As a rule, if poor quality seeds are the cause of poor growth, nothing good will grow from them anyway.

2. Conditions of detention.

Passion for watering, lack of heat can lead to oxygen starvation of the roots and their decay, stunted growth of seedlings, and then to illness and death of the plant.

For some reason, this happens to me more often in the first days after picking: I try to support the disturbed plants with water that have undergone the stress of transplantation, and as a result - losses. If I notice that the plant is “thinking” and does not increase in growth, and even more so when other symptoms appear, I urgently take measures: I correct the microclimate, loosen it, and reduce watering. It is important to do this as early as possible, before the process has become irreversible.

* By the way! In printed sources, seedlings after picking are recommended to be sprayed with Epin-Extra. It helps plants survive picking easier, increases the survival rate of seedlings, and relieves stress. Worth every penny, easy to use. A modern drug (albeit a chemical one).

3. Seedlings of tomato and petunias often suffer from chlorosis - lack of iron.

This deficiency is manifested by a pale yellow, sometimes almost white color of the apical leaflets. Gradually, such a color scheme covers all the leaves, the plant slows down growth, weakens. I noticed that the plant does not always die, but it blooms poorly, looks weak and sick (and, for example, this is completely unacceptable for a petunia).

Trouble is easily treated. With an interval of 5-7 days, I spray all plantings with a solution of a preparation containing iron, always in a chelated form. In addition, experienced people recommend canceling the illumination of seedlings.

4. Damage to the roots when picking.

Another reason may be inaccurate picking, when the roots are damaged or bent when moving to a new container.

5. "Beach" for seedlings - root rot, "black leg".

Among the causes of the development of the disease are thickened sowing and waterlogging of the soil. To prevent the development of a black leg, I lay out the seeds sparsely when sowing, if necessary, immediately after germination, I thin out so that all plants are “ventilated”. For prevention, I water with a weak solution of Bordeaux mixture or copper sulphate.

* From modern drugs for the prevention and treatment of the black leg, the drug "Gliocladin" is successfully used.

6. Lack of nutrients can cause growth retardation.

Yes, yes, and this happens, although I prepare fertile soil with humus for seedlings. Therefore, do not neglect fertilizers.

So that seedlings grow well ... What to do?

The seedlings will “tell” themselves about their “diseases” or the need for additional nutrition. It is only necessary to carefully inspect the landings every day and stop the troubles when they are detected. As, for example, in the case of chlorosis, described above.

What to water, feed, spray?

Pale or yellowish bottom castings indicate a need for nitrogen. With a lack of fluorine in petunias, for example, the leaves (or only their veins) turn purple, but in tomatoes this shade can indicate hypothermia of seedlings, and in cabbage seedlings - about full health. If additional nutrition is needed, we proceed to urgent top dressing.

I apply superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, urea or complex azophoska under the root in the form of a solution (30 g per bucket of water). I use these fertilizers in cases where the plants themselves "signal" about the lack of any element.

In general, I try to feed every 7-10 days with the Nitroammofoska mineral complex. I water under the root, only after watering with plain water.

By the way, in order for the seedlings to grow well, experts recommend not waiting for alarming symptoms, but fertilizing regularly, starting from the second week after picking.

It is necessary to alternate nutritional compositions with different elements, or use complex mineral fertilizers. It is noted that foliar top dressing (spraying on leaves) is in many cases more effective than root top dressing, they act faster.

I use a folk remedy for spraying. A week or two after picking seedlings of petunias (and other flowers), peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, I spray with a solution of iodine and milk: for 10 liters of water, 9-10 drops of iodine and a glass of milk. Such a “treatment” is good not only for the prevention of viral and bacterial diseases, but for some reason it also helps in some incomprehensible (for me) cases, when seedlings wither for no apparent reason, lower their “ears”, and signs of oppression appear.

Before planting seedlings in the ground, I spend at least two more preventive sprayings:

• Boric acid (solution 5-10 grams per bucket of water). Boron is needed not only for the correct and active development of plants, but also for flower crops - for lush long flowering, and fruit species- to increase productivity;
• Bordeaux liquid or light blue solution of copper sulfate I work both the leaves and the soil. Such treatment is the prevention of the development of fungal and bacterial diseases. There is little description of this method of feeding seedlings. But in my own practice, I was convinced that it works perfectly. Copper sulphate does a great job with the black leg. Due to copper, tomatoes receive resistance to late blight (there is another way: the lower part of the stem of a tomato is pierced when planted on a ridge copper wire, make a loop out of it and leave it like that). It works against fungi and bacteria in seedlings in the same way as in adult plants. I can still do without boric acid, but definitely not without blue vitriol! Bordeaux mixture is prepared according to the instructions (200-gram pack per bucket). If simple vitriol - by eye. I feed the seedlings, I even process the tomato 2 times: before or after picking (when it takes root), and then, when it grows up.

I once read on one of the Internet forums that seedlings of petunias "loves" sour - the usual culinary citric acid . I followed the advice, once a week I water the petunias with a weak solution. I pour a little “lemon” water under the root of the seedlings, using a small syringe for this (without a needle). Indeed, petunias after that look more fun.

Other problems and how to solve them ...

As, probably, with every gardener, atypical "complications" sometimes occur.

For example, in a bowl with pre-treated soil, the plants suddenly began to fall one after another. Under a magnifying glass, I found an even cut of a painfully flattened stalk. I treated the soil with Aktara (0.2 mg per 10 l). Looks like insects attacked.

Other pests periodically infect the green parts of the seedlings. For example, spider mites. The result of his "activity" - a thin mesh on the leaves that turned yellow at once - is not immediately visible. Helps bathing plants (whole) in saturated soapy water. Normal will do. laundry soap. It is good if the soapy moisture and the soil soak.

There are also funny things. Here, very small seedlings began to fall out. I remember the background: I previously shed the soil with Fitosporin and potassium permanganate, after sowing I did not abuse it with watering, I sprayed it a week before the incident blue vitriol, and in 2-3 days - milk and iodine.

Watering with something else is dangerous, the humidity is already increased. Reminds me of something I read somewhere folk remedy: diluted 25 grams of medical alcohol in a bucket of water (I think a simple one will do), just in case, added Fitosporin thicker and risked watering ... I don’t know what it was, and what remedy worked, but the seedlings stopped falling out!

Svetlana Shcherbak, Krasnoyarsk Territory