I was in Lidl today and bought a packet of Harzfeur tomato seed.
Interestingly, when I looked up care tips for this type, it said NEVER to use cold tap water when raising the seedlings.
I wonder why that is? I have never seen this on any other variety, have you?
Now I am wondering if this might apply to other tomato seedlings, too. I recently transferred some propagator raised seedling to open flower pots. The seedlings have lived all their lives so far in a warm house. They transferred happily to their new environment and have been growing well for about three weeks. Then one of them wilted and died, for no apparent reason. Could the water have been too cold?
Watering tomato plants
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Pa Snip
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Hi Barry
Remember those days you went to the seaside and got a chill shock when you entered the sea. Well imagine your seeds and seedlings feeling the same.
They are just as likely to be shocked and react by slowing growth.
Applies to most seedlings.
During the first part of the season I always fill a watering can and keep it in the greenhouse, the water then reaches the ambient temperature and does not shock the greenhouse seedlings when watered.
In summer I water outdoor seedlings and very young plants from the water butt as the water will be roughly equal with air temperature.
Must confess though that up the plot the water comes straight from the tap. There are water troughs by the taps which might be more equal to ambient temperatures but you never know what people have rinsed off in them
Remember those days you went to the seaside and got a chill shock when you entered the sea. Well imagine your seeds and seedlings feeling the same.
They are just as likely to be shocked and react by slowing growth.
Applies to most seedlings.
During the first part of the season I always fill a watering can and keep it in the greenhouse, the water then reaches the ambient temperature and does not shock the greenhouse seedlings when watered.
In summer I water outdoor seedlings and very young plants from the water butt as the water will be roughly equal with air temperature.
Must confess though that up the plot the water comes straight from the tap. There are water troughs by the taps which might be more equal to ambient temperatures but you never know what people have rinsed off in them
The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.
At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
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Geoff
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Seed watering is one of the things I disagree about with the so called nation's favourite gardener. He waters after sowing, I always water before.
For early propagator sowings like Tomatoes I fill the thimble pots I use, water them and then put them in the propagator for about half a day to reach temperature. After sowing I put a spray bottle in the propagator and that is the only way they are watered until they come out of there. When they get to the greenhouse all water is used from cans stored in the greenhouse. This applies to my small heated greenhouse used for a few early plants. Later in the season when maincrop Tomatoes are in the bigger cold greenhouse or polytunnel they do get hose watering as it isn't practical to use enough cans.
For early propagator sowings like Tomatoes I fill the thimble pots I use, water them and then put them in the propagator for about half a day to reach temperature. After sowing I put a spray bottle in the propagator and that is the only way they are watered until they come out of there. When they get to the greenhouse all water is used from cans stored in the greenhouse. This applies to my small heated greenhouse used for a few early plants. Later in the season when maincrop Tomatoes are in the bigger cold greenhouse or polytunnel they do get hose watering as it isn't practical to use enough cans.
I agree, always use tepid water and in fact I sometimes add a drop of water from the kettle on the basis that warm is better then cold for tomato seedlings.
For flowers seedlings I am more hard hearted and just feel they should accept and grow up!
H
For flowers seedlings I am more hard hearted and just feel they should accept and grow up!
H
I'm now beginning to think I am going really wrong somewhere.
This year, I have lost so many tomato seedlings. I have tried difference watering techniques and placing pots in different rooms in the house, but still many of my tomato seedlings keep dying just when they should start putting on leaf growth..
About the only thing I haven't really changed is the compost I am using.
I have used a John Innes potting compost bought from B&Q. To be honest, I don't really like it; it has the feel of poor quality top soil. In the past, I have used multi-purpose compost and prefer this, but thought I had better do things "right", so switched to a compost aimed at seedlings.
So, this evening, I planted some tomato seeds in multi-purpose compost, mixed with a little potting compost, and will try this approach.
I know TV programmes and gardening magazines do lots of trials on compost of all types, but are there really offerings out there that are of such poor quality that nobody should be using them?
Has anybody else had my experience with tomato seedlings?
(The irony is this: on my old allotment, tomato plants spring up everywhere each year, none of which are seeded. They are much stronger than any plant I have raised from a seed and inevitably produce better fruit. The trouble is, I have no say over which variety comes up, plus I am leaving this year to concentrate on my new plot. Damn!)
This year, I have lost so many tomato seedlings. I have tried difference watering techniques and placing pots in different rooms in the house, but still many of my tomato seedlings keep dying just when they should start putting on leaf growth..
About the only thing I haven't really changed is the compost I am using.
I have used a John Innes potting compost bought from B&Q. To be honest, I don't really like it; it has the feel of poor quality top soil. In the past, I have used multi-purpose compost and prefer this, but thought I had better do things "right", so switched to a compost aimed at seedlings.
So, this evening, I planted some tomato seeds in multi-purpose compost, mixed with a little potting compost, and will try this approach.
I know TV programmes and gardening magazines do lots of trials on compost of all types, but are there really offerings out there that are of such poor quality that nobody should be using them?
Has anybody else had my experience with tomato seedlings?
(The irony is this: on my old allotment, tomato plants spring up everywhere each year, none of which are seeded. They are much stronger than any plant I have raised from a seed and inevitably produce better fruit. The trouble is, I have no say over which variety comes up, plus I am leaving this year to concentrate on my new plot. Damn!)
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Pa Snip
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Hi Barry
The first thing that really struck me in your last post is the comment "This year, I have lost so many tomato seedlings."
I immediately wonder when you started sowing them to feel you have lost so many already.
On the subject of compost I have found that there seems to be a lot more twig content than there used to be. I'm sure this has been subject of discussion not so long ago.
I found even well known brands are best being fine sieved if being used for seed. This year I've already used up my bags of Levingtons and Westland MP composts. They also had to be sieved and I have gone right off them.
I mixed them with a little sharp sand and some seed compost. if sowing peas or beans in modules or trays I use a bit of fresh topsoil in the mix instead of the seed compost
I don't use potting compost at seed stage as I think, probably wrongly, that it has stronger content of nutrient which may prove too much for tomatoes and other delicate seedlings at germination stage.
The first thing that really struck me in your last post is the comment "This year, I have lost so many tomato seedlings."
I immediately wonder when you started sowing them to feel you have lost so many already.
On the subject of compost I have found that there seems to be a lot more twig content than there used to be. I'm sure this has been subject of discussion not so long ago.
I found even well known brands are best being fine sieved if being used for seed. This year I've already used up my bags of Levingtons and Westland MP composts. They also had to be sieved and I have gone right off them.
I mixed them with a little sharp sand and some seed compost. if sowing peas or beans in modules or trays I use a bit of fresh topsoil in the mix instead of the seed compost
I don't use potting compost at seed stage as I think, probably wrongly, that it has stronger content of nutrient which may prove too much for tomatoes and other delicate seedlings at germination stage.
The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.
At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
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PLUMPUDDING
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I've sowed mine in miracle grow and wetland and an obscure one I can't remember, multi purpose compost and everything has germinated and is growing well. I top everything off with a sprinkle of fine vermiculite. I think the most important thing is to use tap water from a watering can allowed to stand at room temperature. They don't get thermal shock or damping off. Don't over water, regulate the temperature so they don't get too hot or cold and provide sufficient light.