First year starting my own from seed. I believe I started too early. I cannot transplant outside until the first week of May in my area. Should I pot up now? Will 4 weeks be enough to fill a 1 gallon pot with roots?
by Karl_and_Kned
8 Comments
ptraugot
Yes. Yes you should. But up to you. Have you pulled one of those plants out of the pot to see how root bound it is?
nmacaroni
how much have you been fertilizing and what have you been using?
OkInfluence7787
Yes. Positive: Gorgeous plant, great job!
toolsavvy
> Will 4 weeks be enough to fill a 1 gallon pot with roots?
Yes, and I’d do it soon.
trebuchetguy
Yes. My general rule of thumb for up-potting tomatoes is height = 3x the width of the pot and at least 3 weeks from transplant. This sure looks like it satisfies both. With a month left before going out, that plant will want to grow about 4x the height it is now, so be ready. It looks ultra healthy and happy and now the challenge is to keep it that way until transplant. You can slow it down a little by giving it no more than 8 hours of good light per day. They will do fine with the same intensity light they’ve been getting for shorter durations. That first year we all seem to learn the lesson that tomatoes grow fast once they’re started. I sure did the first time I got the right setup to grow seedlings properly. My plant date is May 7. I took a picture of my biggest tomato plants this morning for reference. These will be close to the size of what you’re showing in 5 more weeks.
8 Comments
Yes. Yes you should. But up to you. Have you pulled one of those plants out of the pot to see how root bound it is?
how much have you been fertilizing and what have you been using?
Yes. Positive: Gorgeous plant, great job!
> Will 4 weeks be enough to fill a 1 gallon pot with roots?
Yes, and I’d do it soon.
Yes. My general rule of thumb for up-potting tomatoes is height = 3x the width of the pot and at least 3 weeks from transplant. This sure looks like it satisfies both. With a month left before going out, that plant will want to grow about 4x the height it is now, so be ready. It looks ultra healthy and happy and now the challenge is to keep it that way until transplant. You can slow it down a little by giving it no more than 8 hours of good light per day. They will do fine with the same intensity light they’ve been getting for shorter durations. That first year we all seem to learn the lesson that tomatoes grow fast once they’re started. I sure did the first time I got the right setup to grow seedlings properly. My plant date is May 7. I took a picture of my biggest tomato plants this morning for reference. These will be close to the size of what you’re showing in 5 more weeks.
https://preview.redd.it/gj7j98634arc1.png?width=631&format=png&auto=webp&s=7e70ab98cb18f1de467a3e8ec1f2f99d48f07d74
How old is the plant?
Yep, she’s ready. When you do, make sure to gently break up the roots as I imagine they’ve likely started to wrap near the bottom.
And for me personally I’d snip off that flower so the plant can focus on root growth once it’s in its new home.
Roots always determine the move for me. If the roots look healthy, leave it. When they start to show evidence of circling, pot up.