First time gardener here-I felt like my cherry tomato sprouts were getting too crowded (last photo) so I transplanted them to new containers last Friday for more space. I think I damaged the roots a little while doing this and they seem to be going through transplant shock. Should I water them every day just this week to get them through it? The seed leaves seem to be turning yellow while the true leaves are mostly ok; not sure if I should ease up on the watering and let the seed leaves fall at this stage. Located in 10b, Southern California.
by randomperson10010010
8 Comments
The cotyledons will die regardless. Do not be concerned about that. Key thing is steady as she goes and don’t panic. Lots of light, keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Whatever you do, don’t overwater them. The roots need access to air. Slow and steady and they should slowly start to improve.
They look ok but not great. I’m guessing they need food – like a soluble fertilizer and not eggs shells. Soluble is the key word – not slow release.
Watering is based on soil conditions – they like damp soil – not wet or dry soil and I believe containers should have drainage holes so water isn’t accumulating near the roots.
Light
What kind of soil are you using? It looks pretty dense, almost like garden soil/topsoil, and not like potting mix. Regardless, a dense soil mix will be tough on seedlings, which need drainage and space for their small roots to grow.
1. What did you plant them in?
2. How much actual sunlight do they get daily?
3. How often are you watering them?
4. What are you feeding them with?
Whatever you do just don’t give up. We were first time growers last year and we thought we burned them with our grow light, they were sooo tiny when we transplanted and they ended up doing amazing.
https://preview.redd.it/sdlt4h9fo7hg1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d31a1da849c30f21e0724ed7f24bd1ea4b836b0
I leave my seedlings in standing water. Even if the seedlings survive, youre going to have to address your growing medium. It is made of wood. It will decompose and kill your plant in a month or two. I would pull the seedlings, rinse the roots off of the current grow medium then plant in a container filled with soil or a 50/50 peat and perlite mix. The seedlings probably wont survive after this process though. I would buy a bag of coco coir/peat moss and some sand/perlite then restart the seeds.