Probably started tomatoes too early. They are in 4” pots under grow lights and beginning to develop air roots. Should I repot in larger pots? Zone 6a London ON 🇨🇦
by punkstairs
10 Comments
Wasabiroot
A lot of tomatoes (especially indeterminate) can grow roots from anywhere on the stem, so you can bury most of these in new pots and they will fill in. But now that you have these going, you will probably have some pretty big plants by the time they go in ground.
These look mildly leggy so a brighter light might help, but it could just be the cropping confusing my perspective.
Gold_Draw7642
I would uppot them at some point. First to 6” pots. Possibly to 3/4 gallon if they need repotting again before going out.
Maze0616
When’s your average last frost date?
OptimalExperience176
How old are they ?
Responsible_Bath_659
I would probably up pot them to the next size but you may very well need to place them in 5 gal buckets before they make it to time to transplant. Also, how far away are your lights? If you could get them closer. They all look like they’re reaching a bit.
The_Singularious
Solution: Send them to me in 9a. 😀
Plants look fantastic.
Davekinney0u812
I think you’ll want to do your best to keep them as stress free as possible and likely those adventitious roots are a sign of stress of some sort. Perhaps up sizing the pot to give the roots sufficient room, proper nutrition and water and getting the light right. Not sure the quality of your grow lights but older plants might have different requirements than seedlings for things like spectrum and ppfd. Not sure.
I’ve done some simple experiments over the years and have found older seedlings don’t produce fruit faster than young seedlings and last year my youngest seedlings produced 2 weeks before my older ones.
I was talking with a commercial grower earlier this year who said it’s important to have seedlings ramping up in vigour when it’s time to transplant them in the garden – and almost all backyard gardeners don’t have high tech setups to grow seedlings – which often leads to stressed out stalled seedlings that take a long time to recover when they get transplanted.
I’m over by Orangeville (not too far from OP) and shooting for about March 1 to start a few tomatoes and then March 15 for most and then April 1 for a few more. I have a low tunnel which I will use like a greenhouse as natural light is way better than any grow lights. I’ve also been burned by cold fronts so I’ll stagger the transplanting starting mid to late May as well into June. I’ve also found the first ones in don’t produce fruit any faster either.
Papesisme
To be a bit harsher than other comments you definitely started these probably 2 months too early. I’m in a warmer zone and I don’t start mine until late February, and that’s for the high tunnel. Is it possible to grow these this summer? Yes. Will they be the healthiest most productive plants? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t throw these away, but I would start another round in March or April.
Pretend-Frame-6543
Cool them off that will slow them down.
One-Row882
Replant them right up to the first set of leaves. You’ll end up with Herculean root structure when they go into the ground
10 Comments
A lot of tomatoes (especially indeterminate) can grow roots from anywhere on the stem, so you can bury most of these in new pots and they will fill in. But now that you have these going, you will probably have some pretty big plants by the time they go in ground.
These look mildly leggy so a brighter light might help, but it could just be the cropping confusing my perspective.
I would uppot them at some point. First to 6” pots. Possibly to 3/4 gallon if they need repotting again before going out.
When’s your average last frost date?
How old are they ?
I would probably up pot them to the next size but you may very well need to place them in 5 gal buckets before they make it to time to transplant. Also, how far away are your lights? If you could get them closer. They all look like they’re reaching a bit.
Solution: Send them to me in 9a. 😀
Plants look fantastic.
I think you’ll want to do your best to keep them as stress free as possible and likely those adventitious roots are a sign of stress of some sort. Perhaps up sizing the pot to give the roots sufficient room, proper nutrition and water and getting the light right. Not sure the quality of your grow lights but older plants might have different requirements than seedlings for things like spectrum and ppfd. Not sure.
I’ve done some simple experiments over the years and have found older seedlings don’t produce fruit faster than young seedlings and last year my youngest seedlings produced 2 weeks before my older ones.
I was talking with a commercial grower earlier this year who said it’s important to have seedlings ramping up in vigour when it’s time to transplant them in the garden – and almost all backyard gardeners don’t have high tech setups to grow seedlings – which often leads to stressed out stalled seedlings that take a long time to recover when they get transplanted.
I’m over by Orangeville (not too far from OP) and shooting for about March 1 to start a few tomatoes and then March 15 for most and then April 1 for a few more. I have a low tunnel which I will use like a greenhouse as natural light is way better than any grow lights. I’ve also been burned by cold fronts so I’ll stagger the transplanting starting mid to late May as well into June. I’ve also found the first ones in don’t produce fruit any faster either.
To be a bit harsher than other comments you definitely started these probably 2 months too early. I’m in a warmer zone and I don’t start mine until late February, and that’s for the high tunnel. Is it possible to grow these this summer? Yes. Will they be the healthiest most productive plants? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t throw these away, but I would start another round in March or April.
Cool them off that will slow them down.
Replant them right up to the first set of leaves. You’ll end up with Herculean root structure when they go into the ground