by Growing tomato seedlings can sometimes be difficult even for experienced gardeners. It is not always possible to create ideal conditions for plant development: either the temperature is not right, or the soil is not to your liking, and sometimes you just can’t figure out what the seedlings are missing.
So what are the main reasons for the slow development of tomato seedlings? Most often, plants slow down their growth after picking. In addition, sudden temperature changes, diseases and damage to the root system, lack of nutrients in the soil and its poor structure have a negative effect on the vegetation of tomatoes. Let’s consider these key points in more detail.
Poor quality soil
If your seedlings grow slowly from the moment they emerge, it is probably the soil. In order for the root system to fully develop and the plant to receive all the necessary minerals, the soil must be loose, fertile, moisture-absorbing, have favorable microflora and have a neutral acidity level (within 6,5-7 pH). Acidity can be tested using litmus paper.
If the soil acidity is disturbed, some nutrients become unavailable to plants. Therefore, even regular fertilizing will not be effective.
You can prepare the soil for growing tomatoes yourself by mixing peat with compost or vermicompost and adding 1/5 of any loosening agent (sand, perlite, vermiculite or rotted sawdust). This will help make the soil mixture breathable, which is very important for both the development of the root system and the vital activity of beneficial soil bacteria, many of which are aerobic.
Root diseases
Tomato diseases do not always manifest themselves in the above-ground part. Sometimes seedlings and adult bushes suffer from root and basal rot. This is a series of diseases caused by pathogenic fungi found in the soil. As soon as favorable conditions are created, phytopathogens begin to multiply rapidly and harm plants. Tomatoes lag behind in growth, and the lower leaves turn yellow. The following factors lead to the development of rot:
- over-watering of the soil,
- moisture stagnation,
- dense sowing of seedlings,
- sudden changes in temperature,
- acidic, heavy soil,
- absence of loosening components in the soil,
- using unripe compost for planting tomatoes.
To prevent the development of root rot, before sowing and transplanting tomatoes, treat the soil with biopreparations containing hay bacillus, trichoderma and other useful soil microorganisms that will help cope with pathogenic microflora, as well as improve the soil structure and plant nutrition. Such preparations include Trichoplant, Biospectrum, Baikal-M, Ekomic Urozhainy.
Stress after picking
Picking tomatoes involves pinching the main root, which is, of course, stressful for the plant. Even if you do not plan to shorten the root, but simply transplant tomatoes into more spacious containers, the root system is most often damaged, and the plant will need time to take root and actively develop again. The less damage to the lump of earth surrounding the roots of the tomato, the faster the plant will cope with the stress after transplantation.
The picking stage can be skipped altogether if you sow tomatoes immediately in separate containers or in a permanent location.
Nutrient Deficiency
If, despite careful care of the seedlings and normal temperature conditions, the tomato leaves turn pale or darken, the plants probably lack nutrition. Nitrogen is the basis of all life processes. This macronutrient is necessary both at the early stage of growing seedlings and before flowering. If there is a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the seedlings develop slowly, the leaves become smaller, turn yellow and fall off.
Phosphorus ensures the development of the root system, the processes of budding and flowering, as well as the transportation of nutrients to all plant organs. Phosphorus deficiency manifests itself as follows: the leaves acquire a purple hue, and on the underside they become purple-violet.
Potassium helps plants absorb nitrogen, promotes resistance to adverse conditions, participates in protein metabolism and carbon dioxide absorption. With a lack of potassium, a pale yellow border appears along the edges of the leaves. With acute potassium deficiency, the leaves acquire an irregular shape, brown spots appear in the middle, and the border becomes brownish-brown.
With a lack of iron, the leaves in the upper part become pale green, and with a lack of magnesium, chlorosis begins with the lower leaves: the tissue of the leaf blades becomes lighter between the veins. A sign of boron deficiency is the falling of flowers; the tops of the plants curl downwards, and the main veins of the leaves darken, many side shoots form on the tomatoes.
The lack of nutrients should be eliminated by applying fertilizers, using foliar or root feeding. If the tomatoes show signs of deficiency of several elements at once, you can apply complex mineral fertilizer.
How to help seedlings develop faster
In addition to fertilizers, biological preparations can help seedlings develop fully. A universal and safe growth and root formation stimulator is the biological preparation Biospectrum, created on the basis of the extract of the evergreen plant Yucca Schidigera, which is known for its antibacterial, immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. In addition to the extract of this plant, the preparation contains amino acids, humates, natural bioregulators and growth-stimulating substances of non-protein nature (lactose, minerals, vitamins), which increase the energy of plant development.
To prepare a working solution for root or foliar treatment of tomatoes, dilute 20 ml of the preparation in 10 liters of water at room temperature. Tomatoes can be treated with this solution every month throughout the growing season. This will strengthen the immunity of plants, improve their nutrition, stimulate growth and flowering, and increase crop yields.
There are a large number of other growth stimulants based on various phytohormones that affect plant development in different ways: they regulate cell division, accelerate flowering or fruit formation.
The use of biological preparations for treating soil and seedlings will not only help protect plants from adverse environmental factors, but also improve the soil, reduce the amount of fertilizers applied, and ultimately obtain an environmentally friendly harvest.
