FERTILIZING & POTTING UP TOMATOES LIKE A PRO 🙌 When & How To Do It + Some Failures
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- Опубліковано 28 лют 2022
- We're back for part 2! In part 1, we learned why starting from seed is better and the best practices for germination. If you followed along, you should have some seedlings popping up so let's jump into the next steps!
0:39 Tomato Sprouts
1:52 Fertilizing Seedlings
5:01 Potting Up
11:46 How To Do It The WRONG WAY
13:28 Part 3 Preview
TOMATO SEEDS: sandiegoseedcompany.com/produ...
Let's start by looking at tomato plants at a couple of different life stages. These smallest sprouts were started on February 6, and it's been 12 days. Good quality tomato seeds should germinate in good conditions in less than 2 weeks. If you aren't seen anything within that timeframe, something went wrong. Soil temperatures play a huge role for tomatoes.
As your seeds germinate and grow, you want to make sure you have one plant per cell. We take a look at one that's about an inch tall that already has its first leaves and its first set of true leaves. This is the point where you want to first fertilize. Potting mixes usually don't have the nutrients that a plant needs to thrive (just to get started) so we need to amend that with diluted liquid fertilizer. We use an organic fish emulsion, but any liquid fertilizer with low NPK numbers will work because you don't want to overload the plant.
Potting up is another key to healthy tomato plants. Even if your plant looks small above the surface, the root system can be quite a bit larger. Tomatoes are fast growers and require a lot of soil. The good thing is that they can almost grow hydroponically so the bottom roots just need oxygenated water to keep growing. However, roots showing is a good sign to pot up. That will give your plants' roots more room to grow, more soil to keep the roots moist, and help them avoid becoming root-bound which will stagnate growth.
When it comes time to pot up my plants, I recycle old plastic pots and soil. I keep my seed starting mix solely for getting the seeds started. At this point in the tomato's life, it should be healthy and strong enough to fit off any potential issues. If not, it was a weak plant that I don't want on my farm or in my seed catalog anyway. I fill up the new pot with soil, flip over the tomato, and slide it in. Because tomatoes will send out roots, I also use this as a chance to thin off the lowest leaves and bury the stem a little bit deeper than it was which will then let the plant send out more roots.
Let's go to the other side of the greenhouse now. They were started at the same time but haven't had the same level of attention. Because I didn't thin or pot these up, you can see just how far behind these plants are. It's all about quality over quantity here. If you have multiple plants in a pot, go out to your plants right now and separate them. Tomatoes are very forgiving to transplant, but the longer you wait to do it will just further harm your plants.
In part 3, we're going to talk transplanting. Before you get there, though, you want your plants to look big and healthy. You should have multiple branches and even the start of flower development.
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#Gardening #Tomatoes - Навчання та стиль
What do you think about potting them up in a large container and only filling it with soil halfway and then adding more soil a couple or few weeks later when the plant is taller so more roots grow along the stem?
They would likely be shadowed by pot. You want the whole plant to have access to sunlight. Does that make sense?
@@SanDiegoSeedCompany absolutely. thank you!
I have done it successfully. I chased the sun though so it got enough light.
Could pot them in those felt pots and roll the sides down to give access to light, then just unroll when you add more soil.
Can you just go in a bigger pot from the beginning? Thank You!
Sure can. We don’t because we are planting 300 -500 plants.
Wow, looks so green and healthy tomatoes 🍃🌱✔️
I’ve been loving these videos as a refresher for gardening tips and also following along while my seedlings are growing! 🤗🌱
😄👍💕🌱 i just received my 3rd seed order and my growing calendar Brijette. Wowzers that calendar is amazing girl!!! Thank you for the extra seeds❤
Great info! And thanks for reminding everyone to recycle the pots. ♻️
Great advice!
I was able to get through for my tiny Tim tomatoes to day thank you again
Thanks, Muriel! Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your tomatoes :)
Thank you for all the great advice!
Happy to help
Thanks so much for your video, so informative. This is my first year growing tomatoes, or tomatoes as we say in the uk 😂.
I’m doing pretty well but, I realised, listening to you, that my whole philosophy of “when to pot up” was wrong. I’ve always ignored plants that have roots showing at the sides and bottom and waited until there were loads of roots winding around the sides.
I’ve no idea quite where I got this idea from, and especially listening to you I am now kicking myself.
In short, Thank You! 🍅🍾❤️
Nice planting for beginner
Thanks!
Also got your calendar
Howdy, I get so excited to see your video's! Long story short do you mind if I ask where you got your hat? I am close to you in the I.E./zone 9, and I go through hats like crazy in our summer heat. I have lost my mind with my home gardening and find myself outside for six hours at a time. I am trying to take care of me while taking care of my garden. Looking forward to the next video.
Promise to not laugh??
@@SanDiegoSeedCompany promise
Re-using the soil and seeing the mycelium I think is a good sign that your soil is alive and breaking down the available nutrients for the plants to use.
Not that it matters, but i dont think its the hairs that become roots. Roots develop from small bumps on the stem in the prescence of prolonged moisture im p sure.
Talk about how frequently The plant needs fertilizer please.
Depends on what they are planted it but we fertilize them every other watering at a diluted rate until they are planted in the ground which is very fertile.
I’m planting out my tomatoes now. Some of them do have flowers. Should I pinch off the flowers, or let them be? Thank you!
If you are going to put them in the ground soon, you don’t have too. If you are going to wait several weeks, you may want too.
Since your in warmer zone shouldn’t you be able to plant them outside?
We can but these tomatoes are headed to our Ramona farm which gets colder. So we are waiting.
How important is lighting for your seedlings? Is a north-facing indirect light enough? Or is the heatmat enough?
They need a grow light if they look leggy. North facing light is likely not enough.
Awesome advice. Regarding fertilization; what is considered a low number for nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus? I'm sprouting indoors and want to avoid the fish emulsion smell, do you recommend another product?
Something that’s under 5-5-5
@@SanDiegoSeedCompany awesome. I found Fox Farm and my seedlings are happy campers.
Can i start tomato plants in 200 cell flats with success? Any pointers?
You can but you have to pot up almost immediately.
Can you put it in a bed instead of potting up? If you still pot up when do you decide to plant in ground?
You can! Just make sure they are big enough to not get mowed down by insects.
Do you plant gopher netting down before transplanting any of your starters? I have horrible gophers.
We do not but we manage gopher with gopher traps.
sandiegoseedcompany.com/product/tools-and-merchandise/gopherhawk-gopher-trap/
With all do respect everything is expensive this year it doesnt matter if it's your home made seed starting mix or potting soil.
Yes and going to get more expensive.
How often do you fertilize?
With diluted fish emulsion every 2-3 weeks or so.
@@SanDiegoSeedCompany Awesome! Thanks!
I'm not gonna lie. I clicked on the video because of the hat.
Sunflowers for Ukraine :-)