I noticed that sometimes even with all the rules for caring for tomato seedlings, it stops growing.
There may be several reasons:
- bad light;
- violation of the temperature regime and watering;
- incorrect picking;
- lack of nutrition;
- pests and diseases.
I try to identify the cause of the problem as quickly as possible in order to fix it.
Bad light
Light day for seedlings should last 14 hours. A tomato planted in spring needs additional lighting. At the same time, I try to exclude direct sunlight, which can cause leaf burns.
Violation of the temperature regime
After the first shoots appear, I put the boxes in a cooler place. During the day the temperature should be +16 °С…+18 °С, at night +14 °С…+15 °С.
Two weeks later, I keep the tomatoes during the day at +20 ° C, at night +16 ° C.
I water the seedlings sparingly. I do not allow stagnation of water in containers. I'm waiting for the top layer of soil to dry out a little.
Wrong pick
I always try to plant tomatoes carefully. But it happens that the spine is bent or broken. Then all the forces of the plant will go to take root in a new place. It is better to transfer seedlings with lumps of earth, so it will be less damaged.
nutritional deficiency
I learned to determine the lack of one or another element in plant nutrition by the appearance of seedlings.
With a lack of nitrogen, the stem of the tomato becomes thinner, the leaves become smaller and become pale. In this case, I feed with urea at the rate of 4 g per 10 liters of water.
Phosphorus deficiency can be detected by reddening of the underside of the leaves. I feed with superphosphate - 12 g per bucket.
Potassium deficiency causes curling and yellowing of the tips of tomato leaves. I am fertilizing with potassium sulfate.
With a lack of magnesium, the leaves become covered with marble spots. I add magnesium sulfate at the rate of 25 g per bucket and water and feed the tomato bushes.
Diseases and pests
Diseases of seedlings and the invasion of pests can not only stop its growth, but also completely destroy it.
I want to describe the most common diseases that affect tomatoes.
Blackleg
An infectious disease of many vegetable crops. The stem of the plant begins to darken from below, in some places it becomes very thin. Seedlings wither, fall, their roots rot. I immediately remove such a plant. I transplant the remaining tomatoes into another soil with the addition of ash and calcined sand. I plant with a decent distance between them. After transplantation, I treat with the preparation "Fundazol" and water it after the soil has completely dried.
I noticed that with regular ventilation and the addition of wood ash to the soil, the disease occurs less frequently. At the first signs of a black leg, the biological preparations "Fitosporin" and "Bactofit" helped me.
Rot
Occurs with excessive watering in combination with low air or soil temperatures. I transplant seedlings into open ground. I pre-wash the roots in a solution of potassium permanganate.
Septoria (white spot)
Fungal disease. I determine it by the appearance on the leaves of dirty white spots with a dark border. Seedlings can become infected through the soil. The development of the disease is promoted by high humidity and temperature. The plant has to be removed. For prevention, I advise you to cultivate the soil and boxes before planting.
spider mite
I determine by the cobweb that appeared on the leaves. For the fight I use the chemicals "Fitoverm", "Aktellik".
Slowing down or stopping the growth of seedlings can be caused by improperly selected soil. If the cause is identified, I replace the soil with a new one.
The sooner the cause of poor tomato growth is established, the more likely it is to be eliminated. Have you had any experience dealing with poor tomato growth? It would be interesting to know your opinion about this problem and how you dealt with it.
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