What to do if tomato seedlings grow poorly after picking?

After the tomatoes are cut, vegetable growers are often surprised that the plants do not develop well, and the harvest is not as large as they would like. The reason is simple: the picking process is the most important stage in a tomato's life. The number of tomatoes harvested this season depends on how timely and correctly the operation was performed. Tomato picking is the correct shortening of the main, the so-called taproot in a young plant before the fruiting stage.

When to perform the operation?

The most common method of picking is simultaneous transshipment, that is, transplanting a young plant into a separate pot from a common bowl into which the seeds were sown. Some advise to be guided by the lunar calendar and start the operation at a time when the tomato seedlings are subject to the influence of the waning moon. This has not been scientifically proven, which means it can only be used as advisory measures at the request of the gardener. The rest of the gardeners are guided by the following rule: the root tip of the seedlings is pinched off about a week after the emergence of shoots. In the event that the seedlings grow poorly, the procedure is postponed until the tenth day from the moment the seedlings hatch.

What mistakes can a vegetable grower make?

The main pick errors are as follows:

• too early procedure;
• the shortening was done too late;
• poorly performed operation: the removed part of the root remains partially on the plant;
• too much removed;
• execution without disinfecting hands or instruments;
• inaccurate subsequent transshipment into a separate pot;
• stem breakage or leaf tearing is allowed;
• the plants received poor quality care after transplanting.

Pinching the taproot too early will take a lot of energy from the plant. Pruning after the seedling has developed into a young plant with a few pairs of true leaves is a waste of time and effort that will no longer help tomatoes. If the transplantation after the operation was performed carelessly, and during the process half-removed pieces of the root remained on the plant, you can expect fungal and bacterial diseases in tomatoes. The same can be said about picking with unwashed hands, which have not been rinsed at least with a solution of potassium permanganate. Damage to foliage and stems at this stage of seedling growth threatens the loss of individual plants and future contamination of weakened tomatoes with diseases.

Advice

A small amount of potassium permanganate diluted in warm water will help to avoid contamination of seedlings with spores of harmful fungi and prevent the death of the crop, which is why it is worth taking care of disinfection. Some gardeners recommend dipping a young tomato immediately after removing a part of the root by about 1-2 mm in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

How to correct the mistakes made?

Not all actions can be qualified as errors. There are minor errors that do not guarantee the death of tomatoes, but only lead to the fact that the culture grows poorly and slowly. Why this happens, only experienced gardeners can tell. First, if the plant is not watered before picking, it can get more serious damage. And even if they were then transplanted into a too large container or accidentally damaged the entire root system by shaking off too much soil before transshipment, this is also one of the answers to the question of why the tomato does not grow like other seedlings.However, in most cases, the consequences of an illiterate pick can be corrected or at least minimized the damage caused to the plant.

If there is a suspicion that the process was of poor quality or untimely, and the seedlings are growing much slower or unevenly, you can try to fix everything. You can try to cover small wilted seedlings with transparent glass glasses or put transparent bags on the pots, pulling them with an elastic band at the base of the pot. Why is it important not to do this procedure immediately after watering? Excessive humidity in the air can contribute to rotting and the development of fungal diseases. However, this can save some of the weakened seedlings.

In addition, it is worth leaving young plants in the place where they were before the pick, without changing anything in the watering schedule and daylight hours.

Advice

The smallest tomatoes can be pushed forward to get more sunlight.

Those tomatoes that have received too much damage are best disposed of immediately. If, after transplanting, it was found that two or even three plants grow in one of the pots, it is better not to disturb them with repeated transshipment.

Output

Picking is an uncomplicated and at the same time a crucial stage in the life of a young seedling, the health of the seedling depends on it, its ability to adapt to new conditions of open ground, and even, in general, the amount of harvest per season. Despite the fact that to carry out this operation you will only need a certain number of pots, earth and fingers, it is necessary to take it with full responsibility.

Compliance with the timing of the pick, the cleanliness of the procedure and respect for the seedlings will allow you to get healthy plants suitable for planting in the summer cottage.