Why are tomato seedlings thin and pale and what to do?

The quality of seedlings largely affects the yield of tomatoes. Before making a landing in the ground, it is necessary to assess the condition of the plants. Often the seedlings grow thin, yellow.This appearance signals the presence of problems with planting material.

There is an opinion that it is difficult to grow tomatoes from a seed on a window, and it is impossible to get a decent crop, but this is a delusion. If you create suitable conditions for tomatoes, the seedlings will be of high quality. A little work and during the harvest period you can brag to your neighbors. This plant does not tolerate drought, but is well drawn out with sufficient heat and light. Unhealthy appearance of tomato seedlings indicates a violation of the temperature regime, the absence of the necessary light or moisture.

Among the main reasons why the plant stretches up:

• little sun;
• densely planted;
• excess or lack of nitrogen in the ground;
• increased air temperature;
• sowing ahead of time;
• non-compliance with the humidity regime;
• lack of moisture.

Tomatoes will always reach for the light, so they stretch out on the window towards it if they are deficient. Such plants always have a pale color of foliage. Experienced gardeners are advised not to plant a lot of seeds in one area, because the shoots will try to stretch upwards. If possible, when the plants grow and get stronger, they need to be seated, thereby giving more space for growth.

If it is too hot at night, the tomatoes also stretch upwards, and if it is cool, they grow in width, the stems become stronger. A bad effect on the plant is not only a shortage, but also an excess of water in the soil. Thin and pale seedlings of tomatoes - a lack of attention to it from the gardener.

If the gardener observes the basic requirements, monitors the temperature, the amount of light and humidity, but the foliage is still pale, then you should think about additional feeding. Nitrogen fertilizers are ideal for this. You can make the nutrient solution at home by yourself.

This will require:

• 1 large spoon of urea;
• 10 liters of water.

Each bush will need about 100 g of this fertilizer. After processing for several days, seedlings must be transferred to a cool room, where the air temperature is 8-10 degrees. Watering is not necessary. When a tomato is transformed, and its foliage darkens noticeably, you can return it to its original place or plant it in the ground.

It also happens that the gardener is overdoing and there is an overabundance of fertilizer in the soil. In this case, the seedlings are also drawn out, and in order to stop the growth you will need to add superphosphate. The recipe for its preparation is simple:

• 10 liters of water;
• 3 tablespoons of superphosphate.

A glass of solution for one tomato will be enough. Plants are cleaned in the heat for a couple of days, where the average temperature reaches 26 degrees, and at night is at least 22. Seedlings are also not watered. Top dressing should be done no more than once in 7-10 days. If there is not enough light on the window, then a lamp should be used, which should be 10 centimeters from the foliage. Some varieties are distinguished by the fact that they gain thickness in the stem only after transplantation into the ground, so there is no need to feed them. As a rule, these are tall tomatoes, they just need to temper.

The so-called stepchildren, that is, lateral stems, can be germinated in water and planted in the ground. They will give a wonderful harvest, and without them, the load on the plant will decrease during the period of fruiting. Between the fifth and sixth leaf the stem can be cut and put the upper part in a glass of water for further germination. Over time, additional processes are formed at the site of the cut, they need to be removed all and only the two upper ones should be left. Tomato is planted in the greenhouse after 25 days. The two upper processes should be tied up separately. In order for the plant not to experience a large load, it is enough to have 4 fruit brushes on each branch.

Spread the seedlings twenty days before it is transferred to the ground.At this point, it should reach a height of 25-35 cm. In a healthy plant, up to 12 leaflets and several inflorescences are already formed on the stem. A few days before the tomatoes are planted in the ground, you need to cut two sheets from the bottom. Hemp stalks should remain at least 1 centimeter in size. Later, they will disappear themselves and will not harm the plant. This is how it is possible to protect the seedlings from some diseases, improve the airing of the roots, help it to form high-quality brushes with flowers.

Long stems should be immersed in great depth in the ground. It is not necessary to dig too big a hole, because the earth can still be heated poorly. In this case, the best option is landing on a slope.

Formed groove depth to 10 centimeters, which plentifully poured water and wait until it is absorbed. Plants are laid out on it so that from the top of one tomato to another was at least 50 centimeters. This distance is sufficient for the seedlings to fully develop in the ground and receive enough light. Roots should be laid in the direction of the south, because the plant will reach for the sun.

It so happens that the cold linger, and the seedlings on the window is overgrown. In this case, it is cut in the manner indicated above. You can make a landing in a double well, where the container is placed with a tomato. First, a deeper one is used, then when the plant takes root, the top one is filled with soil.

Unhealthy color of leaves, too long stems - all this suggests that the gardener did not inspect the plants. You can overdo it with fertilizers, so in all it is worth looking for a middle ground.

The first thing you should pay attention to:

• shine;
• moisture;
• amount of fertilizer.

Nature has worked well on the plant growth mechanism; disruption of natural processes leads to a change in the quality of planting material. Using boxes for germinating seedlings, you should not be greedy and put too many seeds in a small space. In the future, it will be difficult to develop, the stems will go up to the sun. The fewer bushes and more space, the healthier the tomatoes.

It is important to monitor soil moisture so that the plant can get enough water to grow. At the same time, top-dressings should not be done too often, as this only hurts the tomatoes. An excessive amount of fertilizer leads to a too rapid growth of the stem. Water is watered only when they see that it is dry. Gardeners note the special love of tomatoes for heat, so they focus on the temperature regime of growing seedlings. If you do not comply with it, then the plants begin to reach up. It will help reduce the temperature to 4-5 degrees, when growth slows down and there is an active strengthening of the root system.

Be sure to provide additional lighting, and the temperature in the greenhouse can not fall below 15 degrees. It is easy to stimulate active growth if the temperature is raised to 25 degrees. Once the tomatoes have reached the required size, the air should again be no more than 15 degrees. This method is called hardening.If everything is done correctly, small bushes with lush foliage of a healthy green color appear at the planting ground. You can combine temperature and lighting. If there is a lot of light, then the air should warm up in the range of 25-28 degrees, if it is small, up to 19 degrees.

There are some basic recommendations that will help a beginning gardener to prevent stem thinning or uncontrolled plant growth:

• Do not top-dress the tomatoes more than ten days after the last portion;
• use only organic or mineral supplements;
• The first fertilizer is applied to the ground ten days after the emergence of shoots, for this it is best to use nitrophoska;
• the second dressing is applied after twelve days; for this purpose, ammonium nitrate or wood ash is used;
• if active growth of seedlings is traced, the two lower leaves are removed, and the earth is poured onto the roots;

• do not water too often, control air humidity better and install a humidifier or use a leaf dispenser;
• plant seeds should be at a distance of at least 8 centimeters from each other, and the depth should be up to 2 centimeters;
• 2-3 seeds are planted in one well;
• fertile soil is used as a soil for sprouting seedlings, which should preferably be disinfected before;
• if all the seeds have germinated in one well, then they are deposited after the formation of two leaves.

Sometimes it happens that prevention does not help solve the problem, then it is recommended that gardeners use specially created tools:

• "Stopprost";
• "Athlete".

Their composition contains special nutrients, they help for a short period of time to restore the lack of trace elements in the soil. After their use, the growth of tomatoes slows down noticeably, and the stem goes through the thickness, the root system becomes more powerful.

You will learn more about the proper cultivation of tomtat seedlings in the following video.