What to do if tomato seedlings do not grow: the main reasons

Ask an experienced gardener why tomato seedlings are not growing or developing too actively, and he will be at a loss. Farmers who have a great deal of experience regarding the process of growing tomatoes on a plot sometimes do not even understand what problems this can cause. However, if this is your first experience with tomatoes, a lot of things can go wrong at first. Therefore, you need to learn how to competently save the situation in order to grow tomatoes at home.

Many beginner gardeners sooner or later face a similar problem. Why does tomato seedlings grow poorly? To correctly identify the source of the problem, you need to understand that this process itself is multi-layered and includes several stages at once.

To begin with, the seeds are sown in the ground. As the stems of tomatoes grow, it is necessary to regularly pick the plant, take care of it carefully, and also be able to protect it from pests. If any stage is violated, significant troubles arise, such as the cessation of tomato growth. How to cope with such problems and how to identify their presence in the early stages? More on that below.

Video “Possible Causes”

From the video you will learn what can cause poorly growing seedlings.

Improper nutrition

To determine why seedlings are growing poorly, it is recommended that you first pay attention to feeding the plant. Very often, farmers do not pay due attention to this, but meanwhile it is necessary to feed the tomato substrate, and this should be done about four times with interruptions. What fertilizer methods are used:

the first method is carried out 3 weeks after planting seedlings in the ground. You can prepare the solution using liquid fertilizer, 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska. All this is mixed with 10 liters of water. Pour the resulting mixture under the tomato root at the rate of half a liter per sprout;
the second method is intended for the secondary application of fertilizers to the substrate. Wait until the second flower brush begins to bloom on the seedlings. Various store-bought fertilizers are used. Choose a proven product that can be diluted in water. Water the tomatoes with a solution, adding about 1 liter of water under each bush;
the third phase of top dressing will be needed when the third flower brush begins to bloom on the tomatoes. A fairly popular tool is the fertilizer "Ideal". It must be mixed with 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska and diluted with water. The resulting mixture is recommended to pour tomatoes at the rate of 5 liters of solution per 1 sq. m. beds;
fourth drink. It must be carried out no earlier than two weeks after the third feeding of tomatoes. How to prepare this kind of remedy? You need to use 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate, which is mixed with 10 liters of water. The volume of liquid for each bush will be the largest in this case - up to 10 liters per square meter of beds.

Bird droppings are also considered useful for seedlings of tomatoes. It is poured with water, insisted for several days, and then the root zone of tomatoes is regularly poured with the resulting mixture. Problems for inexperienced gardeners arise already at this stage. The thing is that it is very important to adhere to the indicated proportions. If you go too far with this or, conversely, apply too little fertilizer, the results will not please you too much.

Wrong watering

What lies in the complexity of the process of growing tomato seedlings in a summer cottage is in the volume and regularity of watering. Remember that overdrying the soil under the tomatoes is not worth it. Similarly, excessive watering is harmful. The best option is to water the plant at least once a week. However, their frequency will depend on some weather factors.

For example, you started growing tomato seedlings at home, and put a box or other container with tomato shoots on the window or carried it out onto the balcony. In this case, the regularity of watering will depend on both the brightness and the duration of illumination of the tomatoes. Observe how many hours a day the seedlings are under open sunlight. If this period is long, be sure to increase the volume and increase the regularity of watering tomatoes.

Interestingly, it is not recommended to water the tomatoes immediately after they are planted in the soil. It is necessary to wait until the sprouts appear from under the ground, and only on the fifth day after this, the seedlings can finally be filled with water. Use pre-settled water at room temperature. In this way, you will prevent the accumulation of chlorine in the soil. If such a procedure is performed regularly and competently, the results will not be long in coming.

Diving errors

What to do if tomato seedlings grow very poorly? It is possible that the reason lies in improper implementation or even in the neglect of plant picking measures. Meanwhile, this procedure is important enough for the full growth of tomato seedlings. It will be needed if you sowed the seeds in one container, and now sprouts have grown out of the soil, which it is time to separate from each other. Be extremely careful.
This process is very sensitive, in the process of transplanting plants that are not yet fully established, their root system can be significantly damaged, and in the best case, you will need time for them to grow back. If you, as a beginner gardener, do not want to mess around with such procedures for the time being, this can generally be avoided. In this case, it is recommended to sow the seeds in different containers.

Other care mistakes

If your tomato seedlings are not growing well, perhaps you have made some other mistakes in caring for the plant. Among the most notable are also:

poor seed quality. This determines in advance the result of their landing in the ground. Experts believe that it is undesirable to sow seeds in the soil that are more than 5-6 years old. Therefore, if they are overdue, it is better not to take risks;
low nutritional value of the earth. Of course, land from the garden or the private sector is the best and budget option. But, on the other hand, you will not be sure of its quality. What if, along with the soil, you also get pests? Therefore, it is best to purchase the substrate in a specialized store;
lack of heat. Flower growers also often do not pay attention to this. Meanwhile, the temperature in the room where tomato seedlings grow should not fall below 24 degrees. Tomatoes are very thermophilic. Even if the room is cold, turn on the lamp over the seedling box for a while;
fluffy pet cat. Oddly enough, but it is your pet that can nullify the efforts you have spent. It is believed that cat urine can destroy tomato seedlings, so try not to let the cat near the container with tomato sprouts.

When growing tomatoes at home, pay attention to every little thing. Only in this case you will be able to get a full seedling of tomatoes.

Diseases and pests

Most often, novice flower growers are faced with a problem called root rot. What is the reason for such a problem? It's all about excessive watering. Let's say you water the plants too often, and at the same time put the seedlings in a dark and cool place. Hence the root rot. But not only this disease threatens your tomatoes in this situation.

Particularly dangerous for tomatoes is the black leg - a fungal disease. Plus, it is an infectious disease that instantly affects the plant. If your seedlings "live" in one container, try to transplant the tomatoes into another pot or box as soon as possible, until the rest of the sprouts have been infected.

In general, growing tomato seedlings will not take you too much effort.