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Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

last uear i started my maters like the directions said, got them up to about 3 inches tall and went to walmart for something and theirs were 8 inches to a foot tall..i though for sure i was up on everyone around here and actually i was about a month behind..my questions is...when are ya'll going to start your mater seeds?? and how big of a pot do you use??

1/16/2004 9:55:33 AM

Md/ Usa

well I start mine about january first.

1/16/2004 10:08:21 AM

Sask, Canada

blkcloud:

First don't worry when every one else starts their seeds, find out when your season starts in you area or the last frost date (not sure how it works down there) count back 8 weeks.

So if your area starts May 1st count back 8 weeks from there, start your seeds in starter packs or seed pellets.

Once you get your first true leaves transplant them into say a 6"-8" pot. Bury the plant right up under the cot leaves. Then once you plant out side, making sure to climatize them for the first week, when you plant them to the garden bury them next either right up to the first true leaves or take those off and plant them up to the second set of true leaves, by doing this roots will form on the whole base of the plant, anything that is under the soil.

When growing in the house keep them 2"-4" under the lights adjusting as they grow, this will give you strong sturdy healthy plants with a big root ball.

I would take a 3" big stalked tomato plant over an 8" Walmart leggy plant anyday.


Hoped this helped
TTYL
Ernie
Giant Veggies

1/16/2004 1:07:04 PM

Pulaski Tn blkcloud@igiles.net

thanks!!!

1/16/2004 1:49:08 PM

Md/ Usa

legginess is easy to prevent. All you need to do is following either bury the plant deep so that stalk roots.
In seedlings to prevent legginess you need to grow them no more then 4 in from light source.

1/18/2004 1:07:07 PM

Walton N.y.

another way to prevent leggy plants is to cool the area the plants are growing in helping them harden off but do keep the light close and after transplanting into the garden i've found that setting them out on an overcast day or in the evening helps prevent transplant shock along with putting 1/2-1 tspn of epsom salts and watering the plants down with a mix of fish and kelp

1/19/2004 8:29:19 AM

Montoursville, PA

I start them in planting cubes. The minute they get leggy I set them in a deeper or taller pot. This helps build a root mass. I grow them on the dry and cool side after the first transplanting. By the time I go outside into a cold frame I am up to a milk shake pot full of a dandy root mass. I still remove leaves on transplanting day darn near up to the last four on the plant and burry them deeper yet. This all gets started about eight weeks before my last frost date, in my area.

Most likely the most important thing is to keep them moving and transplant to avoid them becoming pot bound in to small a container. Root bound or pot bound is the norm for your run of the mill garden center plants. If you must use root bound plants take a razor sharp devise and make a good slicing cut down all four sides of the root mass when you transplant them to the garden. This will encourage the formation of new roots and help the plant break out of the root bound tangled mass so commonly seen in purchased plants.

1/19/2004 10:02:39 AM

Walton N.y.

the wife and i start our maters early as well and plant at least 10 varities every year and plant our transplants deep here's a good true story last year about the 1st of may i tilled up the mater patch and put down black plastic to warm up the soil and started setting up old concrete forms for the base of the cold frame 10'x 40' and our garden being quite close to the road a guy that was driving by saw the wife and i putting the forms up stops and asks what we're doing so i tell him getting my cold frame ready to set our mater plants out he says it looks more like a pigpen to me the more i tried to explain about the coldframe the more he insisted it was a pig pen so i finally gave up and agreed with him and he said see i thought it was a pig pen and he drove off a few weeks later when our last frost was past we were taking the cold frame down and the same guy drove by and asked what happened to the pigs i told him they got sick and died but decided to plant maters in their place his reply was i guess it's best to stick to what you know

1/19/2004 1:08:40 PM

Long Island,New York

Sounds like Walton to me Randy !!...lol

1/19/2004 2:16:08 PM

Walton N.y.

wat u meen dare g u no the theme of da couny fare is thumbs sho em if'n u gots em

1/19/2004 5:15:24 PM