Causes of pale seedlings
Picking done at the wrong time can cause tomato seedlings to turn pale.
Photo: propomidory.ru There are quite a few sources of the problem:
- lack or excess of mineral elements;
- lack of light;
- waterlogging;
- the temperature regime is violated;
- the moment of picking was missed.
The situation can be corrected by regulating the external conditions in the room with seedlings and stabilizing care. It is important to know what to feed tomatoes for good growth and development.
Reason 1. Dense sowing. Thickened plantings of seedlings lead to stretching of plants. Intertwining of roots disrupts the flow of oxygen. The same effect is created when sowing seeds in small containers. These factors lead to a weak and pale culture.
Solution. Transplant seedlings as they grow at least 2 times with simultaneous picking.
Reason 2: Not enough nitrogen. Light green leaves of seedlings will “tell” about a lack of nitrogen.
Solution. Dilute a tablespoon of Urea in 10 liters of water. Carry out unscheduled root feeding.
Reason 3. Not enough potassium. Plants with whitish, curled leaf blades require potassium supplementation.
Solution. A ten-liter bucket of water will require 10 g of potassium monophosphate. Feed at the root.
Reason 4. Not enough iron. With a lack of iron, the leaves turn white, the veins remain green.
Solution. Chlorosis in seedlings is treated with iron chelate (1 g per 10 liters of water). Irrigate the composition over the leaves.
Reason 5. Not enough copper. Symptoms of element deficiency include dull green leaves with white tips.
Solution. You can correct the situation with the help of copper sulfate. Dissolve 1 g of powder in 4 liters of water. Spray the seedlings 2 times every 2 weeks.
Reason 6. Lack of light. For some natural reasons (daylight is still short, cloudy weather outside) the seedlings begin to lack sunlight. Tomatoes are reaching for the sun. To the detriment of the development of the root system, the plant devotes energy to receiving a dose of sunlight. The stem stretches and becomes thinner.
Solution. Choose the most illuminated window sill for installing boxes with seedlings. In bad weather, illuminate the plants with special lamps. Plants will receive sufficient light when illuminated for 12 hours.
Reason 7. High room temperature. For normal growth of seedlings, the optimal air temperature is +18 ºC. It can be lower by 2-3 degrees.
Solution. Ventilate the room frequently. When warming reaches +15 °C, take the plants out into fresh air for hardening.
User Homochka advises:
“We water, feed with Ovary or any other mineral fertilizer for seedlings (Ovary is better for seedlings, because it also contains humates (organic matter)). We loosen it with a fork carefully so as not to damage the roots; you can simply pierce it with a knitting needle in several places to ensure oxygen access..."
Source www.u-mama.ru
Why do seedlings have light colored leaves and a frail stem?
During the active growth stage of tomatoes in the seedling stage, the plants may be missing something. If tomato seedlings are pale and thin, what should you do? To begin with, you need to understand what exactly the plants lack or, conversely, what they are oversaturated with.
Why are tomato seedlings pale green?
- Lack of potassium . If the leaves not only turn white, but also curl, the seedlings need to be fed. Usually fertilized with potassium chloride or wood ash.
- Lack of nitrogen . Pale green leaves on tomatoes indicate they need nitrogen. Nitrogen is contained in urea, which can help eliminate this problem. Place a tablespoon in a bucket of water.
- Lack of iron . If the leaves turn white, but the veins remain the same green, the problem is iron deficiency. In this case, the plants are sprayed with Antichlorosis, Ferovit and others containing the element Fe.
When tomato seedlings become pale and thin and suddenly change colors, you need to think about what to do to fix it.
Video: Tomato seedlings bloomed - what to do
Measures to prevent blanching of tomato leaves
Tomato planting material can be disinfected in a solution of “Fitosporin” (price - 75 rubles) or potassium permanganate
- Soil treatment before sowing
Tomatoes can lose their foliage color due to damage to the root system by pathogenic fungi.
In order to prevent diseases, the soil must be disinfected before sowing:
- heat in the oven;
- freeze;
- spill with manganese solution.
Disinfect the soil before sowing seeds
- Timely feeding
Before planting tomatoes in the ground at home, feed them no more than 3 times. Unscheduled additions should be made only in case of a deficiency of nutrients.
Don't overdo it with nitrogen supplements
- Proper watering
Do not allow the soil to dry out. But overwatering will lead to rotting of the roots and the development of diseases.
It is optimal to water when the surface of the soil in the nurseries becomes dry. Be sure to make drainage holes in the seedling cups.
Water seedlings when the soil is dry
We feed with folk remedies
A remedy that is extremely useful for seedlings throughout the entire period of growing on the windowsill is an infusion of onion peels. They can replace water during each watering or be used from time to time. An infusion of onion peels acts as a soft fertilizer, saturating the soil with a large amount of useful substances. Preparing the infusion is very simple:
- Place 2 handfuls of onion peels in a liter jar and fill with hot water (not boiling water). Leave for a day, then filter and water the seedlings at the root using a watering can with a narrow neck. There is no need to further dilute the product.
To feed seedlings, ash infusion, iodine solution are also often used, and hydrogen peroxide is added to the water. But! Specifically for thickening the stem and strengthening the plant as a whole, these options seem to us to be ineffective. Why? Ash does not contain nitrogen, and in order for the stems to be plump, it is needed in the first place. Iodine feeding is given before planting in the ground, but we need to feed the seedlings at the moment, while still on the windowsill. Hydrogen peroxide is used more to disinfect soil and stimulate growth. In addition, as practice shows, adding peroxide to water when watering seedlings very often does not give results. Yes, it's not harmful, but it's not very useful either. Therefore, an infusion of onion peels is more suitable for us if we want to have strong seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers with thick stems
