Tomato seedlings looked poorly within hours of transplant

[riverhamill]

Hello friends, I started these tomato seedlings in my house under a grow light, in temperatures about 68 degrees or warmer. They are Sungold and Sakura cherry tomatoes. A few days ago, I put them in pots in my greenhouse in a soil mix that I made from compost, some garden soil, some coconut fiber and perlite. I also used some tomato fertilizer. I watered them well. Literally within HOURS they started to look poorly. The bottom leaves wilted or turned brown. The temperature in the greenhouse that first day was moderate - probably about 70% degrees They were not too dry. The compost is made mostly of horse manure that may not be fully composted. The soil is from a garden where I did grow tomatoes last year. The tomatoes growing there showed no sign of disease during the year. ( I did not think of the fact that I had used soil that grew tomatoes last year. - I won't do that again.) The astonishing part was how quickly they were affected. They seem to be slowly growing worse. Also, I will put a photo of a petunia plant that seems to be suffering a little too, grown in a similar mix. Anyone have any ideas?? Thanks a million, Peggy

 

[harrylee]

I imagine they are in shock from the transplant. I would give them a few days to recover.

 

[riverhamill]

Well, I hope that you are right - but I have transplanted hundreds of tomatoes over the years, and never seen anything like this. But I will definitely give them some time. Thanks

 

[Chuck]

Was the petunia under grow lights as well?

 

[Neno Baylov]

Maybe you put too much fertilizer, I have an orchard with peaches, one year I put a lot of fertilizer, and the leaves turned quite yellow, fortunately they recovered. But now I try not to put a lot of manure.

 

[riverhamill]

Was the petunia under grow lights as well?

Yes - they were started under the same grow lights.

 

[riverhamill]

Maybe you put too much fertilizer, I have an orchard with peaches, one year I put a lot of fertilizer, and the leaves turned quite yellow, fortunately they recovered. But now I try not to put a lot of manure.

That could be the problem. I did go a bit heavy on the fertilizer, on top of the compost. I forgot to mention the fertilizer I used....

 

[Chuck]

I would say one of two things have happened. Either nitrogen toxicity or a big change in lighting. Was you fertilizer a synthetic?

 

[riverhamill]

Thanks for your answer. The fertilizer was organic. Our lighting in the greenhouse is diffuse, through opaque polycarbonate, but perhaps that was the problem. Do you think that nitrogen toxicity could occur with in hours?

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for your answer. The fertilizer was organic. Our lighting in the greenhouse is diffuse, through opaque polycarbonate, but perhaps that was the problem. Do you think that nitrogen toxicity could occur with in hours?

Not with organic fertilizer I don't think. What was the N number on that tomato fertilizer and its name. Let me understand this. You started the seedlings inside your home under grow lights. Then you moved them into a greenhouse with only diffused sunlight and you put them into your soil mix of horse manure and compost and within hours the leaf tips started yellowing and eventually turned brown. Is this correct? What was the lighting from the growlight. Was it an actual grow light or a fluorescent tube for home lighting?

 

[riverhamill]

Hello Chuck. The Fertilizer is called Dr Earth Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer. Nitrogen lever was 4 (4-6-3) and the ingredients included fish bone meal, Feather meal and alfalfa meal. I could have over done it with the fertilizer. I have done that before.... The seedlings in the home were under a grow light and also got light through a shade cloth from the outside. I thought (from past experience) that the light through the window was too strong. It was a grow light using 2 fluorescent tubes. The mix that I used was horse manure compost that is almost done, but not quite, some garden soil where I grew healthy tomatoes last year, some perlite, coconut fiber, and some of the Dr Earth Fertilizer. I put them in pots, as I am resting the greenhouse soil from growing tomatoes. Yes, within hours of planting, the lower leaves were wilted and then brown and yellow. The upper leaves it was only the tips. The newest growth was not affected. Yesterday I cut off all of the brown and wilted leaves. Most of the leaves remain OK today, although there is a tiny bit of browning. Thanks for your interest in my problem.

 

[Chuck]

Hello Chuck. The Fertilizer is called Dr Earth Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer. Nitrogen lever was 4 (4-6-3) and the ingredients included fish bone meal, Feather meal and alfalfa meal. I could have over done it with the fertilizer. I have done that before.... The seedlings in the home were under a grow light and also got light through a shade cloth from the outside. I thought (from past experience) that the light through the window was too strong. It was a grow light using 2 fluorescent tubes. The mix that I used was horse manure compost that is almost done, but not quite, some garden soil where I grew healthy tomatoes last year, some perlite, coconut fiber, and some of the Dr Earth Fertilizer. I put them in pots, as I am resting the greenhouse soil from growing tomatoes. Yes, within hours of planting, the lower leaves were wilted and then brown and yellow. The upper leaves it was only the tips. The newest growth was not affected. Yesterday I cut off all of the brown and wilted leaves. Most of the leaves remain OK today, although there is a tiny bit of browning. Thanks for your interest in my problem.

I am clueless. That fertilizer is excellent and in no way would it cause this even if you did apply a little too much, so apparently it has something to do with lighting . Please keep us informed of how the plants do. Could you have damaged the roots during transplanting?

 

[riverhamill]

Well, I am bewildered too. I will keep you informed. Gardening is always mysterious. Thanks Peggy

 

[Chuck]

Well, I am bewildered too. I will keep you informed. Gardening is always mysterious. Thanks Peggy

Transplant shock works in different ways I suppose. I have just never seen it act like this though and I've transplanted literally thousands of tomatoes and mainly they may have light yellowing and wilting. Maybe we learned something today.

 

[riverhamill]

Yes - I have been transplanting tomatoes each year for the past 50 years - and I have never seen this either.....

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The compost is made mostly of horse manure that may not be fully composted.

That made me wince a bit. All round it seems like a lot of feeding for small plants. I try to put them in something half decent, but I don't really bother about feeding until I see the first flower truss.

 

[riverhamill]

Hello friends, thanks to you all for your interest. I am happy to report that my little seedlings seem to have taken root, and have suffered no further damage. I pinched off all of the damaged leaves and stems and there has been almost no more damage. It must have been some strange case of transplant shock of some sort. I guess. Anyway here are the latest photos: I will let you all know if anything else unusual develops.