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Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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Posted by laccanvas Knoxville,TN (My Page) on Mon, Feb 13, 12 at 17:43
| What is the best fertilizer for seedlings? I am an organic gardener. I have used a crazy high nitrogen chemical fertilizer before, but it seems to attract aphids. I have noticed that my tomato plants look spindly and weak too. Right now I am using epsom salt with green sand and clay particles in starter mix. I am using a liquid tea npk 1-2.5-1. Sometimes I make it stronger. SOme seedlings look a bit yellow and weak and slow growing. Is there a way to combat this with a nutrient concoction.
Does anyone have a good nutrient concoction recipe?...for weak plants. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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- Posted by natal Louisiana 8b (My Page) on
Mon, Feb 13, 12 at 18:13
| I don't use anything until I pot up and then only a very weak fish emulsion mix. |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| Most young seedlings need minimal if any feeding so how old are your seedlings? How many sets of true leaves do they have? What are you growing them in, which soil-less potting mix? And "spindly and weak" often means not nearly enough light or way too warm growing conditions so could you give more details on your growing conditions? Like natal said fish emulsion of any of the many organic liquid fertilizers, diluted to 1/4 or 1/2 strength max works fine. Try one of the fish and kelp blend liquids. Dave |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| using a molasses, compost tea, kelp, humic acid, liquid fish, liquid seaweed, apple cider vinegar, biostimulants solution. I still have some that are sort of weak and small. So, I added some espom salts and the greensand was added to the soil when I potted them up. ALong with some mexican clay. |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| EEEEEEEEK! How old are your seedlings? The typical reason that seedlings are spindly and weak are that they don't have enough light. If they were grown at warm temperatures PLUS not enough light, then the problem is compounded. The warmth makes them think "it's SUMMER!" and they stretch to try to reach the light (assuming they are shaded by a bigger plant) while all the while there is NO additional light so they just weaken themselves with the reaching. That problem CANNOT be corrected by trying to pump them up with fertilizers. (Actually, it's even worse because what they REALLY need is the light, which they won't get). I fertilize my seedlings with absolutely nothing until they are about a month old. If they start looking spindly at all I reduce the temperatures and increase the light. |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| using a molasses, compost tea, kelp, humic acid, liquid fish, liquid seaweed, apple cider vinegar, biostimulants solution. Ditto the EEEK! Uhhhhh - These are young seedlings, correct? not established plants. I would not use a concoction like that even on established plants. What is the source of that recipe? And how much and how often are you feeding it to them? Do your seedlings a favor and back off on all that. If you feel you simply must feed them then stick with just very diluted compost tea since you have it. And Mexican clay??? Never. Honestly, based on the info given I'm not surprised they are weak and small. I'm surprised they are still alive. Can you explain the reasoning behind this very unusual approach to growing tomato seedlings? Did this come from some book or what? Dave |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| OK. Just stop with the fertilizing thing! These are SEEDLINGS! Just give them lots of light, moderate moisture. The light can be flourescent, but should be close to the tops of the seedlings. Most of all, relax. This is as simple as it gets. Nature's been doin it without any help for a long time now, ms/mr organic gardener. I have, too. Organically. For 22 years. NEVER gave my seedlings anything but what I mentioned above. Proud to send you pics of my heirlooms, if you want. Almost 40 varieties a year, all from seed. Keep your beds raised, heavily mulched, and hope for as little rain as possible. The rest is up to you. |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| I waited until they were about 4 weeks until I potted them up in a greensand/starter mix soil situation. Then I started a very light fertilizer soultion with the tea blend. I have had them under a cheap florescent lighting since they were babies. I had 65 plants....now about 40 tall healthy ones. The others: some slow growing and weak...a few died from dampening off..the others broke from accidents from dropping etc. I have about 6 plants that are weak and yellow...they did not grow strong like the others. I am wondering if it is just the seeds...or can I combat the weakness with more lighting and nutrition???? |
also
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| Also...the past two years...I have grown my tomato plants on my window sill with 0 fertilizer and no grow lights. This is my first year with fertilizing with a light tea blend and with a grow light. They are greener and stronger looking. Just the ones that didn't respond well b/c of genetics I am curious about. |
tomato list
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Virginia Sweets
Brown Berry Cherry
Cherokee Purple
Gregory Altai
Summer Cider
Early Girl
German Queen
Porter
Celebrity
Cherokee Green
Aunt Gertie's Gold
Chocolate Stripes
San Marzano
Yellow tomato seed from next door neighbor |
seeds
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| PSS... It's Cherokee Purple that I've had the hardest time with. I am ggoing to buy new CP seeds next season. |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| YOu have a great response from several experts. Hopefully, you will heed the advice. I am not an expert. I start between 150-300 tomatos without any flourescent lights.I use the jiffy pellets or potting mix in cups. I have some indoor full spectrum goose neck lamps and also carry the seedlings outside when the temps are above 50. I fert VERY lightly with something high in Nitrogen. It is rare for me to lose any of my seedlings. Some of my seed is over 10 years old. If I can grow healthy young plants anyone can. I strongly agree that you are doing too much to those young seedlings. Linda |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| ok. I have noted that last year I grew the same seeds/seedlings without anything...they were very weak. This year I thought to try fertilizing them. They look way better than past tomato plants without the fertilizing. I have spoken too our local large greenhouses that supply thousands of tomato plants. THey use chemical fertilizers with high nitrogen npk ratios _20-10-20 with micronutrients. That's where most people buy their tomato plants. I am using a light npk ratio organic fertilizer 1-2.5 -1. |
Any experts out there?
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| Can anyone tell me if they have any experience bringing weak seedlings back too life??? |
RE: Best Fertilizer for seedlings.
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| This season I had a Stiped Roman without any true leaves yet start to lay down and look pretty bad. I carefully filled potting mix in around it and ignored it. That was three weeks ago. Today it has two true leaves and is greening up. |
funny plants
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| I broke a san marzano redorta tomato plant that was about 6 inches tall and about 3 months old that I was about to transplant in my garden outside last season. I was left with a 3 inch top broken part at transplant...so I just put it in a hole in my no till brand new back yard area. It grew without any fertilizer..no kidding, into this beautiful plant...it had a good amount of fruit on it, but blight killed it all. |
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