Trying to grow tomatoes on their site and collect a good harvest at the end of summer, many summer residents are faced with the fact that even before planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, it begins to fade. Pallor is a bad sign. If you do not take any measures and do not treat it, you can completely lose seedlings.

Benefits of tomatoes

Tomato is a vegetable crop, there are about 2000 varieties. Fruit sizes vary from small to very large. Several shades of white, light green, pale pink, red, yellow, orange and black and red are distinguished by color. In structure and height, the bushes can be low, medium, tall, branching, herbaceous.

Tomato propagates by seeds and cuttings, takes root quickly and deeply. During the flowering period, it is capable of self-pollination - it has both female and male flowers. According to the rate of maturation, early ripening, mid-ripening, late ones are distinguished.

On a note! The variety of varieties allows you to grow tomatoes in any region, almost everywhere: in the open field, in panics, in greenhouses and under a film, on balconies and window sills.

The taste characteristics of the tomato also differ depending on the variety, but basically all tomatoes are sweetish and juicy. Despite the fact that tomato is considered a dietary product and has a low calorie content, it is very nutritious. The tomato contains cellulose, organic acids, proteins, minerals, microelements.

Seedling appearance

A huge number of dishes can be prepared from tomatoes; they are consumed raw, boiled, fried, canned. Tomatoes tolerate freezing and drying (drying) perfectly.

Why do seedlings have a light color of leaves and a frail stem

At the stage of active growth of tomatoes in the seedling stage, plants may lack something. If tomato seedlings are pale and thin, what to do? To begin with, you need to understand what exactly the plants lack, or vice versa, what they are oversaturated.

Why are tomato seedlings pale green:

  • a 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.
  • a lack of nitrogen... The pale green leaves of tomatoes indicate that they need nitrogen. Nitrogen is contained in urea and can help eliminate this problem. A tablespoon is diluted in a bucket of water.
  • a lack of gland... If the leaves turn white, but the veins remain the same green, the problem is iron deficiency. In this case, plants are sprayed with preparations Antichlorosis, Ferovit and others containing the element Fe.

When tomato seedlings become pale and thin, suddenly change colors, you need to think about what to do to fix it.

Tomato seedlings have bloomed - what to do

Tomato seedlings are pale and thin: what to do

If the plants have too thin legs, this can lead to stretching or deformation of the tomatoes. Here are the reasons why this can happen:

Early landing. If the seeds are planted too early, there will be weak sprouts. When the daylight hours are still short or there is inclement weather outside, the seedlings do not have enough sun. It is necessary to observe the planting dates, they are different for each type of plant, and are compiled according to biological rhythms.

Smooth stem

What to do if cucumber seedlings are stretched

Lack of sunlight. In dark places, the leaves are drawn to the light, they lack the sun, and a weak leg is obtained. Sometimes you may notice that the seedlings have turned pale. Plants need the sunniest windowsill. If it is not possible to expose them to a sunny place, artificial daylight is needed. You can buy special phytolamps for plants, which are sold in gardening stores. Both conventional LED lamps and fluorescent lamps are suitable.

On a note! LED luminaires are an excellent solution, they are inexpensive compared to phyto lamps and consume less energy than conventional lamps.

You can build reflective screens using scrap materials. For this, baking foil, a mirror, shiny insulation, white cloth or paper will work. First, you need to cut out a piece of cardboard, in such a size that its width is not less than the width of the pot with tomato seedlings. The material is attached to the cardboard, the finished cardboard is installed or suspended with the help of threads so that the light from the window is reflected and hits the plants. You can install a reflective screen from one or all four sides.

It is important not to "overexpose" the plants, they also need darkness for proper functioning. Daylight hours for seedlings should be 10-14 hours a day.
Inexperienced gardeners sometimes use lamps with conventional incandescent lamps. There is no harm from them, but no benefit either. They do not have the spectrum that plants need. There is no point in using them for additional lighting.

The plants are too hot. Many, out of inexperience, believe that the warmer it is on the windowsill, the better. This is not true. When shoots have appeared and the first leaves have hatched, it is necessary to lower the room temperature, you can safely open a window or window for micro-ventilation and do it constantly. If the batteries are very hot under the windowsill, either turn down the power or cover the batteries with blankets.

There are other ways to deal with the heat. During the day, you can take plants out onto the balcony, but only if it is glazed and the daytime temperature is at least 15 degrees. You can find other cooler places in the apartment, for example, on the floor near the balcony door or in the hallway.

Tomato seedlings feel comfortable at a temperature of +15 - +18. The best option is when the seedlings "live" in a separate room with a certain constant temperature. The heated air in the room is not to the liking of seedlings.

Tempering is useful to strengthen seedlings. If the daytime temperature outside is +15 degrees, for a while it can be taken out into the street, balcony, porch. First for 10-15 minutes, then add 10 minutes every day. Hardening prevents the plants from stretching, helps the stems and leaves to become strong and acquire a dark green color. For roots, hardening is also useful - the root system becomes stronger.

Overfeeding. If, after untimely feeding, the seedlings began to grow, most likely, there was nitrogen in the composition, which contributed to the excessive growth of greenery to the detriment of the root. If it so happened that the seedlings were "overfed" with fertilizers, you need to arrange a diet for her - to wait with feeding until the stems get stronger.

Excess water in the soil

In the first weeks of tomato growth, it is especially undesirable to feed, the earth already contains everything necessary for good plant growth.

Incorrect feeding schedule. Top dressing should be carried out strictly according to the schedule. It is not uncommon for caring gardeners to feed the seedlings to everyone or at the wrong time.
The first - not immediately after the shoots have appeared, but only when the plant has a third leaf. At this stage, complex additives with a nitrogen content are used. Such top dressing as Agricola is very popular with gardeners.
The second top dressing - after 12 days have passed since the picking of plants. At this time, a complex additive is also used - nitroammofosk. This supplement contains 3 elements - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus.The granules are diluted with water in accordance with the instructions and water the seedlings.
Third top dressing - exactly 2 weeks after the second top dressing. The same additive is used as in the previous step.
Fourth top dressing - when 2 months pass after planting the seeds. During this period, seedlings require potassium and phosphorus. Most often, summer residents use wood ash and superphosphate. The mixture is diluted with water (1 tbsp of each ingredient per 5 liters) and fertilizer is applied.

Too high density of seedlings

Excessive humidity. You cannot water the seedlings every day. If there is too much moisture, the plants will use the moisture to grow the bottom. Watering should be done when the topsoil is completely dry. Abundant watering is also harmful, it is better to underfill than overflow. Water for irrigation should be warm, not lower than room temperature. Potted soil should not be constantly wet.

Planting too dense. In a cramped box, the plants lack soil. From the ground, they take material for growth and formation of roots and stems. Therefore, you should not plant the seeds too close to each other, it is better to prepare more pots of soil. Closely planted plants are literally fighting for a place in the sun, each trying to stretch higher so that it gets as much light as possible.

The need for a pick. If tightened with a dive, the plant will immediately grow and the leg will become thin. It should dive in the period 14-30 days after germination.

Before picking it is important to prepare the soil - water the soil in pots 1-2 hours before planting.

Important! The container for picking should not be shallow, because tomatoes will sit in it for a long time. The ideal pot size is 8 * 8 cm.

Each sprout should have its own pot, it is undesirable to plant 2 plants in one container, later it will be difficult to separate the roots. Violation of the root system when transplanted into the ground slows down the flowering and fruiting period of seedlings.

Strongly tall seedlings

If the time for picking has not yet come, and the plants are already cramped and they are stretched out, you need to replant immediately. After transplanting, the plant will feel freedom, and while it adapts to new conditions, its growth will slow down. All the forces of the sprout will be used to restore normal life, it will become stronger. This will help correct the situation with thin stems and pale leaves.

Important! When picking, the roots of tomatoes must be placed strictly vertically, otherwise the growth of seedlings will slow down by 1-2 weeks.

Wrong pot selection. It so happens that the drainage hole on the bottom of the pot is clogged, and excess water cannot leak out. And there are pots without holes, and this is not the best choice for tomato seedlings.

If the water does not drain well, the drain hole should be checked. If clogged, the hole must be cleaned. If there is no hole, it must be made.

Council.Then you can use a special supplement - the Athlete drug. It regulates plant growth. The roots are strengthened, and the growth of the stem stops. The leg becomes thicker and the leaves are wider.

The athlete must process the seedlings strictly according to the instructions. You should not get carried away with such treatments.

Knowing why tomato seedlings have pale leaves, you can have time to take action and normalize its condition.

What other problems are there with seedlings

  • Due to the lack of elements such as zinc, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, specks of a whitish hue may appear on the leaves. In severe cases, the leaf can turn completely white.
  • When plants lack nitrogen, stems, leaves and fruits change color, turn yellow. The veins turn red, the leaves shrink.
  • With a lack of potassium, new leaves grow curly, and old ones get burned.
  • If there is not enough calcium, old leaves grow, and yellowish spots appear on new ones. It even happens that the top of the plant rots.
  • Sulfur deficiency leads to the fact that the leaves turn pale, and then turn yellow or red. The stems are thinning.
  • Brown spots on the leaves and a black stem indicate a lack of boron.
  • If the leaves are curled and yellow, the tomatoes are most likely lacking molybdenum.
  • This problem can be solved simply - you just need to purchase a complex fertilizer for tomatoes.

Seedlings should not be too elongated, stocky. The stems should be strong, hairy, the leaves should be green or dark green, equal in size. The cotyledons should be small. Spots, dots, rotten spots should not be present.

What temperature can tomato seedlings withstand