Growing squat tomato seedlings with a strong root system is not easy. Sometimes it stretches, the stems become thinner and become completely lifeless. But even such seedlings can be saved and an excellent harvest can be obtained.

Tomato is a rather picky, capricious culture. Failure to comply with the rules of care (watering, lighting, feeding) leads to a decrease in the viability of the planting material, pallor and weakness of seedlings, stretching of the stems. It is worth figuring out what mistakes summer residents make, what methods can be used to fix the problem, if tomato seedlings are stretched and their stems are too thin.

Tomato seedlings are elongated and the stems are too thin

Features of culture

Tomatoes are a vegetable crop of the nightshade family; in terms of popularity and volume of consumption, it takes 2nd place after potatoes. Tomatoes contain water (up to 80%), fiber, vitamin A, lycopene (an organic pigment from the carotenoid group).

Today, over 10,000 varieties and hybrids of tomatoes are known. It has been proven that regular consumption of tomatoes prevents the development of oncology and cardiovascular diseases.

Why are tomatoes stretched

Normally, seedlings before planting in open ground have the following characteristics:

  • stem length - 25-35 cm;
  • thickness - 8-10mm;
  • formed flower brush;
  • 7 or more true leaves.
What to do if cucumber seedlings are stretched

There can be several reasons for the thinning, paleness, and stretching of growing seedlings:

  • deficiency or excess of nitrogen in the composition of the land;
  • non-observance of the regime of watering, dressing;
  • seeding density;
  • insufficient lighting, long keeping of seedlings on windowsills in dark places;
  • high air temperature, stay of seedlings in the sun.

Important! Lack of sunlight is the main reason that the stems begin to reach for the sun's rays, as a result, they stretch out, become thinner.

Tomato seedlings are elongated and the stems are too thin

Tomato seedlings are pulled out: what to do?

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To grow strong tomato seedlings and obtain a bountiful harvest, it is extremely important to monitor the growth and development of seedlings immediately after pecking out of the ground, the appearance of the 3rd main leaf.

If the tomato seedlings are stretched out and the stems that are too thin begin to droop, you need to do the following:

  • carefully separate the seedlings, plant one at a time in separate (deeper) cups, taking them out with the old soil and slightly deepening, crushing them in new pots;
  • fertilize the soil to maintain an optimal balance of nutrients. A composition of sand, dolomite flour, high peat and chicken droppings or phosphorus of potassium and nitrogen is suitable;
  • cut off the lower leaves of the seedlings as they begin to come into contact with neighboring seedlings. The seedlings will experience some stress and stop their increased growth for 10-12 days;
  • more often turn away pots with seedlings from the sun (up to 6 times a day), exposed on the windowsill, so that the seedlings spend their energy not on growing the stems up, but on turning towards the light;
  • touching plants, touching with hands, thereby stimulating the production of ethylene (gas), which can inhibit the increased growth of seedlings upward.

If the stems are already tall and thin enough, the following resuscitation options will help:

  • Deepening. It is worth making shallow grooves in boxes with seedlings at a distance of 5-7 cm from the stems, pouring water, wait until they are completely absorbed, lay the overgrown seedlings in grooves, add earth so that only tops remain on the surface. Place the container with seedlings on the windowsill with the tops turned to the south side.
  • If you need to reanimate the elongated seedlings before planting in open ground, make small grooves up to 10-12 cm deep already on the site, fertilize with a nutritious mixture for vegetables, pour with water, wait for moisture to be absorbed. Lay the seedlings at the bottom of the grooves, maintaining a distance of 50-60 cm between the tops of the bushes. Thus, in a supine position under the ground, the seedlings will quickly straighten and reach the sun. The stems will begin to form additional roots and the stems will grow strong and healthy.
  • Pruning. Quite a radical method of correcting the situation. Cut off high stems from below the root at a level just above 3-4 leaves. Place the tops in cups of water. Withstand 10-12 days, until small roots germinate. Plant the tops of the tomatoes in the ground.
  • Another variant: cut each stem in half just above 5 leaves. Place in glasses of water, wait for the growth of good roots. After 7-10 days, transplant into planting pots, season the ground with a nutrient mixture. As the upper shoots reach a height of 5-6 cm, you can immediately plant them in open ground or in a greenhouse.
  • Stealing. The lower parts of the plants will also be used, so you should not throw them away after pruning. So from one bush it will turn out to grow more additional seedlings (stepchildren), which will give roots, and the trimmed parts will begin to grow slowly. It is necessary to cut off excess lower shoots, put in water, soak in water until roots form, or plant immediately into the ground, sprinkling the lower part with earth, deflecting the seedlings in the holes to the side.
  • Powder. Method suitable for bulky seedling pots. It consists in refusing to water the seedlings for 2-3 days in a row, until they begin to wither. Next, you need to lay them along the contour of the container in the form of spirals (turns), sprinkling each with a layer of soil. Sprinkle the last turn with earth, press lightly with your hands, spill lightly with water. Wait for the emergence of new shoots, but with buried parts. The method allows you to get new strong seedlings, which, with proper care, will surely catch up with their previously planted relatives in growth.

Basic recommendations for watering, lighting tomatoes

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Obviously, it is easier to prevent the pulling out of seedlings than to correct mistakes later. Tips for growing strong, viable seedlings:

  • Watering. Pouring seedlings with water is unacceptable. It is enough to irrigate the soil moderately 2 times a week, maintaining soil moisture. It is convenient to use a spray for this.
  • Lighting. Tomatoes are heat-loving plants, so the stems often begin to stretch strongly and reach for the light if the pots are located in shaded areas. With a fairly short daylight hours, it is worth taking care of additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps should be fixed at a distance of 50-60 cm above the shoots. The duration of daylight hours should be at least 15 hours, and the light should fall on the seedlings evenly from all sides.
  • Temperature. Ideally, at the time of planting seeds - 21-23 °. For the germination period - 16-20 °. At night, it is recommended to reduce it to 15-16 ° so that the intensity of shoot growth can be controlled.
  • Air. Do not underestimate the role of ventilation for the seedlings. If plantings in pots are dense, dive them into separate containers immediately to avoid pulling the stems out.
  • Top dressing. Caring summer residents often try to thoroughly fertilize the land with useful components, but they unwittingly stimulate the increased growth of leaves and trunks in seedlings. As a result, development is disrupted, tomato seedlings become thin and long... What to do? You need to feed seedlings no more than 1 time in 10 days, using mineral (organic) fertilizers.The first feeding (nitrofoskoy) - 10 days after the emergence of seedlings. The second (solution of ammonium nitrate, wood ash) - after another 12 days. Also, do not forget about disinfecting the soil before planting seeds in pots.
  • Picking. It is carried out during the formation of 2 true leaves on the stems. It is necessary to plant the seedlings one at a time in separate pots, which will contribute to the creation of free space for the development and access of sunlight to each separately, strengthen the root system, and slow down the growth of stems upward.

If the seedlings on the windowsill are already blooming

It is highly undesirable to plant thin elongated seedlings in open ground if it has already begun to bloom. You can correct the situation and reanimate the seedlings:

  • Prune plants 3 weeks before planting in open ground. Shorten each seedling as high as possible from the ground, preferably above the 2nd true leaf to avoid unnecessary stress. Put in water. By the time of planting, the seedlings will already give roots, which can be planted immediately in the garden and thereby increase the number of seedlings.
  • Tear off excess flowers (bunches) from plants. They will not play a special role in fruiting. They will weigh down the main bush, which is fragile and sagging at the time of planting in open ground.
  • Remove excess leaves in the bottom 2 rows if they are yellow and dry.

Reference! One of the main conditions for obtaining a good harvest of tomatoes is planting exceptionally healthy seedlings in the ground. Even minor changes in color and appearance of stems (leaves) should be alarming.

It is best to remove them immediately, since there will be no benefit, and the risk of infection of shoots with pests and diseases increases. In addition, sick, weak seedlings take a long time to take root and bear fruit poorly.

Tomato seedlings are elongated and the stems are too thin

How to spray

Replenishment of the soil with nutrients is extremely important for strengthening the root system. So that the seedlings do not outgrow, you can spray with special fertilizers: Athlete, Stop growth to quickly saturate the soil with the necessary microelements. The main thing is not to forget about dosages and read the instructions on the package before using the formulations.

The drugs contribute to:

  • stabilization, development of seedlings for 7-8 days;
  • suspension of the growth of the upper parts of plants;
  • strengthening, thickening of the stems;
  • gaining power by the root system.

During the growing period, it is worth spraying seedlings no more than 3 times.

If the seedlings begin to fade noticeably, they lack nitrogen. Fertilize and water the plants abundantly with a composition of urea (1 tbsp. L) and water (10 l). After that, the pots should be put out for a short while in a cool place at air t + 10 + 12 g.

Important! The appearance of white spots on the leaves is a sign of an overdose of fertilizers. It is worth stopping spraying, waiting for the whiteness to disappear, after which the procedure can be continued.

Seedling planting rules

Prepare loose soil for planting seeds with the addition of sand, rotted sawdust. So the root system will be provided with ventilation. There is no need to additionally feed the culture.

It is better to select hybrid varieties that are more adapted to the onslaught of pests and diseases.

Grow seedlings in separate glasses, avoiding leaves in contact with each other. This will provide light access and optimal ventilation.

Install drainage in the seedling container for a more comfortable wet environment.

Note! Seeds are usually planted in pots at the end of February, when the daylight hours are still short. As a result, the stems begin to reach towards the sun as they grow.

It is important to provide the seedlings with plenty of light. If necessary, make additional lighting in order to extend the daylight hours by 5-6 hours, by hanging the fluorescent lamp from above at a distance of 70 cm.

When growing tomatoes outdoors, it is not recommended to sow seeds too early. For the growth of strong seedlings, 65 days are enough, so it is not difficult to make calculations.

To strengthen the root system and prevent increased stem growth, the seedlings must be cut straight after the appearance of the 2nd leaf, otherwise the stems will grow thin and weak.

Advice! It is not necessary to feed the plants if there are no obvious signs of a lack of nutrient components in the soil. The first top dressing from the moment of seed germination, even when weak shoots appear, should be done no earlier than 10-14 days later.

If the leaves or stems become thin, yellow, or pale, this is a reason to take drastic action. Knowing what to do, if the tomato seedlings are stretched out, they can be saved. Only healthy seedlings should be planted in open ground. Otherwise, it will hardly be possible to count on a rich harvest.