Tomato seedlings began to grow sharply: how to slow down and not destroy the plant

With the arrival of spring, planting tomatoes as seedlings becomes more important. The quality and quantity of the harvest largely depend on the seedlings. Unfortunately, it does not always develop flawlessly, and gardeners are faced with the problem of its rapid growth. For gardeners in the southern regions, this may not be a particular problem due to climatic conditions, but for gardeners in regions with more severe climatic conditions, this becomes a real problem.

There are many reasons why seedlings begin to grow actively and do not look very healthy by the time they are planted. Typically, such planting material takes a long time to adapt, and sometimes even dies. Most often, this depends on the agrotechnical care of the seedlings, or more precisely, on the mistakes that gardeners make during cultivation.

Incorrect seeding

Whether the seedlings will develop correctly depends on the very first stage of its cultivation - sowing. Most often, inexperienced gardeners sow tomato seeds too thickly, wanting to get more seedlings. Up to a certain point everything goes well. But as soon as the seedlings become crowded, they suddenly begin to grow upward.

How to fix

This problem can be solved in several ways:

1. In the first days after the emergence of seedlings, if you notice that they have sprouted too thickly, they should be thinned out. To do this, use tweezers to remove excess seedlings.This will allow you to further control the growth of tomato seedlings.
2. If the seedlings have already grown enough and the initial stage of thinning is no longer possible, this error can be solved by replanting, or more precisely, by picking. To do this, a seedling is transplanted into separate cups, the very tip of the root being removed. This will help the planting material slow down growth, develop and strengthen the root system.

To avoid this problem, it is recommended to distribute the seeds evenly over the entire surface of the soil at a distance of 1.5-2 cm from each other.

Incorrect lighting

When there is a lack of light, tomato seedlings begin to actively reach for the sun's rays. Typically, such seedlings have pale leaves and very thin stems.

How to fix

If you are sure that the seedlings do not have enough lighting, you need to move them to a brighter place. The most favorable place is considered to be windows facing the north-west side. This arrangement allows you to get rid of the lack of lighting and direct sunlight on the foliage, which can also cause harm.

It also happens that it is impossible to correctly position the dishes with the seat. In this case, it is necessary to use additional lighting or a phytolamp.

For proper growth of tomato seedlings, it is necessary to provide them with 12 hours of daylight.

Incorrect feeding

Most gardeners, wanting to saturate their seedlings with vitamins and microelements, without wanting to do so, can harm them.Excessive saturation of the soil with nitrogen can affect the rapid growth of tomato seedlings.

How to fix

To solve this problem, it is enough to reconsider the frequency of fertilizing and pay attention to the composition of fertilizers. It is better to completely exclude substances containing nitrogen, since they affect the active growth of seedlings.

Other ways to solve the problem

Experienced gardeners know several more methods that can slow down the growth of tomato seedlings if it is too early to plant them in open ground:

• the use of retardants - special agents that can stop the growth of stems and stimulate their expansion;
• folk remedies, such as digging up stems, which involves transplanting seedlings into a deeper container, burying the root system deeply;
• cut off the top part of the seedling, place it in water to form roots, and then plant it.

In order not to harm the plant even more, you need to find out the reason for the sudden growth, and only then begin to solve it. Compliance with the rules for growing seedlings and competent agrotechnical care will help prevent this problem.