Maximize your tomato seedlings (part 2)

[rwaldorf22]

Amazing and very informative videos thanks SO MUCH for sharing the knowledge!!!!! Highly appreciated sir!!! Hope still havin' fun plantin' away! :)

[scottj719]

My problem for 5 years now, seems that need more time, but I'm using a fast variety. I'm thinking I may have to: Plant the seed even EARLIER in an ice cream bucket of growing material to get the plant big and strong and let the roots grows unbound. Prepare a hoophouse in mid to late april with black poly weed block on the floor to warm the soil beneath, hopefully that gets me a mature plant (that's not root bound) and an enviornment that's warmer than normal 2-3 weeks earlier.

[scottj719]

Does burrying the growing plant work ok with plants started in peat pod for the growing medium initially, then burying them with mix? I saw you recommend this for peppers as well, I have issues with them. I grow them in a window and even started January 15th but had some plants that were just kicking into high production when it was almost September. I either need to start them earlier or maybe this method would help them along. By the way, do you get any watermelons to grow up north?

[Praxxus55712]

@scottj719 Yep you can do this to peppers regardless of what they were started in. I've grown the early variety of watermelons up here but they were the smaller kind that ended up flavorless. This next spring I'll be trying a regular full-sized watermelon variety but bury the nstem as it grows. This allows it to send down more roots and speeds it up. I'm hoping for success this way. I'll be showing the procedure and progress in videos.

[scottj719]

@Praxxus55712 Any ideas on what kind of fabric or material I could use that roots can easily grow through? Next season I'm going to try and start watermelon a month earlier than recommended in a large containter so the roots don't bind. I'd like to be able to pull the whole "bundle" directly from the container and plant it while keeping the roots in tack. Then ideally the roots grow through as they do when you plant in peat pods for example. Just doing what I can to get some mellons.

[Praxxus55712]

@scottj719 I would use cheese cloth. It's a cotton-based mesh that is clean and food grade. It can be folded to be as thick or as thinly meshed as you would need. Either that or a cheap cotton pillowcase you can slice open when transplanting. Watermelon plants don't get hurt from root jostling during a transplant and will even set down roots from buried stems to get stronger as they grow.

[LuvHealthNConception]

im new to gardening so after this stage of the plant growing once it is ready to be taken out of those little pots placed into a bigger pot do you need to place a stake in the bigger pot? what size should the pot be? and I will not be able to plant them in a garden b/c I do not have a yard or even a patio so how will I keep them growing indoors? thanks Praxx Luv your vids :)

[WinterFox155]

thanks man im gona try this method but what i wanna know is will this work with other plants please reply :)

[Praxxus55712]

@WinterFox155 Yes it works with pepper plants to a lesser extent as well as eggplants.

[WinterFox155]

@Praxxus55712 thanks allot man ill try your method and tell ya if it work or not in the next two months.

[yogirlabc]

Thank you! :)

[yogirlabc]

when planting your tomatoes outside do you pinch off the flowers to promote a stronger root system or just leave them alone?

[Praxxus55712]

@yogirlabc It depends on when I plant them and how strong and large the plant is. It does help build a stronger plant if you pinch back flowers after transplanting to give it a little time to get settled in. That's my experience.

[arkansastrash320]

Hi i may try that sounds like a good ideal!I built a tomatoe room i call it 8.5 ft tall in my garden so no squirrels steal my tomatoes I really love it.But what i want to tell you is my tomatoes all staked a couple of them grew and grew through the chicken wire top 8 feet up and about 2 feet above the top.I had atleast 40 or 50 tomatoes .I gathered them in the fall when the downstairs ones ran out LOL.A dern tomatoe don't know when to stop growing amazing 2 times this happened !

[Praxxus55712]

For potted plants I would use 1/2 compost and 1/2 potting soil. It works wonders. :)

[Me112233]

What do you recommend for a growing medium from seed starting through transplant time? I seem to have quick intial growth trough first true leaves, then the plants tend to just sit there and look stupid for several weeks.

[patrickbrideau]

Hi Really like your video because it is really simple. I have a question ... Is there other plant we can do the same thing like cukes or other?

[Praxxus55712]

@patrickbrideau Potatoes love this method! Peppers like it but not quite as much as tomatoes. Pumpkin and watermelon vines love being covered with soil.

[rypetkypar]

ray, what would you recomend as a garden soil recipe for tomatoes?

[Praxxus55712]

@rypetkypar I always suggest only one additive to soil. Compost.....and as much of it as you can make or reasonably afford. Compost loosens clay soil. It helps tighten up sandy soil. It feeds the soil, the soil organisms and the plant. It's literally a miracle product. If you can't make or afford enough compost for a garden, you can make compost tea in a simple one step process and feed a ton of plants with a tiny amount of compost. Tomatoes LOVE compost. :)

[mschdk]

I love this method! I'm defenately going to try this out next season, both with peppers and tomatoes.

I thought I had posted a video response where I observe roots coming from the stem. (Please bear with me, it's my first video and it's pretty bad. And I didn't manage to switch off the camera...)

I'll try attaching that video again. Maybe it didn't work because there was no text first time I tried...

[I3addogy]

Ray, do you leave the triplets in the peat pot when you transplant them to your garden ?

[Praxxus55712]

@I3addogy Yep! The roots will grow right through the pot after awhile.

[gameplay1999]

I bought garlic today and theres a white tip coming out . Does this mean its ready to plant?

[Praxxus55712]

@gameplay1999 White tip?? That's weird. The growing tip usually comes out light green. But anyway you can plant garlic anytime. Just break apart the cloves and toss them in the soil and water them. I love that it's just so easy to grow. :)

[TheAskLeonShow]

you are a happy man :) that makes me happy too :)

[TheAskLeonShow]

I subbed. Great vids . THe main reason I subbed is becasue you are such a happy guy and you love tomatoes just as much as I do :D keep up the good work.

[Praxxus55712]

@TheAskLeonShow Any day that I wake up and everything works is a good day. :)

[gameplay1999]

Hi thanks for the vidio,i have a question im trying to plant an apple tree and i dont know if i should put in one seed or several,what do you think?

[Praxxus55712]

@gameplay1999 I'd plant a half dozen seeds to make sure at least one sprouted. Apple seeds seem to be a bit finicky when it comes to sprouting for me.

[gameplay1999]

thank you also if you try to plant a tree does it grow 4 u?

[Praxxus55712]

@gameplay1999 I planted all my trees from tiny saplings. I have one plum, one pear, one cherry and two apple. It's a real fruitopia kinda yard I have! lol

[zobcity01]

Excellent idea. I have to try that and see what happens. It seems that doing this when they are young is the key.

[Praxxus55712]

Eyk71 I know it works best with tomatoes, potatoes & pumpkin vines. To a lesser extent it works with pepper plants. It works wonders with coleus. I haven't tried it with any others, but no doubt I will someday. I'm always trying new things to see how it works.

Note: Do not try this method with your children. Although many children enjoy playing in the dirt, they generally do not enjoy being buried up to their shoulders in garden soil. :) <---check me out trying to be funny

[Aceload]

You're the man! Can't wait to try your "pyramid" root system.

[jacksnapper1]

great job we love you video down here in tennessee thanks we are going to plant our seeds this way .

[billybob909S]

Hey Ray. When you plant the seedlings in the garden, do you remove the peat pot or just bury the whole thing?

[Praxxus55712]

billybob909S, You can do it either way. If you leave it in the peat pot, rip off any part of the pot that's above the soil line or it will wick out moisture & dry out alot. The roots will become strong enough to push through the peat pot. Also, if you remove the pot, don't worry about soil falling away from the roots or anything. Tomato plants are extremely good at recovering from transplanting. Remember to bury the plant deep. Roots grow from any stem portion that's buried. :)

[kokonutbaby1]

basically ur raising the tomatoes like u plant potatoes...continually hilling them up so they will put out more roots..cool idea...is there anymore veggy plants u can do that to?

[Praxxus55712]

Yep that's exactly what I was doing. :) I really don't know what other plants this can be done to. If anyone has any info, post it here.

[NY5Quest]

Ray, great video! Love it. My only question is do you plant it in soil, or compost, or composted manure, or a mix ? My tomatoes are still puny? I have them under full spectrum lights. Any suggestions?

[Praxxus55712]

NY5Quest, I use a 50/50 blend of potting soil and compost from my garden. You can use just straight potting soil if you'd prefer. It has plenty of nitrogen, which is essential to making sure your new plants get strong and grow fast. Give them as much sun or artificial light as you can. That should strengthen them up pretty quick. Try not to overwater though. Tomato plants hate being soggy all the time. :)

[NY5Quest]

Thanks, I'll do that! How about that? My own personal tomato guru! ;-)

[rosebooboo1]

Regarding Crewlla's droopy tomato plants ... Just recently I heard or read that tomato plants like to be dry. When it rains, they can recover well since rain is occasional, but since Crewlla mists them every day, could that be part of the problem?

[Praxxus55712]

Ooops! I totally skipped over that part. I've never misted a tomato or heard of anybody that did........so I have no clue if that would be a factor. You should let her know, ok? She's really nice. :)

[rosebooboo1]

Ray ... Of the 8 tomato plants I put in, two have 2 stems and two others have 3 stems. I figured for $3.49 each I was going to get my monies worth! I had been concerned how they might grow, but this video calmed my mind. When I put them in the ground I planted them deep and gently pressed the stems apart to space them. Since the soil is fairly loose, I've gone back 2 more times pushing them a little further apart and packing more soil between the stems. Thanks for setting mind at ease!

[Praxxus55712]

Excellent! :) The only consideration to this method is to make certain you give them all the nutrients they need. I use homemade composted chicken manure. Whatever type of fertilizer you use, make sure it gets what it needs and you're going to have one heck of a monster on your hands. The plants in the video need to be transplanted AGAIN.....ugh. I guess I should video it as the next step.

[crewlla]

my tomatoe plants are now about 4 foot and I have transplanted them a few times. However, I am having a problem with them the leaves look like they are going limp curling up and dying. I water them every second day and mist them once a day. every thing has been good so far except for reasently. its confusing me. some of the leaves are going yellow but thet are mostly green. they still have flowers and tomatoes on them. do you know what I could be doing wrong.

[Praxxus55712]

A few questions.

1: Is it planted inside?

2: Is it in dirt you got from outside or is it in potting soil?

3: is it in a very sunny window or is it under artificial light?

4: If the light is artificial, is it bright?

5: How long has it been producing tomatoes? Are there lots of tomatoes on it?

6: How old is this plant?

ps: No matter what, this plant can be salvaged, so don't worry, ok?

[Wizechris1]

cucumber seedlings are kind of scary. I planted some 1 week ago. Checked last night nothing, checked today bam two leaves right in that pot. I thought it was some kind of green worm or sumthing. lol

-Wizechris

[DizzyMalfoy]

I absolutely loooove your tips and tricks. I plan to start a small garden in my room...in my (parents) apartment. I hope it goes ok. I really want to grow cherry tomatoes so I'll follow your advice and such. I've never grown anything. Well, I did grow a bean plant when I was little in 1st grade but it died :(.

[Praxxus55712]

Beans are easy to grow. Tomatoes are the next easiest I think. Just follow the steps and you'll be great! The one thing to remember is to not overwater. :)

[Wizechris1]

Ray those look extremely healthy! My seedlings are a bit bigger than yours and i limited one per pot. But its not too late im going to try your method.

[kimmiegirl1975]

Those look really good. Mine again are getting leggy and dying off ......... I just don't have luck at all with tomato seeds :( Did you see we had a hail storm here in Alabama Friday afternoon, we had golf ball to baseball size hail

[Praxxus55712]

Sounds like tornado weather with hail that severe. Your home is ok though? :(

[kimmiegirl1975]

Yeah, my house is ok. And luckily the garden doesn't look like it took too bad of a beating. I'm just glad I hadn't put out tomatoes yet. We have had a pretty severe spring so far, with very high winds and tornados. LOTS of downed tree's here and there. Do y'all get a lot of tornados up there? I wonder if Donald has had any high winds or if it's all stayed east so far.

[Praxxus55712]

We get a few tornadoes, but they're not nearly as severe as the type you get in the south.

[kimmiegirl1975]

Maybe that's our price for a longer growing season? We get early tomatoes but we have to dodge tornadoes and hurricanes.

[baconsoda]

Your timing with this video is perfect because I have trays of tomato seedlings almost ready to transplant so I'm going to bring them on using your pot-filling method because here (Ireland) it takes tomatoes until September to start maturing so this could help a lot. I will let you know how I get on.

Thank you,

Brendan

[baconsoda]

Update. Well, I transplanted the seedlings the way you do and I can only say the results are astounding! Three weeks later and the seedlings are like little tomato muscle-builders! They have thick stems and very healthy leaf growth. I'm delighted. I am going to do an update video so I'll let you know when that's up.

Thanks, Brendan

[kkburnout]

this video, makes this canadian, very hungry, for tomatoes.... eh? xD

[frozentootsiepop]

I should have mentioned, yes.. it is a disinfectant.

[frozentootsiepop]

the feathers. I bought mine at petsmart. They call it "DermCare Chlor-Cleanse Flush for Dogs & Cats" It's a blue solution. It doesn't sting and it helps dry out the wounds. anyway, just wanted to share! I just love the stuff!

[frozentootsiepop]

Hey Praxxus, I came across your Selma video and it reminded me of something I wanted to mention. There is a product I ALWAYS keep on hand for my animals. It's chlorhexidine solution. I used to work at a vet hospital and they always used that on any cut or scrape (serious or minor) on any animal that came in. Dog/cat/rabbit... I use it on my chickens when a dog rips them up. It's good because it's a liquid and can either be swabbed on or dripped. I find it's easy to use cause it drips down among

[driverain2]

I farm down here in ease texas. My tomatoes are knee high and watermellons are spreadin. I have been north a couple of times, once 60 miles south of the border in the dead of winter and I can't feel the love for such harsh climates and such a short grow season. Tomatoes are the same north or south though and I love your company. ....from down on the farm.........Driver......

[Praxxus55712]

driverain2, I lived in Houston when I was a kid. LOVED crab fishing off the pier at galveston. Back then I was a bit more heat-loving than now. I have to agree with you on the lack of love for the cold. You can grow watermelons down south. Up here it's almost impossible. I'm envious of course. :)

[Ummiyusuf]

Excellent. Good experiments for homeschool. My tomato seedlings just sprouted this morning. The first leaves arent even upright yet. ( It still in the popping straight up from having come out of the seed stage) When can I plant it deeper in the soil? Should I wait until it has more leaves?

[Praxxus55712]

Ummiyusuf, I don't know why but you totally made me laugh when I read " It's still in the popping straight up from having come out of the seed stage". I just imagined a tiny seedling popping up out of the soil and saying "TaaDaaa!" LOL

Wait until the seedling is 2 inches tall, then start with the burying of the stem all the way up to the leaves. Within a week you'll notice it starting to really grow much faster as the roots start to develop off the buried stem. :)

[dipswell]

I have always done the same thing but I plant them in the center of the pot, all in the same hole, then I have 2-4 main stems from the middle and when they get thick enough I string them together a few times the first 6 inches or so. The result is a thick strong main stem that is wind resistant and awesome! I have never added soil to the seedlings but when I transplant outside I bury them down deep, allowing only a couple inches exposed.

[Praxxus55712]

I planted these in the same hole as well. I just pushed them apart as I added more soil to make them spread out. Your method is creative. You know, your idea sounds absolutely perfect for people who prefer caging their plants. It would make it a solid pilar of a plant! Very cool. :)

It's great to hear ideas from someone else who tries new things.

[HLCpromow]

Great vid and info. I have a question Do you do the same on vining tomatos??Or is this best for stake tomatos? Thanks

[Praxxus55712]

HLCpromow, sorry I don't understand your question. What do you mean by vining vs stake? I've never heard that before. lol

[HLCpromow]

Some tomatos are vine tomatos ( like the ones used in upsidedown hangers) Or tomatos like the beefstake that are bushes not vines. Stake tomatos are called that because they need stakes to help hold up the bush. So you have vine type tomatos and stake type tomatos

[HLCpromow]

PS I don't know the name of all of them . I know roma tomato are vine type. Beefstakes are stake type.

[Praxxus55712]

ps: I HATE those hanging tomato infomericals. I keep expecting to hear a tiny cry for help from the tomato plant "I'm hanging upside down and I can't get up"

lol

[HLCpromow]

Me too lmao! thats to funny.. Thanks again

[Praxxus55712]

Ahhhhh! I got it. I guess there's different terms for them. Around here we call them "bush" varieties when they don't vine out. Same thing, different name I guess. Bush (stake) varieties naturally have thicker stems and are stockier as they grow. I don't think my method would be needed on those BUT, they can be cut back from the main stem and forced to send out lateral stems to force a lower, wider sturdier plant. Sorry for the brain hiccup on my part. lol

[HLCpromow]

Thanks I believe your right just call them different names. Thanks I'll be watching happy gardening Thanks again.

[mywootgarden]

thanks! the results you got are awesome!

when is your frost date? when ya moving them outside?

[Praxxus55712]

Mywootgarden, our last expected frost date is May 30th. The local greenhouses recommend not planting until then. This year has been warmer than usual, and I have some tarps if needed so I'm going to gamble and plant a week or so earlier.

[yoursubzzzhere]

Great vid, I'll have to give it a try.

[webcajun]

Looks like they are real healthy and growing fast. I started a half dozen in 4 inch pots to give it a try. Enjoyed the vid...... Donald