Your strong, healthy seedlings will have to be hardened off before planting them out into the garden.
Choose a product formulated for use on seedlings (I use Espoma’s Grow), liquid kelp or fish emulsion. Dilute the fertilizer to half the strength recommended on the bottle, and use it every two to three weeks. Next, about two or three weeks after transplanting, it’s time to begin to fertilize the seedlings with a liquid organic fertilizer. There are lots of different potting mixes out there you can use, but I prefer ones that contain naturally derived nutrients, rather than brands containing a chemical fertilizer. When the first set of “true” leaves has fully emerged, it’s time to move your seedlings to the next stage in their care.įirst, when the “true” leaves arrive, it’s your signal to transplant the seedlings into larger containers or cell packs, using a standard potting mix that already contains a nutrient source. They look very similar to the foliage of the mature plant. The second set of leaves to emerge are the “true” leaves. The initial leaves that emerge from a seed are called the cotyledons. As your plants grow, they quickly use up any fertilizer found in the seed-starting mix, and you’ll need to start feeding them a supplemental fertilizer.įertilization should begin soon after your seedlings form their first “true” leaves. There isn’t a lot of fertilizer added, however, since too much can burn young seedlings and their roots. If you used a potting soil formulated specifically for seed starting (as you should), there’s typically a small amount of fertilizer included in it to help your seedlings get off to a good start. Using a lighting system is a smart way to keep the plants growing straight and strong.
#Fertilizing tomato seedlings plus
It allows us to grow many more varieties than we can get at a nursery, plus it’s cost effective and fun. Seed starting is a favorite hobby of many gardeners. Everything looks good, but I want to make sure they’re healthy when I move them out to the garden. Right now the early crops are about an inch and a half tall. I’d like to know how and when to start fertilizing them. I also plan to start some tomatoes and peppers soon. I started some broccoli, Brussels sprouts and parsley seeds under a set of grow lights a few weeks ago.
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