How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?
--
Spelling and grammatical errors are deliberate
to catch copyright violators. ©¿©¬
Perth, Ontario, Canada

Jim Carter said:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?

When they are big enough that they look like they hand survive some
handling but before the plants are developed enough to get tangled up.

I think I usually pot my seedlings up when they start developing the second
set of true leaves.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

In article ,
says...
Jim Carter said:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?

When they are big enough that they look like they hand survive some
handling but before the plants are developed enough to get tangled up.

I think I usually pot my seedlings up when they start developing the second
set of true leaves.


I just start mine in 4" pots. Of course, I only have garden space for 8
tomato plants :-).

--
To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we
are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic
and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.
Teddy Roosevelt

On Mon, 14 Apr 2003 15:48:39 -0400, Jim Carter
wrote:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?

This works well for me: whenever they are taller than the container
they're growing in, transplant to a bigger, deeper container, removing
the lower leaves and planting deeper than they were growing.

In our last fun filled episode, Tue, 15 Apr 2003 12:13:27 -0400,
Claude Metz proclaimed:

Jim Carter wrote:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?

This works well for me: whenever they are taller than the container
they're growing in, transplant to a bigger, deeper container, removing
the lower leaves and planting deeper than they were growing.

How many times do you transplant before putting them in the
garden? I start mine in 3 or 4 inch peat cells, and either move
them outside in the ground or put them in a 2 liter soda bottle
if they're going to stay potted for a while. There's plenty of
root room in the soda bottles, and it's simple to slice down
the side when it's time to take the tomato out. A quick rinse
for the bottle, and into the recycling bin it goes.

Not that I'm a lazy gardener, or anything. I'm...er...efficient.
Yeah. that's it.

Pam

Jim Carter wrote:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?
--
Spelling and grammatical errors are deliberate
to catch copyright violators. ©¿©¬
Perth, Ontario, Canada

Pop one out and look at the roots. If the roots holds all the soil
together in one unit, it's pass time to transplant into bigger pots.
Transplant just before getting to the point the roots completely fill
the cell.

Lorenzo L. Love
http://home.thegrid.net/~lllove

"A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is very
easy to govern. It demands no social reforms. It does not haggle over
expenditures on armaments and military equipment. It pays without
discussion, it ruins itself, and that is an excellent thing for the
syndicates of financiers and manufacturers for whom patriotic terrors
are an abundant source of gain."
Anatole France

I let the seedling grow 'leggy'. Then I transplant them lying horizontally
except for the tip with the four or five true leaves. The 'leggy' stem will
grow roots and you have a more stable and healthier plant -- even in a
container.

/z.

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 12:43:20 -0400, Pam wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

In our last fun filled episode, Tue, 15 Apr 2003 12:13:27 -0400,
Claude Metz proclaimed:

Jim Carter wrote:

How long should tomato plants be in their starter cells before moving to 4"
pots?

This works well for me: whenever they are taller than the container
they're growing in, transplant to a bigger, deeper container, removing
the lower leaves and planting deeper than they were growing.

How many times do you transplant before putting them in the
garden?

I start them in small cells and then move them to 4 inch pots. From the pots
they go into the ground when the time is right.
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario

In our last fun filled episode, Wed, 16 Apr 2003 12:27:48 -0400,
Jim Carter proclaimed:

Pam wrote:

snippity do dah

How many times do you transplant before putting them in the
garden?

I start them in small cells and then move them to 4 inch pots. From the pots
they go into the ground when the time is right.

Ok, so what is the advantage in starting them in small cells if
you're going to move them to 4 inch pots anyway?


Pam



---
"Oh no, not again."
- A bowl of petunias on its way to certain death

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 13:13:27 -0400, Pam wrote in
rec.gardens.edible:

Ok, so what is the advantage in starting them in small cells if
you're going to move them to 4 inch pots anyway?

The theory is that each time they are transplanted they go into root shock for
about a week. When this happens, the roots grow longer, thicker and more
prolific making for a tougher and more productive plant.
--
Gardening Zones
Canada Zone 5a
United States Zone 3a
Near Ottawa, Ontario