Hi,

I sowed my tomato seeds last weekend (19th March) and put them in some
seed compost in pots, watered them and then put the pots in tesco
carrier bag and left it in a warm place for a week.

I opened the bag today and found that pretty much all the seeds have
come up, but they are 9cm tall and a little yellow. I have two options he

1) Bin them and start again, this time using a clear heated propagator
in the greenhouse so they don't get leggy. (I don't know why I didn't do
that in the first place)

2) Prick them out and place most of the stem under the soil surface and
hope they take.

What would you do? I don't have spare seeds left, I'd have to buy more
so I'm more inclined to go with option 2.

Thanks,
Mark.

Mark Allison wrote:
Hi,

2) Prick them out and place most of the stem under the soil surface
and hope they take.

What would you do? I don't have spare seeds left, I'd have to buy more
so I'm more inclined to go with option 2.



let the stem toughen up a bit before doing that though.

pk

pk wrote:
Mark Allison wrote:
Hi,

2) Prick them out and place most of the stem under the soil
surface
and hope they take.

What would you do? I don't have spare seeds left, I'd have to buy
more so I'm more inclined to go with option 2.



let the stem toughen up a bit before doing that though.

And I wouldn't plant them deep as you suggest: plants don't as a rule
like having their stems buried. If you give your seedlings plenty of
light, the extension growth won't stretch out like that. I can't see
this straggling growth making much difference to the final result, as
you'll be supporting the mature plants with stakes or string. It
would be different with most other plants, where getting nice stocky
youngsters is important.

Seeds and time are too valuable for you to chuck the seedlings away!

--
Mike.

Mike Lyle wrote:
pk wrote:
Mark Allison wrote:
Hi,

2) Prick them out and place most of the stem under the soil surface
and hope they take.

What would you do? I don't have spare seeds left, I'd have to buy
more so I'm more inclined to go with option 2.



let the stem toughen up a bit before doing that though.

And I wouldn't plant them deep as you suggest: plants don't as a rule
like having their stems buried. If you give your seedlings plenty of
light, the extension growth won't stretch out like that. I can't see
this straggling growth making much difference to the final result, as
you'll be supporting the mature plants with stakes or string. It
would be different with most other plants, where getting nice stocky
youngsters is important.

Seeds and time are too valuable for you to chuck the seedlings away!

tomatoes are the exception to that rule, they will root from the stem. Look
at the bottom inch or few of a tomato stem and you will see the nodules from
which the root growth will come. I've not groen them for a number of years
but i always used to do this for seedlings that were too leggy

Deep planting in fact promotes better root structure

see
http://www.selectedplants.com/seedlings.htm
What on earth is a “leggy” seedling and what do I do with one?

A leggy seedling is one with a root system, a loooong stem, and a few leaves
near the top. It is a result of growing in competition for light or with
inadequate light. If your seedlings get “leggy”, you may be able to salvage
them by re-potting in deep pots so that you can bury several inches of the
stem. When you get ready to transplant outdoors, make a trench to plant
them. Lay the stem out in the trench and prop the leaves up above the soil
so they can grow. The plants will root all along the stem which makes the
plant more productive.




pk

pk wrote:
Mike Lyle wrote:
pk wrote:
Mark Allison wrote:
Hi,

2) Prick them out and place most of the stem under the soil
surface
and hope they take.

What would you do? I don't have spare seeds left, I'd have to
buy
more so I'm more inclined to go with option 2.



let the stem toughen up a bit before doing that though.

And I wouldn't plant them deep as you suggest: plants don't as a
rule
like having their stems buried. If you give your seedlings plenty
of
light, the extension growth won't stretch out like that. I can't
see
this straggling growth making much difference to the final result,
as
you'll be supporting the mature plants with stakes or string. It
would be different with most other plants, where getting nice
stocky
youngsters is important.

Seeds and time are too valuable for you to chuck the seedlings
away!

tomatoes are the exception to that rule, they will root from the
stem. Look at the bottom inch or few of a tomato stem and you will
see the nodules from which the root growth will come. I've not
groen
them for a number of years but i always used to do this for
seedlings
that were too leggy

Deep planting in fact promotes better root structure

see
http://www.selectedplants.com/seedlings.htm
What on earth is a "leggy" seedling and what do I do with one?

A leggy seedling is one with a root system, a loooong stem, and a
few
leaves near the top. It is a result of growing in competition for
light or with inadequate light. If your seedlings get "leggy", you
may be able to salvage them by re-potting in deep pots so that you
can bury several inches of the stem. When you get ready to
transplant outdoors, make a trench to plant them. Lay the stem out
in the trench and prop the leaves up above the soil so they can
grow.
The plants will root all along the stem which makes the plant more
productive.

Ah, so! Thanks for that, pk. (Any relation to the chewing-gum, by the
way?)

--
Mike.