Short and fat,not tall and thin....Tomatoes.

I always grow greenhouse Tomatoes with good success...........but I am striving to make the young plants from seedling stage onwards more stocky ie. a fat stem.
Yes I know they need lots of light and not much feed early on.
I have tried sowing them later.........warmer weather.
I have seen a very few for sale that fit the bill,not many.
So some can do it..............so I am missing something?
All help would be appreciated.

 

Hmmm ...

Germination is about a week, and another week before big enough to prick out (longer would be OK if the seedlings are not crowded).

So working back 2 weeks from when there is enough light and warmth - perhaps mid March sowing?

Last year I bought my Tom plants in the garden centre . I thought it was very early, the plants were just germinated seedlings (dozen to a 9cm square pot), and I remember thinking it was not very warm for them to be outside (albeit covered roof) but they performed well. I reckon they were grown under lights, and not in a greenhouse at all - probably trays on shelves stacked up to the gunwales!

P.S. Just checked my receipts and it was 10-Apr-2008 that I bought them, so not that early - probably only been 2 weeks since sown ... maybe my sowing on 15-Feb this year is going to prove to be WAY too early!

Difficult to achieve that without heated greenhouse (or conservatory) and lights, I reckon. Thus I think your plan of sow later is best - although you say you've tried that - how later?

 

Not to good with dates Kristen perhaps that is part problem.
There must be a way of restraining the height...........perhaps it is good light not enough heat!!!!perhaps there is to much feed in the multipurpose compost......could we transplant the seedlings into fine soil?
I know this is a problem for many people so I am relentlessly pursuing this hopefully to a successful conclusion

 

OK, well mine look pretty weedy at the moment, I'll keep some records though so we can compare, if you like?

Mine were germinated with bottom-heat propagator on windowsill that doesn't get enough light.

Once germinated they are put in a mini-growhouse in my unheated conservatory during the day, and brought in at night (back on to bottom heat propagator). Growhouse is probably min 10C and max 20-25C if its a sunny day

 

I have noticed that if they are in too small a pot it can make them leggy. I pot on when the seedlings have 2 true leaves into 3'' pots. I plant them as deep as I can so that the seed leaves are just above the soil surface.

Multipurpose compost should not be too rich for them, and as you know, no feeding at all until the first fruit is formed.

After that, it must be not enough light, they need plenty of good light for as many hours as possible during the day and turn them daily so that they grow evenly. You could make as simple reflector box. Cut the front off a cardboard box, and then diagonally along each side from the top of the back to the front. Line the back and sloping sides with aluminium foil to reflect light on to the seedlings. I hope that makes sense. Someone on here made one and put a picture up but I can't remember who it was.

Laura

 

Hmmm ... I wonder if I should put a "wall" of tinfoil on the inside of the North side of my mini-growhouses ...

 

OK are you ready for this?

Advice given to me on another forum...

This is going to sound completely daft but give them a gentle stroke with a sheet of A4 paper and then waft it over the growing seedlings.
Apparently this mimicks airflow and that toughens and stiffens the little ones as they are growing.
Now there is some fesibilty in this advice imo........fresh air and muscle.....simple.
I have already started this procedure,so desperate am I to achieve my aim...........anyone else up for it?

 

As daft as it may sound, I can understand where they are coming from with they wafting of air over the seedlings.

Its like a tree when it is newly planted, it should be flexible when the wind blows, which encourages good root growth.

I think using a combination of advice, the wafting, the planting quite low down in the pot, and the refection of light, so they are not searching for the light and growing too leggy is perhaps what I would do.

Hope that Helps!

 

Mine were OK last year. I kept them massively humid to reduce stress. Risk of disease of course ...

I'll keep a photo-diary this year to see how I do.