Provide even and deep watering to encourage root development. You can add lime or gypsum to increase levels. You should test your soil to maintain a PH level of 6.5. Provide sufficient calcium to your tomato plants for healthier plants and better tasting fruit.Research the best time for planting in you hardiness zone. Don't plant your tomato plants too early.Tomato plants require an adequate leaf canopy to protect the fruit from being scalded by the sun and the plant needs sufficient amount of leaves for adequate photosynthesis. Don't over-prune stems or leaves from your tomato plant.Once the seedlings have started, they should be watered thoroughly then left un-watered to dry until they are almost ready to wilt, then water them again. Soggy soil may cause your tomato seeds to rot. Over-watering: Many growers harm their tomato plants by over-watering. When seedlings seem to be taking forever to grow, it is usually due to low temperatures or inadequate nutrition. If this occurs for you I suggest you consider repotting the seedlings deeper in your pot, use a fan to improve air circulation and keep temperatures slightly cooler for stockier and hardier plants. Leggy seedlings usually occur with insufficient or indirect lighting, too much heat, or too much fertilizer. 'Leggy,' seedlings means the stems are elongated and limp, flimsy with sparse foliage.Also, can be caused by having the plastic that covers your new seedlings tight enough to not permit airflow. Various soil fungi are responsible for this condition that are found in any seed starting mix that contains real soil. Damping Off is characterized by a lack of germination or a narrowing of the newly emerged tiny seedlings at the soil line that flop over and die.One or two applications of very dilute fertilizer are plenty to get a seedling growing to transplant size. This may cause them to stop growing, to grow too rapidly into spindly plants, or even die. Over fertilizing can actually work against your seedlings. I've seen this often from over-anxious gardeners. Apply your fertilizer carefully and according to instructions given throughout the life of the plant. Provide adequate fertilizer that nourishes a plant with sufficient organic matter.Preventing plant problems is far better than trying to rescue a plant from a problem. Leaves that are yellow, or pale, or exhibit dark or ragged patches or edges, or show signs of spotting or mildew are indicative of a problem. Healthy tomato plants should display soft, leaves with medium to dark shades of green with solid stems. Then compare the ailing plant with a healthy tomato plant. There are a variety of diseases, pests and problems that every tomato gardener should learn to recognize in order to determine the best preventative and remedy for your tomato plants:įirstly, identify the affected part of the tomato plant that has the problem: (roots, leaves, stems, blossoms or the fruit.) The Most Common Problems With Tomato Plants

Leggy tomato seedlings