why wait to transplant with first leaves?

pattiann · February 17, 2012

My baby seedlings are tall and it seems like it takes so long to develop those first true leaves. Why the wait for them to transplant? if the cotyledons contain enough nourishment and they do some photosynthesis, what is the point in waiting for the real leaves to come out? Please remember that I'm a newbie and when I did garden it was plants picked up at the local farmers market, not seeds.
Thanks for instructions! Love the videos, really appreciate those step by step how-to's.
Patti

recruiterg · February 17, 2012

I think the plant gets a little more sturdy, the stem gets a little thicker, and the root system has had time to develop. Prior to that time, you might risk harming the plant. Check out Craig's (nctomatoman's) videos on transplanting in the dense planting thread. You will learn a lot.

Dewayne mater · February 17, 2012

Without pictures it is hard to know, but, when you describe tall seedlings, that could mean leggy, a condition caused by the light source being too far away. If you have concerns about that, there are past threads showing leggy seedlings. The solution is to get the grow light practically on top of the plants. Less than 1/2 inch away is best in my opinion. Good luck.

Dewayne Mater

bcday · February 17, 2012

If your seedlings are already tall and don't have their first leaves yet, it sounds as if they aren't getting enough light. You may have started them about a month too early, too. When are you planning to plant them out in the garden?

If you are growing them under artificial light, try moving them closer to the lights. Are you growing them on a windowsill? Indoors with natural light from a window, tomato seedlings need as much sun as possible because the glass filters a lot of the sun's strength. But when you first take them outdoors, which you could do on a warm day, the outdoor sun and breeze is strong enough to burn the leaves on young plants and kill them, so you need to put them in the shade and out of the wind for their first few trips outside.

You really don't need to start the seeds until about 6 weeks before you want to set the plants out in the garden. The NWS freeze/frost info for NJ might be helpful. Find your relevant last frost date and count backwards 6 weeks from there:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi//climate/ffNewJersey1.jpg
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi//climate/ffNewJersey2.jpg
The 50% probability represents your "average" last frost date, meaning that for the preceding x number of years, the last frost date was earlier in half of those years and later than that in the other half. A 10% probability means your plants are less likely to need protection from a late frost. The 90% probability means you're 90% likely to have to bring them inside or cover them.

There is also a very helpful site called GrowGuide that has suggestions for when to start many crops: http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm
To be safe when using GrowGuide for frost-tender plants like tomatoes, I would use the 10% probability from the NWS tables above.

February 17, 2012	#1
pattiann Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: New Jersey 7a Posts: 44	why wait to transplant with first leaves? My baby seedlings are tall and it seems like it takes so long to develop those first true leaves. Why the wait for them to transplant? if the cotyledons contain enough nourishment and they do some photosynthesis, what is the point in waiting for the real leaves to come out? Please remember that I'm a newbie and when I did garden it was plants picked up at the local farmers market, not seeds. Thanks for instructions! Love the videos, really appreciate those step by step how-to's. Patti

February 17, 2012	#2
recruiterg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Edina, MN (Zone 4) Posts: 945	I think the plant gets a little more sturdy, the stem gets a little thicker, and the root system has had time to develop. Prior to that time, you might risk harming the plant. Check out Craig's (nctomatoman's) videos on transplanting in the dense planting thread. You will learn a lot.

February 17, 2012	#3
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Without pictures it is hard to know, but, when you describe tall seedlings, that could mean leggy, a condition caused by the light source being too far away. If you have concerns about that, there are past threads showing leggy seedlings. The solution is to get the grow light practically on top of the plants. Less than 1/2 inch away is best in my opinion. Good luck. Dewayne Mater

February 17, 2012	#4
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	If your seedlings are already tall and don't have their first leaves yet, it sounds as if they aren't getting enough light. You may have started them about a month too early, too. When are you planning to plant them out in the garden? If you are growing them under artificial light, try moving them closer to the lights. Are you growing them on a windowsill? Indoors with natural light from a window, tomato seedlings need as much sun as possible because the glass filters a lot of the sun's strength. But when you first take them outdoors, which you could do on a warm day, the outdoor sun and breeze is strong enough to burn the leaves on young plants and kill them, so you need to put them in the shade and out of the wind for their first few trips outside. You really don't need to start the seeds until about 6 weeks before you want to set the plants out in the garden. The NWS freeze/frost info for NJ might be helpful. Find your relevant last frost date and count backwards 6 weeks from there: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi//climate/ffNewJersey1.jpg http://www.erh.noaa.gov/phi//climate/ffNewJersey2.jpg The 50% probability represents your "average" last frost date, meaning that for the preceding x number of years, the last frost date was earlier in half of those years and later than that in the other half. A 10% probability means your plants are less likely to need protection from a late frost. The 90% probability means you're 90% likely to have to bring them inside or cover them. There is also a very helpful site called GrowGuide that has suggestions for when to start many crops: http://www.chestnut-sw.com/growform.htm To be safe when using GrowGuide for frost-tender plants like tomatoes, I would use the 10% probability from the NWS tables above.