How big is a tomato’s root ball after 3, 4, and 5 weeks after planting? (Started in a small greenhouse)?
stewie asked:
Would it be fine to start my matrs in the greenhouse in 4.5″ x 4″ deep peat pots and transplant after a month without having root problems??
If these are started under high intensity growing lights for the first month would it make a difference? My tomatoes do tend to get bigger faster that way as opposed to the greenhouse
Would it be fine to start my matrs in the greenhouse in 4.5″ x 4″ deep peat pots and transplant after a month without having root problems??
If these are started under high intensity growing lights for the first month would it make a difference? My tomatoes do tend to get bigger faster that way as opposed to the greenhouse
Noproblem whatso ever ,for tomato’s, you need to plant the whole thing a little extra deep,cut off all the branches except for the top 2 and the tip,leave only that sticking out of the dirt.this places your root system deeper and the trimmed branches become new root systems.Establishing a super stong,and drought tolerant plant that will bear more and better fruit.
That is standard practice to start tomatoes the way you describe. A tomato plant certainly won’t outgrow a four inch peat pot in five weeks. If you want to bury most of the stem when you set it outside, and most gardeners recommend it to grow a more vigorous plant, dig a small trench about three inches deep rather than a hole straight down. Dig one end of the trench a bit deeper to accommodate the peat pot and after pruning all branches but the top two, lay the plant down, gently curling the top end up so three or four inches will protrude above the soil, and bury the rest. If you dig a hole straight down for, say, a twelve inch plant, the roots will be in soil too cold for the plant to get a quick start.