Tomato Seedling Help - Year after year problem
Hi Everyone. I need your collective expertise. Every year I have an issue with tomato seedlings getting stunted and unhealthy looking. This year it started a little before I potted them up into 4" nursery pots. Their growth slowed, and the bottoms of their leaves started turning purple. When I potted them up into cococoir potting mix with some other organics and fertilizer, their growth took off, and discoloring went away. around this same time I switched out my grow lights from 2 40ishW units to 2 100W units. I don't think light was the problem because I kept some of the seedlings in their smaller seed trays, and they didnt take off and kept having the purpling leaves issue.
Now, about 2 or 3 weeks later, the coloration problem is coming back and it seems like growth has slowed a bit again.
I water about once to twice a week with a organic 1-.5-.1 liquid fertilizer diluted to about 50% teh recommendation (so 1/2 the solution per the amount of water), though I upped it to 3/4ish strength the last time I watered because I started seeing this problem and some yellowing on my cucumber seedlings. I would think that is sufficient to keep them fed.
I let the top of the pot get a bit dry and try to only water when I stick a finger in and the first 1/2" of soil is dry, and dont think I'm watering too much, as I water from the bottom and the soil always readily absorbs it (nothing left sitting in the bottom after an hour). What do you think my fellow gardeners? Is there an issue? What are the likely culprits?
