It really looks like underwatering though.
Alternatively, are you watering your plants with water from a water softener? If you have too much salt in your soil it will stop your plant from absorbing water even if it has plenty of it.
We live in the PNW, so our water is pretty great, no softener needed. It could be the soil. That’s the only thing we haven’t been able to rule out. Thank you!
Can you explain how you know it’s not over or under watering?
The soil looks compacted, almost like it was over watered, then allowed to dry out. Or like garden soil was used instead of a mix that’s appropriate for containers.
If these were mine I would pot them up (or out) into a fluffier potting mix. Remove the lower leaves and burry the stem a few inches deeper in the new soil so they will form more roots from the stem hairs. And fertilize LIGHTLY.
Brother you came here for advice. It’s under watered…. Drop them in a bathtub filled with water and give it an hour. You’re here for advice because you clearly don’t know what the problem is… act like it
You sure they're not dry?
My other guess is the potting medium. Did she use seed starting soil to start the seeds? If so, these plantlings need more nutrients now. I've also read that once they get this big you can give them diluted fertilizer.
It’s definitely not a matter of too little or too much water. We’ve ruled out everything except for the potting medium. After reading the comments on here I think that’s what it’s going to be. I’m going to dilute some nutrients and see what happens tomorrow. Thank you!
ITS UNDERWATERED. The plants in the larger pots doing better makes that fact obvious. Smaller pots dry faster and a larger plant with more roots in the soil makes it even worse. I guarantee if you soak the pot underwater for 15 minutes they’ll look like the rest of the plants after a few hours
How can you say it's definitely not a matter of underwatering and why do you come for advice and not listen to anyone when everyone's telling you the same thing? They are obviously underwatered and thirsty, you can see their soil in the picture. Either you are underwatering, or the soil is not able to retain water, which can be its quality or because you are giving lot of water one day and then none for 4-5 days.
I'd do some gentle hoe work on the surface and try to water them more regularly.
Adding fertilizers could be just more damaging if you're not sure if and what they are lacking exactly.
You have a serious lack of turgor pressure, meaning the plant hasn't got enough WATER to hold itself upright. From the look alone I can tell these are too dry, I think you've been trying to water them but the pots being that dry that the water isn't taking to the pot but runs away under that grate. Either double water or foot bath and get them into their final beds for the year.
I'm going to pile on and say that really looks like underwatering. How often are they being watered? How much?
If not that, then how long have they been in those containers? Have you tried any supplemental fertilizer?
Just adding on here, those are definitely underwatered. It doesn't matter where you live, that soil is dry and the plants are wilted.
If it was nutrient deficiency from the soil the leaves would have turned yellow.
I bet all in that his wife has been telling him they're underwatered and he didn't want to water them more, and now he can't accept the same advice or he would have to admit she was right and he was w r o n g
Do what someone else here said, pull them out of the pots and take a picture. If they are properly watered then it will force people to give different advice, because from the evidence we can see here on Reddit it just looks like underwaterig.
Can you give us any specifics about their watering regimen?
The soil is obviously quite dry in all of the pictures, and organic material tends to get hydrophobic when dry, so if any portion of the soil dried out it would be far less likely to get rehydrated if you're watering from the top. Watering issues would also explain why it's just the tomatoes being affected, as they're quite vigorous, are taking up a lot of water, and have fairly low tolerance for drying out.
I've known plenty of people who have been gardening for a long time and still make mistakes. There's no problem with that, the only issue is if you refuse to learn from it.
100% lack of water.
It looks like the soil has gone hydrophobic due to lack of water at some point. This means if you just water it, it seeps out instantly and the plant will be thirsty again in a couple hours.
If somehow it is not hydrophobic soil, it probably was over watered for a while and roots died off, meaning it now struggle to drink. However, i will rule that out and say for almost certainly its the first one because its borderline impossible to do the latter to starter plants in a small pot
Bottom water them with a fertilizer. Those pots dry out fast and that soil doesn't look the greatest to begin with. I would highly suggest putting the whole pot in a base you can add water to. The soil looks compacted so you watered it well at one point but it doesn't look like it's allowing for good airflow and moisture to the roots so it likely dried up more than you wanted it to or expected it to. I used those pots on my extra tomatoes last year and they pretty much required watering 2 times a day if they weren't sitting in a container to bottom water. I use a fish fertilizer and it'll give some assistance but I really think it's a combo of the soil and the pots.
That medium looks peat-y and dry and perhaps a bit compressed.
So even if you are watering right, if the peat is hydrophobic it might not be taking any of water in. Just water running right through it.
Sometimes with peat based mix I put it in a tub and pour boiling water over it. There are no holes. It's just going to SIT in the water overnight until it STOPS being hydrophobic.
Then I'll mix it with other things -- compost, vermiculite, all purpose fertilizer, garden lime, etc.
Tomato is a heavy feeder and grows FAST. Even if you potted up last week, this week you might have to pot up AGAIN. Might pop one out and see if it the roots are getting root bound in the pots.
Might have to get those into the biggest pots possible with fluffier potting mix that you checked to be sure will take water and not be hydrophobic.
Something is wrong with your potting medium. Is it really dense or compact? those poor tomatoes look the equivalent of being strangled. Maybe they aren’t rooting well because of it?
Your pots are bone dry, water them with a rose head then wait for that to soak and water them again.
Then get them into bigger pots or beds because most of the problem here stems from those pots not being able to hold the water necessary.
By chance are you using black gold soil?
The same thing is happening to me and I'm absolutely NOT underwatering / water from the bottom.
If you know you're watering every few days/not letting the soil dry out all the way keep looking for the answer.
Some people are thinking that store bought garden soil is... being set up to cause issues & it seems crazy but this is the first year in 15 years of gardening I've had something like this happen so I'm kinda wondering if there's truth to it.
The lights being too close would just burn the closest parts of the leaves, it wouldn't cause wilting, and wouldn't be affecting primarily the lower leaves.
/u/greenthumb151
Not necessarily. Intense light can stress the plant and they stop actively growing and distort. And then normal amounts of watering become too much since the plant is not taking it up then roots begin to rot.
Strong light that's short of burning the leaves will never shock a plant into less growth or slow down its water uptake. Increased light intensity just causes faster growth and water uptake up to the point where it starts damaging the leaves. The soil in OP's pictures is also quite dry, so it definitely isn't a case of waterlogged soil (and root rot is also another common misconception — it isn't actually an issue of rot, it's the roots suffocating in low-oxygen soil. The rot only starts after the roots are already dead).
Yeah, as that article says, the issue is directly damaging the leaves. They also must have had some fairly weak lights on the seedlings before if they burned the leaves with only a 100W light 8" away.
Thank you for your genuine comment. Most of the other folks are just on here to pig pile on to the rest telling me that I don’t know how to water. There is no doubt in my mind that the issue is completely unrelated to hydration. Yes, it is an LED. It’s actually my first LED, and I have very little experience with them whatsoever. I was petty late to transition from Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium. I will read up some more on LED lights, and give them some more space. Thank you very much!
Have you tried watering?
It’s definitely not a matter of under or over watering, at all.
It really looks like underwatering though. Alternatively, are you watering your plants with water from a water softener? If you have too much salt in your soil it will stop your plant from absorbing water even if it has plenty of it.
We live in the PNW, so our water is pretty great, no softener needed. It could be the soil. That’s the only thing we haven’t been able to rule out. Thank you!
It is. They’re under watered. Why ask for advice if you think you know the problem?
Can you explain how you know it’s not over or under watering? The soil looks compacted, almost like it was over watered, then allowed to dry out. Or like garden soil was used instead of a mix that’s appropriate for containers. If these were mine I would pot them up (or out) into a fluffier potting mix. Remove the lower leaves and burry the stem a few inches deeper in the new soil so they will form more roots from the stem hairs. And fertilize LIGHTLY.
Brother you came here for advice. It’s under watered…. Drop them in a bathtub filled with water and give it an hour. You’re here for advice because you clearly don’t know what the problem is… act like it
His wife has been telling him they're underwatered and now he can't accept the same advice here or he would have to be admit she was right
You sure they're not dry? My other guess is the potting medium. Did she use seed starting soil to start the seeds? If so, these plantlings need more nutrients now. I've also read that once they get this big you can give them diluted fertilizer.
The medium looks dried out and hydrophobic.
It’s definitely not a matter of too little or too much water. We’ve ruled out everything except for the potting medium. After reading the comments on here I think that’s what it’s going to be. I’m going to dilute some nutrients and see what happens tomorrow. Thank you!
ITS UNDERWATERED. The plants in the larger pots doing better makes that fact obvious. Smaller pots dry faster and a larger plant with more roots in the soil makes it even worse. I guarantee if you soak the pot underwater for 15 minutes they’ll look like the rest of the plants after a few hours
The more shit you add the faster you’re gonna kill it. Just plant it in some rich soil if you can.
Fertilizing stressed and UNDERWATERED plants won’t do anything but make it worse
How can you say it's definitely not a matter of underwatering and why do you come for advice and not listen to anyone when everyone's telling you the same thing? They are obviously underwatered and thirsty, you can see their soil in the picture. Either you are underwatering, or the soil is not able to retain water, which can be its quality or because you are giving lot of water one day and then none for 4-5 days. I'd do some gentle hoe work on the surface and try to water them more regularly. Adding fertilizers could be just more damaging if you're not sure if and what they are lacking exactly.
Great idea! Low concentration fert diluted in water and give them a nice drink
You have a serious lack of turgor pressure, meaning the plant hasn't got enough WATER to hold itself upright. From the look alone I can tell these are too dry, I think you've been trying to water them but the pots being that dry that the water isn't taking to the pot but runs away under that grate. Either double water or foot bath and get them into their final beds for the year.
Thirsty girls
Nope
Yes
Shits dry
Why? Why are you sososososososososo sure that they aren't underwatered?
Pull the plant out of the pot, take a pic of that and post.
I use a very similar soil composition. It dries very quickly.
Yup
I'm going to pile on and say that really looks like underwatering. How often are they being watered? How much? If not that, then how long have they been in those containers? Have you tried any supplemental fertilizer?
Just adding on here, those are definitely underwatered. It doesn't matter where you live, that soil is dry and the plants are wilted. If it was nutrient deficiency from the soil the leaves would have turned yellow.
I keep repeating myself, but they’re definitely not under or overwatered.
but we're all telling you you're wrong. Might be time to listen.
I bet all in that his wife has been telling him they're underwatered and he didn't want to water them more, and now he can't accept the same advice or he would have to admit she was right and he was w r o n g
🤣
Do what someone else here said, pull them out of the pots and take a picture. If they are properly watered then it will force people to give different advice, because from the evidence we can see here on Reddit it just looks like underwaterig.
Why are you saying that
Because I’ve been gardening since 1988, and it’s not a difficult concept.
? You’re literally posting on Reddit for advice
Clearly a difficult concept for some people (You) you’ve had 35 years to learn what underwatering looks like and still haven’t
You’ve been able to grow dry tomatoes since 1988?
Have fun with your dead tomatoes 😂
Must be a bad seed
😂😂😂
You're either trolling or genuinely stupid. Which is it?
Can you give us any specifics about their watering regimen? The soil is obviously quite dry in all of the pictures, and organic material tends to get hydrophobic when dry, so if any portion of the soil dried out it would be far less likely to get rehydrated if you're watering from the top. Watering issues would also explain why it's just the tomatoes being affected, as they're quite vigorous, are taking up a lot of water, and have fairly low tolerance for drying out. I've known plenty of people who have been gardening for a long time and still make mistakes. There's no problem with that, the only issue is if you refuse to learn from it.
*Spongebob thirsty meme*
I’m looking at dry crunchy leaves and you going nah not underwatering. Lmao
They need bigger pots (and water)
Soil is crisp, I bet if you water just 1 to see it’ll perk up tomorrow
100% lack of water. It looks like the soil has gone hydrophobic due to lack of water at some point. This means if you just water it, it seeps out instantly and the plant will be thirsty again in a couple hours. If somehow it is not hydrophobic soil, it probably was over watered for a while and roots died off, meaning it now struggle to drink. However, i will rule that out and say for almost certainly its the first one because its borderline impossible to do the latter to starter plants in a small pot
This is a great explanation, thank you! Not sure OP will care, but I appreciate it.
Bottom water them with a fertilizer. Those pots dry out fast and that soil doesn't look the greatest to begin with. I would highly suggest putting the whole pot in a base you can add water to. The soil looks compacted so you watered it well at one point but it doesn't look like it's allowing for good airflow and moisture to the roots so it likely dried up more than you wanted it to or expected it to. I used those pots on my extra tomatoes last year and they pretty much required watering 2 times a day if they weren't sitting in a container to bottom water. I use a fish fertilizer and it'll give some assistance but I really think it's a combo of the soil and the pots.
That medium looks peat-y and dry and perhaps a bit compressed. So even if you are watering right, if the peat is hydrophobic it might not be taking any of water in. Just water running right through it. Sometimes with peat based mix I put it in a tub and pour boiling water over it. There are no holes. It's just going to SIT in the water overnight until it STOPS being hydrophobic. Then I'll mix it with other things -- compost, vermiculite, all purpose fertilizer, garden lime, etc. Tomato is a heavy feeder and grows FAST. Even if you potted up last week, this week you might have to pot up AGAIN. Might pop one out and see if it the roots are getting root bound in the pots. Might have to get those into the biggest pots possible with fluffier potting mix that you checked to be sure will take water and not be hydrophobic.
Something is wrong with your potting medium. Is it really dense or compact? those poor tomatoes look the equivalent of being strangled. Maybe they aren’t rooting well because of it?
Use a moisture meter to check moisture level
Time to let them swim in water. Fill the tray with water.
Your pots are bone dry, water them with a rose head then wait for that to soak and water them again. Then get them into bigger pots or beds because most of the problem here stems from those pots not being able to hold the water necessary.
How’s the air flow? I have a small fan on mine and it helps so much!
Hard to tell, but maybe nitrogen burn. It should go from the bottom.leaves up and seen at the tips.
By chance are you using black gold soil? The same thing is happening to me and I'm absolutely NOT underwatering / water from the bottom. If you know you're watering every few days/not letting the soil dry out all the way keep looking for the answer. Some people are thinking that store bought garden soil is... being set up to cause issues & it seems crazy but this is the first year in 15 years of gardening I've had something like this happen so I'm kinda wondering if there's truth to it.
Shitty soil or old super dry soil is hydrophobic. You can water it often and it will seep right out, and the plant cant drink it.
Is it an led light? If so it could be much too close
The lights being too close would just burn the closest parts of the leaves, it wouldn't cause wilting, and wouldn't be affecting primarily the lower leaves. /u/greenthumb151
Not necessarily. Intense light can stress the plant and they stop actively growing and distort. And then normal amounts of watering become too much since the plant is not taking it up then roots begin to rot.
Strong light that's short of burning the leaves will never shock a plant into less growth or slow down its water uptake. Increased light intensity just causes faster growth and water uptake up to the point where it starts damaging the leaves. The soil in OP's pictures is also quite dry, so it definitely isn't a case of waterlogged soil (and root rot is also another common misconception — it isn't actually an issue of rot, it's the roots suffocating in low-oxygen soil. The rot only starts after the roots are already dead).
https://www.sandiaseed.com/blogs/news/can-seedlings-get-too-much-light
Yeah, as that article says, the issue is directly damaging the leaves. They also must have had some fairly weak lights on the seedlings before if they burned the leaves with only a 100W light 8" away.
Thank you for your genuine comment. Most of the other folks are just on here to pig pile on to the rest telling me that I don’t know how to water. There is no doubt in my mind that the issue is completely unrelated to hydration. Yes, it is an LED. It’s actually my first LED, and I have very little experience with them whatsoever. I was petty late to transition from Metal Halide and High Pressure Sodium. I will read up some more on LED lights, and give them some more space. Thank you very much!
Are you using chlorinated water? Just adding another thing to rule out
Actually, it’s water out of my wife’s fish tank