LiseP,
I hear yah. I made the horrible mistake of feeding my 208 tomato seedlings TOO MUCH back in January, and wiped out about 1/3 of my total crop. I won't make that mistake again. The clue there was TOO MUCH. From my observations, they DID need feeding, contrary to what some growers feel about feeding seedlings -- just not as much as I gave them...
This seedling thing is a fascinating lesson in observation for me, and I am just loving it!!! I can now tell by just watching my seedlings when they're saying, "uh, FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED me, Baby!" At first, when I saw signs of stalling or decline, I immediately thought they just needed more water. But, there are subtle differences in when they need water and when they need food.
I double-checked on that huge swooning seedling this morning, and, sure enough, that baby has hardened up and is standing at attention. Out of the four huge leaves that went all splotchy, only one is showing any evidence of the yellow polka dots. The others are perfectly green, again.
What I learned from the January disaster, is that, while they DO need to be fed at some point, they do NOT need a whole lotta food. So, I'm taking my good friend Al's (Tapla's) advice, and feeding them WEAKLY, weekly. My current formula is 2 small ends of the green Miracle Grow Water Soluble Plant Food for Veggies spoon to one gallon of water. The smaller babies only get 1 spoon to a gallon. The hardier cabbages and especially the mustards and collards can take 2 spoons (they'd love more, but they're just being greedy...).
I also made another observation on crowding/overcrowding in seed trays. I still have two community trays of Snowball Cauliflower and Late Flat Dutch Cabbage seedlings that I broadcast sowed several weeks ago (maybe 5?6?). There must be about 25-30 cauliflowers and about 15-20 cabbages growing close together in those aluminum pans. But, here's the observation. They are all doing FINE! In fact, I could probably set those trays out to harden them off for a week, then transplant the HUGE seedlings directly into the buckets. Which is what I probably will do.
They are perfectly healthy, and they are only growing in about 2.5" of potting mix. All of them are extremely strong, and they each have at least two-three sets of large, true leaves. I think the key is that the roots are being kept watered and fed ENOUGH, on a regular basis. A couple of times they sucked up all the moisture before I realized it, and the soil did almost dry out. But, as soon as I doused them again, they all revived and continue growing in excellent health.
The only down side I'm seeing is that a few of the seedlings under the larger leaves aren't being exposed to as much light, but, they are not languishing in any significant way that I can tell. Every now and then I move a few leaves around to help them out, and they seem to appreciate it with a smile!
Fascinating stuff! I'm loving this.
Please, keep in mind that these are my observations only, and not to be taken as any kind of "etched in stone" truth. I'm simply happy to share what I see and learn, based on my own experiences. I pray that my eyesight is as keen as I think it is. And, even though I am losing my hearing in one ear (very slowly), as a Choir Director, I still hear everything, everywhere, and, at the same time. I've actually put my ears close to the trays when I water them, and can hear the water being soaked up! Just another observation!
Hugs, Ya'll
Linda
