Transplanted tomato seedlings looked diseased within hours!!

Hello friends, I started these tomato seedlings in my house under a grow light, in temperatures about 68 degrees or warmer. They are Sungold and Sakura cherry tomatoes. A few days ago, I put them in pots in my greenhouse in a soil mix that I made from compost, some garden soil, some coconut fiber and perlite. I watered them well. Literally within HOURS they started to look poorly. The bottom leaves wilted or turned brown. The temperature in the greenhouse that first day was moderate - probably about 70% degrees They were not too dry. The compost is made mostly of horse manure that may not be fully composted. The soil is from a garden where I did grow tomatoes last year. The tomates growing there showed no sign of disease during the year. ( I did not think of the fact that I had used soil that grew tomatoes last year. - I won't do that again.) The astonishing part was how quickly they were affected. They seem to be slowly growing worse. Also, I will put a photo of a petunia plant that seems to be suffering a little too, grown in a similar mix. Anyone have any ideas?? Thanks a million, Peggy

I am currently in the process of potting up as well. My vegetables are started on heat mats and under lights but with differences. Your plants are in shock, not diseased yet. However, there are several points to consider here.

Were your plants transitioned into the greenhouse before potting up? Any change in environment is part of the hardening off process even if the temperatures remain the same. A sudden shift from artificial to natural light, plus light hours and intensity, a change in relative humidity and/or a change in growing medium can cause these problems. The plants will be set back but probably recover. They should be shaded and gradually brought into stronger natural light.

These are still seedlings and as such they should be potted in an appropriate step up seedling mix. If you are wanting natural additions then consider mushroom compost and fish emulsion. Save manure for in ground planting. I can't really see the pot size but overpotting small plants can be problematic. When potting up, remove and pot one seedling at a time or, if dividing, cover seedlings to avoid exposing roots to light. Even brief root exposure can shock seedlings.

But there is another more serious issue here. Animal manure that is not thoroughly hot composted for at least nine months, or spread and left for one year, should not be used when growing food. It's not only unsafe from a bactetiologic perspective but you might not want to be eating Ivermectin and Zimecterin. I've been growing produce for more than thirty years and used manure from my animals. I would be less concerned about the effects of that manure on my plants and more concerned about its effects on my family. Hope this helps.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2022 5:25 PM