DIY: Transplanting Tomatoes (again and again) – The most important tip I learned all season

We all know the rewards of having a thriving bountiful crop of tomatoes, and I’m sure we also know the frustrations of having a tomato plant that produces only four fruits all season.  So, aside from watering our starts and checking on them constantly, what more can we do as gardeners to ensure that our tomato plant is best prepared to create a bumper crop of bomber, juicy delights?

The Roots

The most important part of a tomato plant is it’s root structure.  Without a deep, sufficient root system, tomato plants have no chance at absorbing enough water and vital nutrients to create an excellent plant structure above the soil surface.  Because of this need, it is very beneficial to re-pot tomato starts at least once before transplanting them into their final outdoor location.

Most of my tomato seed starts have two sets of leaves now: their original cotyledon (meaning: seed leaf, in Greek*) and their first true leaves (the first set of leaves that resemble a tomato leaf).  But, the larger starts are getting pretty “leggy” – which just basically means they are really tall.  That is because the roots of the plant have grown as much as they can inside the small coconut pellet, and now, the only place the plants have to grow is UP.

If you look closely at the stem of a 2-4 week old tomato start, you can see what looks like tiny hairs.  Those “hairs” are actually roots, which means that every hair, once it is buried under the soil is the plant’s potential to better absorb water and nutrients.  So, in a way, tomatoes really like to be transplanted, because every transplanting gives them an opportunity to grow a more extensive root system.

The First – and most important – Transplant

Once the start has two sets of leaves and the plant is 3-4 inches tall, re-plant the start just under the lowest set of leaves.  Make sure to use a deep container that will allow ample root growth.  If you are using a container to plant more than one start, make sure that there is at least 2 inches of soil between the plants.

Additional Transplanting

Tomato plants can be re-planted several times.  You can transplant your tomato again (and again) once it reaches 8-10 inches in height, before you plant your tomato outside.

The Final Transplant

The transplanting of your tomato into it’s outdoor growing location should be done using a similar method of burying the stem above the current soil level.  To attain an even deeper planting depth, you can even break the lowest leaves of the plant off at the stem and bury the plant above that level.  Roots will form in those locations as well.

References

The information and recommendations in this article were gathered first from a book, The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food by Tanya L. K. Denckla, then, for a second opinion, from the online article Repotting Tomato Seedlings by National Gardening Association Editor, and finally from the helpful employees of Agua Fria Nursery in Santa Fe, to determine best practices for the specific climate of Northern New Mexico.

*Cotyledon, Wikipedia entry

Tags: Do It Yourself, tomatoes
Posted in Do It Yourself, Grown in the City