Transplant Help

[phoenix78]

I just got my transplants out this week (live in Buffalo, still had frost last week - ugh!) in sfg and they aren't holding up to well, even though it has been in the 40s and 50s at night. My tomatoes are wilting and my summer squash leaves are yellow. I'm watering once daily, sometimes twice if they look reallly bad - is wilting/yellowing a sign they need more water? Too much compost? Just not warm enough here Help, I'm pretty new still with growing veggies! Thanks!

[Nettie29]

Did you harden them off first?

I am a novice square first gardener and lost my tomato seedlings last week... Needless to say, I am taking baby steps with the rest of my precious seedlings (cukes, peppers and squash).

[catballou24]

i'm going to say with the tomatoes at least that it's not warm enough. it has to be consistantly in the 50's or higher at night for the soil to warm up enough. plus, they don't like tons of little watering. you want to water them really deep once a week. i'm going to say the squash may be in the same shock due to the temps. also, when i transplant (and i just started doing this and have noticed a huge difference in how hardy my plants are), i've been putting a scoop or two of organic bone meal in the hole and setting the transplants right on top of this. then i water really well with diluted fish emulsion or another organic fertilizer. the bone meal helps the roots get really established and adds nutrients to the soil.

honestly though i think the biggest problem is your temps right now..just a little too early i'd say. you can try to cover them with a row cover and see if that helps, or cover them with large jars...that works great here with large mason jars..

good luck!!

[canadiyank]

When's your average last day of frost? If you're still having frost at night, unless you're protecting them somehow, then they are probably dying. Do you have them in the ground or in pots - if they're in the ground then you're definitely overwatering them if you're doing it twice a day. They may be rotting. If they're in pots and you're still getting frost then it's too soon to water once a day.

[phoenix78]

They are in a raised bed. Last frost was supposed to be April 28th, but I waited until last week to put them out because it hadn't climbed into fifties yet at night. Did for a few days, then we had low 40s for a few days. It has climbed to the 60s now at night and been in the 80s during the day. I did harden first and I did a deep watering yesrterday and they are looking a bit better but bottom leaves are still very yellow. I think Buffalo is one of the few places it can be both 35 and 80 in the course of 48 hours! Thanks for the advice! Hoping they'll keep improving.

[canadiyank]

Are they wilting, is that why you're saying they don't look good? I still think the yellow leaves might be from overwatering...

[shaywyn]

Originally Posted by phoenix78

They are in a raised bed. Last frost was supposed to be April 28th, but I waited until last week to put them out because it hadn't climbed into fifties yet at night. Did for a few days, then we had low 40s for a few days. It has climbed to the 60s now at night and been in the 80s during the day. I did harden first and I did a deep watering yesrterday and they are looking a bit better but bottom leaves are still very yellow. I think Buffalo is one of the few places it can be both 35 and 80 in the course of 48 hours! Thanks for the advice! Hoping they'll keep improving.

The extreme temp fluctuations are most certainly taking their toll on your transplants. Tomatoes like it really warm, and squash would politely prefer it to be that way. Last frost dates in your region of the country (not just your own zone) can range through mid May. The rule of thumb I follow for tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc. is, do not plant before Memorial day. specifically because those plants not only need frost free, they want warmth. Self seeded volunteers are a different story, they can handle a bit of cold when they are young. I think your transplants will bounce back as temps even out.

Originally Posted by canadiyank

Are they wilting, is that why you're saying they don't look good? I still think the yellow leaves might be from overwatering...

Yeah, this could be a part of the problem.

Good Luck!

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by catballou24

i'm going to say with the tomatoes at least that it's not warm enough. it has to be consistantly in the 50's or higher at night for the soil to warm up enough. plus, they don't like tons of little watering. you want to water them really deep once a week. i'm going to say the squash may be in the same shock due to the temps. also, when i transplant (and i just started doing this and have noticed a huge difference in how hardy my plants are), i've been putting a scoop or two of organic bone meal in the hole and setting the transplants right on top of this. then i water really well with diluted fish emulsion or another organic fertilizer. the bone meal helps the roots get really established and adds nutrients to the soil.

honestly though i think the biggest problem is your temps right now..just a little too early i'd say. you can try to cover them with a row cover and see if that helps, or cover them with large jars...that works great here with large mason jars..

good luck!!

It's REALLY hot here. I can't imagine only watering once a week, my soil would be bone dry and my plants would be wilting. I water once a day, in the mornings. However, it's regularly 85-100 during the day and about 65, 55 at the very lowest, at night. But maybe I should be watering once every two days? How do you know when it's time to water?

My garden looks fine with me watering this way...at least so far.

[canadiyank]

I live in the desert, so I understand about hot. If I have seedlings coming up from seed I keep them moist b/c their roots are so shallow if I miss a day they might die. Transplants are not so needy. I water deeply once a week and touch up if they look wilty...if they're a little wilted in the afternoon that's ok, they're just "perspiring," but if they don't pick up in the evening then they need a drink.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by canadiyank

I live in the desert, so I understand about hot. If I have seedlings coming up from seed I keep them moist b/c their roots are so shallow if I miss a day they might die. Transplants are not so needy. I water deeply once a week and touch up if they look wilty...if they're a little wilted in the afternoon that's ok, they're just "perspiring," but if they don't pick up in the evening then they need a drink.

Thanks!

[shaywyn]

Talula, in a hot climate, or even in a Midwest hot spell, you should water deeply at least twice a week. Maybe even every other day if you have sandy soil, the temps are really high, the humidity low, and your plants are in raised beds of any kind. If you have stuff in planters, they should be watered at least once a day, if not twice, when it is really hot and dry.
The fact that you are having to water every day in the spring, even in such a hot climate, may not be encouraging deep root growth. One way to tell when to water, is to stick your finger into the soil one to two inches and feel if the soil is damp or not. If it is, you can probably wait another day to water. Another sign is, do your plants look "thirsty"? It may take some more years of gardening to get to where you just know by looking at it that a plant needs a drink of water. (I am old, have gardened all my life, lol) In your area, in the summer, I think it would be very hard to over water just about anything. So, you're good.
Of course, if you have clay soil or really poor drainage, then please ignore all of the above!

I have to add that I do have this mantra of "mulch, mulch, mulch", especially for tomatoes. If you mulch, you should be able to cut down on watering quite a bit. I even mulch some of my planters.

Hth!

[shaywyn]

Oh, an by looking thirsty, I mean just that, not all wilted and stuff. Yes, many plants do recover amazingly well after being wilted, but it is hard on them overall. Stress can lead to all kinds of disorders and lower production, just like in us humans!

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by shaywyn

Talula, in a hot climate, or even in a Midwest hot spell, you should water deeply at least twice a week. Maybe even every other day if you have sandy soil, the temps are really high, the humidity low, and your plants are in raised beds of any kind. If you have stuff in planters, they should be watered at least once a day, if not twice, when it is really hot and dry.
The fact that you are having to water every day in the spring, even in such a hot climate, may not be encouraging deep root growth. One way to tell when to water, is to stick your finger into the soil one to two inches and feel if the soil is damp or not. If it is, you can probably wait another day to water. Another sign is, do your plants look "thirsty"? It may take some more years of gardening to get to where you just know by looking at it that a plant needs a drink of water. (I am old, have gardened all my life, lol) In your area, in the summer, I think it would be very hard to over water just about anything. So, you're good.
Of course, if you have clay soil or really poor drainage, then please ignore all of the above!

I have to add that I do have this mantra of "mulch, mulch, mulch", especially for tomatoes. If you mulch, you should be able to cut down on watering quite a bit. I even mulch some of my planters.

Hth!

I have raised beds and a planter. I do wait until I stick my finger in the soil and it's not damp anymore. I don't always water every day, it depends on the temps, but it's every other day at least. The soil is well drained. This is a low humidity area, we usually hover at around 20%

And yes, it's spring, but this is the valley and it's also been pretty consistently at a high of 90 every single day for weeks. Actually, two weeks ago it was 100+ for a week.

My yard has a TON of leaves in it from the tree that it has...can I use the leaves as mulch?

[canadiyank]

Yep, leaves will work. I'd probably shred/crush them up a bit.

[phoenix78]

Both the tomatoes and squash are much better today. More green and no longer wilting. I think the deep watering helped as well as the temps staying up. About the mulching...I had read you should wait a few weeks after transplanting b4 mulching...is this true? No leaves nearby but I can get straw or cocoa mulch...could use grass clippings too, right (no pesticides on our lawn).

[canadiyank]

Huh, I've mulched with grass clippings right away with no probs...

[shaywyn]

Originally Posted by phoenix78

Both the tomatoes and squash are much better today. More green and no longer wilting. I think the deep watering helped as well as the temps staying up. About the mulching...I had read you should wait a few weeks after transplanting b4 mulching...is this true? No leaves nearby but I can get straw or cocoa mulch...could use grass clippings too, right (no pesticides on our lawn).

I usually leave a small circle of bare earth right around the stem. Straw is great. It can contain weed seed, but since the ground is mulched, it is usually very easy to pull up any that end up germinating. I haven't used cocoa mulch but imagine it would work well, too. Good Luck!