Key Technical Points for Preventing Spindly Growth in Greenhouse Tomatoes
The main causes of spindly seedlings and stunted seedlings in greenhouse tomato cultivation are insufficient light, excessively high temperatures and excessive moisture. Once spindly or stunted seedlings appear, the harm is considerable. Spindly seedlings differentiate flower buds late, drop many flowers, have a low survival rate, and suffer large yield reductions, while also failing to achieve early maturity. The measures to prevent spindly seedlings mainly...
The main causes of spindly seedlings and stunted seedlings in greenhouse tomato cultivation are insufficient light, excessively high temperatures and excessive moisture. Once spindly or stunted seedlings appear, the harm is considerable. Spindly seedlings differentiate flower buds late, drop many flowers, have a low survival rate, and suffer large yield reductions, while also failing to achieve early maturity.
The measures to prevent spindly seedlings are mainly to increase light and lower temperature, and to control moisture appropriately. When seedlings grow densely, they should be pricked out in time; in the later stage of seedling raising, the spacing between plants and rows can be widened to prevent excessive shading. On cold, overcast days, the covering should be partly opened so the seedlings can receive light; when the outside temperature is suitable, all covering should be removed so the seedlings receive full light. As for temperature conditions, management must strictly follow the temperature required at each stage of seedling growth, with timely ventilation for cooling.
When the growth and development of seedlings are inhibited, stunted seedlings often appear. The characteristics of stunted seedlings are: short plants, straight stems, small leaves, difficulty in developing new roots, abnormal flower bud differentiation that easily causes flower and fruit drop, and slow recovery after planting out. Stunted seedling symptoms often occur when seedlings are raised in cold frames, mainly because the seedling age is too long and the seedlings are kept under low temperature and drought conditions for a long time.
Measures to prevent seedling stunting: first, change from controlling seedlings to promoting seedlings, giving the seedlings suitable temperature and moisture conditions to promote rapid growth. Practice has shown that when controlled measures such as factory-based seedling production and electrically heated hotbed seedling production are used, seedling stunting rarely occurs. Second, when cold frames are used for seedling raising, raise the air temperature and low temperature of the seedbed as much as possible and water appropriately; do not excessively control fertilizer and water. For seedlings that have already shown stunting, measures such as raising the bed temperature and watering appropriately can be adopted.