Help - potential seedling disaster!

[TracyP]

Hi there
In the last week my seedling, mainly toms, but also affecting peppers have started to go a bit yellow in the bottom leaves. I have two issues - firstly after this, in a panic I put some fertiliser on them which I later realised that was not suitable for vegetables - but very little watering from the top, then a couple of days later I put them in a very mild veg compatible solution ( they are in peat pots). To be honest I'm wondering if the problem initally was that I had been watering too much, but the peat pots get so dry I thought they needed it, so I have been watering from the bottom pretty much every day. Most of them have been moved to the greenhouse in the last week too, but those that are left indoors have the same problem.

The only thing I should mention is that we have the wee black flies - gnats I think - are they the problem?

Please help - I don't want to lose my babies! ;-)

Tracy

[FoxHillGardener]

The little black flies often turn up when things are particularly damp, so you might be right about watering too much. I think yellowing leaves can be indicator of waterlogging too so perhaps let them dry out a bit more between waterings

[Demeter]

I found myself watering peat pots and newspaper pots far too much (from the bottom mostly) as they "looked dry". Things improved a lot once I cottoned on and left them alone a bit more!

[sewer rat]

When you say the bottom two leaves were turning yellow - do you mean the seed leaves or the first true leaves ? If it's the former, do nothing as that is what happens, they turn yellow, die and drop off, so no panis necessary.
If it's the latter and the true leaves are turning yellow then you may have a problem with your watering, though if you are watering from the bottom you shouldn't be too bad.
What size are your seedlings, what size pots are they in and how long have they been in them ?
It could be that the compost is done (run out of nutrients) and the plants are pot-bound (too many roots in too small a pot) so maybe you need to consider potting them on to the next size pot, or planting them in their final positions.

[Flummery]

It's usually reckoned that composts contain about 6 - 8 weeks worth of nutrients. My toms have been growing for that length of time so I'm feeding them weekly with a capful of seaweed extract (commercial - too far from the sea here!) per watering can. They had started to go pale before I twigged on how long they'd been in that compost. All fine and green again now.

[TracyP]

Thanks very much for the replies.

The yellow part of mainly the two little bottom leaves - the seedlings are about 4 inches high. I think they might be improving with not watering so much and/or the nitrogen solution I put on them

I am worried about the non veg compatible plant food I put on then first - it was dilute and I didn't water too much (watered from above) - Will this be a risk on the edible front - don't want to poison my family. There are no flowers yet - any advice appreciated

The problem with replanting is that they are in peat pots so will disturb the roots at the bottom, but I understand I shouldn't plant them till they have flowered

Thanks again!