Transplanting tomatoes, can I remove them from starter pots?

I need to transplant a lot of tomatoes but I don't want to go to larger pots yet. Is there any reason I can not remove them from the starter pots of peat and coconut coir and plant them directly into the new soil? They don't get root shock easily do they? Hopefully this won't kill them if I do it this way. They just need nutrient rich soil but not larger pots yet.

 

Not sure the details but this is what I did. I had 16 tom plants and they were about 3-4 inches tall when transplanted from their peat starter pots. I planted right in the ground on an overcast day followed by a light long rain the next day. Doing this I only lost two tom plants. Some looked a bit sad but a few days later they were as happy as could be.

Good luck

 

Is there a problem with the starer pots? Most of them are designed to be buried with the plants. I usually tear out the bottom of the peat pots but leave the sides intact. If the roots have started to grow through the sides of the pots I would leave them in the pots and just make vertical slices down the side of the pots to allow them to break up as the plant grows. I have had a few pots that didn't break down after the whole growing season but the plants didn't seem to suffer.

 

The problem is I won't be able to put them outside for another 4-6 weeks. I don't have room to put them in larger pots and the root system is not coming through the pot at all. I may just have to find more room to transplant them into larger pots if disturbing the roots is going to kill all my starts. I just need a small solution to move them into nutrient based potting mix instead of sterile peat moss and coconut coir.

 

They should recover well in the 4-6 week time before you can plant outdoors. I would say go ahead and plant them like you suggested. They also make these things called solar tubes (I think that is the name). You put the device around the plants and then fill the chambers with water. The sunlight heats the water allowing them to survive outdoors in colder weather, even snow. I can attest to that from last year. I planted mine a month early and then put up the tubes. About a week later it snowed 5 inches. The plants survived several nights.days with snow on the ground and freezing night temps. I have green and red.

Here is what mine looked like during the storm:
http://www.gardenstew.com/plantstew/gar ... er_id=9136

 

I would plant them in the ground !! Gallon milk jugs with the bottom cut out placed over them will act as a mini greenhouse !! You can remove the lids in the daytime and on warm days remove the jugs entirely !! Place them back over the plants at nite with the lids on for warmth and protection !! You can also add leaves or hay around the plants to protect the roots and add additional warmth !! This should give you a head start on your growing season !!

 

GM, I will give it a try, can always reuse the pet pots they are in and just put in some better soil. I thought about the solar tubes for a little while but we have had about 24 hours of sun here in the past 3 weeks. The water I have outside stays colder than the air so I am stuck keeping them inside. Even the greenhouse I made doesnt keep tomatoes warm enough to survive. I put 4 out there in different stages and they all died within 3 days.

 

Do you have a heat lamp in your greenhouse ?? How cold has it been there !!! Usually tomatoes are ok at 40 degrees !! They won`t grow but neither do they die !!! They just sit there till the weather warms !!

 

Why not try some FERTILIZER? If a liquid, mix at half-strength to apply. If a pelleted timed-released type, just work a bit into top of starting mixture, water from top to begin activation. Peat and coir are devoid of any nutrition, it's up to the grower to supply it for young plants. Also, if your plants look yellowish, try sprinkling a very small amount of Epsom salts on soil top: magnesium will green them up, sulfur content will help avoid diseases and viruses (work some into soil at transplanting time also).
Common name of the solar heaters is "Walls O Water", can be purchased at any nursury, garden center or online.

 

weeds n seeds, great idea, I will put some time release in there. I will also add some magensium to the water as some have started to turn yellow. I already water with a fertilizer but this will insuire they get what they need until it is time to start putting them outside.

Thank you.

 

Tomatos take a lot of beating. I have tall ones, I lay them down sideways an cover, they will form new roots the whole way up the covered part.

Hard to kill.
b

 

simialr position here
My toms are in seed trays and now touching the top of the plastic cover,and sprouting their second leaves. Got another 4 weeks till i plant.

Should I replant into larger pots?

Thanks for the help

 

Just take the plastic top off an let them grow yet.

 

I have 8 of them over a foot tall so a lay down tranplant may be the best bet. Leggy looking things but should have one awesome root base when it is warm enough to put them out.

Danjensen, don't forget they start to need fertlizer at that stage.

 

Thanks Guys.

Yup I forgot to fertilise last year.

Going to do that today.

how often should I do it once a week?

thanks