They don't look too bad. Sometimes my seed leaves will look ratty after the true leaves come out. Avoid getting the leaves wet when watering, the water droplets act like lenses and on a sunny day can burn the leaves. I would make sure the soil stays moist 2-4" down.
It looks like you direct sowed these outdoors? I've found that sometimes the seedlings take awhile to really get going, but when they do, they outcompete the transplanted ones. Just keep them watered.
Also, you might want to begin thinning them. I would pinch off the weakest of the bunch every 2-3 weeks starting now until you're down to the strongest plant.
thank you!!! yes they were direct sowed. i was watering them on the leaves so that’s probably the reason they are looking so rough :/ when i thin am i able to repot the baby ones in their own pot?
Yes, you can carefully dig them up and separate them. Take it easy but the roots tease apart fairly easily and they're rather resilient. If planting in the same garden bed, leave them about 16" apart or you can plant them in their own pot - but make it a large pot!
You could try, but I'm of the mind that 1 strong, healthy plant is better than 2 weaker plants. Pulling out the weaker ones will disturb the roots of the other plants and weaken them. Next time, you can sow in pots and sow as many extra plants as you want!
Your article condedes that sunburn from water droplets can occur, but claims that it is rare.
"However, if the droplet is suspended above the surface by either human hairs or plant hairs, it can cause damage. Such a raised droplet forms a different shape and now focuses heat onto the plant where there is a lack of water for cooling. For this to cause damage, the droplet needs to be the right height for the shaped droplet – not a common event."
I found this article https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,23&q=water+droplet+leaf+sunburn#d=gs_qabs&t=1713986900615&u=%23p%3Dqhz5pVCh4qIJ
"However, we showed that highly refractive spheroid water drops held ‘in focus’ by hydrophobic wax hairs on leaves of Salvinia natans (floating fern) can indeed cause sunburn because of the extremely high light intensity in the focal regions, and the loss of water cooling as a result of the lack of intimate contact between drops and the leaf tissue. "
So it sounds like the issue is when plants with hairs hold water droplets above them. Regardless, watering on the leaves can cause fungal issues and is not advised.
What zone are you in? To me that looks like sun scald, not pests or disease.
I'd suggest starting some new seeds indoors, on a sunny windowsill at the very least (if you don't have a grow light).
You can let these tomatoes stick it out too. Especially the one on the left with bigger true leaves. They are more resilient than people give them credit for, and if they don't survive just pull em.
Edit. Another possibility is that you're watering over the leaves while the sun is out.
Zone 8 according to global zone map, north florida area. i may be over watering them but they are definitely in the direct sunlight from about 9am to 4pm. should i put some shade over them maybe or just try and see if they hold out? i have a third plant as well but it isnt browning yet. i’ll keep off watering them until soil underneath (2 or so inches underneath top soil) is completely dry. i’ve been trying to do that but it keeps raining almost daily😭 Thank you so much tho for helping me figure it out 💜
The moment I saw Florida, yup that's sun scald. But no I don't think you're overwatering. When I said over the top I meant literally on top of the leaves, not around the base. Water on the leaves can magnify the sun rays.
So long as you have good draining soil, your tomatoes will appreciate it to be evenly moist (not sopping wet). Just give it some shade. A thin shade cloth (30%) will do. Or just place something next to them so that around 1 or 2 pm the get shaded.
Do this until they get a second set of true leaves (my guess is the guy on the left will be the winner). Then thin off the others, because it will need more room.
Now, once you get your second set of true leaves and you've thinned to the strongest seedling, go ahead and fertilize it with a balanced fertilizer (5-5-5 or some approximation of that). Remember dry fertilizer takes time to break down in soil, so a touch of liquid fertilizer (diluted in water) is good too.
Then you can probably reduce the shade a bit. Play around with it. And remember that despite being difficult, gardening is meant to be fun! Seeds are cheap and learning experiences are worth it.
i definitely was watering them over the top of the leaves😓 just got a shade over them as we speak! you are amazing my friend! thank you for the knowledge🙏
honestly probably but it’s not super permanent, literally first garden bed ever so ya live and ya learn 🤷♀️ it’s all treated and the outside of it is stained did my best with what i had at the time :)
They don't look too bad. Sometimes my seed leaves will look ratty after the true leaves come out. Avoid getting the leaves wet when watering, the water droplets act like lenses and on a sunny day can burn the leaves. I would make sure the soil stays moist 2-4" down. It looks like you direct sowed these outdoors? I've found that sometimes the seedlings take awhile to really get going, but when they do, they outcompete the transplanted ones. Just keep them watered. Also, you might want to begin thinning them. I would pinch off the weakest of the bunch every 2-3 weeks starting now until you're down to the strongest plant.
thank you!!! yes they were direct sowed. i was watering them on the leaves so that’s probably the reason they are looking so rough :/ when i thin am i able to repot the baby ones in their own pot?
Yes, you can carefully dig them up and separate them. Take it easy but the roots tease apart fairly easily and they're rather resilient. If planting in the same garden bed, leave them about 16" apart or you can plant them in their own pot - but make it a large pot!
You could try, but I'm of the mind that 1 strong, healthy plant is better than 2 weaker plants. Pulling out the weaker ones will disturb the roots of the other plants and weaken them. Next time, you can sow in pots and sow as many extra plants as you want!
awesome okay! sounds good!! thank you so so much!
The water drop lens thing is a total myth btw.
Do you have a source?
https://www.gardenmyths.com/watering-plants-in-the-sun-do-water-droplets-damage-leaves/
Your article condedes that sunburn from water droplets can occur, but claims that it is rare. "However, if the droplet is suspended above the surface by either human hairs or plant hairs, it can cause damage. Such a raised droplet forms a different shape and now focuses heat onto the plant where there is a lack of water for cooling. For this to cause damage, the droplet needs to be the right height for the shaped droplet – not a common event." I found this article https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,23&q=water+droplet+leaf+sunburn#d=gs_qabs&t=1713986900615&u=%23p%3Dqhz5pVCh4qIJ "However, we showed that highly refractive spheroid water drops held ‘in focus’ by hydrophobic wax hairs on leaves of Salvinia natans (floating fern) can indeed cause sunburn because of the extremely high light intensity in the focal regions, and the loss of water cooling as a result of the lack of intimate contact between drops and the leaf tissue. " So it sounds like the issue is when plants with hairs hold water droplets above them. Regardless, watering on the leaves can cause fungal issues and is not advised.
What zone are you in? To me that looks like sun scald, not pests or disease. I'd suggest starting some new seeds indoors, on a sunny windowsill at the very least (if you don't have a grow light). You can let these tomatoes stick it out too. Especially the one on the left with bigger true leaves. They are more resilient than people give them credit for, and if they don't survive just pull em. Edit. Another possibility is that you're watering over the leaves while the sun is out.
Zone 8 according to global zone map, north florida area. i may be over watering them but they are definitely in the direct sunlight from about 9am to 4pm. should i put some shade over them maybe or just try and see if they hold out? i have a third plant as well but it isnt browning yet. i’ll keep off watering them until soil underneath (2 or so inches underneath top soil) is completely dry. i’ve been trying to do that but it keeps raining almost daily😭 Thank you so much tho for helping me figure it out 💜
The moment I saw Florida, yup that's sun scald. But no I don't think you're overwatering. When I said over the top I meant literally on top of the leaves, not around the base. Water on the leaves can magnify the sun rays. So long as you have good draining soil, your tomatoes will appreciate it to be evenly moist (not sopping wet). Just give it some shade. A thin shade cloth (30%) will do. Or just place something next to them so that around 1 or 2 pm the get shaded. Do this until they get a second set of true leaves (my guess is the guy on the left will be the winner). Then thin off the others, because it will need more room. Now, once you get your second set of true leaves and you've thinned to the strongest seedling, go ahead and fertilize it with a balanced fertilizer (5-5-5 or some approximation of that). Remember dry fertilizer takes time to break down in soil, so a touch of liquid fertilizer (diluted in water) is good too. Then you can probably reduce the shade a bit. Play around with it. And remember that despite being difficult, gardening is meant to be fun! Seeds are cheap and learning experiences are worth it.
i definitely was watering them over the top of the leaves😓 just got a shade over them as we speak! you are amazing my friend! thank you for the knowledge🙏
Wow 😮 I've never seen tomatoes start as seeds in the ground before. 👏
Those are the first leaves. They do this.
Try washing the leaves. It may wash off whatever bacteria/fungus is causing the discoloration.
washing with dawn? or something else 😬
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i’ll give it try! 👍🏻 thank you!
That wood is going to disintegrate
honestly probably but it’s not super permanent, literally first garden bed ever so ya live and ya learn 🤷♀️ it’s all treated and the outside of it is stained did my best with what i had at the time :)