My tomato plants were beginning to look a little spindly and tall, so it was time to up-pot them. Potting up is a way to make stronger tomato plants. Planting them deeper allows the stems to produce more roots, giving them a stronger system to pull in nutrients.
I moved my plants from the jiffy pellets into jiffy cups. I had originally planted 3 seeds in each pellet, and split them up and up-potted the strongest plants. Although, you really shouldn't do this--it's better to snip off the extra plants at the stem and keep the rootball intact. I split because I like to keep an extra plant or two around, just in case (last year, I knocked one off of the windowsill and killed it, the day I was transplanting). Ideally, the seedlings should be transplanted after developing a few sets of true leaves. They should be replanted so that the soil line is up to the seed leaves. This promotes the root growth along the stem.
Once I am ready to place them in the garden, I will follow a similar plan. First, I will harden them off. This involves putting them outside in the wind and sunshine for a few hours a day, gradually increasing the time over a few days. The plant gets used to the sun and heat so it won't sunburn or wither when planted outside. After hardening off, they are ready for transplanting. Again, they should be planted to promote root growth. In this case, instead of planting the whole plant deeper, place the root ball and then lay the stem on its side. Cover several more inches of stem with dirt. The rest of the stem will grow upwards, and the buried part will grow more roots.
Happy tomatoes!
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