Tomato Better Boy Seedling Tray

For best results with Tomato Better Boy, plant one seedling per 1801 cell or 4-inch container. Use well-drained soil with a pH of 5.5-6.2, EC less than 1.0 mS/cm, temperatures of 60-70 daytime and 50-60 nighttime, light levels of 4,000-5,000 fc, and medium feed (150-200 ppm N). This plant doesn't require pinching, and we don't recommend using PGRs on vegetables. You may see aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips, tomato fruitworms, cutworms, and leafminers. Root rot, damping-off, early blight, fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, powdery mildew, and bacterial canker can affect tomato seedlings.

Tomato plants are grown for their fruits. Small yellow flowers bloom, attract pollinators and develop into fruits when after being pollinated.

This plant doesn't require pinching.

Space containers for adequate airflow and sunlight penetration to the soil level of each plant.

We don't recommend using chemical growth regulators on vegetable plants.

In the commercial greenhouse, you may see aphids, whiteflies, spider mites, thrips, tomato fruitworms, cutworms, and leafminers. 

Coach Your Customer: Pests can attack tomato plants in the garden, most notably nematodes and tomato hornworms. Plant tomatoes in a different location every year, especially if nematodes have eaten the roots of your plants in the previous year. Marigolds often repel nematodes planted alongside tomatoes. Look out for tomato hornworms, large green caterpillars that eat the foliage. Remove them by hand to a bucket of soapy water. If the hornworm is covered in white spots, leave the worm and eggs on the plant. Those white spots are wasp eggs that parasitize the hornworm and benefit your garden.

1. Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that feed on the sap of tomato plants, causing stunted growth and yellowing leaves.
2. Whiteflies are small, winged insects that can quickly infest tomato plants in a greenhouse. They feed on the sap of the plants and can spread diseases.
3. Spider mites are tiny arachnids that can infest tomato plants and cause damage to the leaves and fruit. They are especially problematic in warm, dry environments like greenhouses.
4. Thrips are small, slender insects that can damage tomato plants by sucking the sap from the leaves and causing deformities in the fruit.
5. Tomato fruitworms are caterpillars that feed on the leaves and fruit of tomato plants, causing damage and reducing yields.
6. Cutworms are larvae of certain moth species that can damage young tomato plants by cutting through the stem at or below the soil surface.
7. Leafminers are larvae that feed on the leaves of tomato plants, causing damage to the foliage and reducing the plant's ability to photosynthesize.

Implement an Integrated Pest Management plan to address pest infestations. 

Tomatoes aren't prone to disease but root rot can develop in overly wet conditions. Water at the base of each plant in the morning, allowing the soil to dry between waterings. Provide good airflow in your greenhouse and space containers so air and sunlight can reach the base of each plant.

We recommend planting one seedling per 1801-cell or 4-inch container. Use well-drained soil and center the seedling in the container. Cell packs finish in 2-3 weeks.