Re-Potting A Leggy Tomato Plant

This tomato plant is a bit leggy, to say the least. So I'm re-potting it into a gallon (20cm deep) pot, burying the lower nodes (after removing leaves) beneath the compost upto the red line. This should keep the plant more stable and allow some adventitious roots to grow from the stem, allowing greater access to food and water (see 'How Adventitious Roots Can Supercharge Growth').

After removing the lower leaves, I set the plant in the bottom of the pot and added medium-wet (see 'Wetness Of Compost') multi-purpose compost*.

Although not a good idea, I'm going to put the plants outside. The weather is cold and windy and the stems are moving around but, provided they don't break, this should strengthen them. With the plants hardly hardened off (they should be gradually acclimatised), all we need now is some frost.

* Because the whole plant is sitting nearly on the bottom of the pot with a relatively tiny root system, it is important not to drown the plant by adding too much water too soon. Remember that any water added will percolate down to the base of the pot. This is not normally a problem when the plant is at the top of the pot.

Make sure there are unrestricted drainage holes (these will also facilitate air entry, helping the roots take up water and nutrients) in the base of the pot; and delay further watering as long as possible, so the roots will go out all over the compost** seeking water.

** See also 'Potato Feeder Roots Fan Out In All Directions' to see how roots spread out through soil or compost.