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Sudden tomato seedling death

Ben CBen C Posts: 19
in Problem solving
Both of these tomato seedlings were strong and healthy looking 24 hours ago. What suddenly killed the one on the right? any ideas?

The greenhouse has a paraffin heater burning so I don't think it was too cold. Also i don't think it was heat because all the other delicate seedlings didn't wilt. Can over watering kill like this? Any ideas?

Posts

  • celcius_kkwcelcius_kkw Posts: 753
    Do you have a thermometer in your greenhouse to monitor the minimum temp? I have an unheated polytunnel and the amount of frost protection these structures provide is minimal.. for something extra frost sensitive like tomatoes I wouldn’t dare keeping them anywhere but my windowsill at home where i can be certain is always frost free..
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Baby tomatoes really prefer night time temperature to be 10° min. I don't think a paraffin heater would manage it. When I had paraffin heaters they just kept it frost proof or 2 - 3° about the outside temperature.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • Ben CBen C Posts: 19
    Thanks both. I think you're probably right - cold temperature. But it's strange, the night it happened wasn't a particularly cold one and none of the other tender seedlings were affected. It had also been through much colder nights (with the greenhouse heater running) unscathed prior to that. Bizarre.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I have never used paraffin
    heaters in a greenhouse so have no idea if this could be relevant or not but thought I’d mention it
    https://www.growingproduce.com/vegetables/is-your-heater-hurting-your-plants/ 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Ben CBen C Posts: 19
    Oh that's super interesting! Thank you
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    When I were a lad my parents used a paraffin heater in the greenhouse.
    I remember opening the door in the mornings  - heavy condensation and smuts on the glass and a real stink of paraffin.
    It's hard to imagine anything growing in such conditions and the heat output was pathetic

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Is the one that died the same variety than the one that didn't, or different? If different there could be a tiny difference in hardiness that was just enough to tip it over the edge. Or maybe its compost was wetter (or drier) than the other one. Another possibility - could the stem of that one have been damaged in any way?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Ben CBen C Posts: 19
    @JennyJ yes they were the same variety (Buffalo Sun) and had same compost and had been watered roughly the same. 

    The greenhouse ventilation isn't great so I'm wondering if it was pollution from the heater as suggested
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