[mollymuggles]

i am going away for a week and worried about leaving my tom seedlings which are just coming up in the greenhouse and heated propergator ?

[Benandbill]

How about capillary Matting?  Is it watering you're worried about?

[Benandbill]

... on 2nd thoughts.... If they're still seedlings, my guess is they just need warmth still, so if it was me I'd just bring them indoors for a week and near a window where ther's light.  Mine seem to be doing alright that wat at the moment?

[DD.]

Whatever you do, don't leave them in the propagator for a week with the lid on.

Do you have anyone to give them some water? A week's a long time to fend for themselves.

[Jamie Butterworth]

If theres noone that can water them then id be tempted to add some water reataining gel to the compost, or just sow some more seeds now for when you get back?

[stompy]

When you say seedlings, how big are they?
Have they just come through or do they have their first true leaves?
If they have just come through i would give then a good watering and they may survive and if they don't you've only lost a couple of weeks.
If they have their first true leaves then i would pot them on and as Jamie said add some moisture retaining gel to the compost and again water well.

Do you not have anyone to water them for you, friend or neighbour you could drop them off with to look after them.
You never know after a week of plant sitting you may convert them to growing their own too.

[Kristen]

just sow some more seeds now for when you get back?

That would be my plan too - look after them however you best can, but sow some seed the night before you go away on a windowsill - they'll take a week to get their heads up and start looking for light.

[viettaclark]

If they're still tiny you could pot them up and put them in a "bain-marie" (waterbath - not too deep) somewhere inside that gets plenty of light but no direct sun or heat to dry up the water too quickly.
Should last a week....?
Worth trying?

[Benandbill]

viettaclark I like the sound of the waterbath, you could work out how much water to put in by the number of plants sitting in it and the amount of water and amount of times a day you feed them and just pour it all in so it soaks up and feeds them for a week?  Is that how it works?

[Kristen]

Sadly if they are stood in water for a week that may do them in too ... but a tank into which some capillary matting was dangled would do the trick.

[Benandbill]

Do you need to soak the whole mat or does the bit that's stikking out the tank naturally absorb the water?

[viettaclark]

Don't you need a developed root system that's at the bottom of the pot for matting?
I have done my own tomatoes in a waterbath for sowing, after germination, then after transplanting into 3" pots and I've had no probs. I've been topping up the water every 4 days or so but the compost is still damp. I only put in about 1cm (when the pots are IN the tray) so you could put in 2 which should do 7 days. I wouldn't advise any deeper. The water is sucked up by the compost (not the roots) by capillary action,  but the roots will grow long very quickly.
Mine haven't dampened off or anything, they're thriving.
However....this is not to say it will work for you........

[Kristen]

Do you need to soak the whole mat or does the bit that's stikking out the tank naturally absorb the water?

To get it "started" probably best to water the whole mat (might be ok to soak it first, but might then be hard to lay it out, the stuff is heavy with water when wet - as you might expect!)

Don't you need a developed root system that's at the bottom of the pot for matting?

Shouldn't do. The capillary matting is "hairy" so comes into contact with the soil in the pots through the drainage holes. I have used it successfully in the past, but at that time I had bought a horticultural trade product. Subsequent year with a cheaper retail product was less successful - but that mat was nothing like as thick, so I think I got what I paid for!