I think your tomato selection is OK. What I'm concerned about is the ceramic pot in the picture. My guess is there are no drainage holes in the bottom. If this is the case, you may be over watering. Herbs and flowers should do well on your balcony. Green beans can also be grown in pots. I would skip the cucumber though.

Is the Roma drooping in the afternoon? Your pot is pretty, but very dark and will heat up quickly in direct sunlight, and may "bake" the plant. You might want to consider wrapping the pot in a light material or somehow blocking the light from hitting the pot.

My concern with the plant in the photo (which one is it) in addition to the things already mentioned by others is that I don't see any growing tip - just leaf branches. That Y at the top splits into 2 leaf branches. But maybe I'm just not seeing it in the photos.

If it is the Roma and if I'm wrong about the growing tip missing then it is going to get quite large - 6' normally - so in that container watering is going to be demanding down the line. I hope it does have drain holes in it. If not it needs to come out of that container into one that does.

As to overwatering - that is a common problem for those new to growing tomatoes so use your finger and stick it deep into the soil before watering. Don't go by the surface appearance.

Good luck with your plants. ;)

Dave

The others have covered most of the possible issues I was thinking of with the plant. Poor soil drainage would be the first thing i'd mention (because of the potting soil & gardening soil you used). IMO, I never buy the mixes that say "soil," always buy the potting mix (vs. potting soil), etc. for tomato plants. I'd transplant your plant to a Potting Mix of your choice. It is too dark also. That's not a bad thing, somewhat. I'd move the plant to a side of your porch where it is about halfway shaded in the afternoon when the sun comes over the top of the building and appears. Maybe put a flat cardboard box between it & the rail. Like Dave mentions, when watering, check the soil first to make sure it's completely dry. In my zone (middle TN), with that plant, i'd probably water it once early in the morning (just enough to soak down to the roots) & only if it's going to be a hot sunny day (i.e. no rain/storms). I also suspect a mineral defficiency of some sorts with the plant. I think if you move it to a Potting Mix, that will eventually even itself back out though, hopefully. I don't use many additives in my mix, so you may want to wait for someone else's opinion regarding possible things to balance out your minerals. Hope this helps.

- Steve

Hi Jezzy,

Welcome to the GW mater madness! We like newbies, yes we do. And we really like the newbies that look for answers before asking questions.

Very nice pictures. I see in the one that has A week later: above it that there is what looks to me like a new branch starting. I agree with Dave that we canÂt see a growth tip. I wonder if it was accidentally broken off and that is why the plant is slow to take off as it has had to make a new one.

If you are really concerned about watering, you can pick up a fairly inexpensive moisture meter (probably at the same place you got your plants) and get a good reading on the soil moisture fairly deep in the pot.

If the pot does not have drainage, then as the others suggest, you may want to move it into another pot and consider one that is at least 5 gallons in size (and a lighter color). More room for roots, more potting mix, less likely to dry out as much in the heat later on. If you do need to move it, you could use straight potting mix to decrease the ratio of garden soil.

Adding the perlite was a good thing.

Bets

There are other possible causes folks already mentioned - like the dark container, container size [s/b at least 5 gal, with drainage hole(s)], etc etc. I also think it's likely you are overwatering as others said. Use finger as gauge. Getting some mulch down in a neutral (not dark or dyed) color would be a good idea too. Some shade during the hottest parts of the day would be helpful for your stressed plants, just try to make sure they get at least 5 hours of sun. Ideally, that would be morning or early afternoon sun, but I understand you're limited on that balcony, so do what you can. Maybe some shade cloth to cut down on the intensity a bit if your only choices are afternoon sun or nothing.

However, I think the primary problem was likely your planting time. Where are you in Texas and when did you plant? It sounds like you just planted a week ago, if so, that's way too late.

The quick onset of heat and sun can be a real problem here for late plantings. What frequently happens is that the foliage transpires at a faster rate than the (small) root structure is equipped to deal with, so you get wilting. More water doesn't help because it serves to keep the root structure shallow. If overwatering is extreme, the roots get smothered or rot, which can be a direct cause of wilting. Another problem with late plantings in Texas is that high temps severely inhibit fruit set, because the pollen gets denatured.

Thanks so much for all of the valuable feedback. It's much appreciated :)

The pots that I'm using actually do have drainage holes in them, and when I water my plants I tend to water them until it runs out the bottom of the pot. I hadn't even considered the darkness of the pot. I suppose it should have been obvious to me seeing as I used to drive a black car and I understand just how "bakey" that can feel. >_Also, it is indeed the roma tomato shown in all of the photos above.

It's disappointing to hear that I've planted way too late (I purchased the plant about a week and a half ago). The garden centers shouldn't keep selling tomatoes to noobs like me if it's too late to plant them! Hahaha. Live and learn. I'll probably keep growing this particular plant just to see how it pans out. Even if it gets no fruit I imagine I can learn something from it.

This weekend I'm going to see if I can either get a lighter pot or do something to shield the current one a bit. I have several shorter plants that I might be able to arrange around it to provide some shade to the lower half while giving the the leaves plenty of room to sing in the sunshine.

When looking at the "Y" section of the plant I can definitely see that a branch was broken/snipped off at some point. Would there be any benefit to doing something like this? It was this way when I bought it.

The other plants on my balcony seem to be doing quite well. My cherry tomato looks significantly happier than the roma. The herbs are looking good. Cucumber is growing faster and larger than I expected, so I think the pot it's in is going to be way too small.

To see if overwatering was an issue I skipped on watering the roma yesterday to see what kind of difference it made. By the end of the day it looked worse than ever - yikes! So maybe I'm underwatering after all? Or as suze9 suggested I just planted way too late. Boohoo. :I took a lot more photos both yesterday and this morning.

Here is a close-up of the "Y" tip of the plant, where you can see something was removed or broken off at some point:

I snapped this one late in the afternoon yesterday so you could see the sort of light it's getting and get a better look at the droopy branches.

Another shot from the afternoon of a droopy branch:

I took this one this morning. This leaf is on one of the lowest branches (the lower branches look worse).

From the lowest branch on the plant the edges of the leaves on the end looked a bit sad. The only two leaves that look this way are on the bottom branch.

Where the lowest branch connect to the main stem. I was unsure whether or not this branch should be removed, or even whether this little sucker showing up in the joint should be removed. I've heard mixed things about how it should be done. For now I left it.

Now this shot is of the cherry tomato plant, which I think looks a good bit happier. It has gotten the same treatment as the other plant and is in a similar pot. I suppose the only difference is that the roma has some parsley planted in with it.

These other shots aren't tomato-related but I figured I would post them anyway!

Basil:

Cucumber when planted about a week and a half ago:

Cucumber this morning:

One of the hibiscus buds opening up:

The parsley that is planted in with the roma tomato:

Another unrelated set of images, but I just went outside and saw that the hibiscus has fully bloomed. :D

Two others bloomed as well.

Fuzzy!

jezebel, good luck with your plants. While you may not have a green thumb you sure do take very nice pictures.

Why thank you. :)

The "Y" looks like it may have been an early bud that fell off or was picked off. The first "Y" split in a young adult plant is a common place for that.

Well, I can see that you're having lots of fun. Great!

But a few tempering notes. (sigh)

The tomatoes are in smallish pots for the size they'll become. Mentioned was a minimum 5-gallon size.

Move the parsley to it's own pot, at least 12-inch diameter at the top.

The cukes are WAY too many in the VERY small pot. I'd keep two, but put them in a 5-gallon minimum. Cut off the weakest ones after a week or so in their new home.

Understand that gardening is a trial-and-error thing, also a live-and-learn thing. It's great fun, especially when the harvest begins!

And don't prune the indeterminate. It is not good for them.

Bets

Well, I heeded some of the advice provided. I bought a bigger (and lighter colored) pot for the tomato. When I pulled it out I was pleased to see that the roots didn't look rotten or mushy - so I didn't drown it, haha. The parsley got the old tomato pot all to itself. I also tried to divide up the cucumbers but one "bundle" of stems seemed very connected. I didn't want to pull on it and damage it so I just left it as it was and moved it to a larger pot. The one that was left on its own also got a new home in a larger pot. we'll see how they do :)

One thing that I'm curious about regarding my tomato plants. Since I've heard that the plants wont fruit at 90-95 degrees, is there anything I can do to help with that? Keeping the plant in a shadier location? Bringing it inside for part of the day? Or are there no options?

Thanks :D

Water with ice at Noon.

jezebel

If you can move your containers, see if you can find a spot for the tomatoes outside that's shaded from early- or mid-afternoon on. No need to try to haul huge plants inside. Shade for part of the day may improve your blossom set for a while, and the plants will be cooler in the hottest part of the day after having 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Less water required, though still plenty will be needed.

In summer's dead heat, tomato plants usually suffer and stop producing. I think all you can do is delay it by giving them every chance to stay cool longer, but sooner or later, the heat will probably get to yours, too. Not your fault -- it happens to nearly everyone in the South.

I'm sometimes able to keep the plants alive, if scraggly-looking, through the heat by keeping them watered and guarding against funguses (not always possible to beat them). But if they do stay relatively healthy, they start producing again when the weather begins to cool as summer winds down. Some people far South plant a spring and fall crop of tomatoes to guarantee they'll have an adequate supply.

Hi Jezzy,

I had not been back to this thread in a few days and you can imagine my suprise to see that I had typed And don't prune the indeterminate. It is not good for them. What I meant to say was And don't prune the determinate. It is not good for them.

Bets

Bets

I often make the same mistake, and it puzzles me why after all these years of clearly knowing the difference. (I hate when that happens.)

Thanks for the help (again) everyone. :D

Anney - Unfortunately I am in an apartment. My balcony faces west and the only sun that hits that area is in the afternoon. I'm afraid there isn't much I can do about moving the plants :(

Bets - Well, I'm a noob and I don't know the difference really anyway ;D

I think I might try watering with cold water as the veggie gardener suggested.

Of course I have another problem as well now! Ever so often I notice these tiny black ants scurrying up the stalks of my plants. I will try to get a picture of them but they are fairly small and they move rather fast - I'm not sure if I can get a shot before they zoom out of view.

Does anyone know if these are harmful to the plants? Are they a sign of something bad going on? Do I need to worry about them getting into my apartment and raiding the kitchen?

The ants are quite liable to harm the plants. I don't know what the name of those ones you describe are, but they loooooove fruit, veggies, etc.. I'd figure out some way to get rid of them safely w/o hurting the plants. I know things like Cayenne powder do not work on ants, so i'm not sure what to use. Maube spray the lining of the pot with something strong (make sure it doesn't touch potting mix though) and then squish the ones that are still inside the area you sprayed (in pot).

Well I found out that the ants are attracted to my hibiscus (I checked for aphids and see none). After trying several methods to get rid of them I decided that I'm just going to give the hibiscus away to a friend of mine that is dying to have it.

I have an update on my mator plants too! Both "good" and "bad" news I think.

The roma tomato is basically unchanging at this point. I've been trying to baby it to see if I can do anything to make it better, but it's just a sad, sad little plant.

My cherry tomato is quite huge and I noticed today it has flowers on it! From what I understand they are very unlikely to produce fruit because of the heat, but I'm still happy to see the little guys :)

Now my newest problem is some stem damage on the plant. It looks to be in great shape otherwise and is growing taller by the day. I noticed however that a couple of areas on the stems look like they've been scraped away at. I see two spots like this, and both are right above a joint.

Any idea what may have caused (or is causing) this? Is it something I can control or is it something I can ignore?

Thanks!

I decided to circle the plant around and get a better shot of it in the sun, so you can make out more details:

that looks like an old injury to me, I wouldn't worry too much about it. And don't give up on the cherry tomatoes yet! the watering with ice idea is an interesting one.

Not an expert, but, I don't think that's anything to worry about. If you search for split stem in the tomato section, you'll find it really isn't that uncommon. It looks to have healed itself just fine.

BTW, nice pics!

Yea...I wouldn't worry about the stem damage. One of my Cherry tomato plants has been through he** this year (two times bent over & more) and has all kinds of scars like this. It's probably my current best producing plant too.

Thanks, all. :)

Now I have a new problem on my hands - or leaves I suppose I should say. Is this a bacterial speck issue? I've tried looking up what kind of problem this could be and nothing looks quite like the leaves on my plant.

My healthy cherry tomato that has been looking great and growing beautifully suddenly started yellowing and developing tiny black spots. Not all of the branches look this way - some are still a deep, dark green.

Photo (excuse the large size but I wanted to make sure the details were visible):

One more thing - is there a way to treat this problem? Will it affect the growth of my tomatoes (assuming I even get any, hahaha)? Thanks!

Has my thread gotten too long? Hahah. Maybe I should start a new thread for this problem. :o

I'm interested to know what the problem is myself...seems some of my tomato plants have the same thing.

Anyone out there with some help?

I love your pictures by the way, you have a knack for taking them.

nyteeyes - yeah, i hope to hear from someone soon as well. my plants look even worse today! and thank you regarding the photos. :)

speaking of photos... i took a lot more today.

closeup of the leaves, which look far worse now:

{{gwi:1340764}}

a shot of the overall plant, which i thought might help show where the damage is taking place in relation to the whole. i know this plant is still in a dark pot - it had been doing so well up until now that i didn't think i needed to change anything.

new growth is green and fresh looking:

this next shot is from the roma tomato plant i was posting about originally. it shows the way the leaves twist and curl up like little pigtails:

in non-tomato news i noticed what seems to be my first female cucumber flowers. am i correct in this assessment? of course i also noticed what seemed to be whiteflies on the leaves, so i sprayed with a little soap and water (over and under the leaves).

So I decided to cut off the branch that looked the worst. Hopefully that was an ok thing to do, haha.

Bumping this thread to see if anyone has any input yet :)

I would post in a new thread next time, you might get a quicker answer. Many people might pass by the old thread like I did assuming they had already read it and it was just more people throwing their opinion in or chatting about the first question(s) you asked.

Sue

Thanks, Sue - I haven't felt like the plant has gotten any worse, so I'm not sure it's as big of a deal as I originally thought.

The cherry tomato plant has tons of flowers on it, but no fruit. I don't expect there to be any (which is totally unfair because my mom has tomatoes on hers, haha) since it has been so hot here. The flowers just wither up and go away. A little nub is left behind but I'm not convinced it's a growing a tomato. This is my first time growing though so I have no clue how to tell.

My tiny cucumber has gotten bigger though :)