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| I started two plants from seeds indoors on windowsill and transplanted them in the balcony where they get bright light and south/west sun. Temperature ranges from 102F to 109F. Humidity is at 50-55%. Watered daily morning till it runs out from the bottom holes. The lower leaves are pointing upwards although the top new leaves are okay. What could be wrong? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| They look to me like they're stretching for light |
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- Posted by harooniqbal 10 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 11:07
| Thanks. I cannot move them much as there is limited space on balcony. Top new leaves are doing ok. Should I just wait till they grow taller and sunlight reaches on top leaves as last year cherry tomatoes grew in the same spot. No noticeable pests though. |
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| In addition to the insufficient sun exposure they are getting, they are over-watered. That shows in the anemic color of the lower leaves. It will be difficult to maintain the proper soil moisture levels in such a small container. Dave |
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- Posted by harooniqbal 10 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 11:42
| The container seems small in picture but it is 15 Gallon. I suspect over watering as I water them daily lightly to avoid drying out. Temp ranges up to 109 during the day. The actual drying of the soil takes nearly 4 days. Should I stop daily watering and stick to only when soil is dry on top or an inch to touch. |
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| Yes stop the daily watering, and use a wooden kabob skewer or a wooden dowel or something to test the dryness of the container. Wait at least 3 days and test the soil. Insert the dowel and wait a few minutes and remove it. If the dowel is moist to the touch 6" down, then there is no need to water.The top being dry won't hurt the plant at all. .....also a bit of food might be in order. The upper leaves look light green and could be a bit darker IMO. |
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- Posted by harooniqbal (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 12:40
| Thanks all for the advice. Will post an update once they bounce back. When I transplanted them to these pots I added a tablespoon to soil mix of Sustane 4.6.4 suggested by local garden center. They are small organic granules. I would like to know how often should I fertilize these plants or they will work all season. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Sustane Fertilizer
This post was edited by harooniqbal on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 12:46
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| As a general guideline, container plants require regular feedings as nutrients leach out of the soil every time you water. So while you definitely need to stop the daily watering as Ed said above, you also need to regularly replace the nutrients. Many, myself included, find that liquid supplements that can be mixed in with your water work better than any dry/granular supplement. A common recommendation on the Container Gardening forum is to use a full-spectrum, liquid fertilizer, diluted to 1/2 strength weekly. All fertilizers are not the same. Sustane is an organic compost-based supplement intended for use in in-ground beds and on lawns where there is an active soil micro herd in the soil to convert it to usable nutrients. It is not intended for container use as there is no soil bacteria/soil food web to convert it into plant-usable nutrients. If you only want to use organics then there are literally 100's of organic liquid supplements available that will work far better for your plants - fish and/or kelp mixtures, compost teas, worm castings and teas, (see link below for just a few examples). Otherwise use one of the many synthetics available that are intended to be dissolved in water. Dave |
Here is a link that might be useful: examples of liquid organic supplements
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- Posted by harooniqbal 10 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 14:53
| Thanks Dave |
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