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| Hi all! New to the gardening world, and not doing so 'well' in it, so far. I have/had 3 tomato plants, so far, transplanted into pots as seedlings, and 1 of the 3 has dried up and died, with the other 2 on their way out. I posted about this in the pests and disease tomato section, but haven't gotten any responses yet. I'm starting to think i'm doing something wrong here. (I KNOW I am, but cannot figure out what it is!) I googled all types of tomato diseases and what looks most similar to what my poor plants may have is the tobacco mosaic virus. However, the brand that I purchased is supposedly resistent to this virus, which has me scratching my head. I am a total beginner here. Have no clue what I am doing, but trying to learn. I just am at the point now where I want to know what the plants have wrong with them so I can figure out how to fix the problem or put them to rest. I have pictures of the plant below in the link http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tompests/msg0623200813411.html?2 Any ideas or insight is greatly appreciated! So disappointed over all of this! Thank you! :) |
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| I would put them in a bigger container, At least a 5 gallon bucket, I'm not a big fan of container gardening especially for tomatoes, Tomatoes need to be planted deep,I plant mine about 6 inches deep with about a cup of water in the hole then water again in about 3 days, If the leaves are turning yellow then I would guess your burning them with to much nitrogen or a fungus, Try dusting with copper. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 21:38
| thank you so much for your insight! here is a picture to show you what is going on... |
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| What exactly is going on? That looks like a very healthy tomato plant to me! Linda |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 21:47
| Is it healthy? Why are the leaves so bubbly and curled at the edges? Whenever I see others tomato plants their leaves are smooth/flatter. I am so paranoid about this plant dying that I pruned the bottom limbs off today thinking that there is a fungus attacking it! Does anyone see anything unusual here? Is it just my inexperience? I think I am going to purchase 5 containers tomorrow and keep my fingers crossed. Also how often should they be getting water/fertilizer? I purchased these plants on a whim, and don't want them to die, if I can help it! Thanks for all your help! |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 21:48
| * 5 gallon |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 21:54
| Also, wanted to mention that they are dry to the touch. The leaves look very dry, but the soil is moist. I'm not sure what kind of problem is going on here?! Never thought that a tomato plant would cause me so much distress! |
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| Looks healthy to me too, Not all tomatoe plants look exactly alike due to all the different varieties, I always prune my bottom branches off so none touch the ground it helps prevent fungus, Watering depends on weather but I usually water every 3 to 4 days and give them miracle grow every 14 days. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Tue, Jun 3, 14 at 23:18
| Thank you, jimmy56 for your advice/input. I appreciate the input from everyone. I plan on upgrading my little tomato plants tomorrow to 5 gallon containers. Wishful thinking here! :) |
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| I wonder what happen to the other one, that died...what did you see... |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 0:36
| Well, the other plant looked similar to the one in the picture, a few days BEFORE it basically just dried up/wilted. It seemed to be overnight. We left the house for a day trip (it was really hot that day..high 80's) and when we came back I noticed the tomato plant looked all shriveled up! So I thought it was just a heat issue and I just watered it. Let it heal for the night and see how it looked the following day. I gave the plant a 1/2 day to 'perk up', which it did not. It basically just looked like a drier version of the picture above. The leaves were dry and curled. It looked 'crispy'. I really don't know how else to describe it, but whatever happened to it, I decided to just 'let it go'. So I removed the plant/soil/container just in case of contamination. I really don't know what is going on with my plants.. but I did see a little whitish gel-looking bug today (aphid?) so, maybe that has something to do with it. I don't know. But I will keep everyone posted about my findings. Thanks for any and all help! :) |
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- Posted by FrancoiseFromAix none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 8:27
| "Never thought that a tomato plant would cause me so much distress" Neither did I when I started. See that ? I cried ! |
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| Francoise, I am fairly experienced in growing from seed and I can tell you I easily will kill seedlings in those peat cups too. All I say, never use it. After that it gets better, promise LOL To OP- some plants have what they call rugose foliage and it seems what looks on your picture. Am not sure has anything to do with seedling that dried up and died. Would do nothing but wait and see. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 9:52
| Wow, that is a lot of peat planters! I'm sorry you are experiencing so much trouble, also! Wanted to share another close-up pic of the leaves. This might show the problem a little better... |
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| Those look like rugose leaves to me. They are puckered and usually dark green. They are often found in the dwarfs or a variety of Roma. Do you remember the name of the plant that you bought? Linda |
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| I agree plant looks good. The leaves are probably from a different type of tomato, but healthy still. |
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- Posted by sleevendog 5-6 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 16:10
| They look good. Don't fret just yet. Are they purchased seedlings? Those are always a bit thick and dense. So many varieties and different leaf patterns and thickness. The only way to get help about what happened to the others is to take pics... They need to be outside and watered well when transplanted to condense all the transplant air pockets in the soil. Give them a shady spot for a few days and introduce to sun gradually... |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Wed, Jun 4, 14 at 17:20
| Thanks all! The type is husky cherry red (bonnie) variety, and they have already been outside. I think this plant is considered a dwarf, now that you mention it. I have no idea about anything with tomato plants! Didn't realize that different plants can have variations in the leaves etc. Maybe this little guy will be ok, after all? The other tomato plant/seedling I have is a sungold. Also at the time of purchase I was unaware of the reality that these plants would need so much pruning and would grow as tall as they can. I was thinking about trying to give them a soil cleanse of sorts, like crushed up egg shells and coffee grinds. Do you think that could help? Thanks everyone for the input and advice! |
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- Posted by FrancoiseFromAix none (My Page) on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 8:19
| Just1tom, do you plan to plant them in a soil made of only a mix of crushed up egg shells and coffee grinds ? It seems to me that they won't find much to eat in that mix, because they won't be able to use that before it's composted. My idea is to put plants in compost with a lot of bacteria so that there's great competition between all sorts of bacteria and the bad ones won't find room to develop and attack the plants. And the plants will be pushed to develop a good defense system from the beginning. Well, those are my hopes. Don't know if it'll work. The seedlings that survived the lousy pots are doing great in compost so far. Perhaps you could add some food for them on top of the egg shells and coffee grinds. |
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| I don't know what you mean by a "soil cleanse". Just use potting mix (not soil, not moisture control). You can add a little used coffee grounds but it won't do much in pots (adds a little N), egg shells won't do anything except keep slugs away and unless they're well-rinsed they might attract raccoons, skunks, etc. Your plant looks like it could use a little N but other than that looks normal for that variety. Water when the mix is dry a couple of inches down, not when the surface is just dry. Add diluted (1/2 strength) liquid fertilizer when you do water, or scatter granular fertilizer on the surface (you can mix some in the potting mix when you go to bigger pot, if the mix doesn't already have starter ferts) and water in. Check out the Container Forum for more specifics. Husky Cherry will do great in 5 gal pot, Sungold will need pruning, that is better in the ground. |
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| I was thinking about trying to give them a soil cleanse of sorts, like crushed up egg shells and coffee grinds. Do you think that could help? No it would not help in any way so please forget it. Pun intended but it would be a bunch of garbage. :) It is possible to kill a plant by over-obsessing over it. I was unaware of the reality that these plants would need so much pruning and would grow as tall as they can. The Sungold, maybe, but only if you choose to do it. It is not required for any reason. The Husky Cherry Red is a dwarf and would not be pruned. Dave |
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- Posted by missingtheobvious Blue Ridge 7a (My Page) on Thu, Jun 5, 14 at 13:04
| HCR is a tree-type dwarf. Here, they grow to 3-4'. (I put two in 4 gallon pots on the tiny front porch and say they are masquerading as topiary evergreens.) They pretty much stand up by themselves -- but it's a good idea to add a narrow ring cage (the kind which are usually more suitable for peppers rather than tomatoes) to prevent the rare branch folding under the weight of the fruit. And if the plant outgrows the rings or you can't find narrow rings, add a couple of bamboos a foot or so taller than the cage (the 4' bamboos I keep on hand are usually tall enough) and tie the stem loosely to -- or between -- the bamboos. You shouldn't need to prune HCR except to remove yellowed or diseased leaves. (Mulch will help prevent disease organisms from splashing up from the soil if it's planted in the ground; mulch will also keep the soil or container mix from drying out quite so soon, so the moisture level will be more consistent, which makes for a happier plant.) Even healthy tomato leaves won't last forever, so you can expect to need to remove the lowest/oldest leaves from time to time as they yellow. For non-dwarf indeterminates like Sungold, topping the plant will reduce the number of tomatoes you get. So will removing the branches which grow in the angles between each compound leaf and the stem. Indeterminates grow in this pattern along a stem (whether it's the main stem or a side branch): 3 compound leaves, 1 flower cluster (and then repeated till frost). I'm not saying you have to keep every one of the side branches, but I am saying that if you keep the plant short and narrow, the time will come when it has nowhere else to grow new blossoms. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Fri, Jun 6, 14 at 20:34
| Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I was gone for a few days and came back to check on this post, what a surprise to see such wonderfully helpful replies! I appreciate all of this insight, immensely! First time gardener here, and learning something new every day. :) As far as the HCR, unfortunately, I already 'pruned' a bit from the bottom, unaware that I was not supposed to do so. Hoping it will recover, and I will not do it again. The SGC tomato plant has already grown so much in the last few days! I am amazed at what a difference a week has made. So, I suppose that the HCR will do well in a 5 gallon bucket, but, what about the SGC? I cannot plant inground where I live for several reasons (rental, soil is awful)...so what size bucket would be appropriate for the SGC? Should I get a trellis?bamboo? Going to take a trip to the depot this weekend and make a few purchases. Also, I have been using potting mix (organic miracle grow), and I did do the coffee grinds and eggshells, but since it won't serve any real purpose I won't use them again. Gardening is Fun! and challenging!...lol.. Was wondering if I should purchase any better container tomato plant variety? Early Girl?...Roma? Thanks everyone for all of your insight and feedback! My plants thank you too. :) Happy Gardening! |
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| Sungold is a huge plant, really huge. So the bigger the pot the better. I would recommend no less than 10 gallons and bigger would be easier to care for and provide more production. I have 1 growing in a 25 gallon barrel this year and it is already 3' wide and almost 5' tall. It will easily get to 7' based on past experience with it. As to varieties, there are literally 1000's but it will all depend on what is available to you locally to buy. With a big enough container you can grow any variety but if you want to stick with a 5 gallon bucket then look for a variety labeled "determinate" or "bush", or "for containers". If you have a good selection then there are much better varieties than Early Girl. But EG is much better than Roma. Dave |
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| Search for "Raybo container" - he uses 18 gal totes to make self-watering containers and does great. Sungold will need a trellis. Or you could give the plant to someone who has room to put it in the ground and buy a determinate cherry plant - Tumbling Tom, Tiny Tim, Red Robin. Can't vouch for taste of any of those though. Tatiana's database listed Cheeseman's as a determinate grape tomato, I grew some (from seed swap) last year but couldn't tell growth habit, the weather was awful (wet June) so everything was stunted. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 10:47
| Wow! Thanks for the additional info! Super helpful! I think I am going to do the best I can with these little plants and see how it goes from there. Definitely going to accommodate their growing patterns as much as possible. If I do end up purchasing ONE more plant, it will be a container determinate. Wish I knew this info...before purchasing tomato plants on a whim! LOL! Thanks again, and happy growing! :) |
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- Posted by missingtheobvious Blue Ridge 7a (My Page) on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 12:00
| Since the varieties you've already purchased are all among those being sold this year by Bonnie Plants (they supply tomato seedlings to many of the Big Box stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, and Walmart), you might want to look here to see the container varieties they're selling this year. Click on "Pots & Small Spaces" and "Determinates" for the smaller plants. http://bonnieplants.com/products/vegetables/tomato-varieties Bonnie sells many of their varieties only in certain regions, so you probably won't see most of these in your area. |
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- Posted by Just1tomatoplantplz none (My Page) on Sat, Jun 7, 14 at 12:54
| Thanks for the link! :) |
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