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| A couple days ago ALL of my tomato plants fell over. I've been watering them regularly. I've been watering them daily sometimes twice a day since we've been having a heat wave. They are very healthy and have lots of flowers. They are in containers of varying sizes if that matters. Some containers are huge, some large, some medium. Another small/medium size rectangular planter I planted Flat Leaf Parsley on one side and Basil on the other has 2 miracle cherry tomato plants growing right in the middle of it. Not sure where they came from, but I just left it to see what they were. They are tomato and are now 2 maybe 3 feet tall and covered in flowers. This doesn't seem like it's possible since it's such a small space for them to grow in, but they're thriving (so is the parsley and basil) so we'll see what happens with those. ;) Do you think it's the heat or their size that made them tip over? Some were half the size of others and yet they were all toppled over. I staked them all back up, but boy was that a bummer coming out and seeing that especially since I grew them from seed and have been watching them grow for sooo long. Any info would be great!
Thanks, Jada |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| You didn't have them staked or caged since planting them? If not then that is why they fell over. They need to be supported by a stake or cage. hey are in containers of varying sizes if that matters. Sure does matter. Container size is one of the most important factors. Especially since it sounds like you have them over-planted with other things. Please post some pictures of your plants and containers as there may be several different issues here. Dave |
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| Did you have windy weather? Mine blew over in a storm a few weeks ago. |
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| I guess it was a little windy. The containers didn't tip over...just the plants themselves. All in the same spot too about an inch or so above the soil. Dave, |
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| i will have to say that with the info provided it is not possible for me to even enter a WAG |
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| Another small/medium size rectangular planter I planted Flat Leaf Parsley on one side and Basil on the other has 2 miracle cherry tomato plants growing right in the middle of it. Sorry but that's an over-planted container. I knew the cherry tomato's would need to be staked at some point as they were just seedlings when I planted them so obviously I couldn't stake them then. Why couldn't you stake them then. Staking when planting is the normal procedure. The point is that any tomato plant that isn't staked or caged in some fashion is going to fall over wind or no wind. Just gravity. Dave |
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- Posted by sandy0225 z5 Indiana (northerntropics@sbcglobal.net) on Fri, Jul 20, 12 at 15:24
| It sounds like you are new at growing tomatoes. So I'll explain this in beginner terms. Tomatoes normally need some kind of support when you grow them. Some people put stakes next to the plants and tie the plants to the stakes, some people use wire tomato cages. Some people grow them next to a fence and tie them to the fence. Some of the containers you are using might be too small. Normally for a regular size (indeterminate) tomato plant a good size planting container is the size of a five gallon bucket. If you are on a budget, use a five gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. If you have access to any containers, you could still put them in bigger pots now and it will help them to produce more and grow better tomatoes. Since tomatoes have a flexible stem, falling over shouldn't normally damage your plants. So just stake them up and they'll be fine. |
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| The bigger the pot, the less often you have to water. But potting mix is expensive. My tomatoes that fell over are happily sprawling. I did get some sun burn on the bottom ones. Somehow even though I don't do everything the right way, I have tomatoes all over the counter in boxes. |
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