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| https://picasaweb.google.com/101919728428437233122/SomethingWrongWithOurTomatoes?authuser=0&feat=directlink We're growing tomatoes for a first time in two Earth Box http://earthbox.com/index.php/ and one Grow Box http://www.agardenpatch.com/ containers. We bought some regular hybrid tomato plants at local Home Depot. And while we got tomatoes, we also got problems - on some plants leaves and branches become dry but green on some plants, on other plants they become yellow first and then dry. You can see it on these pictures. My wife thought there might be some fungal infection so I tried to apply Safer Brand Garden Fungicide http://goo.gl/95mA0e and Garden Safe 24-Ounce Fungicide3 Insecticide/Fungicide/Miticide http://goo.gl/ylfm9z (as well as Safer Brand Tomato and Vegetable Insect Killer http://goo.gl/Gz46yv) for several times. Could it really cause problems instead of solving them? I don't think so, I think they started to become dry before I did anything. I also thought maybe tomato plants suck all the nutrients out of boxes. Earth Box comes with its own organic soil mix, dolomite, and fertilizers; Grow Box comes with dolomite and fertilizers, we bough Garden Soil for it at the local Home Depot. So, I searched on Amazon and bought some Maxicrop Liquid Seaweed (Kelp Extract) http://goo.gl/Gy8vBI and Azomite - Organic Trace Mineral Soil Additive Fertilizer http://goo.gl/ov9cL2. Earth Box and Garden Patch containers are not designed to easy apply additional fertilizers, I tried to put them into a water which goes to the bottom of boxes and put some Azomite on the top. Could it hurt? I don't know, but it didn't help. Out plants probably aren't getting enough sun (we're too close to the forest which brings shadows) but I don't think it's what causing this. I never forgot to add water, as you know it goes to the bottom of those containers first. When I opened top cover of boxes I noticed that there are a lot of roots on the surface of the ground. So, maybe there is just not enough soil in those boxes to feed two (undetermined) plants in each? Again, tomatoes are still growing and become ripe, but more and more leaves and branches are getting dry. It's just beginning of the August, I was expecting normal life cycle of our tomatoes until at least October... #fertilizer #earthbox #growbox #gardenpatch #homegardening #tomatoes |
Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of our troubled tomato plants
This post was edited by vkelman on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 21:51
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I now think I might be over watering. I was reading some interesting resource at http://www.tomatogrowing.co.uk/ A good link - classification of tomato leaves disorders. Still not sure I can match... it's like people given descriptions of human diseases and finding everything on themselves ;) |
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| Sorry I can't see your photo. That URL only gives a Page Not Found error message. Dave |
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| I saw your post on another forum also, and the same red flag of 'garden soil' raised for me. Did you actually use garden soil (bad) or some kind of potting soil/mix (good)in the growbox? Are the earthbox plants in better shape? More sun always helps. It has been a wet year with lots of fungal problems. Although I like to keep spraying to a minimum, I don't think anything you sprayed caused any problems as long as you followed instructions. I wasn't too happy that some on the other forum quickly recommended a particular fertilizer, as that doesn't look like that's your problem, although it is a good fertilizer....maybe next year. I'm not familiar with growboxes, but 2 indeterminants per box might be pushing it. I'd suggest removing all the bad foilage, and keep up the fungicide spraying. You migh also try Daconil. |
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| You really can't over water a self watering container. They're designed to always have water in the reservoir, and you can't over fill them because any excess water drains out the overflow hole. Now, if you used the wrong thing to fill the container, then all bets are off. Garden soil is definitely the wrong thing and would stay too wet and compact too much. They're supposed to be filled with soiless potting mix. |
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| "Sorry I can't see your photo. That URL only gives a Page Not Found error message." Dave, it's strange. This album is supposed to be public. Here's another link and I attached one photo here. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Another link to all photos.
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| The previous photo showed a plant with leaves becoming dry but green. Here's photo of another plant in another box, where leaves become yellow first, than dry. In Earth Box container I used a mix which came with it. On Grow Box I actually used Garden Soil... and yes, it's bad and very dense. It was a mistake. BTW, is it OK to use Garden Soil when raising tomatoes in open ground (raised bad) rather than in containers? A plant with leaves which become dry while still green is sitting in a good container mix which came with Earth Box. After this initial post I found a superb link http://therustedgarden.blogspot.com/, and there is corresponding YouTube and Google+ Community. From reading this I already understood I failed to do proper pruning / removing "suckers". |
Here is a link that might be useful: Great YouTube resource
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| vkelman, I can't offer advice, however, my plants are having the same problems. Some are in containers (not earthbox) with good potting mix. Others are in raised beds. I have the bright yellow leaves phenomenon, and also the tips wilted, then dried up...the same symptoms you have. I have pulled most of my plants this year because of this deterioration which essentially killed them, although one had new growth at the base so I cut the dead part and am letting that grow. I am stumped. Did I overfertilize, underfertilize, water too little, too hot for the plant, roots too shallow for some reason?? I don't know, but just letting you know someone else has a very similar issue. :( |
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| I got an interesting idea from a parallel thread on tomato ville "Ken4230: Build some sides (plywood, plastic or doubled cardboard) that will sit on the inside top of your containers and fill them with soil. That will give the roots a place to grow." I have a "gut feeling" that building up some sides on the top of my containers and adding a fresh mix (peat moss / moister control etc) it will benefit my tomato plants. I'm not sure I'll be able to use plastic covers of Earth Box container afterwards, but I can replace them with some mulch or other stuff. I made a list of our plants and looked at some description of those varieties. A plant which got dry but still green leaves (a picture above) is actually a Black Prince heirloom which is originally from Siberia and doesn't like hot weather. It might be one reason it got dry leaves. Here's a list of our plants: |
Here is a link that might be useful: List of our tomatoes 2013 with short comments
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