16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Seysonn - thank you. I will pay attention to the soil also. What nutrients are most important for tomatoes?

When daytime temps approach the mid-90s, fruit won't set.

If you pull the pot off of the ground the plant will survive as well. I pull the tangled parts of the roots off of root bound plants when I plant them, as well as roughing up the side roots as well. I tried the being gentle with the same variety one year. While the ones I was gentle with looked better for the first week. The others passed it up in growth in the next few weeks. Just cut a couple of inches of lower branches. Then plant it a little deeper.

Then keep it watered properly. It will be fine.

Depending on when you planted out, probably your plants roots are still bound in the container. I would get a spade/shovel and take it out. Then cut the plastic pot onto piece, remove the plant and replant with least disturbance as possible. before replanting, prepare the hole, mix in potting soil, compost, fertilizer. Water it real good after planting to the point of flooding, to get the air pockets out.

This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, Jun 27, 14 at 0:28

AGG is late but very delicious !

Yep! AGG is on my "must plant" list every year, but since mine didn't take off I was thinking/wondering if it was a good time to try a different type.

If it was indeed caused by stink bugs, you should've seen a herd of them all over.

This post was edited by seysonn on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 15:17

DING DING DING!! The winners are stink bugs! found about 3 on a few of the tomato's yesterday!! I was like "there you stinkers are!" lol Thanks everyone for the help I will keep and eye out daily for them now and keep them picked off.

Agree with both the above. I use it because my soil consistently tests as Mg deficient because of its high pH but when it isn't needed, it isn't needed.

Some will claim it has other benefits but none of them has been research-documented. But yes, if you choose to use it then it needs to be used with some care. Not truly a "salt" but it can have similar effects when used in excess. The commonly seen recommendation for it is 1 T per gallon used as a root drench.

Dave

Hey Ryan - Do note that Epsom Salt also contains Sulfur. According to a research at University Of Florida, adding Sulfur to soil yield more tomatoes.

Plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and roses need high levels of magnesium for optimal growth. However, plants may not show the effects of magnesium deficiency until it's severe. Magnesium tends to be lacking in old, weathered soils with low pH, notably in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest.

Sulfur, a key element in plant growth, is critical to production of vitamins, amino acids (therefore protein), and enzymes.

Its proven that plants can absorb salts via foliar application (leaves/stems) which is why Weed Killers like Roundup work. My opinion is that Epsom salts when used as a foliar spray make these elements readily available to the plants.

I find adding Epsom Salts at least twice a season to boost yields. I use 2 tbsp per 2 gallon of water in a watering can and drench the leaves, stems and roots. Whether to believe it or not and use it is up to you. This is what makes gardening fun is that you should do what works for you and it doesn't hurt to try! Good luck!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sulfur boosts tomato yields

This post was edited by djkj on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 17:02

Where Does The Water GO ?

Let us take a 5 gal bucket as an easy example.
You full watered it, meaning a 100% saturation.

Lets say that 5 gal. dry potting soil (zero moisture) needs ONE gallon of water to become fully saturated. How about 1/2 gallon?

Now, what happens to that amount of water ? Being a plastic, very little or nothing can be lost due to evaporation. Then any loss must be due to the plant's taking it up and evaporating.

I DON'T THING PLANT CAN EVAPORATE that much water in one or 2 days. Your Mileage May Vary.

So in reality (IMO) when you think you are watering your plant, you are actually giving it a bath, a cold shower to cool it down a bit.

Another point, you need to continue to fertilize frequently as well, a diluted solution every couple of days. Dave and Ohiofem can verify that. I don't have a drip irrigation system either and I can't attest to it, but I think you can fertigate at the same time? I use 15&20 gallon grow bags and when it's really hot I water once a day at the very least if not twice a day.
Sharon

"Are you growing in a greenhouse or using hydroponics?"

Wasn't initially planning on it, but I have a greenhouse for winter crops (gets too cold here to just put them outside) with only about half the space filled up, so thanks for the warning! Hadn't seen that part of the label :)

Thank you for all your input. I grow non-GMO & organic so I will try to see if I can find Sun Gold. I'll look at others besides Bing.

Have a charmed day! - MD

Hi just thought I'd add my two cents. I'm growing Sun Sugar which I prefer over Sun Gold but they are similar, sun sugar is a hybrid. I grew Gold Nugget last year and did not care for it, but again, it's a personal choice. I found the fruit split a great deal. Taste was so so for me. I do like Black Cherry and I'm growing Amys Apricot and Jaune Flamme this year for the first time so time will tell!

Interesting. Yes I completely agree that the white stuff looks like the colony mass for Flatid Planthoppers, but I've never seen anything like the pictures of the adult insects or the spikier instars on my own plants, but the insects in rbeedi's second photo surely do look like the adult planthoppers.

After doing some research online, the flatid planthopper looks like a very possible suspect. I have submitted some information and pictures to the local extension service as well to see what they say. They dont seem to be doing any damage to the plants. I sprayed some water on them last night and all the white stuff came off and white bugs went hopping in all directions.

I have tried different methods of rooting suckers and I prefer using a clear or semi-transparent cup filled with only perlite. I put a couple of tiny holes about half an inch up from the bottom and water it daily until the roots start showing. It usually takes about 10 days for a good root system to form.

Contrary to what most people have already posted, leaf branches will also root and put out their own growing tips, but it will just take longer than using a sucker.

I just stick the sucker in the ground, water well, 9 out 10 times, new tomato plant

The fact that you show a plant with no strong central leader stem is not related to the leaf edma, as far as I know.

Sometimes one just gets those two side branches with no leader stem.

Most of the time I can spot them shortly after germination, when you just see a green knob in the center, sometimes called a blind plant,and most times nothing happens at all, and sometimes there will be lateral branches that come out one either side of that green knob, and sometimes only one lateral branch.

Perhaps you didn't see that with the young seedling, but it does explain what you are seeing now.

Carolyn

What I thought I was seeing in this picture was a plant with a single main stem, the tip of which being so sick that the plant holds no chance of further developing into adulthood...?

Ilan.

my today pics

it is disturbing to hear that no research is known on benefits using toothbrush and how much it helps or does not help pollination.

&&&&&

I'm not disturbed and IMO you shouldn't be either.Who would furnish grant money to do such research, same for a home grower as to cost and space needed/.

How many different toothbrushes would they have to test, not all are the same, as in how my rpm's/whatever.

How many varieties would they have to test with just one kind of toothbrush, and is doing it in one geographic location enough?Nope. And in one season to cut down on the variables? No way.

I could go on and on here and set up an experimental protocol, but won't, b'c it just isn't going to happen,( smile)

Carolyn

thanks for the input

I have 3 black krim tomato plants growing right now that are about 5ft tall on a 7ft trellis. I started removing the suckers at first but then let each plant grow 2 main stems.

I then started trimming the bottom branches so that there's about a 1ft of space underneath the plants. I then noticed the plants started putting out new suckers from the leaf branches, and even from the flowering branches! Most of the flower branches are just a cluster of flowers with no leaves or anything further growing from them, but I have a couple flower branches where the ends grew into branches that are now a couple feet long with growing tips and more flowers.

I've started pruning my plants more for air flow, but I think I might just try some heavy pruning on one plant to see how it compares to the others at the end of the season. This guy here claims you still get good production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHhk7u7Xrnw

Thanks for the encouragement, jtmacc99! We've bought the CRW mesh and are looking forward to making our cages. How much size difference do you have between your cages? And how easy/hard is it to get them nested for storage?

Fortunately, we thought to count the squares before we started cutting -- a 50' roll has 100 6" squares, right? Wrong! Our roll has only 97 squares, so now I need to recalculate how many cages of which size to make (but at least I'm not stuck with a too-small cage).

To anyone still checking in on this thread .. I initially was gonna go with the crw but wasn't to keen on being covered with rust every time I worked with the tomatoes (daily tinkering) .. My solution was livestock paneling - about 12.50 a cage but they're NO joke .. Tractor supply carries the panels, as well as agricultural type stores, agway etc..

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY tomato cages

But -- isn't there a suggestion to use enough nitrogen fertilizer with that potting mix that is 70% pine bark fines, to offset any nitrogen binding?

Exactly. Most any wood chips will. Straw, hay, grass clippings, leaf mold, etc. do not. Although grass clippings if not dried first can burn stems.

Apologies to the OP for this thread going so far off topic.

Dave

Pine barks should not be mistaken with "Wood Chips"..
.........
On the removal of lower branches, I am for it for more than one reason:

== To provide air flow. Soil born fungi cannot thrive where is good air movement. The ones that are touching the ground are invitation for diseases (at stagnant state)

=== The lower leaves are often shaded heavily and do not make much contribution. That is why most of them aborted by the plant. So until then they are just burden. (IMO)