16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Looks like what is called "fused stems" in the pic. Usually from multiple seeds that are planted close together. The string in the pic really should be cut.

Whether you remove 1 or 2 of the stems by cutting above the fused point is up to you but as long as you can support the plant well as it grows I'd just leave it as is.

Dave

Thanks.

Otherwise either the flowers start to bloom and die/fall off, or die just as they are starting to bloom turning dry and brown,

That is called Blossom Drop and can happen with all tomato plants. It is primarily related to air temps and humidity but any problems with the growing conditions contributes to it and your plants has had plenty of problems. Plus it sounds as if you are still over-watering the plant. I linked the FAQ about it below.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: Blossom drop FAQ

since you have multiple trunks, i would cut a piece just below the soil level (maybe 1 inch) to try and get some roots, then chop the top and new growth off, leaving just a couple of leaves in the middle.
then, plant it deep. a few inches above where the soil level was before.
it will grow new roots in that section, just below soil level, and act as a new plant. (new roots = new plant)
i would keep it in the shade a t first, until it gets more leaves, then slowly acclimate it to full sun.

Below I've linked to Carol Deppe's excellent book , the link from the 2nd edition published in 2000, the first edition somewhat before that, I have both editions, and she was the first to raise the issue of some varieties being sold as F1's that were really OP.

So it was maybe 20 years ago with the first edition that she raised that issue. And also referrred to Alan Kapuler at the then Peace Seeds who had experienced some of the same.

But that was then,this is now. And the situation has changed IMO.

Dave referred to those who dehybridize F1's to stable OP's , or at least try to, and I know only one person who has a seed site who actually sells some of those OP versions, that she did herself, and yes, some from others. Without checking I'm pretty sure it's said they are OP's and from feedback I also know that not all are fully stable as sold as OP's.

Regulations in the seed industry have become more strict and I don't know of one major seed company that sells F1's as Op's. Yes, it used to happen, no doubt about it.

Reimer's Seeds was selling Big Zac F1 as an OP, that I remember very well.

I dehybridized Ramapo F1 when it was thought to be no longer available and distributed seeds for my OP version, as OP's.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Ramapo#tab=General_Info

It was pretty darn stable at the F3, and as this history above says, I sent F3 seeds to Ed Ryan and I did so b'c he was originally a Market Gardener in NJ and had grown the original F1. Actually I was sent seeds for the F1 from Rutgers to use as a comparison when making my selections. And Ed said he could find no difference at all between my Op version and the F1. Ramapo F1, now available again from Rutgers, has just two parents so was not that difficult to dehybridize.

Then there's Santa Sweets, the original grape tomato first offered by Andrew Chu in FL, his seeds from the Known-You seed company in Taiwan, and sold as an F1, which it really was.

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com:88/wiki/Santa_Sweets

But as you read the link above, you'll see the history of the OP version and it was Andrew himself who told me that 99% of saved seeds come true, as Tania has also noted, and so I spread that information around. Andrew told me that the offtype is round, not grape shaped, and has a BriX content ( soluble sugars) lower that the grape shape.

There are folks who are now at the F9 and it's been very stable.

All to say that I do not think that any reputable seed companies, I said reputable, arenow selling OP's instead of the original F1's. for a particular variety.

Carolyn, who notes that her attempts to dehybridize Big Boy F1 to try and get out the one parent, Teddy Jones, an heirloom variety from the midwest, didn't get very far very fast, despite the advice of Dr. Oved Shifriss, who bred Big Boy F1. ( smile)

Here is a link that might be useful: F1's as OP's

We've let the volunteers grow in the past but often ended up with more problems with blight. Not saying that was the whole problem but rotation may have also been our problem.

It is flea beetle damage - small black hopping beetles that make small holes in leaves in a "shotgun pattern". It is appearance damage only and poses no threat to the plants. Most of us just ignore it and them.

Dave

Thank you! I actually just noticed one on the leaf in the picture. Glad to know its nothing serious!

if someone who doesn't know the subtleties of tomato coloring, which I still struggle with sometimes, would consider these two "normal" or "odd" colored tomatoes.

Yes they would consider them "normal". CP is NOT "normal" to folks like that but both these are.

Dave

Yay! Thank you Dave and Carolyn!

I have shaddy garden that only gets 4-5 hours of sunshine, I would like to know which would do better, I have been reading the articles to see which ones would do better,All I have tried don't ripen well, the cherry tomatoes seem to do the best, but I would like a little larger tomato can someone help.

I am pretty sure, the reason for NOT getting fruits (OP's case) is not just the lack of direct sun. There must be other factors: NUMBER ONE: soil and nutrients. Four (4) hours direct sun in Atlanta (Zone 7) is not whole lot but you can grow pretty decent tomatoes. Down south a lot of gardeners actually shade their tomatoes. I have grown tomatoes in North Atlanta (Alpharetta). Some in partial shade/sun (about 4 to 5 hours). Now back here in PNW, I get about 4.5 to 5 hours direct sun.. Remember that Direct Sun is not the only light that plants get for their photosynthesis. Indirect, defused lights also count as LIGHT

I believe tomatoes are partial shade plants. In other words, they don't need more than 6 -7 hours max. The excess direct sun is actually not beneficial.
JMO.

Scored a few more points in Worm Hunt!

My grandmother had a solution. Me!

Plant asap. You can plant it deep and it will be ok. Remove the bottom leaf and plant a foot deep. Good luck.

Thank you edweather, and CaraRose! I will be putting these babies into the ground on Friday!

Yanks Fan,
I think the pot size is way too small even for small patio bush tomato. I have not grown any tomatoes in pot before but I think a 5 gallon bucket is about the smallest size. But it is possible with frequent fertilizing and watering to grow in a bucket. I am growing one Silvery Fir Tree Tomato in 5 gallon as a patio ornamental. This is going to be an experiment for me.

here is a picture:

So the pot holds about 2.19 dry gallons total.

Agree. Too small by at least half. Even bigger would be much better. Less work, better production, healthier plant, better moisture and nutrient control, etc. I don't grow even small dwarf plants in less than 7 gallons and standard plants get 15 gallons minimum.

Dave

This post was edited by digdirt on Fri, May 16, 14 at 10:28

nss213 - Spots develop on the older tomato leaves for all sorts of reasons, some bad, but are most no problem other than to indicate tissue death due to stress.

But it is the over-all health of the plant that should be the focus so that it can resist disease and pest problems. And with your plants the severe yellowing should be the primary concern as it indicates a more serious problem than the spots I see in your photos.

While it is possible that some of the spots in your photos could be signs of Early Blight it is not possible to say for sure from any of the photos. Removing the affected foliage and spraying them with a fungicide sure wouldn't hurt them, but it is the nutrient ad water issues that really need to be addressed.

They are growing in a somewhat stressed situation already from the over-crowding and the appearance of the soil condition in your pics so providing them with sufficient nutrients in a form the can use will go a long way to improving their situation.

When one is new to growing tomatoes and a problem develops the inclination is always to jump to the conclusion that it is a disease. But 8 out of 10 times the problem is actually related to the growing conditions rather than any disease issue. When the growing conditions are less than ideal to begin with then those odds go up even more.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Thanks!
Can you elaborate a bit about the appearance of the soil condition in the pics? What looks wrong with the soil?

Thanks Dave and Linda. Will try with a few of the taller ones. In the meantime, I relocated my plants to another room, which has good light, but not ceiling to floor windows and much cooler, especially with the windows open and the cool winds. It was almost like being outside. We are looking at some cool but sunny weather, so I'd like to start bringing them out iin the shade tomorrow. Too soon for zone 5b?

mmm, why too soon... I mean tomatoes can linger outside as long as they have to til they get planted. As long as you can drag it back or in garage if the really bad weather strikes at this point I would not bother to keep lights going in zone 5. But thatôs me. 2 weeks of hardening is something I aim for.