16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are prone to splitting. Sweet 100s seem very prone, especially when the get a surge of water when they are ripening. There are some varieties less prone to splitting.
I think there was a fairly recent thread on here that had some info about cherries and splitting. Try doing a search.
Here is a link to another discussion about it currently on the Vegetable gardening forum. See the pics there.
dave
Here is a link that might be useful: Herbicide damage discussion
About four years ago I grew a sun gold tomato in my home garden. I usually only plant tomatoes in my community garden plot. Well, as summer progressed I wondered why I was getting so few cherry tomaotes to harvest - until I saw a chipmunk up in the branches carrying them off! I used to think chipmunks were cute. Now it's off with their heads!
That year we had a very high number of chipmunks (the year before had a huge number of acorns come off our oak trees). They had burrows all over the yard, under the decks, in the retaining walls. You couldn't open the door without seeing some run for cover.
I used a "Rat Zapper" to get rid of more than a dozen chipmunks in about a week. I also noticed a red tailed hawk a lot. Then that fall there were scarce acorns, so we had far fewer chipmunks for a while.
The population has come back somewhat this year, I may have to get the Zapper out of retirement.
Tomato plants bought in the spring or started from seed are relatively inexpensive here compared with the work of bringing them in. I have had sweet potatoes as perennials left in the ground, and the occasional pepper plant. But I no longer have plants in the house except a few in a small aquarium, and that would include tomatoes.
I don't leave the pots (esp. the small ones) out in the rain since I had some blueberries in 2 gal pots almost drown last April. We've been having monsoon-like downpours.
I took a couple of plants in to state lab today (1 Brandywine still in a pot had similar scorching/wilting, a CP has some scorching on margins of top leaves) and plant pathologist thought it was atypical of a virus, thought the BW (and most likely the Rose) was mechanical damage, like petiole had been pinched (possible, since I took them to market on Wed) and the CP he thought could be simple sunburn though it's possible herbicide drift so I just have to keep an eye on all my plants.
If anyone has grown both of these varieties I am curious how they compare in flavor, texture, productivity and the like. I am not a fan of Supersonic F1. I tried it twice with poor results. On the other hand Ramapo has been very dependable for me every year I planted it.
I wish I could help. My 2 plants look to have black spot or blight from all the rain. this is my first year growing them and I was so looking forward to them. Started fungicide treatment. Pulled them out of the main garden too. They were in pots.
all my other tomatoes look fine for now.
This rain has killed me...
where are you in CT? I'm in Monroe.
lisound, I'm over in Ridgefield. My plants appear to have weathered the storms(s), just not the deer. I planted my tomatoes just before the monsoons started, and in the midst of their transplant shock I think they may have actually enjoyed the extra water. Based on some advice from Carolyn137 years ago, I mulch my tomatoes heavily to prevent soil from splashing and infecting leaves (best gardening advice I have ever received) so I think I've dodged that bullet as well as the cold and damp weather. Here's hoping, anyway! Hope you get a reasonable crop of something, if not Sweet Pea!
6 plants sounds like alot for a planter that size, 20" x 24" x 9" . That might be your problem. They are stressing from overcrowding and the bottom leaves are dying. I might have planted 2 plants max, not 6. The containers are self watering, so it's kinda hard to overwater, just keep the reservior with water in it.
So here's the same plant 10 days later. Honestly, does it look that bad? I'm still getting an occasional funky spot on a leaf or two but the tomatoes are starting to ripen with smooth skins and they taste great.
I PROMISE promise, promise that next year I will use a bigger pot!!!
Hi Ohiofem- I've read many threads on the tomato forum about trimming leaves...so I trimmed the leaves. :) I'm still learning what does and doesn't work.
Hi Sylviagrace-I bought the Miracle grow because that's what the nursery had. I figured if it said it was specifically for tomatoes then it would be okay. I'm having lots of flowers and tomatoes. But I did buy a new tomato food yesterday.
Hi Edweather-Is your whole garden in containers?
So the tomato food I bought is from a company called Grow More. It's 18-18-21. Does this sound appropriate for a containerized tomato plant?
I'm just starting a worm farm. Until I get that going, I'm stuck with what the local nursery is selling.
thanks everyone. I appreciate your thoughts and input.
Sylvia, There are many different kinds of MG for many different purposes. MG is a balanced fertilizer and if used as per the instructions is a good fertilizer. I use MG all purpose liquid in the yellow bottle almost exclusively and have excellent results. Yes if you pile nitrogen onto any plant it will grow lots of green foliage.
HeyJude2012, yes 95%+ of my garden is containers. And btw, your plant looks better from a distance. You are getting a decent amount of tomatoes and that's what counts.
Looks like something happened to that plant about 6 weeks or so ago that caused fusing of some stems in what was then a new developing growth tip.
FAIK there is no real official explanation for it, just speculation that it is some sort of genetic response to a shock of some kind.
Somewhat like what causes the megablooms and fused stems one sometimes sees when the plant is suddenly exposed to a spray of some kind, a pest attack, or an unusual cool period when newly forming. Sometimes the fusing is terminal for the branch or tip but sometimes the plant overcomes it and tries to recover. When it does the new growth is always weirdly deformed.
I have noticed with the newer version of Park's Whopper called Park's Whopper Improved that it is prone to more fusing with new growth. I have 4 of them growing and all have fused stems that I attribute to the weird weather patterns this past spring right after plant out.
I'm not saying that is for sure what this is, just reporting on the speculation based on my reading and personal observation. I'd be inclined to let it grow and see what happens just out of curiosity but you can always trim it off and let normal growth replace it.
Dave
I have this issue and I've read it can be caused by several things but is often not an issue in the ultimate health of the plant. I've also read that it is most common in determinate and early varieties. I have a Kimberly that has terribly curled leaves just like in your photo, but is otherwise healthy and putting on tomatoes like crazy. None ripe yet but nearly every blossom has set, which is not the case for my other uncurled plants. I am trying not to worry about it, but it does look bad.
That planting media looks dry to me. Put some mulch
on it to help retain moisture.
I used to container my tomatoes until I got a garden.
I had to water daily to keep the moisture level up. If
the containers drain well, it's almost impossible to overwater.
We were using a drip system, every day for 30 min and just switched to every other day for an hour.
Drip tape or inline drippers? What GPH are your drippers? I can't imagine why the plants would have to be watered daily or even every other day but only 30 mins. on a drip system isn't long at all. Unless you are running 3 or 4 gph drippers it is very shallow watering. If using drip tape instead what is the hole spacing on the tape That determines how long to run it.
My inline drippers are 1 gph and I water once every week if no rain and every 10-12 days depending on any rain we got. But my system runs for 2 1/2-3 hours at a time until I can stick my hand deep into the soil and feel the moisture at a good 6-8" down. That is deep watering.
It takes a long time for drip irrigation to deliver much water.
Dave
It's hard to make a schedule for watering. You have to
adjust depending on the local conditions and soil type.
Your goal should be consistent moisture at the root zone.
How you achieve that is the problem. One week might
be sunny, windy and dry and the next week overcast and no wind.
Check your soil and make the necessary adjustments to
keep it moist.
I'm in CA with caliche soil (heavily amended) Caliche will
turn into a brick in a day or two. I'm constantly checking
the soil and watering as needed.
Thank you to everyone who's responded. Your input is greatly appreciated. I did a soil test a few days ago and discovered that, aside from my cherry, which is at 5.5 pH exactly, all my tomatoes are ranging between and 6 and almost 7. So, could the problem be in the somewhat alkaline soil? If so, how do I fix that?
The soil itself seems to be properly moist to 5" down. Neither sopping wet, nor dry. And the temps here have been ranging mainly in the 80's - though that's soon to change, as forecasts are predicting temps in the 90's to the low 100's next week.
Not much has changed since I posted last. The top tomatoes on all the plants are still small and don't appear to be getting any bigger, blossoms are falling off and the leaves on the Black Krim are now not only curling, the edges are turning black. Though, on the positive side, the three largest (and lowest set) tomatoes on the Krim are starting to ripen.
"I did a soil test a few days ago and discovered that, aside from my cherry, which is at 5.5 pH exactly, all my tomatoes are ranging between and 6 and almost 7."
How did you test them? (And why?) Home testing kits are notoriously inaccurate as are the Ph Meters. You could probably test the same pot in the same spot six times in a row and get six different readings.
As for the "and why," you shouldn't have to test commercial mixes for nutrients and/or Ph, they should be ok to begin with and you should have to feed the plants because the nutrients wash away every time you water. That's why container growers fertilize their tomatoes so often with a balanced water soluble plant food.
Granular fertilizers may not break down rapidly enough into a usable form to support you plants (if they break down, see the info on the micro-herd link above.)
Sorry we can't be more specific.
Betsy