16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Have no idea what the "crap" you refer to is or even what Bonnie little green jug is. If it is a fertilizer it sure isn't a commonly used one. But the problem isn't the fertilizers but applying it to seedlings as you did.
Plants need feeding, seedlings need little to none and when given some it has to be very well diluted down from full strength.
Odds are it will recover in time tho you may lose those leaves. Flush the container out with pure water to force most of it to drain out of the pot.
Dave
All of those things would prefer their own pot because of the different needs they have. The tomato looks like it might recover and grow if given it's very own, larger (perhaps much larger depending on variety) container. Soon. It also looks like maybe it has had too much water recently. Cheers!
Hi Mr. Beno, Growing some in containers was an excellent decision this year. They will do fine......almost impossible to overwater, and they will keep draining well with only minimal problems.
This post was edited by edweather on Wed, Jun 12, 13 at 20:11
I kind of like the funky shaped tomatoes that come from these type of blossoms. Maybe not so great for the market, but I think they often have their own beauty.
Dig something ugly, man!
I've heard you shouldn't save seed from them though since they're easier for the pollinators to get into (and therefore cross pollinate).
The main stem of my tomatoes do a major split (fork) at about 12" to 18" above the ground. My first tie is at this point or a few inches above, by looping a strip of cloth around the plant and stapling it to the wooden stake. Any suckers that are not captured within this tie are topped, i.e. just the growing tip removed. If I let these branches grow, I will either have to go back later and tie them, creating a dense base, or they will lean over and drop to the ground, often breaking. I prefer to keep the lower part of the plants more airy and all branches above the fork supported. More air circulation, cleaner appearance, and less work.
TomNJ/VA
again, a very nice discussion, probably with my climate in Sault Ste. Marie, which is just slightly north of upper UP Michigan, I'll start to keep the garden in check at the beginning of September, I am hoping to extend my season by covering with a hoop house/ plastic when it starts to get chilly - if we get a warm fall, that will certainly help - have a nice day, paul m. :)
If I will share... Then I like movie franchises for example Harrypotter, James bond, Twilight. All of these are my favorite movies.
There are several ways to disinfect seeds. My personal preference is simply to mist them with a 1:10 bleach solution. Then dry them well. Some prefer to use diluted hydrogen peroxide. I use cheap disposable coffee pot filters for seed drying.
Other methods of disinfecting are discussed in the Saving Tomato Seeds FAQ and in other discussions here.
Dave
Perhaps the most important thing with tomato plants is sunlight, sunlight, sunlight. Temperatures from the lower 50s to upper 80s allow them to grow. Cooler temperatures at night are not generally a problem, but if the temps drop into the upper 30s, you should provide some protection (even if frost isn't predicted, you can easily get it with temps below 40 degrees). One study I saw said that tomatoes germinated best from temperatures in the lower 80s, but grew best from 65 to 75. Don't know how true this is. They don't need massive amounts of water at first, in fact more water can slow them down, but the soil shouldn't be drying out more than about a half inch down.
If you tend to have inconsistent weather, with Spring periods of nice sunny days followed by a few days of freezing or snowstorms, then that is one place where Walls of Water might excel Here is an Amazon.com page for about the best price you will see them at: http://www.amazon.com/WALL-O-WATER-3-PACK/dp/B0000DI86C/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
When planting, I generally plant them up to just below a set of good, bushy leaves. But in NO CASE do I plant deeper than about 8 inches. If the plant is longer than that, I tend to tilt it and lay it on its side, so that most of the plant is 4 to 8 inches deep. This is based on tomatoes I had in the past where I planted them up to 1 1/2 feet deep (they were large plants, okay) and later in the summer, I had occasion to dig them up. First of all, production was no better than on a smaller plant, planted only 8 inches deep. Second, all the new roots that had developed were in the first 2 to 6 inches below ground.
I don't believe they develop roots from 'fuzz' but from almost anywhere along the stem, particularly at the joints.
Lastly, it is very common once you plant ANY tomato plant for it to shut down for 2 weeks or so. This is kind of a SHOCK process as it adjusts to it's new home, but it doesn't mean that nothing is happening. It may be not just adjusting, but actually starting to send out additional roots and otherwise preparing to grow. Warmer temperatures and bright sun (with adequate but not excessive water) speed this process, while cold, wet, cloudy conditions extend this period of time. It is also true that if your plants are well hardened off and able to deal with stress, that they might move through this period better. If you have plants in Walls of Water, some people think that the WOWs may actually help the plant to go through this adjustment period earlier. Other people think that the Walls of Water DESTROY any hardening the plant has been through, and that the plants will delay, again, for a week or two, once you take the Walls of Water off. I personally am not convinced of this. As I said, I am a big believer in walls of water and have enough for over 100 plants at a time.
Once you do put the plants out into the ground (hopefully they are exposed to as much sunlight and warm air as you can get) keep the soil moist - damp, but not flooded. In the early days it is generally better to water a little bit in the mornings, every few days than large amounts all at once, and try to avoid watering at night during the cooler weather periods (watering at night chills the plants more from evaporation).
Fertilize VERY SMALL amounts perhaps once per week or every other week, rather than large amounts of fertilizer all at once. Fertilizer can stress the plants too, for sure.
Avoid excessively windy areas, if possible.
Keep weeds away from the plants.
If you do all of these things, then, when the weather turns consistently warm and sunny, your plants should take off and grow very well.
Here's picture of my black plums. They are still green. They are egg shaped, and this is normal. Little bit larger than a quarter.
The second picture is a picture of sungold cherry tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes are smaller than a Quarter.
I planted them on April 1st.
Thanks for all the feedback. If it's not really a Black Cherry I guess that would explain the elongation. And it was a Bonnie. It's not very tasty, and has a thick skin. Anyway, here's a shot for scale:
I plan to pull it and replace with another, maybe real, Black Cherry.