16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Perhaps it happened post an extreme hot period? We had 3 days of 95 degrees and then a drop off, tropical storm with cooler darker conditions. I searched for the megablooms and found some info but nothing specific to this variety so it's relative as another chimes in that the same happened to them. I also did not see much about what exactly causes it.
While the one tomato is producing gum ball blosson my San Marzano Redortas have nice singular long ones. I hope to have many nice long and thick wall sauce tomatoes. My most aggressive plants too(who have experience +120 degree temps.).
I searched for the megablooms and found some info but nothing specific to this variety
No you likely won't find anything that is variety specific because the condition isn't variety specific. It can and does happen more frequently in heirlooms rather than hybrids and is more common in beefsteak types than paste or hearts or cherries but it can happen with them as well since it is air temp caused, not varietal caused. Since it is far more common in early spring and first fruit set clusters it is normally attributed to cooler temps.
But it isn't considered a serious condition in any way, poses no threat to the plant, so as I mentioned most growers just remove them and don't worry about it.
Dave
Hornworms also eat fruit - just like that. But so do other things - birds if they have access, if low to the ground then squirrels or turtles.
You don't indicate your location or zone (please do when you post) but here the hornworms have started so they may be there too.
Dave
I'm glad to find this blog but not happy about it. I also planted Jet Star for the first time spring '13 and my plants and trusses look exactly like those at the beginning of this blog. They have from 12-25 blossoms per truss, some look like 2 trusses near enough to be a double. The fruit setting appears it is going to be like a grape or Porter Tomato. They are setting fruit very good even in this East Texas heat, but they sure ain't jet Star.
Like some others the seed packet is Ferry-Morse 20 Pelleted Seeds, bought from Wal Mart Feb '13 dated 2012 LOT J1. The pkt has an 800 number, wonder if they'd answer? Larry
I have used Kelloggs PatioPlus in containers before but I live in a very hot arid climate. The product does contain manures and compost as I recall which could allow the container to become compacted and waterlogged. Most container growers advocate a soiless mix, based on things like sphagnum peat moss, perlite and bark.
Tomatoes tend to be fast growers and heavy feeders. Growing them with only organic ferts in a container can be challenging. In addition to watering issues you could be seeing some nutrient deficiency.
I throw my hat in with the "no rocks in the bottom of the pot" clan.
Thank you all for your help.
How often do you think I should water them and how much do you think I should give them each time I do water them?
Also, should I add some type of wicking now? Is that still possible? and if so, what do you recommend?
Thank you!
There could be any number of reasons. Maybe the ground level is a bit lower there and so the water collects there. Maybe the soil in a particular spot doesn't drain as well - that is common. Maybe the soil grubs are thicker in that area. Maybe those particular plants weren't planted as deep so are more shallow rooted.
Maybe they are a different variety - you don't say what they are - and different varieties respond in different ways. Maybe before the storm even came those particular plants were already root stressed from over-watering or poor drainage - most people way over-water anyway - so the storm affected them more. Those are just a few of the possible explanations.
The tops, the new growth, reflect what is going on with the roots before the rest of the plant does so that is why you see the tops drooping - they are root stressed/damaged.
Bottom line is, just like any plant, they will either adjust to the growing conditions and recover or they won't and will die. But they certainly don't need more water. That would be the worst thing to do for them.
Dave
Agree. It is very common and assuming the plant is in a big enough container so that it isn't rootbound then they pose no problems. As mentioned their appearance is an indicator of overly wet conditions or a rootbound plant. If the wetness is due to the weather you can't control it other than to insure well-draining soil and make sure you don't over-water. If other symptoms of stress develop I would suspect the plant may be rootbound.
Dave
We'll see how they do here. Got everything in except for 6 Mark Twain I'll try to do tomorrow. Of course I have backups (extra) of everything except the Camp Joy and Cheeseman's, now DH tells me we're supposed to get another 2" of rain tomorrow (had over 2" on Friday, 3.5" last week, 7" since May 19).
Hi, I asked this question, about suckers, and overwhelming response is DO NOT CUT ANY SUCKERS!!! This is like having a sailboat, and throwing away the sails, and then wondering why you are going nowhere -
this is the link to why not to prune suckers:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0609471311477.html?14
have a nice day - oh, and i think they are toast, plant are definitely ruined.
Here is a link that might be useful: read about how to grow tomatoes.
"they are toast, plant are definitely ruined."
Absolutely disagree. As has been stated, lots of people trim the lowest leaves/branches of their tomatoes to help with airflow and soil being splashed on the leaves during watering. Assuming the kids didn't strip the plants bare and the top is still growing well, I think you'll be fine. You might get some reduced production, but that is a far cry from completely ruining the plants.
What varieties of tomatoes are they, and where are you located? More information can help fine tune your answers. :)
Kathy
I wouldn't do it intentionally since they have very different nutrient needs and I wouldn't want peas climbing my tomato plants. But in a situation like yours I' probably do the same.
The question in my mind would be if it was worth letting the plant grow if it is a hybrid throwback. If all you planted there last year were hybrids then the tomato plant won't breed true anyway but might still be worth seeing what develops on it.
Dave
This is from the About.com: Home Cooking page on Tomato Storage and Selection Information:
"Refrigeration is the enemy of the tomato as it nullifies flavor and turns the flesh mealy. The culprit is a compound called Z-3 hexenel, which accounts for the tomato's scent and taste. The development process which turns tomato's linolenic acid to the Z-3 that makes our mouth and nose sing is hindered by cold. If you must refrigerate a tomato, take it out about an hour before using it to let it return to room temperature to revive any lurking Z-3."
I hope that helps.
Betsy
Here is a link that might be useful: 5 Common Mistakes that Ruin Your Fresh Tomatoes, and How to Avoid Them
Betsy,I am so happy you posted that link. If you ask 100 people on the street why super market tomatoes are tastless 90 will say "because the are produced in hothouses." The information also tells use why saving seed from a beautiul store bought tomatoe is a bad idea.
And for those who have always known the 5 tips,it's comforting to see from the pictures that home grown tomatoes arn't supposed to have unblemished skin. Kinda like a lady with perfect skin ,soft hands and long manicured nails. You know she doesn't wash dishes nor garden so that's 2 strikes starting off.
Congratulations. It's good to hear you've got results from
all the trouble of getting these seeds and nice to know you
have a friend who would send them to you.
I believe you already know that in extremis you can actually
buy them from there using a Visa and have a good
expectation of them arriving in your mailbox.
I have been growing Dona F1 for over ten years and it is
still my favorite. Of course it is a mild flavor but I appreciate
it for its subtlety and complexity.
Just for general information, Vilmorin is a large plant breeder
and has released many tomato varieties. Most of them are
aimed at the commercial greenhouse market. I believe that
Dona was originally in that category until about 2007, when
Vilmorin discontinued it. A few years later they re-released
it in response to gardener demand. You can see on the
face of the packet where it says "Mes cultures facilitees",
which means "My easy growing". That suggests that it is
now regarded as a "consumer's" or "gardener's" variety.
Fortunately Vilmorin also caters to that market.
Interestingly there is another Vilmorin release called
Rebelion F1, dating from around 2008. It is one that they
claim to taste good, which is a rarity in their promotional
material. It is billed as a large beefsteak type with a ribbed
configuration. It's hard to discern what the actual
parentage may be but I conjecture from the results of a
lot of searching that it is largely from the Marmande OP
line, via the Spanish RAF and likely has some American
Beefsteak in there too. Basically unavailable, even in
Europe, through any channel except commercial
greenhouse suppliers, but I have a few growing and have
high hopes for it. We will see how it works out.
Does seem like weather, possible drainage & transplant issues, combined. The bad part is the plants are now prone to infections. I'd snip, or partially snip any branches hanging too close to the ground, those often get infected first.
Hard to tell from the pics, but yes, you should probably swap out any plants that look heavily affected. You may also want to begin treatment sprays, a few popular ones that work well are serenade, copper, sulphur, daconil (google search). You can alternate between two different sprays, just spread it out over a week or two, or right after rainstorms.
This post was edited by sjetski on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 9:25
When I pulled them out I did spray them with Fungonil.I mulched with newspaper and grass over top so that there would be less soil splashing onto the leaves. Sprayed again today.
I don't know whether to take off the diseased looking leaves as that is only what some of them have. So I figure some leaves is better than none. I will have to wait on my container tomatoes to get suckers before I can replace them so I will have to wait either way.
This post was edited by Reach_For_The_Sun on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 21:45
Hi Capoman, Lesuko, yes intakes time for tomatoes to ripen. I know what u mean about being frustrating, especially cause we've had such hot weather and some of the tomatoes took off then stopped or took forever to make fruit. Most of my toms are in containers. I've always had better luck, no slugs, hopefully no earwigs.....
Sharon
I generally grow 100 to 150 tomato plants in my garden every year and have easily grown 500 to 600 varieties over the years. I also breed tomatoes as a hobby, so I am always interested in how long it takes from Fruit Set to Ripeness.
My general rule of thumb is about 25 to 30 days for small and cherry tomatoes and 45 to 60 days for large tomatoes, BUT, it varies based on a lot of factors such as variety, temperature, sun exposure, rain/cloudiness, size of the plant and how many tomatoes the plant is producing.
Some of the 'early' varieties, such as Early Wonder or 4th of July are pretty surprising sometimes. They can produce fruit quite fast, though it isn't large. There are also those varieties such as Oregon Spring and Polar Set that can set fruit even at low temperatures (without being fertilized) and sometimes will produce earlier because they set fruit earlier (though I have never been impressed with the flavor of varieties like that).
If you figure that you plant a small cherry tomato and a large late tomato, such as Italian Sweet or Stump of the World, and the plants grow at about the same rate, and set blossoms at about the same time, then why are the Cherry tomatoes often ripening by late June or early July and the Late Season tomatoes don't produce until mid August? (I'm talking about growth and fruit set under GOOD conditions here in Salt Lake City, Zone 6.) They have ALL been growing and setting fruit at about the same rate, so the difference in dates to ripeness, in that case, are due to genetics and size.