16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Daniel, both Early Blight and Late Blight can happen at any time (though of course the disease organisms must be present). And Southern Blight can happen outside the South.

thank you for the info,missingtheobvious.

I always start my plants on my screened in porch (roof is screen also) - it seems to be a perfect way to get them used to the elements. it offers some protection from the wind and the sun is filtered. 3-4 hours the first day has never been a problem.

So yes - they should be a big help.

Thanks guys! I layerd two sunside on a covered porch (roof only) they got about 3 hours of filterd sun and then some shade, they still look good. I also considered the wind and they got a nice breeze the whole time. I can really tell wich ones were closer to the fan. So far so good

Ia addition to the hydroponics forum there are numerous threads on acidifying water, and bicarbonates, in the Fruits forum. This is just one example:

Here is a link that might be useful: acidifying water

Add your nutrients then adjust ph to where you want it.

When i add any nutes to my soil grows i always adjust my ph to between 6.4 - 6.8 this is the range my plants do the best.

.Thanks so much for posting. The only problem i have with breaking it apart is the roots are grown together, so tightly it might kill the plant trying to take apart . On the container it said to put whole burlap in the ground an cut little twigs away an plant deep this could make roots stronger ????? Im just confused with all the stems coming from out of the roots any help on this would be appericated thanks

Yes, planting it deep will make the roots stronger because additional roots will grow out of the main stems. I know it's difficult to be agressive with a plant not knowing how it will react. "If" you want to break it up you can dig it up, remove the burlap, and cut, or pull the plants and roots apart, and replant them. They will be fine. Lots of people root tomato suckers by just sticking a bare branch in water. If you are not comfortable just leave them, and they will grow however they will grow, but it looks like they will be a little crowded. It's totally up to you. IMO I would definitely get rid of the burlap.

Well I LAUGHED, anyway.
:)

Carla in Sac

Yes, was going to reply to 'triffids...having watched the body snatchers last night..all those lively gardens in sci-fi....and here we are...the first time I saw a tomato horn worm I was sure it came from another planet...cheers to the season..; - > Martha Zucchini

Hahaha. Ok ?! I left none on purpose. But transplant done. Looks beautiful! Used a spoon. No rough abnormal jerking. Just right down the side , and i gradually lifted. Making sure to notice shifting soil. As to know where the root ball was. I'll post pics later. Have a feeling they will be ok-with some TLC. I make nice Dixie cup containers. I use that because I care for seedlings indoors at night. Easy to arrange so far. And dollar store item. Go figure.

two sprouts one cup? *stifle*

Thanks Dave, I think I'll do that. I won't even really lose any, since they came three to a pack, and I was just going to share extras with the neighbors. Now I'll just consider some of them backup. Thanks for the good advice!

Dave gives good advice.
Figure out what works for you and have fun!

Dave, who posts as DigDirt is a long time member and expert tomato grower. As he said, this is enviornmental.

Very good to know. I will feel better when this goes away. Looks like the cold is behind us so perhaps so will be this problem. Thanks to Dave!

Thank you both. I'll go back to watering with warmed up snow melt (65 to 70 degrees) that has no fertilizer in it. The potting mix has a very low content of fertilizer.

I'm hoping to switch to rain water by next week !

Yes, the most common cause of purple leaves and stems is lack of P, but fertilizing the plants directly via the roots isn't going to help. What you need to do is to spray the foliage, which avoids root uptake, which is the problem.

You can use dilute blue stuff, like MG or Peters and the like or use a few drops of liquid concentrated fish or seaweed emulsion in some water.

I don't do anything b'c I know that the plants will grow out of it, but for many, just the sight of those purple plants is cause for concern.

Spraying the foliage works, and it will green up the plants, but only b/c you're bypassing root uptake, which is the major problem and it's worse if the temps are too low and temps alone can also do it.

Carolyn

Thanks. I feel better! Aside from the tomatoes I the ones in the worst shape were the okra and the cucumbers. My eggplant was also not so hot, but not wilted. I brought them in already so hopefully no more damage.

They'll be fine, although it definitely was a setback. Take real good care of them for the rest of the way to get them going. Mine got zapped some last year after I put them out. Yours are very young though.

For Richard concerning pvc pipes for watering, here are 2 links. I suppose that his reference to a rock is for a cap on the pipe instead of a pvc cap.

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf19058273.tip.html
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-make-your-tomato-plant-bigger

With respect to this thread and grooming tomatoes, it is just common sense, and even we geologists can figure it out. SOME grooming of tomatoes is beneficial as more energy is available for fruiting, but if too much is done then there is insufficient leaf area to produce vegetation and fruit growth. Also, removing some leaves and stems is in reality an injury to the plant and produces a reproductive response in it, which results in more flowering and fruiting. So groom judiciously, keep plants spaced sufficiently apart for adequate sunlight and water (pvc pipe?), prepare the soil well so roots can grow easily, and be sure to put seedlings as deep as possible for greatest root production. Now to the good stuff. Nutrition!

A retired physician here in Tucker, GA has published in our local free rag his tomato "secrets" which he acquired from another gentleman in Buford. In one season from 10 plants his production was 2281 tomatoes weighing 752 pounds. He used hybrids (I will grow ONLY heirlooms) consisting of 1 Parks Whopper, 5 Beefmasters, 2 Sweet 100's, and 2 Better Boys. Of course the Sweets being a cherry upped the number count and lowered the average weight considerably (0.32 lbs), but accounting for that my guess is that the average non-cherry plant yield would be 100-140 tomatoes averaging a pound each. I'd be happy with that any day.

This is what he does. He uses new soil every year, although I feel that this is optional, as the soil adjuncts should be sufficient after the first year. He digs holes 15X15 and fills with bagged topsoil mixed with potting soil and Natures Helper. I use just Natures helper and a little sandy loam I dig up from the woods (a former terraced farm) behind my townhome. With clay soils here the sand helps considerably. He then mixes in:
a) handful of 10-10-10
b) handful of lime
c) handful of Epsom Salt (critical, as tomatoes are magnesium hungry)
d) 2 handfuls cow manure
e) 2 tablespoons baking soda
After planting he covers the soil with pine bark nuggets to help keep the soil moist. At 3 week intervals he adds around each plant 2 handfuls 10-10-10, a handful Epsom Salt, and 2 tablespoons baking soda.

So after the first year of new soil and Natures Helper try just the a-e adjuncts and see what happens, especially if you do not wish to excavate many holes and have no place to put the resulting "used" soil. The method says that the soil is important, but I think that it is overemphasized after year one's conditioning.

This is "Dr Dan's Tomato Recipe and Method" from the February 2010 issue of Up Close and Personal in Tucker, and has been reprinted each year since. Dr L. Dan Johnson was shared this method by the late Mr Ralph Pass of Buford, GA, a former patient of his. A golfing buddy of Dr Johnson's told him that "Thank God you do not grow watermelons!"

I remember reading this thread six years ago.

Something which occurred to me on this reading was that kubotabx's unpruned tomato seems to be adjacent to a short (boxwood?) hedge (see the first photo in his June 14, 07 post).

I wonder if the hedge's root system was stealing some of the water and nutrients from the unpruned tomato, causing it to be initially smaller than the pruned plant (which was further from the hedge).

Really, there were a number of variables besides the pruning....

So why would one (say, Purple in Chicago :)) prefer to clone plants vs. just saving seed to start the following spring?

No reason far as I can see. Unless one has a heated greenhouse to grow or at least over-winter plants. trying to keep a rooted cutting alive till spring planting is a waste of time and effort IMO.

The main reason for rooting cuttings is to quickly have more plants at the proper planting times or to have some for a fall garden.

Dave

So that leaves me at determining how long it will take for a rooted cutting to set fruit, and see if I have enough time to get more out of them to even make it worth it. I'll do some research. Thanks for all the great tips and advice guys!

1/6 RL's could be a stray seed or could be a cross as you mentioned.

It might well depend on where you bought the seeds as to whether they do their own seed production, buy wholesale off the shelf or subcontract out for seed production.

John, if you got your KBX seeds in a trade then there's more of chance for a cross than anything else, as there is with any seed trades.

Go with the PL ones you have since PL is recessive to RL leaf form so they should be OK.

Carolyn

Thanks Carolyn. I got the 2012 seeds in a trade. What I planted this year are ones that I saved myself in 2012. I'll plant it and see what results.
John A

Thanks again, everybody! I think we successfully saved the still very young plants. We covered both the tomato bed and the pepper bed (and the strawberry bed, even - just to be safe) with old sheets draped over tomato cages to get them up off of the plants.

I'm really glad we took those precautions because I was surprised to see a pretty heavy frost when I went out to take them off this morning.

And Charlie, I've been patiently waiting like a good gardener, anxious to get plants in the ground this year, but not too early. I sure thought that tomato anxiety disease did not hit me this year, as late April is supposed to be the safe zone. Oh well, live and learn and watch the forecasts closer. :)

Hopefully that'll be the last of it for my southwestern corner of the state.

Keep us updated - the ones in the center of the photo looked pretty badly burned.

If I waited til lows were above 50 every night I'd be planting in June every year - though I had the past 2 years anyway. I usually set out tomatoes the last week of May (shoot for 25-28th) and peppers few days to a week later. But we've had 2 cold rainy Mays the past 2 years (though 2012 March was warm and the summer was hot and dry), looks like May will be colder than normal this year too so it'll probably be June again before I get the tomatoes out. I think I potted up 4 times last year waiting for good weather, and I finally started my cukes indoors. Might have to do that again this year too.

The temps have been all over the place lately - most of the year 10 degrees below normal but yesterday it was 10 degrees above normal (25 degrees warmer than the day before)!

Here is a link that might be useful: Summer forecast