16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes

Some varieties do that more than others. It is mostly a response to stress, and may be related to heavy pruning.

So if you could read its mind, you'd find your plant is thinking, Hm. Things aren't going so good. Must make more seeds to ensure the next generation!

Now maybe the plant isn't thinking too clearly -- but that's what it's thinking.

They've had stress alright (the flooding and cold temps).

We have had 3 very hot and humid days in a row. The tomatoes are still growing and actually look better. I don't think they were overwatered. I don't water everyday and we have had 2 days of rain since they were planted. I think it was just their own unique reaction to the weather and the cages. Thanks for all the advice.

My san marzano redortas have been doing the same thing, as well as the ones I gave away to some friends. Only that variety, perhaps it has something to do with the paste varieties? It almost seems like the plants are trying to turn thier leaves upside down. ???

CH

I cut the suckers off of my better boy and it went into shock. It stopped growing completely, the few tomatoes it had stopped ripening. I ended up pulling it and planting a different one.

Thus the advice above - do it gradually, not all at once. Some people get carried away hacking all of them off - which isn't called for rather than just removing a select few and doing it over a several day period.

Dave

With the risk of losing the plants because I don't know how they'll react to even slow pruning, I'll probably try to construct better supports around the plants this weekend, and try to help them grow up instead of out.

I do like the pvc idea. I assume they can be disassembled and stored quite compact.

Can't tell from the original post, but the person may only have planted on type of tomato.

In my experience, neighbors make three mistakes:

1) Plant tomatoes too close together
2) Don't keep bottoms of plants clear of branches which allows wilts and blights to move up the plant faster
3) Only plant one variety of tomatoes.

I plant five or more types, some heirloom, some not, and some cherry tomatoes. Something also does well, and others have a poor year. I'd rather plant three plants each of three types, rather than plant twenty of the same kind.

Actually four mistakes.
4) Water too frequently.

I planted two different types of plants. Over the last few days I was shocked to see most of my plants start to blossom flowers and one more is now showing two tomatoes. It seems like I really do just need to be more patient. I do fear that I did plant too many tomato plants too close to each other.

I do remove leaves and such from beneath the plants enough so there are never much there. As for watering, I think when I first started I was watering too much. I now water every other day, or even sometimes every third day.

Oops, sorry DL, I just re-read your original post and was reminded that you want to try this for next year.

Do you want me to try to do this experiment this year, since my transplants haven't been in long, and let you know my subjective opinion? I'm not sure I could really get a good statistical sampling polling my customers, don't know how many people would respond and if people are picking dry-farmed vs conventional to buy or vice versa they might be prejudiced that way - I can't sell them and track them in a blind manner. I could try a very small blind taste test with just my family.

Hi DL,

Not sure your exact definition of dry-farming tomatoes. If you mean growing tomatoes without watering, then that's what I have done. I only water once at the time of transplanting. My tomato plants are now 6 ft tall and only show slight wilt at the top during the 96F heat last two days.

I am blessed with the bountiful rain fall in this area and my excellent soil. I double dug my garden right after I bought my house and a few years later built a raised bed on top of it. So the garden has about 3 ft of really good soil. I haven't seen or heard from anyone with such a deep soil garden.

Also, I do not mulch the bed, only hoe the top few inches of soil to break/stop the Capillary flow of moisture upward.

The tomatoes taste good with no cracks. Good harvest too.

Hope this info helps.

One of the better tomato ferts I have found is Floramato which is 2-1-3 ratio which should work well for you. Ami

Here is a link that might be useful: Floramato

Read the directions. Even then you might encounter problems. The neighbor two yards over has plants as big as mine, but no fruit while my first cherry toms are ripening now. (Zone 6)

He claims he followed the directions on the MG red tomato food and used it three times. I use compost, compost tea, and maybe one dose of slow-release tomato food. Told him a too rich diet of nitrogen is also thought to increase Blossom end rot too, and maybe some seaweed extract spray on leaves might be a good idea (Rodale book).

WTG! Betsy. Kudos to you for intervening.

Dave

Branscomb Orange or pehaps Persimmon ?

Nice bug! Thanks for the link.

Pretty gutsy putting that big us bug on your arm not knowing if it was a biter or poisionous

Thanks... my Rutgers really have tough skins this year... and it is my first year with having a drip system... go figure.

My elderly nursery owner friend said strong afternoon sun will toughen eggplant skin in this area. Maybe tomato too?

I second Dave's thought. Recently I lost one tomato to some creature while I wanted to get the tomato completely red on the vine, only to find out that its gone. SOB's took it. Time for more poision wheet.

Thanks for the replies. I had to leave town for about 36 hours. Home this p.m. & the tomatoes are almost fully ripe. I did not want to harvest them in the heat so I'll get them in the morning.

pic #6

pic # 7

Thanks very much for the responses! I'm just outside Hot Springs, NC, and that's zone 6b. These are not nearing full size...more the size of golf balls. It really did seem to happen overnight - I spend a couple hours each morning investigating and admiring so may have missed it one day, but not more. Don't use pesticides. I did find a yellow striped armyworm on the same plant but I'm thinking that didn't cause this. It could be overwatering. It hasn't rained in a few days and I throw a half gallon or more on them every 2 - 3 days. I'm going to check again for worms or bugs this evening. But it sure looks like some kind of splitting to me. Thank you again for your help. Last year I tried to grow tomatoes in both South Florida and in the high mountains of Colorado (7500 ft up)and failed both times....I'm still hoping for a success here. I'd choose a cherokee purple tomato over chocolate any day.

I can only see what I can see and I expect to see catfacing at the bottom of a fruit since that situation occurs when pollenization occurs during cool weather or the blossoms in some way are disturbed.

And I just don't see catfacing occuring half way up a fruit unless it's very severe catfacing.

Below is a link to some catface pictures and note that fruits of different sizes are involved as well as fruits in all stages of ripening and lots of immature green ones as well/

For anyone looking at Google images put your mouse pointer over each picture to confirm that what you're looking at is really catfacing b'c not all the pictures show that.

I looked at several pages of pictures and nowhere did I see any of the pronounced splitting that was shown in the picture put up by the original poster.

aisa, I had to chuckle a bit b'c first I talked about the NC mountains and then you brought up CO and I was there for several years, but at a slightly lower elevation than you mentioned, which is Denver, well, a couple of thousand feet lower actually, LOL, and yes, I grew tomatoes there, and that was in the late 60's through the 70's primarily b'c I moved back East to NYS in 1982.

Thank heavens. ( smile)

Ah well, it's seldom that there's total unanimity in diagnosing most of the problems presented by others.

And onward we go.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Catfacing; Google images

I had the same thing happen when we were out of town for Memorial Day (about 4 days) and my timer malfunctioned. This is also my first year growing in containers so I had no idea what to expect. All my plants (squash, green beans, tomatoes, peppers) look as if the grim reaper was escorting them to the door. I considered throwing in the towel but my wife urged me to give it a shot. Much to my amazement, everything bounced back. I did lose quite a few blooms and very small tomatoes but I didn't lose the entire plant. I imagine you will have pretty bad radial cracking as the fruit matures (I did) but it still tastes great.

turnerm3,

Sorry to hear of your loss.

As for your tomatoes, if the pots are difficult to move, you can rehydrate the growing medium by a slow steady application of water. Drip irrigation is a great way to do this. If you don't have a drip system set up, you can emulate it by taking a gallon milk jug or similar container, or even a couple of 2 liter bottles and poking a very small hole in the bottom then set them in the container on the growing medium and fill them with water. It will trickle out the hole in the bottom slowly and have time to be absorbed.

I hope that helps.

Betsy