16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
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 am new to gardening, but from what I have read the older leaves will turn yellow and eventually fall off. If the leaves that are yellow are from the older leaves then it's probably just normal. From all the pictures I have seen I do not think you have Blight or Septoria. I could possibly be wrong, but it looks like maybe just old leaves dying off.
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
Does sunlight/weather/water affect how long toms take to ripen?
Most assuredly. All growing conditions affect it.
As to ripening - approx. 6-8 weeks from fruit set to ripening, 48-56 days, all dependent on the variety and the growing conditions provided.
Dave
Thanks all.
There is a link in the article to the plans. Not terribly
obvious, but the blue letters that say 'his PVC design'
is a link.
But I'll put it down below anyway.
Here is a link that might be useful: Plans for the Matkey cage
Well the small container size and the pruning - removing what you are calling 'suckers' - are whole other issues for other discussions. And there are many of them here. But yes both will contribute to your original question about fruit size. Stressed plants produce smaller fruit.
The container is far too small for an indeterminate variety, especially one that gets as big as Whopper does. And removing what are actually fruit-producing lateral branches will not only reduce the amount of fruit produced by the plant but make it substantially taller.
Then there is the issue of feeding. The nutrients in your potting mix are very limited and quickly lost. Container plants require regular feedings. The smaller the container the more often it has to be watered, the more it is watered the faster the nutrients wash out of the continer and more feeding it requires.
So with all those issues don't expect normal size or normal levels of production. This is not to say the fruit you do get will all be small or won't be fine just that the growing conditions are far from ideal so the plant will be limited in its performance by those conditions.
Dave
Thanks Dave, I have read where they say to remove sucker leaves. I did not know those would be fruit bearing branches. I will stop removing them. As for feeding the plants what would you recommend with fertilizing them? How often would you suggest?
The voles got all my strawberry plants last year, and since nobody in my family is wild about them the bed got dug up and a hardware cloth bottom was put in. So far it seems to be working, but I have been told they will come in from above. My cats are doing o.k. with they chippers, but I understand your dilema. Good luck.
I don't know if it is the presence of the owls, or what, but there are fewer squirrels than a month ago. Maybe they are at the beach
Tomatoes can't set fruit when temps or humidity are too high.
When daily highs are above 90-95 and nighttime lows are either above 75 or below 55, pollen becomes unviable and fruit can't set.
The same is true of really high humidity, but I don't know the numbers.
Some varieties will set at higher temps than other varieties. Cherries are among those who tolerate heat better.
I don't know anything about your region, but if you aren't finding seedlings for sale at this time, it may be because the weather is unfavorable. You might ask your county's Cooperative Extension office when would be a good time to plant. Click on your state here, and you'll get the county list:
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/
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).