16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
jpc57, here are instructions on how to post from Photoshop (a free photo-hosting service):
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/hosta/msg0513322013993.html?14
Cut worms can damage, tho not take down, even full grown plants. But the worst damage is early spring. By late spring when the plants are well grown most the larvae have matured, morphed into moths, and moved on.
So how long they are a concern would depend in part on how early in spring you planted out and also how long your season is because they can have2-3 life cycles per year in the warmer zones.
Personally I use popsickle sticks (cheap in a bulk order from any craft supply store) or plastic straws (even cheaper) and just leave them in place all season long.
Dave
Well, everything seems to be in super high passing gear this season, so maybe the cutworms have already gone on to their next lives. The two damaged plants seem to be fine. I sure hope they make it because one is a Mortgage Lifter and the other is a Terhune. I've never grown ML before and last year was my first with Terhune, but it was such a lousy year I got almost no tomatoes. I'd like to see what those taste like.
Chuck
Actually those are "Dollys" with holes drilled in them.
I do that so I can move them if needed but mostly to keep them off the wood on the deck so the deck doesn't rot or discolor.
I use miracle grow potting soil with "moisture control" and as long as I water them heavily everyday they are fine. The moisture control does a good job of retaining just enough to keep them hydrated but not so much as to drown them.
The drainage is very good, all the excess flows right on out like a sink drain. I let the potting soil do its job of retaining enough moisture between waterings.
and yes LARGE containers is the key also, plenty of soil means plenty of moisture for the roots to take in, larger the root system the more nutrients it can uptake.
you also need a large root system in the summer when it is hot, the plant pulls water from the roots and it acts almost like a plumbing system. As long as you have strong roots pulling in water the "water pressure" so to speak inside the plant keeps it hydrated in the severe heat of summer and your plants never droop.
Large pots at least 15 gallon
filled with well draining moisture control potting soil of your choice.
If on a wooden deck best to put on dollys so your deck doesn't rot, drill holes in dollys so the pots maintain free flowing drainage. (the soil maintains the proper moisture in large pots).
Add 2-3" of whatever floats your boat for mulch, I use Cypress mulch, seems to be less buggy than most, doesn't rot or mold. Like most all natural mulches it leeches some nitrogen out of the soil over time but I replace that and then some with regular feedings of miracle grow usually every 9-12 days I take a tablespoon of MG to a 2 gallon watering can and add the whole 2 gallons to each pot.
When I am done with each pot for the season I pull out as much of the old root system as I can, till the soil well check for anything like pupa or any thing like that then wrap the pot with plastic wrap for the winter so nothing gets into the soil like cut worms etc for next year.
"Chuck, some apple growers put ziplock sandwich bags around their fruit to protect from insects. IIRC, they snip through the zipper for a close fit around the stem. I think they also make a tiny cut across the lowest corner so water doesn't collect inside."
Ha, that's a funny coincidence. I was just recently struggling with birds eating all of my strawberries, so out of desperation, I used nylon wedding favor bags (which I originally bought for blossom bagging) to protect the strawberries and it's worked like a charm, keeps birds and insects from the fruit. Also, since they are made of nylon mesh, they breathe. If they were bigger, they'd probably work wonders for peaches too.
I have plenty of insects of all types, including spiders. Seems like more ladybugs than usual. Are ants nuetral in the garden? I think it depends on the type. In my locale there are these tiny little ones that have small colonies and they seem to prefer to live at the base of a plant, often in the company of root aphids. I do what I can to get rid of those. But in my previous garden, 30 miles away but in very different soil, the ants never seemed to do anything so I left them alone.
I plant in large containers, about 15 gallons or so and use nothing but 100% miracle grow potting soil with the moisture control and then top it with 2" of cypress mulch.
I water my plants HEAVY every single day and in the summer when it is 90 degrees plus I water TWICE per day.
All the excess flows right out the bottom and the plants drink the rest everyday.
Tomatoes need lots of water and very good drainage.
You may not have very good drainage in the ground.
If you plant in the ground it is best to dig a DEEP hole fill the bottom with sand and gravel, about 2 feet worth then fill with good potting soil.
This plant was 4" tall about 4 weeks ago.
Its now over 3' tall and about 2+' across.
I net them to keep out squirrels, birds, moths/butterflies.
The other one is over 4' tall (max height it is supposed to get) and has about 60+ tomatoes on it.
A Better Bush variety.
wow, those plants look great! I tried a bunch of SWC last year and they were an epic failure. I made them out of Lowes paint buckets. I made a custom mix gathered from various postings I read. The plants started off looking great....lots of dark green foliage, but then when they started bearing fruit, I lost a ton of it to B.E.R.
I did not plant bush variety though, and instead just had indeterminate kind.
Rocks aren't necessarily a problem ... but if there are too many rocks, there's that much less soil volume to feed the plant.
Is there much organic matter in the soil? That's more important than a few rocks ... though you've got more than a few!
(I swear I haven't seen such rocky soil since I tried planting perennials in a high corner of our Connecticut yard that gave every evidence of being primeval glacial moraine -- and that was many decades ago.)
Yep, that looks like CT soil. But what's eating the leaves?
matthew - if you're in CT, CAES will provide free soil testing.
Here is a link that might be useful: CT Ag Experimental Station soil testing
I like how you put that, homegardenpa. "While I enjoy gardening and it's benefits are many, I don't want to use that as an excuse to toss money into the wind." Same here.
Jaybob, I answered your question in the Vegetable forum before I saw it over here. I'd assigned positive intent to your DW... thinking she might have wanted to keep track for boasting purposes when her friends ask her what it's like to have a crazy gardener for a husband. ;) I have the sort of personality that likes knowing tidbits like that, too, so I understand your willingness to oblige. It's hard to keep up the tally, though, when you're busy with big harvests. Good growing!
Think of how much you are saving in therapy!
I posted a reply on the veggie side, but didn't think to add how much enjoyment I get out of it. I love doing my pruning or weeding, and my hens keep me company. One of my friends keeps saying 'but it looks like so much work'. Maybe, but it makes me happy, when plants start blooming, etc.
The three numbers in a fertilizer description tell you the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium (otherwise known by the chemical symbols N-P-K). Note that the three elements are in alphabetical order: that's how to remember which is which.
The numbers refer to the percentage of each element in the fertilizer. So a 10-10-10 fertilizer has the same balance as a 3-3-3 fertilizer -- but the first has more of each and so would probably cost more. 70% of the first and 91% of the second are something other than N, P, and K.
As for why plants need these elements, here's what BHG has to say:
http://www.bhg.com/advice/gardening/basics/what-do-nitrogen-phosphorus-and-potassium-that-are-contained-within-fertilizers-do-for-plants/
momof5sons: Sorry, I forgot to explain the bit about organic fertilizer.
Whether or not the fertilizer is organic depends on what the manufacturer used to make it. Some 10-10-10 fertilizers are organic, others are not.
Here's a thread on the Organic Gardening forum which talks about organic sources of phosphorus.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg0216391932711.html
Thanks a lot homegardenpa & missingtheobvious,
I don't have pictures right now, may be i can have few with in few days from a friend of mine. I will post them if available.
I must add.
I am talking about open field commercial tomatoes. Due to being cultivated in coastal areas the watering intervals through forrow irrigation stays around 8-15 days.
I must add.
This environment does't effects two hybrid varieties. Rest, none of any variety survives this environment.
Those are:
1: 1359 F1 Hybrid by Syngenta Seeds.
2: Dominator F1 Hybrid by Seminis seeds.
I could not figure out what characteristics these both varities posseses that enables these two varieties to survive the environment.
What you say?
I am looking for more hybrids that can fullfil seed consumption in our area & to come over the actual problem.
looking for any help.
If your weather is good enough that the plants will keep setting fruit all summer, you can pull the fruit if you want.
If they were mine I wouldn't, because it's about to get really hot here and the plants won't set fruit when it gets too hot. If I were going to keep the plants I'd want to keep all the fruit I could get.
Gary,
It's OK, I am NOT infallible. LOL! I made the unwarranted assumption that kdup had grown those plants from seeds. Silly me. My apologies for snapping back, it was uncalled for.
kdup,
Since you are unsure of the history of those patio plants, it is possible that a mercy killing might be in order. That is of course entirely up to you. Personally, I don't think it is necessary. Let me explain.
The unaffected leaves look nice and green, the stems are stocky and appear healthy. I'd even go so far as to say that the seedlings had probably been hardened off prior to your being "gifted" with them. I suspect the black spots might be where the plants got some sunburn when they were first exposed to the great outdoors. Sunburned tomatoes will turn white, then the area will die and blacken. (Been there, done that.) That could also account for the crispy edges on the leaves, as could overloving with fertilizer.
The yellowing of leaves is a classic symptom of overwatering, see the link below.
What I would reccomend if you want to try the plants:
First: Get some of those 20 ounce plastic cups, make two or three 1/4" holes in the bottom, and pot the tomatoes up in a quality "soilless" growing medium. Don't use moisture control types, they don't drain well in containers. Make sure it does not say on the package that it is "Not for use in containers" or "Soil".
Second: Water well, but don't leave them standing in water more than 30 minutes (I water my baby tomatoes by putting water in the bottom of the tray they are in and after 30 minutes I drain off any that has not been absorbed.) Wait until the cups are fairly light until you water again. It will vary with the size of the plants, the ambient temperatures and humidity. If the leaves start to droop, you waited a tad too long, but they will recover if you haven't waited too long. **Smile**
Third: Restart the hardening off process. Give the plants a few days to adapt to potting up, then put them out in the shade for a couple of hours and increase the time they spend outdoors every day until they are out most of the day and spend some of the time in the sun.
You can trim off the leaves that have the damage on them if you want to, and you can actually do it at any time, just be aware that if you take too many of the leaves, the tomatoes will be longer in recovering.
Once the plants have been in the larger plastic cups for 10 days or so, I would evaluate whether or not they look like plants you want to save.
That's
Betsy
Here is a link that might be useful: Signs & Symptoms of Overwatering Tomatoes
quick response.... thank you very much. very informative.
Hopefully this is the only impact I get. there have been tons of mothgs outside though... I checked as many of the other tomatoes as I could and everything else looks clean.
Nunyabiz1, that is a new one on me.
I thought all tomato fruit worms fell off the plant & pupa in the soil( learned some thing new,today not a waste).
That is what the Tomato Horn worm does, here in South the THW has two life cycle.
By the way I read that the tomato fruit worm is the same as the corn ear worm.