16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Damage which is very similar to 2,4=-D also occurs with herbicide carryover in organic matter such as manure, even though composted.
Please see this link: herbicide carryover info
http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/sfn/f09Herbicide
Also do the bio-assay suggested at that link to verify if that's the problem.
I had a few tomato plants that looked exactly like that last year. Of 8 plants in the bed, 3 of them had that problem and the rest were huge and healthy, even though they were only a couple feet away.
It was my first year gardening so I had to buy a couple yards of compost for my new raised beds. I'm not sure if there was something in the compost or if something sprayed on the corn field across the street drifted into my yard, but the plants never really recovered. They continued to grow new twisted leaves and stems, but never set any new fruit.
Or you could try my PVC cage. Costs about as much as a TTC, but I think they're better. You can make them any size you want. I limit mine to 6 feet tall only because I'd have to use a ladder to pick fruit up that high.
Actually, I know of a bunch of experienced gardeners that do amazing things with self-watering systems. Some really rock the Earthboxes. And you must not have seen Raybo's Earthtainers yet. Or the rain gutter grow systems.
But, it's a totally different philosophy. And I think it works better in some parts of the country than others. Here in the PNW, I go with 5:1:1.
Also, a true self-watering container is a lot different than having water in a pot's saucer.
Thanks for the info guys! Relieved to hear it. I'll give the upper growth a close look tonight but I'm pretty sure it was fine. I'm thinking uneven watering is the main culprit. I think I started them a little too heavy on the water and then gradually scaled back in recent weeks.
Since this foliage obviously looks unhappy, is there any benefit to pruning it, or just leave well enough alone?
I would leave the remaining ones on until I was sure, and would have removed the first or two if they touched the ground like you did. The plant will take care of the rest on its own. At the first sign of anything besides a gradual loss of color and drying out from the centers of those areas, then I'd do something. But if that is all, my policy is to keep them on and let the plant naturally shed them when nothing much else is happening.
PC
nugrdnnut,... your garden and plants look great and you are rewarded with fruits. That is doubly nice.
We are also getting temps about 20 degrees above normal. We had 92F on Sunday .
Talking about wilty , mine were the same, wilty. I checked the soil, there was enough moisture in there but tomorrow I will give them some water for faster uptake.
I am still waiting to see visible fruits. There are some tiny ones inside the calyx.
With this warm trend I hope the fruits that already are set will grow faster.
So far my dwarf Hahms GT(the smallest plant) is the only one with fruits and it keeps pumping.
My tallest ones are : BrBoy, CP, , Big Rainbow, Rutgers, Black from Tula, and Rio Grande. The smallest one is Kumato. I started it a month late and it has been a slow grow.
Sey
Glad you decided it can be done after telling me that tomatoes HAVE to be thinned. Being flexible makes good gardeningâ¦
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Sure. It is good to be flexible, but this is not a departure from my fundamental practice.
I believe in pruning tomato plants and I have always advocated planting them in tighter spacing than conventional method. I usually allow one or two branches in addition to the main stem. So planting two of them in the same hill, fits my philosophy fine. I am not so much for the foliage and HUGE top, as it makes some gardeners happy.
Don't do it. I planted a Bonnie Special tomato that apparently had two plants in it. Since you are not supposed to take it out of the peat pot, I didn't realize it was two plants until one side of it that was about 2.5 ft tall just keeled over and died (with a large tomato growing on it). I cut it out and the other side is fine, but undersized and has no blooms on it.
!8 gallon peat pot ?
If it is peat pot (aany size) , transplanting it easy.
-- dig a hole bigger than the pot.
-- Place the plant ( while in pot) it in the hole.
-- tear apart the pot and take the pieces out, including the bottom.
-- Fill the hole with good soil .
-- Mulch it.
-- Water it real good.>>> flood it !
For support, if using stake , drive it before tearing the top, not to injure the roots. If using cage, install it after transplanting.
Keep watering more often for a few days.
Sey
I have seen larger degradable pots, they are not quite like the small peat pots but are made of some type of paper and they have a rough finish. They are pretty thick and I think tomato roots would have a hard time penetrating (tree roots, maybe...)
But, I have never seen one of these pots that was anywhere near 18 gallons. If it truly is that size, you really shouldn't have any problem growing it in the pot. It's plenty big. If I were to put it in the ground, personally I'd want to remove the pot. But that would be difficult.
Post a pic if you can.
Agree that some sort of automatic watering system is needed. They won't survive 2 weeks with no attention so I'd also line up someone to check on them every few days. Hopefully someone with some working knowledge of tomatoes, their pests, their need to be fed, and their water needs.
As to whether they will set fruit? That all depends on the weather and how consistent the soil moisture level is maintained. Sadly, trips away from home while gardening, even for a few days, seldom work well.
If they are in containers then the problems are even more complex.
Dave
Sey wrote: > Yeah . We know you are Daniel.
I’m sure, you – and a few others – know that, but the ONLY reason I mentioned it, is because I’m afraid that garf_gw is not aware of the importance of mulching and spraying.
And "A picture is worth a thousand words…" I put 2 pictures; 2 types of mulching.
Btw sey, I see you TOO spray and mulch - which I think it's good.
Just about every university ag extension says that excess nitrogen results in fewer fruits and flowers. So you could conclude, I suppose, that these ag extensions are just propagating myths. Seriously, just do an online search for the terms "too much nitrogen" and "extension", and you'll pick up loads of those.
Of course, you can dig out the individual research papers -- "actual studies", or you could trust the ag extensions to inform you truthfully about them.
Prairiemoon, I got my Wall of Waters (actually they were Gardeneer brand) at a local garden center. I had to go to a nursery, they didn't have them at the big box stores. Like you, I couldn't wait for delivery.
Are you in Massachusetts? They make Neptune's there? I thought it was produced in Alaska. Yes, for being made out of a waste product, it is not cheap. It is hydrolized, though, which Alaska brand is not. Probably accounts for the difference in smell and NPK.
Sey, correct me if I'm wrong but i don't think your NPK calculations are accurate. I think the only way you can drop the (K) percentage is by removing (K) from the fertilizer which I'm sure you are not doing. How did you come up with 15? Was it by mixing 10+16?