Tomato Troubles

[Alan G]

Hi

This is my first year growing veg and everythings doing well apart from the toms.

I've 3 varieties, from left to right - Sungold, Black Cherry & Ailsa Craig.

They're in pots with holes cut out and fillied with MP compost within a growbag.

Despite everything I've tried they seem to be on their last legs.

I've not let the compost dry out, watered them every other day. I've occasionally fed them with seaweed liquid stuff and have recently (last ditch effort) fed them with Wilkos tomato feed.

I've tended to leave the flaps open during the day and have zipped them up at night. They're doesn't appear to be any pests on them, or any spots on the leaves that would suggest disease.

Yet the leaves continue to curl up and are dying - especially those on the left one, Sungold.

Can anyone offer some suggestions.

Thanks

Alan

[Capsid]

They look passed saving. I suspect tomato leaf roll

Tomato Leaf Roll

which has a number of causes. Read the link and see if any of the causes apply to you. I'd be interested to know as my outdoor toms are showing a bit of leaf curl too.

[seasprout]

I think far too hot.

Leave those flaps open all the time, let the air in.

The night temps are not too cold for toms now.

[teakdesk]

Dry, scorched leaves... in the weather we've been having....

I'd suspect too much water, too much feed, to use a TLA too much TLC !!

Take the cover off and leave them. Protect against wind but basically leave them.

Only water when they get properly dry.

I think that because they have had too much water and too much feed the plant has been sucking it all up... the water then "sweats" out of the leaves and all the feed gets left behind as a really concentrated "poison" which kills the leaves and then the plant.


Think of it like a gin and tonic... one is good and perks you up... two and you are really happy... but too much and you feel like cr4p and just want to go to bed and forget it.


Treat the plant badly for a few weeks and it will feel threatened and start to throw out lots of flowers... and good tomatoes!!


When you have good tomatoes formed you can start watering every two days and when there are loads of tomatoes water every day (or twice a day) but you must "underwater" until the tomatoes are starting to swell.

[Florence Fennel]

I think far too hot.

Leave those flaps open all the time, let the air in.

The night temps are not too cold for toms now.

I'm in full agreement with that, and persevere, you've got flowers so you'll get the fruit. Some of mine looked like that, but they've recovered.

[bendipa]

Probably too much extreme temperature difference during day and night. It can still get baking hot inside a greenhouse with this current weather even with the flaps open. If it's only happened in the last few days to all the plants then I'd guess that's the probable cause. The problem is made worse if toms are grown in too small a pot size and become pot-bound. Growbags are better.

Try spraying the leaves regularly during the daytime, which will keep them cooler.

[teakdesk]

.... more from me!!

Welcome to the vine Alan, there's loads of grapes here to offer advice (although some may be conflicting.... but that's gardening!!!).


I've got two plants in the greenhouse (one Ailsa Craig and one Gardeners Delight) that have grown well and formed 6 sets of flowers on each plant.

But none of the flowers ever opened; they just stayed closed and sulking.

I decided I had been too kind to these plants and yesterday cut ALL leaves and three flower trusses off the Ailsa Craig.... if it didn't find that enough of a shock and start producing tomatoes within a week I'd compost it... 24 hours later the remaining flowers have opened !!!!

I'm now hopeful of getting some tomatoes from it !!

[Florence Fennel]

.... more from me!!

Welcome to the vine Alan, there's loads of grapes here to offer advice (although some may be conflicting.... but that's gardening!!!).


I've got two plants in the greenhouse (one Ailsa Craig and one Gardeners Delight) that have grown well and formed 6 sets of flowers on each plant.

But none of the flowers ever opened; they just stayed closed and sulking.

I decided I had been too kind to these plants and yesterday cut ALL leaves and three flower trusses off the Ailsa Craig.... if it didn't find that enough of a shock and start producing tomatoes within a week I'd compost it... 24 hours later the remaining flowers have opened !!!!

I'm now hopeful of getting some tomatoes from it !!

Treat em mean, keep em keen? You're braver than me teakdesk!

[teakdesk]

Treat em mean, keep em keen? You're braver than me teakdesk!

The other plant I've cut completely down to the sideshoot that is forming about 12 inches from the ground.

I'm hoping (no, I'm sure) it will grow as a secondary stem and give me tomatoes.

I composted 5 feet of tomato vine and 6 flowers trusses.



I have a very good relationship with my plants which was formed reading the letters page of Jackie as a kid !!

[Pies]

IMHO far too much heat and possibly the leaves have been getting wet during watering

Keep the soil moist,if you let it get too dry then water and soak it your fruit will split

Leave the door open for the rest of the season or until it gets very cold,which will be a fair way off now

Feed once per week once fruit has set

I've tried many times to kill a tom plant, especially sweet million and I swear it's impossible,this year i pulled one up as I had too many its now growing on the compost heap

AIMHO

[teakdesk]

Keep the soil moist,if you let it get too dry then water and soak it your fruit will split

From what I can see from the pics the fruit are not yet forming so compost is best kept on the drier side of wet. This helps the fruit to form. It is very hard to get it right!!!

Pies is spot on that once fruit have formed they then need more water and it should be pretty constant.

There is lots of advice around saying tomatoes need up to 2 gallons of water a day but that is only for big plants with masses of fruit and that amount will drown and poison young plants.... just like trying to feed a 2 month old baby on bits of chopped up steak!!


I would not spray the leaves with water, I would wet the ground around the plant. The leaves in the pic look like they have been very wet due to "sweating", rather than droplets of water during watering, and the sun and heat have done what they do!!

[rana]

They look over-fed to me. If the plants have been swimming in a sea of nutrient rich soup the roots struggle to take up either the feed or the water. The leaves then go pallid and curl up before the plant dies.

[Flummery]

They definitely look a bit skinny, which leads me to think they were short of light in their early days. Then the tomato plants gets 'drawn' to try to reach the light (were they on a house windowsill?) and become long and leggy. After that I feel they've got overheated. Mine have way more leaves than that (I'm growing 2 of the same varieties) and with a shorter length of stem between leaves.

A bit late for this year but you could try chopping off above, say, the third flower truss, and see if you can get some fruits to ripen. Good luck!

[ckfe]

i think i might have the same problem.. the leaves have started to turn brown and crispy on the outside, only the very edges though.. they don't look anywhere near as bad as alans

wish i'd read this thread before i went out and given them a huge watering!

[Alan G]

Thanks for the info.

Flaps open and watch the watering for the time being it is then.