Poor Tomatoes

[Florence Fennel]

Despite doing everything the same as last year, my tomatoes are really poor. I've tried seaweed and tom feed, but all the bottom leaves are yellow and brittle and I've pulled quite a few off. I know they are not important at the fruiting stage, but surely they shouldn't have died off this early? They are all in their final buckets and this year I've managed to build a structure that will prevent them from blowing over, so I am more than a tad disappointed. Most of the worst ones are Red Pear. Anything I can do, or shall I just wait and see?

[rustylady]

Wait and see Flo. Sounds as if you've done all you could. Now you need some decent weather for them.

[bronwen]

My toms are in a similar situation Flo. I potted them into their final containers a couple of weeks ago and they are outdoors. In the past week I have noticed the lower leaves seem brittle and have dead patches. There are flowers which seem to be continuing to develop, no fruit yet.

I haven't got round to giving them a feed but gave them a good watering today, although I don't think that's their problem. The worst are two 'tumbling tom' planted in hanging baskets.
I wondered if it could be the wind.

[Florence Fennel]

We'd better keep our fingers crossed for divine intervention Bronwen! Maybe some still weather with sunshine will bring them on a bit.

[Lotsaveg]

Have you tried not potting on? I usually prick out seedlings when they are at the first true leaf stage straight into the final pot.

As I've mentioned before, the seedlings are transplanted straight into a small amount of compost at the bottom of supermarket flower buckets (the deep type), 2 seedlings per pot and then as they grew up towards the light I added more compost until it was around 2 inches from the top.

[Florence Fennel]

That's an interesting concept LV, but the advice on here has usually been that too big a pot kind of swamps the seedlings. Obviously you've had success with the method, so I might try a couple next year to see. We did get sick of tomatoes last year, but it looks like there'll be a severe shortage this time! Coincidentally, it's the same with the strawberries, but that's because I threw out all the 5 or more year old plants.

[chris]

Sounds good LV - I guess its one way of dealing with leggyness if started early (and no doubt they'd get leggy striving to reach the light anyway). Will produce a good root system.. I'll give it a go with one next year

Edit: Do you not find two seedlings per morrisons bucket too much? I've 1 in each now, and they are quite large...

[Bren In Pots]

Flo my greenhouse toms are doing fine but I've got two spares outside in buckets and one of those doesn't look well at all, even tried keeping it in the kitchen window in case it was the cold

Anyway last night I sprayed it with epson salts thinking it might be a Magnesium deficiency. even if its not i don't think it hurts the plant.

[Potstubsdustbins]

My toms are in a similar situation Flo. I potted them into their final containers a couple of weeks ago and they are outdoors. In the past week I have noticed the lower leaves seem brittle and have dead patches. There are flowers which seem to be continuing to develop, no fruit yet.

I haven't got round to giving them a feed but gave them a good watering today, although I don't think that's their problem. The worst are two 'tumbling tom' planted in hanging baskets.
I wondered if it could be the wind.

Browen if you have had the winds we have had I would say you have hit the nail on the head so to speak. My hanging basket toms thought they were on elastic the number of times they have put out and brought back in all due to wind.

Colin

[Potstubsdustbins]

I start my seed of in individual modules, when they are nearly root bound I plant on into the bottom of 3" pots. Leave them till they are nearly root bound again and move up a size of pot always planting into the bottom of the pot.

This achieves the same effect as LV's solution but allows me to use my window sill.

Colin

[Germinater]

Iv been ok so fare this year still need to pot my first lot into there final pots but the lake of sPace seems to have make them set trusses at a astounding rate of knots but must get out there and pot them up did four today but still need to finish of the rest .

[Florence Fennel]

I start my seed of in individual modules, when they are nearly root bound I plant on into the bottom of 3" pots. Leave them till they are nearly root bound again and move up a size of pot always planting into the bottom of the pot.

This achieves the same effect as LV's solution but allows me to use my window sill.

Colin

That's how I do it Colin, but something's gone wrong this year. It must be the weather. Well that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

[Jelliebabe]

I think its the weather too Flo - Nice and hot so they put a spurt on then they have been reallly knocked back by the cold, wet and wind.... I'm really dissappointed with mine too

[binley100]

I'm with the wind theory too ............

[Potstubsdustbins]

The weather certainly as been topsy turvy this year and I am sure some folks are suffering because of it.

My tumblers in hanging baskets thought they were doing the Hokey Cokey In Out, In Out, Shake It All About.

Colin