Tomato plants going yellow and dying

[richard49]

I put about 11 tomato plants inside my poly-tunnel (the first year with this new poly-tunnel) and about 30 outside in a plot at our allotment.

The soil inside the poly-tunnel has had 3 large bags of general compost dug in.

All of the plants inside the ploy-tunnel turned yellow and then died back and all of the ones outside baring one.

They started going yellow from the top down and then very quickly wilted and died.

I then dug up and threw away the tomatoes and bought new ones from a garden centre and rather than put them into the ground I put them into large pots but a few of those are now turning yellow from the top.

This is our third year with the allotment and we've never been able to grow tomatoes successfully. Other allotment plots aren't having the same problem as us; it's just us, every year!

I have no idea what's wrong with our tomatoes and why they are going yellow from the top down and then dying, maybe you do?

[Bigmallly]

Check out Magnesium deficiency & see if it marries what you have.

Sorry Richard, welcome to the vine.

[Tadpole123]

It could be Verticillium wilt Verticillium wilt/RHS Gardening

or calcium deficiency maybe.

Someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon I'm sure.

[solanaceae]

I presume there is no problem with the ph of your soil if you grow other fruit/ veg there.

The soil in the 3rd pic looks a bit soggy too me. How often are you watering them? Young plants like yours would ideally want to be watered at the base surrounding the stem of the plants, but not too near it. A young tomato plant that constantly has its stem in soggy soil is prone to developing bacterial rot which prevents the plant from taking up nutrients. At first the top leaves start to wilt then after a couple of days the plant dies.

[Bill HH]

The interesting thing is that your plants seem to have very strong stems. I can only agree with the above but it isn't too late to start a few off in buckets of multipurpose compost. This would tell you if the soil is your problem.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Good idea Bill, buy in some compost so you know its sterile and put a couple of new plants into pots.

If they grow its time to have your soil tested.

[richard49]

I'm sorry to have taken a time to get back to you as I've been away for a few days.

The tomatoes in the poly-tunnel which died were all replaced with ones from a garden centre and put into pots of clean bagged compost and a couple of those are getting that yellowing at the top of the plant. Other than that they appear to be growing just fine.

I take it I would need to get a soil test kit to check where I planted the tomatoes outside; does it matter which kit I get, is one any better than any other?

I've been watering the plants every day, when it's hot twice a day.

I take note of your response about watering over the roots of the plants where I should be watering in a circle around the outside to prevent the roots from rotting; you could be right there.

Oh well, I'll have to wait until next year now to put it all into practice...

Thank you all for your very kind comments and the welcome to this group, it's very much appreciated...

[Bill HH]

Just remember Richard, if you are growing in MPC it soon runs out of nutrients and you need to start feeding, I feed mine way before any flowers appear about once a week then up it to twice a week when the toms start to develop. yellowing is often put down to magnesium deficiency.

[esbo]

I'm sorry to have taken a time to get back to you as I've been away for a few days.

The tomatoes in the poly-tunnel which died were all replaced with ones from a garden centre and put into pots of clean bagged compost and a couple of those are getting that yellowing at the top of the plant. Other than that they appear to be growing just fine.

I take it I would need to get a soil test kit to check where I planted the tomatoes outside; does it matter which kit I get, is one any better than any other?

I've been watering the plants every day, when it's hot twice a day.

I take note of your response about watering over the roots of the plants where I should be watering in a circle around the outside to prevent the roots from rotting; you could be right there.

Oh well, I'll have to wait until next year now to put it all into practice...

Thank you all for your very kind comments and the welcome to this group, it's very much appreciated...

First thing that crossed my mind was over watering. The ground looked rather damp in one
of the pics. I water mine every day but with a can using waste dishwater so I never have that
much water available so difficult for me to drown then.

So I tend to agree with solanaceae, perhaps you could ask the more successful growers
how much water their plants get?

If the roots are wet all the time they will likely rot and then the plant will be deficient in every
mineral.

You might just be killing the with kindness.

Mine are never watered twice a day, when I first started growing stuff (tobacco) I gave them tonnes
of water, and all the plants turned yellow, apart from anything else I am probably washing all the nutrients out of the soil.

Much safer to under water than over do it, a wilted plant will make a miraculous recovery but
over watering can kill a plant.

[Two_Sheds]

I've been watering the plants every day

There's no need to water that often, unless you're growing bog plants

My toms outside get watered once a week, if that. Plants in containers, of course, can't access groundwater, so they DO need more frequent watering.


Rather than keep buying new plants to sacrifice in the ground, it might be worth growing a few in 10 litre pots (with a saucer underneath) so you can learn how much water is needed. Water into the saucer only, not on the soil. The plant will drink what it needs, and when water is being left in the saucer that means the plant is "full up"

[Tomatoking]

As all you plants seem to be dying and you have some in the soil and some in compost, it looks like a case of over-watering and most of the nutrients have been washed out. The soil especially looks very wet and compact, as roots also need air.
A little and often is the motto, it could be many deficiencies but finding out which one will not really help.

Some tomato liquid feed at each watering could bring them back, but do not try making it extra strength to help. If you have no tomato feed, flowe feed will do as it has a higher nitrogen content which will help.