Are my tomato plants dying?

[monkeyboy]

So I've been away for a couple of weeks. Prior to leaving, the tomato plants were six inches tall and in 10cm pots. I'd taken them out of the heated, lit propagator and left them on the window sill with a cardboard reflector behind them. I set up a capillary matting system.

I returned to find the lower leaves turning yellow, wilting and/or dying. I don't know whether this is due to lack of water, lack of nutrients, lack of light or something else. The plants themselves are now almost 12" tall so they've doubled in height in the last two weeks.



I was planning to pot up into larger pots this weekend. Should I do anything else? Is it worth removing the lower leaves?

[nickdub]

They look pretty well OK to me - if anything maybe they've exhausted the nutrients available in the compost they have.

If they were mine I'd pot them on into larger pots asap and bury them down so the soil level is almost up to the bottom true set of leaves. Don't over do the feeding though, the aim is to get good sturdy plants, but a little on the lean side if anything . If they start making lots of new leaves that will delay the on set of first flowering.

Obviously the sooner they can go out in to their final positions the better, as long as they are not going outside, in which case they'll have to wait on the weather.

[veggiechicken]

Don't panic!!
Bottom leaves always die off. Cut them off and plant your toms in deep pots, deep enough to bury the dead leaf joints. Your plants are leggy from stretching to the light - that's all.

Snap, Nick

[monkeyboy]

Okay thanks. That's reassuring. The toms need to go into their final positions soon anyway. I was hoping to harden off soon and plant outside once the last frost date had passed.

[Potstubsdustbins]

It would still pay to pot them up as deep as possible, as well as the benefits above it will also encourage new root growth and give you a stronger plant.

[monkeyboy]

Well I potted up into 6" diameter pots and noticed the Garden Pearl plants already starting to flower. They're not up to 12" like the other plants.

[veggiechicken]

Garden Pearl is a bush tomato that can be grown in hanging baskets. Its not supposed to grow tall.

[monkeyboy]

Garden Pearl is a bush tomato that can be grown in hanging baskets. Its not supposed to grow tall.

I know. I figured it'd grow a bit taller before flowering. My own research showed it should grow to 12" in height. First time growing a bush tomato so maybe my expectations are too high.

[veggiechicken]

They flower early when stressed.

[monkeyboy]

They flower early when stressed.

That's what my worry was. Since I've repotted into a larger pot with fresh compost, will it continue to flower? Or will it put more effort into growing? Should I pinch off the flowers or allow it to develop as it wishes?

[Billy's lad]

Mine have done the same although not as tall as yours so I have repotted into some slightly larger pots

[nickdub]

That's what my worry was. Since I've repotted into a larger pot with fresh compost, will it continue to flower? Or will it put more effort into growing? Should I pinch off the flowers or allow it to develop as it wishes?

I'd keep the flowers now as you have them - it means you'll get an early crop, but the overall amount early flowerers will bear is likely to be a bit less at the end of the season. You can't really correct a tomato plant once its had a check of some kind when its small, ie getting a bit pot bound.

If you want more tomatoes of that variety one option would be to use the unwanted side-shoots as cuttings. To do this wait until they are 5"'s or so long, then cut them out with a sharp knife - strip any lower leaves from this cutting and put it in a pot of damp compost, then seal that in a clear plastic bag - put it somewhere warm to root for a few days. These new plants will grow on quicker than seedlings and you can substitute them in for your other plants to give you an extra crop later in the season.

[monkeyboy]

I'd keep the flowers now as you have them - it means you'll get an early crop, but the overall amount early flowerers will bear is likely to be a bit less at the end of the season. You can't really correct a tomato plant once its had a check of some kind when its small, ie getting a bit pot bound.

Thanks for information. At the moment, I have two Moneymakers, two Gardener's Delight and two Garden Pearl plants so I don't mind a slightly smaller crop. I just wanted to grow a few different varieties to learn which ones would be best suited to my garden, my skills and my tastes.

[Vince G]

doesn't matter if tomatoes grow leggy. Just bury them deep because all those little hairs on the stems are potential roots, so burying them deep will encourage root growth and you'll have rock steady plants