Tomato Growing Thread 2012

Low night temperatures (below 12C)

 

Your cues are looking good FC but the first pic of your toms looks worrying....

 

Picture 1 might be something, or nothing. My plants usually look pretty manky through neglect and I don't do anything to correct them. With more time and fewer plants I might put more effort in, but TBH I don't know what to suggest - except remove the bits that are clearly knackered. Maybe they've just got biffed at some point? (Had a blinking Pheasant in my Tom house yesterday careering around and doing untold damage ... now THAT should be in the freezer!)

Photo 2 is not so good. I would say some trouble at the roots, the plant isn't getting the water it needs. My first guess would be over watering, but that's nigh on impossible at this time of year with Toms (and you say is not the case). Something eating the roots would be my second. Bit hard to tell from the photo, but it might be that on that plant the top is wilting and the bottom is "normal"? If so slim chance that its some stem damage at the point where the wilting starts. But the more leathery bottom leaves will be harder to force to wilt, so it will be the softer top stems / leaves that show signs of wilting first.

Suggest check the roots first - to see if they are rotting / being eaten. If you can:

Raise the plant up by just the height of the pot. Holding it by the stem, right at the base, should be fine (but depends on what sort of attachment system you have above - if the whole plant is on a cane you should be able to lift it "as one". Then with your other hand or someone else's hand knock the edge of the pot e.g.with a trowel. A sharp tap front-and-back, or several around the rim, should be enough for the pot to just fall off the rootball (assuming the roots are not out the bottom of the pot and clinging on/together for dear life!). You can then inspect the roots visually and then just lower it back into the pot. Hopefully the roots are well enough developed that the rootball will all hold together whilst you do this.

 

Just seen JWK's reply whilst I was typing. Wilting will be either Over or Under watering, both look very much the same (and of course adding more water to a plant that is already overwatered is not good! so correct diagnosis is important). If its under watering then the compost will feel dry, and the plant will be light to lift (just lean the pot an inch, or lift it an inch, to gauge the weight, and compare how heavy it feels with one of its neighbours; also practice getting used to the "weight feel": lift or nudge a plant before and after watering to "feel" the difference).

Anyways, as I said it is almost impossible to overwater a Tomato this time of year, they are drinking like its their last one for the road before signing up for A.A. !! so if the compost is wet then there is almost certainly something wrong with the roots.

Lets hope its underwatering. Much easier to fix

 

FC, something is suggesting to me there's not enough light and it's too humid in your greenhouse. Have you tried putting a couple of plants outside for a while to see if they recover?You say the cues are doing well, they like humidity tomatoes don't???

 

One might be forgiven for thinking that Toms like a dry atmosphere. As far as I know, this isn't the case. Indeed, toms can suffer from poor pollination if it's too dry. I used to suffer a lot with 'dry sets', not any more I guess it's a relative thing, Cues like it very humid, yes?

 

No thoughts?

 

I would say so, yes.