Hi everybody!! I'm new to the forum and am hoping you can help me with some tomato problems I am having. I will preface this by saying that this is the first time I'm attempting to grow tomatos. My hubby loves them so I figured, what the heck. This post will be a little long, but I want to give as much info as possible. I picked up 4 plants at my local grocery store (I know, not the best of places) and I checked the plants out for anything weird. They were hardy and about 3ft tall with plenty of baby tomats growing so I figured I couldn't go wrong....that was probaley my first mistake. :-D I transplanted them right away in my back yard, as it gets sunshine ALL DAY. I also mixed the existing soil with store bought manure before planting. The first few weeks were fine, then the bottom leaves of all the plants started to turn yellow and wilt. I called my local extension office and they suggested that I was over watering. We have had some rain so I let the plants dry out a bit before watering again. I also cut off the affected leaves. We have been able to harvest some of the fruit without issue, but in the past couple of days I've noticed the leaves turning color again (and rotting) and some holes in the fruit. I also find that in one plant around the holes and in the holes is some type of moldy stuff and another is just a big hole with nothing in it, no bugs or anything. Yet another has tiny holes all around. I can't find any worms, mites or bugs, so I been looking online and haven't founds a good description of what's going on. I've posted some images in hopes that someone will recognize what's happening and can provide some tips as to what I should do. Hopefully I can save my hubby's plants!!
Welcome JS, I see that a number of folks have viewed your post, but no one is willing to stick their neck out on this one. hahahaha. I can see why. It's almost impossible to get a handle on it from long distance, but I'm crazy enough to write down some ideas. I may wind up looking like a fool, but ach... my heart is in the right place. --As for the yellowing of the leaves: It is of course possible that the plant was once too wet as the store person said. However, tomatos need water and lots of it (ESPECIALLY in the blooming and fruiting period), so I would carefuylly beg to differ with that opinion. As the temps rise and summer nears I often give my toms water every other day. My idea for the yellowing is the use of fertilizer in the hole that you planted the plant in. I say that because sometimes the presence of fertilizer in a fresh hole can be too caustic for the roots. A transplanted plant is somewhat weak for a while after being transplanted (±2 weeks is my rule of thumb). **Some causes for leaf yellowing are: too much water, too little water, strong fertilizer, magnesium deficiency (this last type of yellowing is usually noted between the leaf veins). Mag. Too much Potassium in fertilizer can cause the Magnesium not to be available to the plant via root uptake. --What to do about it: I'm not sure what you can do at this stage, you already have fruits growing and colouring. Digging it up to lessen the amount of fertilizer seems out of the question to me. I guess that you could just give water on a regular basis and hope for the best. It is important to give the same amount of water at the same interval each time, or you may get still other deformaties noticable on your fruits. Of course giving the soil where you plan to grow toms is a common thing to do(I do it myself), but I put it on and in the soil where I plan to plant my toms about 3 weeks or so beforehand so that the rain and elements can break it down a bit first (this weakens it's strength too). I believe that removing the yellow and dead leaves is a good idea, but I would not put them on my compost pile. --The curious holes: I immediately suspected a bird's bill as making the puncture wounds. The holes that have black stuff I suspect is a mould or even a bacterial colonization. --What to do: When I have grown toms outside I have made a cage sort of like yours, but I also wrapped clear plastic around the outside, so that the plant was protected, but allowing the sunlight in. I did not cover this "circular tent", and thus excess heat could escape by rising upwards. To facilitate this, I left a very small gap at the bottom of the plastic wrap (about 3-4 fingers). I hope these ideas help you.
I also found this site to be very informative about tomato problems!!! They also advise NOT planting next years' tomatoes in the same place!!!! http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/Garden/02949.html
Hi and welcome to Gardenstew JSnyder! I'm under the impression that there's several causes behind this, mostly because I've had some very similar problems before The first thing my mind goes to is drainage. You may not be over-watering at all, but sometimes the ground doesn't drain the water quick enough. Constant dampness around the upper roots can cause some yellowing on leaves. This is particularly a problem in clay soils(like mine), but is easily remedied! Sand, fine gravel and a compost containing forest humus are my best friends here in the Willamette Valley. I work these deep into the soil, going a few inches further than the roots would on a full grown plant. As Sjored suggested, it's good to treat your soil a few weeks prior to planting. I think of it as "wining and dining" the ground so it's more inclined to grow me a glorious tomato :-D . Planting on higher ground is another easy fix. You might also consider a soil test, just to know what you're working with and how to improve it. From your picture it looks like you are using some straw mulch: this could be trapping some of the "sogginess" around the upper roots. I also agree with the bird theory os far as the holes in the actual fruit. It's definately a pest of some sort, nothing to worry about too much. Fortunately, as I've had plants exhibiting exactly the same yellowing, yours probably won't die if you continue watering a feeding at appropriate times. It may not be as productive BUT there's still plenty of time to work some soil and buy yourself another so hubby will have a satisfactory amount of tomatoes . I'd avoid buying flowering/fruiting plants if possible. The shock of transplant during this period can reduce your harvest & even cause the fruits/blossoms to drop off completely. I hope that helps some!
Thanks for the input I'll definately try your suggestions for the next couple of weeks. I'll keep my fingers crossed!! Thanks for the help! Johanna
Hello JS, I would just add one thing: I think that Lexxivexx touched up[on a VERY imp[ortant tip here and that is to avoid buying plants that are already flowering or fruiting. --You know, germinating your own toms from seed is usually extremely easy (I had 100% germination rate). Then you know what you have and you can plant them at the right stage every time.
