So most of my Tom's have grown into thin stalked leggy things that really haven't filled out. They are making fruit, but the plant itself doesn't look very healthy. I did pinch alot of suckers and have since stopped. Lower branches on a couple have been turning yellow and falling off. My assumptions have left me with three reasons to why this is happening. Too much water, not enough water or packed soil. It's too late in the game to fix it now but if I can avoid these pit falls it would be nice to get out ahead of them.
Northerner, can you do me a favor? look at your tomato plant and count how many leaves are between the sets of blossoms. let me know that before I answer and cause more confusion.
Would also help to know if they are in a container or in the ground ! You can see similar conditions with container grown plants.
they look like they need fertilizer and maybe more water. I can't count any leaves between flower trusses from these photos but I am going to assume they are indeterminates and not determinates. if there are two leaves between flower trusses that would indicate they are determinates. three leaves in between trusses is an indeterminate, determinates you don't prune or sucker. indeterminates you pull the suckers out in between flower trusses to keep them from getting so full and this also helps for air circulation... that doesn't seem to be an issue. have you fertilized them at all? that would be my first guess. they look healthy as they are. yellow leaves at the bottom aren't abnormal unless they are spotted, burned or nasty looking.
They are indeterminate. Trying to self diagnose as well and I just stuck my finger in the ground under the mulch. Soaked! My garden is on a drip irrigation system and it's scheduled to run everyday for 90 minutes. It last ran 24hrs ago. I don't think I'll be using mulch next year. It's deceiving as on the surface it looks dry as a bone, but under 4 inches of mulch it's soaked. So I guess everything is getting over watered, not just the toms. I know i just answered my own question but do you think I'm on the right track?
ya, you might be overwatering it. are you fertilizing though? you can leach the fertilizer right out if there is too much water trickling through. don't be afraid of using mulch next year. it does a great job of conserving moisture. that means you son't need to spend so much time or if you are on city water... especially money. I water my houses about 2 hours each day but they are much hotter and get no moisture from the sky. I step on the beds to see if they are moist under the plastic. you need to put your fingers down in the mulch to get a feel for how wet the media is.
Yeah, it's very moist. I've turned off the irrigation timer. Now as far as fertilizer, I think I'll grab some grow big and big bloom from Fox farm. I've heard good things about it.
I wish I could agree hummer. Way over watered and way stressed out. But there's still lots of time left. I'll get them squared away very soon. I'm also already planning for next year. I'm shooting for a no till garden.
Carolyn is right ! I fertilize mine about every three weeks from the time they go into the garden til they are about halfway into production ! If you don`t feed them,, they don`t feed you ! Tomatoes are pretty heavy feeders ! While young you can fertilize at two week intervals ! Just be sure not to over do it,, I use a commercial fertilizer and keep it 6 inches away from the main stem and water it in !
I've had the irrigation system off since Wednesday and it still feels damp under the mulch. I fertilized with fox Farm's "Grow Big" and "Big Bloom". Seems like really good stuff. The first picture is the grow big for lush green vegative growth. The second picture is the big bloom for fruit and flower development.
