Tomato plant question

[davidmash]

I just planted 2 tomato plants. I have never grown vegies before so this is new territory for me. The pots are drilled on the bottom so there is drainage and I used the same organic soil for both (strong smell of cow manure) so it seemed like good stuff.

Some of the leaves are turning yellow. One is growing fine but the other seems to already have issues. Is it due to too much water? They are being watered 3 times a week with a drip irrigation. Not sure how much as it is a variable dripper and I have not measured.







Any ideas?

[speace]

Is it in direct sunlight? It could be the heat.

This was a topic on a local lawn & garden talk show. The caller couldn't understand why the plants wouldn't thrive in good soil in the pots on the deck. The host's answer was that with the black soil and direct sunlight, the pot was heating up and the plants were 'cooking' right there in the pot.

If the plants were set out in the ground, the roots would not get so hot.

Could this be your situation?

[Chad300tdt]

If all your soil is like what it looks like on top, You probably have too much drainage and not enough water. The soil looks dry in your pics. That in combination with the heat issue speace mentioned is my guess. I water my tomatoes whenever the soil looks dry, usually every evening in this hot weather. You just have to find a good balance by the time you get fruit so you don't get splits in the tomatoes from overwatering.

Good luck.

[davidmash]

The one that is having issues does get a little more sun light than the one in front but the little planting recommendations say full sunlight.

They get morning and early afternoon light then are in the shade of a tree.

I just checked the moisture of the soil and just below the surface it is nice and moist. Not muddy but dark and moist.

[mgburg]

My wife planted tomatoes and green peppers on the south side of our residence a few years back...

Sandy soil, with a little black dirt mixed in...

Neighbor said others had tried the same thing in the same area, with no luck...

She went out every day, watered everything in the morning, around 2pm and then just before 8pm...

We had just one, big, yellow/black spider in the area that was FAST and it ate anything that crawled in the area...

She had full tomatoes and peppers at least 3 weeks before anyone else did...UNBLEMISHED (Spider's doing) and ripe...and both sets of plants continued to produce, right up to first frost...

I think it was the right drainage and continual watering...and that spider...fastest 8 legs to zip up and down the plants...

If she had left it to me...dum, dah, dum, dum, dahhhhhhhh! Mr. BlackThumb!

"Hey! Honey! Look! Mulch!"

[Botnst]

Tomatoes are tropical -- they can take full sunlight anywhere. It could be lack of water but I doubt it. Plants with water deficiency wilt like crazy while they are still green.

The technical term for leaf yellowing is "chlorosis". That indicates a lack of chlorophyll. But the organelles in which chlorophyll resides, chloroplasts, are present because that yellow pigment is almost exclusively found in chloroplasts.

Something is interfering with the production of chlorophyll.

The 4 major culprits in that regard are 1) overwatering, 2) nitrogen deficiency, 3) a micronutrient deficiency, 4) soil parasite.

1) Overwatering -- I doubt it, given where you live and the pot volume.

2) You're growing the plant in bull poopie -- rich in nitrogen. Ah, but what form of nitrogen? If it is fresh poop then some portion of the nitrogen will be in the form of uric acid and/or urea and/or ammonia. These chemicals are toxic to plants and affect root function, too. Old poop is okay under almost all circumstances because if it is old it releases nitrogen very slowly as compared to industrial fertilizers or fresh poop. How do you tell if it's old or fresh? If it smells like crap, it is. If it smells like sweetish dirt, it is. Old poop smells like sweet dirt.

3) Micronutrient deficiency -- possible, depending where the bull poopie originated. If east of the MS river it can have Zn, Se, and Mg deficiency depending on how the beasts were fed. If wet of the Mississippi it could have a calcium deficiency.

4) Root parasite. You're screwed.

The simplest solution, IMO, is get down close to the soil and take the sniff test. If it's smells like vegetarian *****, you're screwed. If it smells like sweet dirt go to the next step.

Go to your local garden store and ask for a low NPK, micronutrient fertilizer. Follow label directions and apply. Why low NPK? Because you're growing the plant in old bull poop, it should have plenty of available bio-available NPK. Over-fertilizing will kill a plant.

The easiest way to grow tomatoes is by reading "Organic Gardening Magazine" and follow their instructions to a "T". (Is that still published? I loved that magazine!). It's great bathroom reading.

Bot

[Chad300tdt]

Originally Posted by Botnst

Plants with water deficiency wilt like crazy while they are still green.

I was thinking that due to the crispy edges of the leaves. After reading your post and doing more research myself, I agree with your #2.

Originally Posted by Botnst

2) nitrogen deficiency

2) You're growing the plant in bull poopie -- rich in nitrogen. Ah, but what form of nitrogen? If it is fresh poop then some portion of the nitrogen will be in the form of uric acid and/or urea and/or ammonia. These chemicals are toxic to plants and affect root function, too. Old poop is okay under almost all circumstances because if it is old it releases nitrogen very slowly as compared to industrial fertilizers or fresh poop. How do you tell if it's old or fresh? If it smells like crap, it is. If it smells like sweetish dirt, it is. Old poop smells like sweet dirt.

What do I know ... YOU after all are the Botnst.

[Botnst]

I make it up as I go.

It's easier that way.

B

[speace]

If they were mine, I would set them directly in the ground using the manure/soil you have. I planted some flowers that way and set them out on my deck in the full sun. They died right away

(Disclaimer: I'm not a farmer, but have grown some T'maters, and have observed my father-in-law as he grew some amazing things!)

[Palangi]

I'm having the same problem here. Pepper plants are doing great. Tomato plant leaves look just like David's. Same deal last year.

[TX76513]

Those tomato plants are both males - You need to buy a male and a female plant

[Ken300D]

It really is an interesting turn of events as more people become interested in small home gardening projects and things like biking to work. Meanwhile the "communists" are polluting, eating and smoking themselves to death as they find increased economic success.

My wife's tomatoes look the best we've ever had so far this year. Green leaves all the way up and down the stem. She starts them inside, then they go into a small greenhouse, then directly into the garden ground. The garden soil is mixed with Miracle-Grow potting mix and some wood ash from the firewood stove.

I think you're looking at a soil PH problem. I've seen soil test strips at Wal-Mart. You literally have too much fresh BS in there.

The plants can also be stressed a little when repotted. We try to get any kind of repotting or ground planting on tomatoes done in cooler weather.

What does the rest of your drip irrigation setup look like? Is it just hooked into your house water tap? Any kind of water volume control, or do you just turn it on and let it run for a few hours?

Ken300D

[davidmash]

The Tomatoes are "Bestboys" breed.

Are you serious about the male/female thing? That was a joke right?

The one that is turning yellow seems to be growing at the top quite well. I would say it has put on several inches in the month that I have had it.

The drip is on a timer set for 35 min 3 times a week. The out lets vary by plant. The ones I have on the tomato plants are 2-10 GPH units that are set at about 3 GPH right now.

[davidmash]

Sniff test - Um not sure what I am supposed to smell but I did not really smell anything other than dirt. There was no lingering manure smell. Nothing smelled rotten. Just smelled like dirt I guess.

The older yellow leaves (the ones on the bottom) are now turning brown. I guess I should cut them off.

[79-240d-project]

The containers should have drain holes but put a couple of layers of weed block at the bottom of the container to prevent the water from just running out. When planting tomato starts you need to prune off the bottom three quarters of the branches and plant that sucker deep. Put a couple of banana peals and a healthy dose of Miracle-Grow shake and feed in the hole first.

Container gardening requires intensive watering and feeding.

Feed yours. I use fish fert. and Miracle-Grow. Follow label.