The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: Bionic on July 09, 2015, 02:36:22 pm
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i don't think it's a serious problem although have been removing the yellow leaves. It seems to be the lower ones that are affected. Any ideas?
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They're most likely just dying off as a natural part of the life cycle of the plant. Other possibilities include lack of nutrients (do you give a weekly feed?) or overwatering.
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MF, I was wondering about overwatering myself. They certainly
won't be short of water, but the weekly feed is something I had forgotten. They will get their first dose this evening. Thanks
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It's a good idea to snap off those yellowed leaves where they meet the main stalk (not cut), as long as they are beneath the first flower truss. Once they are yellowed they no longer manufacture sugars from sunshine plus chlorophyll, so all they're doing is blocking air circulation around the plants.
I know because I got a comprehensive bollocking from our flower shop lady, who grows large scale tomatoes, when we first moved here :roflanim:
If it's the top, new growth which is coming in yellow, then that's something else and we would need a pic.....time we had a photo icon on TAS :idea:
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It is the bottom leaves and I have already snapped them off, mainly because it's easier to get the watering can in without the bottom leaves anyway ;D
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I always remove the lower leaves in any case to allow the air to circulate. It helps to reduce the risk of blight.
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Are you feedng your tomato plants with a liquid tomato feed now the flowers on the trusses have set ?
Yep... remove the yellow leaves and if your doing vine toms remove all leaves below fruited trusses
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Bionic, you have sheep! The best liquid feed for tomatoes, courgettes and any other fruiting plant is sheep droppings and nettles or comfrey put in a water butt or dustbin and left for a few days to "brew". Dilute with water at the rate of approx. 1 pint s###e tea to 8 pints water or until it looks like weak tea.
I always "plant" the top half of a 2 litre plastic bottle or a bit of drain pipe next to my tomato and courgette plants and pour the feed down this once a week.
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Devonlady. I don't have any comfrey but do have plenty of nettles and there is always plenty of poo too. I feel a brew coming on ;D
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Sounds like they are just needing a feed ,the plant will use what they can to support themselves by taking it from the lower leaves .
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Be warned, nettles as a brew for tomatoes is really smelly! I ave made some this year and it is now consigned to a little used area of the garden due to the smell! :roflanim:
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I always remove the new shoots which come between the stems of the plants and leaves, so it can put all its effort into fruiting and flowering. Also the shoots you can pot on with a little rooting powder or not and they become new tomato plants. I do agree with the others though about the yellowing. Another thing could be potbound, the soil or aphids.
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How much water do tomato's need, I have had similar symptoms, but then the bases of the plants went slime (rotten) and they collapsed. I was watering everyday I guess I over did it...
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How much water do tomato's need, I have had similar symptoms, but then the bases of the plants went slime (rotten) and they collapsed. I was watering everyday I guess I over did it...
I always thought they needed lots of water but maybe not as much as I thought. Mine are in grow bags with those tomato rings round them so you just put water in the ring and not on the plant itself. This has worked really well in the past so I am still thinking its nutrients that they need.
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If I'm growing outdoor tomatoes I generally give them a good soaking every third day, if it hasn't rained in the meantime. I find the flavour much better if they're a little short of water, especially as they start to colour up.
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Mine are in 10 inch pots stood in watering trays trays, I was leaving water in the trays as I was told tomatos preferred to be watered from underneath, I did use cheap compost which may have been the problem... Next year I'll cough up for some better stuff...
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If I'm growing outdoor tomatoes I generally give them a good soaking every third day, if it hasn't rained in the meantime. I find the flavour much better if they're a little short of water, especially as they start to colour up.
I soak my tomato plants twice daily, if overcast and damp only once, they seem to be OK this year.
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How much water do tomato's need, I have had similar symptoms, but then the bases of the plants went slime (rotten) and they collapsed. I was watering everyday I guess I over did it...
I always thought they needed lots of water but maybe not as much as I thought. Mine are in grow bags with those tomato rings round them so you just put water in the ring and not on the plant itself. This has worked really well in the past so I am still thinking its nutrients that they need.
I've got three like that, plus one direct into the growbag without a ring, and another just in a tall pot. All inside the greenhouse with ventilation open 24/7, and water input once a day.
No difference between them and they're all doing fine. no yellow leaves and lots of flowers.
Two more outside under a plastic cover and they are much slower, but that's only to be expected.
I have no earthly idea what varieties they all are - some from friends, some from a seed packet that got wet and unreadable - just looking forward to having some to eat straight off the plants :excited: :excited:
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I water my greenhouse ones, grown in the soil not pots, every day and the outside ones every day if it's hot and sunny or every other day if it's cooler. They are looking good this year.
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Mine are in 10 inch pots stood in watering trays trays, I was leaving water in the trays as I was told tomatos preferred to be watered from underneath, I did use cheap compost which may have been the problem... Next year I'll cough up for some better stuff...
I think the compost you use makes a huge difference. I grow my tomatoes directly in the soil of my polytunnel, in ground very well manured with FYM, comfrey leaves and seaweed meal, plus a tagetes plant for each one to keep the pests off.
However, I start them off indoors in pots, and I've found what I use in those pots is vital to the crop. One year the compost was contaminated with weedkiller from source, even though it was supposed to be good quality.
I think the organic composts, if you get a good make, hold their nutrients for longer, but a point comes with both when the growing medium has no feed at all left in it. Also, if you use something like a peat based compost and it dries out, it's very difficult to re-wet (you can add a few drops of washing up liquid to the water, which helps). I pot on my young tomatoes frequently, both to stop them getting pot bound, and to keep up the nutrients.
For good growth, tomatoes need nitrogen rich feed before the flower buds appear, then high potassium (comfrey, tomato feed) thereafter, and the flowers sprayed with water.
They do need loads of water, but not so much that they can't suck it all up within a couple of hours. If the roots are standing in water, they will have no oxygen, then rot. If your roots are poor, then bury the plants a few inches deeper than usual in the growing medium (easier in soil) and they will grow extra roots from the stem.
For watering when mine are in pots, I pour feed on from the top, but plain water from the bottom. You can also see if they are wet or dry by lifting the pots and testing for weight - won't work obviously for growbags, unless you have several arms.
Bionic - you must have comfrey; can't garden without it.
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I bought some of this for my house plants you should try it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eazifeed-Water-Retaining-Gel/dp/B003GC8FI8 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eazifeed-Water-Retaining-Gel/dp/B003GC8FI8)
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I bought some of this for my house plants you should try it.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eazifeed-Water-Retaining-Gel/dp/B003GC8FI8 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eazifeed-Water-Retaining-Gel/dp/B003GC8FI8)
As a matter of interest, what is the gel made from, and what does it decompose to? Is it 'Organic' approved?
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I am not sure you would have to ask them. I used it for my houseplants although not sure if it could be used for tomato plants.
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......I did use cheap compost which may have been the problem...
Its amazing the differences between compost makes.
I think some shop own makes haven't actually left the compost long enough before bagging it and as a result its too strong and it will burn any roots or shoots before they get a chance to emerge. This is the case with our local council made compost - its cheap per bag, fantastic as a top mulch for flower beds, veg beds or mixing in with existing soil. Growing or sowing things straight into it - a waste of time. Its too strong.
On a side note, nutrient deficiencies - see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=456 (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=456)
In crops generally:
older leaves = magnesium - remember it as 'Old Maggie'
younger leaves = manganese - remember it as 'Young Man'
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......I did use cheap compost which may have been the problem...
Its amazing the differences between compost makes.
I think some shop own makes haven't actually left the compost long enough before bagging it and as a result its too strong and it will burn any roots or shoots before they get a chance to emerge. This is the case with our local council made compost - its cheap per bag, fantastic as a top mulch for flower beds, veg beds or mixing in with existing soil. Growing or sowing things straight into it - a waste of time. Its too strong.
On a side note, nutrient deficiencies - see https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=456 (https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=456)
In crops generally:
older leaves = magnesium - remember it as 'Old Maggie'
younger leaves = manganese - remember it as 'Young Man'
I don't have access to council compost, but I had heard that it's not ideal in many cases because there are so many Leyland cypress clippings in it. Nothing seems to grow under leylandii, and the wood doesn't burn, so it sounds reasonable that it's not good to start off seedlings in. It seems to contain a chemical which stops other plants germinating - I don't know this, but have heard it.... I'm sure you're right about the stuff not being composted for long enough too.
I tried making my own compost for a couple of years, but I hadn't got it quite right, largely because I have no leaf mould to add (here the leaves seem to blow away before they touch the ground ::)) The seedlings were OK, but not plants in pots long term.
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I use levingtons compost the tomato plants love it :)
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Mine are in levingtons tomato grow bags