Another Strange Condition

Salsacharley · August 29, 2017

These 2 tomatoes were just harvested from a plant in a row of many other tomato and pepper plants. I mislabeled the variety so I don't know what it is, but is possibly Rebel Yell. Does anybody know what causes the yellow?

Worth1 · August 29, 2017

How far are you from Roswell I just saw your other thread.

Worth

MissS · August 29, 2017

From what I understand, it indicates a potassium deficiency in your soil.

KarenO · August 29, 2017

It is a disorder known as yellow shoulders. Often heat related.
https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=3457

KarenO

Salsacharley · August 29, 2017

How about that! Yellow shoulders it is, which according to the article Karen provided also involves potassium defeciency.

Thank you for the info. Fortunately I only have 1 plant with this situation, and I think the remaining fruit are not afflicted.

RayR · August 29, 2017

Yellow shoulders is a similar condition as Blotchy ripening.
It doesn't indicate there are deficiencies of nutrients like K in the soil, but high stress factors on the plant can interfere with normal nutrient uptake and movement of nutrients to the fruit.

KarenO · August 30, 2017

That is correct. it is multifactorial and heat is often implicated. I have some affected this year as well.

KarenO

zipcode · August 30, 2017

My opinion, as stated in the quite similar recent thread is that most likely is due to high pH, excess Ca. These are the only problems I saw in some friend's garden with similar problems. It's just a not really proven observation (of course, high Ca could maybe mean lack of K absorption, but then I don't understand why the taste was surprisingly good.).

MissS · August 30, 2017

It's a funny thing that you should say that. Before I knew that this was a condition, I always tried to buy seeds that showed pictures of fruits with yellow shoulders. When I was a newbie, I grew some tomatoes that had yellow shoulders and they were THE BEST tomatoes of the year as far as flavor went. I just did not remember which variety that they were. Now I wonder if it was the yellow shoulders or the variety that made these maters taste so very good to me.

August 29, 2017	#3
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	From what I understand, it indicates a potassium deficiency in your soil. __________________ ~ Patti ~

August 29, 2017	#4
KarenO Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 5,932	It is a disorder known as yellow shoulders. Often heat related. https://agdev.anr.udel.edu/weeklycropupdate/?p=3457 KarenO Last edited by KarenO; August 29, 2017 at 08:11 PM.

August 30, 2017	#9
MissS Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin Posts: 3,150	It's a funny thing that you should say that. Before I knew that this was a condition, I always tried to buy seeds that showed pictures of fruits with yellow shoulders. When I was a newbie, I grew some tomatoes that had yellow shoulders and they were THE BEST tomatoes of the year as far as flavor went. I just did not remember which variety that they were. Now I wonder if it was the yellow shoulders or the variety that made these maters taste so very good to me. __________________ ~ Patti ~

August 29, 2017	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	How far are you from Roswell I just saw your other thread. Worth

August 29, 2017	#5
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	How about that! Yellow shoulders it is, which according to the article Karen provided also involves potassium defeciency. Thank you for the info. Fortunately I only have 1 plant with this situation, and I think the remaining fruit are not afflicted.

August 29, 2017	#6
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Yellow shoulders is a similar condition as Blotchy ripening. It doesn't indicate there are deficiencies of nutrients like K in the soil, but high stress factors on the plant can interfere with normal nutrient uptake and movement of nutrients to the fruit.

August 30, 2017	#8
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	My opinion, as stated in the quite similar recent thread is that most likely is due to high pH, excess Ca. These are the only problems I saw in some friend's garden with similar problems. It's just a not really proven observation (of course, high Ca could maybe mean lack of K absorption, but then I don't understand why the taste was surprisingly good.).