This years plants...

[Alberta]

Are totally pathetic, I don't know what or if I did anything different or wrong. Most of the tomato plants seem stunted, although I did not do anything different by starting them and hardening them off. I am speaking about the plants in the ground, I have 4 tomato plants in pots that are doing fantastically, but the ones in the ground look like crap, also have 7 eggplants in large pots doing great, the ones in the ground look like crap too, barely growing although I have fertilized with Neptunes somebody or other, sorry having one of those senior moments, LOL. I'll be lucky if I see tomatoes from the ground by October,

Alberta

[Timmah!]

Post some pictures of the plants? Apparently, something is different about the nature of the soil than that which is in the pots. Have you checked the ph or the nutrient levels?

[Alberta]

No I haven't checked the ph level, but as I sit here thinking, I realize that the area that has the tomato plants in it, last year had corn, and now I'm thinking that perhaps the corn took alot of the nitrogen out of the soil, duh!!! I'll see if I can get some pics later and post them, the plants are green enough, just not growing much at all. Thanks so much for your reply Timmah,

[ddsack]

Alberta, I have a similar odd problem with one of my raised beds. The plants on the ends look normal, but the three in the middle, especially the center one has not put on more growth than when planted. It looks green, no health issues otherwise, and even has produced one medium sized green tomato, but just not growing any suckers or upward. I can't account for it either. Something is going on with that patch of dirt. I grew sweet corn there last year as well, but I have always alternated beds every year with no problem before.When planting, I put a couple of shovels of rotted cow manure under each plant and they grow just fine. The only thing I can think of is that I stinted on the manure under those plants. My manure pile is under some trees. It's now in it's third year, and the tree roots have invaded the pile. (I buy a dump truck load at a time.) So maybe the tree roots have depleted the nutrients in what's left of my pile. I going to try to heavily fertilize the affected plants, and if that doesn't get them going, then something else is going on.

[Fred in Maine]

I am also baffled. I have a Green Zebra in a raised bed that has grown only a few inches since it was planted 5 weeks ago. My soil test showed that the soil is very rich in macro and micro nutrients. Also the CEC score (soil's ability to hold and deliver nutrients) is very high. My soil texture is very good, very high in organic matter, and drains very well.

I've tried a side-dressing of balanced amendments and a foliar spray of fish and kelp. Also watered twice in the past 5 weeks with a fish/seaweed solution. Weather has been the most ideal I've ever seen with sunny days in the high 70s to low 80s. Everything else in my garden is growing more aggresively than I've ever enjoyed before. Yet this Green Zebra is going nowhere.

I wonder if sometimes, some plants simply have an aberrant gene that doesn't allow them to thrive?

[Alberta]

thanks for the info guys, I'm still not sure what the problem is with my plants. They are also in raised beds, and get at least 3-4 inches of compost twice a year, both spring and fall. I forgot to take the camera out with me earlier, but will try to remember to do so tomorrow.

Alberta

[OkieJason]

Fred, plants are individuals. Your green zebra may be a poor performer, or a late bloomer. I had 2 Yellow pears in my patch this year 2ft away from each other. One just sat there for a month. Then it withered and a flood we had finished it off. The other yellow pear is only 2 feet away, planted at the same time in the same soil with the same witches brew in the hole. That plant not only survived the 500 year storm event, its 6 feet wide now, a month after its twin passed away.

Maybe plant a new one right next to it and see if its stunted too?

Jason

[Timmah!]

You could also finely crush an aspirin, mix it into a gallon of water & spray it once a week or so with this solution to see if it gives it a jump start. =)