Septoria affecting ripening? If not, what is delaying ripening??

cleo88 · August 27, 2012

Just got back from a week's vacation and as expected, the septoria made great progress while I was not around to remove affected leaves (not that that slows it down all that much).

I am deeply committed to Daconil for next year but given that it is a preventive, not going to bother at this point.

I also never got around to mulching my larger tomato bed and have been reading that mulching may help, so that will be a priority next year.

But my question du jour is: after my deer and chipmunk problems, now I FINALLY have a lot of large green tomatoes that look fantastic. But they would look more fantastic if they would start blushing. Really, I can't believe they've been so big and so green for so long. So is it possible that my reduced amount of foliage due to septoria is retarding the ripening process? Because if it's not, I really have no idea why these frickin tomatoes are not ripening.

It's been fantastic weather here, hot and dry. Is it possible that it's been TOO dry here and that is delaying the ripening?? If anything, I've underwatered this year. Clearly I'm grasping at straws. Help!

zabby17 · August 28, 2012

Cleo,

My sympathies! I too have stared at gorgeous, big, stubbornly GREEN tomatoes and tried to WILL them to ripen! The sad truth is, I think, that many large-fruited varieties are just slower than one would wish to mature.

The GOOD news is that once there's even the tiniest bit of colour blush, it doesn't take long to get to full ripeness. Hang in there!

As for the septoria, I think that's what makes some of my lower leaves go brown and yellow, and yes, mulching seems to help---in particular, I recommend a layer of PAPER (newspaper or Kraft paper), with leaves or straw or whatever on top.

But it doesn't stop it, any more than removing the affected leaves does. I have taken to accepting yellow-brown lower leaves late in the season as part of growing tomatoes. Doesn't seem to stop productivity or delay ripening. Makes the garden less picture-perfect if I don't keep up with removing leaves (and, alas, I don't, as I'd rather spend the time making salsa!)

Good luck. I'm SURE those 'maters will turn red any day now!

Z

**carolyn137** · August 28, 2012

Cleo, why not drive over here from MA and take a look at my pathetic tomatoes. Some plants never got blossoms, some set blossoms and no fruit, and there are fruits out there now that just stare at me. So far my take from 40 plants has been four fruits, two of one kind and two of another.

I'm chalking it all up to weather starting back in June when it was COLD and rainy.

Foliage is neceassy for photosynthesis to make the energy compounds ATP and GTP but the greatest need for those is in the vegetative cycle of the plant and not so much for the sexual phase, especially when it comes to ripening mature fruits. That's accomplished by a cascade of enzyme reactions.

So I don't think the common foliage diseases are the perps when it comes to delayed ripening.

cleo88 · August 28, 2012

Thanks for both of these responses. Zabby, I like your idea of newspaper underneath mulch - I think I will try that next year. And I actually picked a few small blushing maters today and one big Dutchman, but all the other big ones are still holding out.

Carolyn, I guess misery does like company because your reply made me feel better. It's hard for me to remember back to our cold and rainy June since July and August were so hot and dry, but I'm going to assume that my situation (and yours) is due to June weather that we are still catching up to.

stonysoilseeds · August 29, 2012

mine are very late this yr too attributed to strange weather///i get a bit jealous lol seeing and hearing about all the delicious ripe tomatoes from other forum members..i picked some ripe tomatoes last week from a carrot leaf type i got from tattiana and this week a few small stupices,, i have some very large cherokees startimg to show some tinge of orange.. but for the most part they are long awaited... i find the incidence of septoria and other fungal disease defeniely diminished by mulhing i like the idea of newspaper too ., i have been using oat straw

**carolyn137** · August 30, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by stonysoilseeds

mine are very late this yr too attributed to strange weather///i get a bit jealous lol seeing and hearing about all the delicious ripe tomatoes from other forum members..i picked some ripe tomatoes last week from a carrot leaf type i got from tattiana and this week a few small stupices,, i have some very large cherokees startimg to show some tinge of orange.. but for the most part they are long awaited... i find the incidence of septoria and other fungal disease defeniely diminished by mulhing i like the idea of newspaper too ., i have been using oat straw

Mulching is fine and can help prevent splashback infection in an area where tomato plants have had diseased foliage and the fungal spores have fallen to the ground in previous years, but sadly can do nothing to prevent NEW infections which are spread by wind and rain.

lakelady · August 30, 2012

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I recall reading somewhere that it takes a tomato from 6-8 weeks to become a ripe fruit (I'm assuming from the time of fertilization, it didn't state in the article I read, and I wish I could remember where I read it).

After I read that, I stopped being so impatient and just learned to wait. Not easy, but since I've never found a way to hasten ripening, it's about all I can do.

Fortunately, I had some early varieties which kept me happy for a while until the beefsteaks came in.

My big flush of tomatoes came 3rd and 4th week of July, then there was a lull, now a few more are coming in, but some of the plants have simply petered out and have 1 or no more tomatoes so they are ready to be pulled. So odd. Usually there are greenies on the plants until mid-late October here.

**carolyn137** · August 30, 2012

http://www.tomatosite.com/index.php?...Truss_Timeline

You probably read the above timeline which I've linked to many times here and elsewhere.

Father'sDaughter · August 30, 2012

I had to spend a good number of hours pruning out all the dead and diseased branches after we went away for a week and it all got ahead of me! I ended up with four armloads if icky looking foliage when I was done, but there is still plenty of healthy foliage and tomatoes on the plants.

I recall having the same thing happen last year in both my garden and dad's. In talking to him (he's been growing tomatoes in the same garden since the early '60s) he says it's the same every year around this time, and he just expects. He's never sprayed since it's too late in the season for any new fruit set to ripen, and the plants hang on long enough for him to get the final tomatoes off them before first frost.

August 27, 2012	#1
cleo88 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Sharon, MA Zone 6 Posts: 225	Septoria affecting ripening? If not, what is delaying ripening?? Just got back from a week's vacation and as expected, the septoria made great progress while I was not around to remove affected leaves (not that that slows it down all that much). I am deeply committed to Daconil for next year but given that it is a preventive, not going to bother at this point. I also never got around to mulching my larger tomato bed and have been reading that mulching may help, so that will be a priority next year. But my question du jour is: after my deer and chipmunk problems, now I FINALLY have a lot of large green tomatoes that look fantastic. But they would look more fantastic if they would start blushing. Really, I can't believe they've been so big and so green for so long. So is it possible that my reduced amount of foliage due to septoria is retarding the ripening process? Because if it's not, I really have no idea why these frickin tomatoes are not ripening. It's been fantastic weather here, hot and dry. Is it possible that it's been TOO dry here and that is delaying the ripening?? If anything, I've underwatered this year. Clearly I'm grasping at straws. Help!

August 28, 2012	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Cleo, why not drive over here from MA and take a look at my pathetic tomatoes. Some plants never got blossoms, some set blossoms and no fruit, and there are fruits out there now that just stare at me. So far my take from 40 plants has been four fruits, two of one kind and two of another. I'm chalking it all up to weather starting back in June when it was COLD and rainy. Foliage is neceassy for photosynthesis to make the energy compounds ATP and GTP but the greatest need for those is in the vegetative cycle of the plant and not so much for the sexual phase, especially when it comes to ripening mature fruits. That's accomplished by a cascade of enzyme reactions. So I don't think the common foliage diseases are the perps when it comes to delayed ripening. __________________ Carolyn

August 30, 2012	#7
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I recall reading somewhere that it takes a tomato from 6-8 weeks to become a ripe fruit (I'm assuming from the time of fertilization, it didn't state in the article I read, and I wish I could remember where I read it). After I read that, I stopped being so impatient and just learned to wait. Not easy, but since I've never found a way to hasten ripening, it's about all I can do. Fortunately, I had some early varieties which kept me happy for a while until the beefsteaks came in. My big flush of tomatoes came 3rd and 4th week of July, then there was a lull, now a few more are coming in, but some of the plants have simply petered out and have 1 or no more tomatoes so they are ready to be pulled. So odd. Usually there are greenies on the plants until mid-late October here. __________________ Antoniette

August 30, 2012	#8
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	http://www.tomatosite.com/index.php?...Truss_Timeline You probably read the above timeline which I've linked to many times here and elsewhere. __________________ Carolyn

August 28, 2012	#2
zabby17 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 211	Cleo, My sympathies! I too have stared at gorgeous, big, stubbornly GREEN tomatoes and tried to WILL them to ripen! The sad truth is, I think, that many large-fruited varieties are just slower than one would wish to mature. The GOOD news is that once there's even the tiniest bit of colour blush, it doesn't take long to get to full ripeness. Hang in there! As for the septoria, I think that's what makes some of my lower leaves go brown and yellow, and yes, mulching seems to help---in particular, I recommend a layer of PAPER (newspaper or Kraft paper), with leaves or straw or whatever on top. But it doesn't stop it, any more than removing the affected leaves does. I have taken to accepting yellow-brown lower leaves late in the season as part of growing tomatoes. Doesn't seem to stop productivity or delay ripening. Makes the garden less picture-perfect if I don't keep up with removing leaves (and, alas, I don't, as I'd rather spend the time making salsa!) Good luck. I'm SURE those 'maters will turn red any day now! Z

August 29, 2012	#5
stonysoilseeds Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: cincinnatus, new york Posts: 341	mine are very late this yr too attributed to strange weather///i get a bit jealous lol seeing and hearing about all the delicious ripe tomatoes from other forum members..i picked some ripe tomatoes last week from a carrot leaf type i got from tattiana and this week a few small stupices,, i have some very large cherokees startimg to show some tinge of orange.. but for the most part they are long awaited... i find the incidence of septoria and other fungal disease defeniely diminished by mulhing i like the idea of newspaper too ., i have been using oat straw

August 30, 2012	#9
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I had to spend a good number of hours pruning out all the dead and diseased branches after we went away for a week and it all got ahead of me! I ended up with four armloads if icky looking foliage when I was done, but there is still plenty of healthy foliage and tomatoes on the plants. I recall having the same thing happen last year in both my garden and dad's. In talking to him (he's been growing tomatoes in the same garden since the early '60s) he says it's the same every year around this time, and he just expects. He's never sprayed since it's too late in the season for any new fruit set to ripen, and the plants hang on long enough for him to get the final tomatoes off them before first frost.