what's up with this plant? - Page 3

wormgirl · May 25, 2015

You know, I did have fungus gnats. Not a ridiculous amount and I took care of it with a big yellow sticky trap on the back porch. I don't know which plant they came from so... yeah that could be it! I will check moisture level and try and do the peroxide treatment tomorrow. If it's too wet I'll set it under cover so it won't get rained on and do it later.

Thanks!!!

Al@NC · June 2, 2015

How's your plant doing wormgirl? I know someone else who bought 3 of those tomato plants from that nursery that sells at Fred Meyers and their plants didn't do well at all...

ginger2778 · June 2, 2015

Commercial nurseries treat their tomato plants with growth" regulators" to keep them short and stocky stemmed so they look gorgeous to the buyer, and so that they don't get too tall on the shelf in the store. I bought a Sunsugar last year( Bonnie), did exactly as yours shows. They say the growth inhibitor eventually is outgrown, but if your plant went to blossom stage, it is in reproductive "mode" rather than growth "mode". If I got my Sunsugar this year from the store, I would have pinched off the blossoms to allow it to have more early growth. Still not sure that would have been helpful.

wormgirl · June 2, 2015

Al and Marsha, I think you may be on to something. Marsha, you might be right that it could have helped to pinch off blossoms. Of course being a northern grower, I normally never, ever do that. And of course how could I have told the plant was stunted before I let it grow...

The SunSugar is doing better now. Despite it not being rootbound, it does seem happier now that it's in a larger pot. I have not caged it yet. It is truly growing into a bush. On Saturday I did give it the peroxide treatment but I am not sure how much of a concern fungus gnats were anymore.

I wonder about my Big Rainbow that I also got at Fred Meyer. It was labeled Organically Grown and although it is growing, it seemed to take longer to get going than the others. The thing I noticed is it was so STOCKY when I got it. I wondered how they got the stem so thick for the plant being so short. I wondered if they did cuttings. Can they use growth inhibitors on organic seedlings?

In contrast, the stressed & sickly Kellogg's Breakfast I unwisely purchased is totally transformed. It was started by a small farm near here, stressed by bad treatment at the store, but is practically unrecognizable now. It seems to have doubled in size in a week! (Wish I had before and after pix on this one...)

Sunsugar top view

wormgirl · June 2, 2015

Sunsugar is in the front row, to the left of the PL plant with the red cage. I've nicknamed it Shorty. The tallest is Sungold.

wormgirl · June 2, 2015

And here is the south bed, two weekends ago. See, it is sunny here, sometimes.... LOL..
Actually just looking at this picture I can see how much the smaller ones on the right have grown (the far right one is KB).

wormgirl · July 9, 2015

I thought I'd come back and give an update.

The plant I was concerned about grew into a bushy shrub that's only about 3.5 feet tall. But it's been producing some tomatoes for a while. They are very tasty. However, I am surprised they have "nipples." See below. (I did pick these a little underripe, so they are not at full color yet.) Is this an expected trait of SunSugar?

wormgirl · July 9, 2015

The garden is doing great overall and I'm getting lots of tomatoes suddenly! Here's this morning's harvest. Not pictured is the first Kellogg's Breakfast which was picked yesterday and ripening on the counter. I've also eaten a couple Jaune Flamme.

Shown here: Cherokee Purple (left), Black Krim (large on right), Stupice (on the bottom - first one today), various cherries including Gold Nugget, Sun Gold, Sun Sugar, and Sweet Baby Girl.

wormgirl · July 9, 2015

Here's how the south bed looks now (compare to above...)

Slg Garden · July 10, 2015

Wow, I'm impressed that you got all those ripe ones already. I've only gotten Sungold, Golf Nugget and Stupice. When did you plant them out?

JRinPA · July 10, 2015

Hey wormgirl..This is my third year with sunsugars (ground, cages) and while I only have eaten a few this season as it is still early...I have never seen nipples like that on sunsugars. Last year I had an early girl plant or two do that unexpectedly, though. All mine have been bought at a flower shop, bonnie plants I believe.

I do pinch off most branches except the growing tips + usually 1 branch, then trench plant, and have yet get a bushy sunsugar like that. Sunsugars are somewhat sparser in foliage and tall and lanky, at least in my cages. I have 2 out front in the sun this year and 1 out back in the shade. All three are looking great except some yellowing leaves at the bottom of each. I have a sweet 100 next to both the front and backyard sunsugars and those are thicker foliage and no yellowing. By the end of next week we will be covered up in cherries I believe. Well, I hope.

wormgirl · July 11, 2015

Sig - I grew them for a long time in my sunroom before putting them out... started putting plants out May 1 or so. I also used some cage wraps when I did put them out. The Cherokee Purples and Black Krims I'm getting now got the best treatment - they were in a 3 gallon container during this "greenhouse" time and then got large containers when they were set out. I document all this on a long thread over at Gardenweb here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...done-this?n=67

JR, this is my first year growing SunSugar but I would have expected them to be as you describe - tall and lanky, similar to SunGold. I wonder if I actually got a SunSugar.

JRinPA · July 11, 2015

I'll take some pics front and back yard if I get a chance tomorrow. Lanky might not be the right term for the ones getting the sun out front. Four tomato cages have formed a green wall between our driveway and the neighbor's driveway. The bottom truss of the sunsugars are just starting to blush.

JRinPA · July 14, 2015

I have come to the conclusion that I am terrible at taking pics of tomato plants. Firstly, the entire yard is one big photobomb! And I never really get a good hard focus either. The sunsugars are a little more lithe, maybe a little less vigorous at producing suckers, and a darker shade of green than the sweet 100s. Not that any of that showed up with me taking the pics...

Backyard - because east is behind the 30 foot arbor vitae, these plants receive sun from about 1pm to 5 or 6 pm. They are planted in turned over lawn.
From left - sweet100#1, sunsugar#1, unid heirloom, unid, estiva.
Notice the sunsugar has yellowing leaves at bottom. All three sunsugars have yellowed bottoms, while both sweet 100 plants are perfect. The pics don't really do justice but the sweet 100 has more foliage seeing in person. Sunsugars taste wonderful though and worth it imo. I still have not planted sungold.

Front yard in rose bed. These plants get sun from 8am to probably 5pm. Also better air flow, and the soil should be better from horse manure over the years.
From left, sunsugar#2, sweet 100#2, sunsugar#3, estiva. Note:I don't have the estiva numbered. I planted about 65 all told and I can't count that high anyway.

Reverse side. There's a jon boat in our driveway but it's hard to see through that wall!

Sunsugar#3

Sweet100#2

Sunsugar#2 - wilty bottom. It had recovered some after avct drench but is droopy again. Otherwise very healthy

Sunsugar#2 closeups including 1 pointy ended fruit, centered 2nd pic over exposed by flash

Hope that helps you decide if you got a sunsugar or what. I'm terrible at comparing leaves in pics, so I'll let you do that.

May 25, 2015	#31
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	You know, I did have fungus gnats. Not a ridiculous amount and I took care of it with a big yellow sticky trap on the back porch. I don't know which plant they came from so... yeah that could be it! I will check moisture level and try and do the peroxide treatment tomorrow. If it's too wet I'll set it under cover so it won't get rained on and do it later. Thanks!!! Last edited by wormgirl; May 25, 2015 at 01:40 AM.

July 11, 2015	#42
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	Sig - I grew them for a long time in my sunroom before putting them out... started putting plants out May 1 or so. I also used some cage wraps when I did put them out. The Cherokee Purples and Black Krims I'm getting now got the best treatment - they were in a 3 gallon container during this "greenhouse" time and then got large containers when they were set out. I document all this on a long thread over at Gardenweb here: http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussi...done-this?n=67 JR, this is my first year growing SunSugar but I would have expected them to be as you describe - tall and lanky, similar to SunGold. I wonder if I actually got a SunSugar. __________________ Jenn

July 14, 2015	#44
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	I have come to the conclusion that I am terrible at taking pics of tomato plants. Firstly, the entire yard is one big photobomb! And I never really get a good hard focus either. The sunsugars are a little more lithe, maybe a little less vigorous at producing suckers, and a darker shade of green than the sweet 100s. Not that any of that showed up with me taking the pics... Backyard - because east is behind the 30 foot arbor vitae, these plants receive sun from about 1pm to 5 or 6 pm. They are planted in turned over lawn. From left - sweet100#1, sunsugar#1, unid heirloom, unid, estiva. Notice the sunsugar has yellowing leaves at bottom. All three sunsugars have yellowed bottoms, while both sweet 100 plants are perfect. The pics don't really do justice but the sweet 100 has more foliage seeing in person. Sunsugars taste wonderful though and worth it imo. I still have not planted sungold. Front yard in rose bed. These plants get sun from 8am to probably 5pm. Also better air flow, and the soil should be better from horse manure over the years. From left, sunsugar#2, sweet 100#2, sunsugar#3, estiva. Note:I don't have the estiva numbered. I planted about 65 all told and I can't count that high anyway. Reverse side. There's a jon boat in our driveway but it's hard to see through that wall! Sunsugar#3 Sweet100#2 Sunsugar#2 - wilty bottom. It had recovered some after avct drench but is droopy again. Otherwise very healthy Sunsugar#2 closeups including 1 pointy ended fruit, centered 2nd pic over exposed by flash Hope that helps you decide if you got a sunsugar or what. I'm terrible at comparing leaves in pics, so I'll let you do that. Last edited by JRinPA; July 14, 2015 at 03:04 AM.

June 2, 2015	#32
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	How's your plant doing wormgirl? I know someone else who bought 3 of those tomato plants from that nursery that sells at Fred Meyers and their plants didn't do well at all...

June 2, 2015	#33
ginger2778 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Plantation, Florida zone 10 Posts: 9,283	Commercial nurseries treat their tomato plants with growth" regulators" to keep them short and stocky stemmed so they look gorgeous to the buyer, and so that they don't get too tall on the shelf in the store. I bought a Sunsugar last year( Bonnie), did exactly as yours shows. They say the growth inhibitor eventually is outgrown, but if your plant went to blossom stage, it is in reproductive "mode" rather than growth "mode". If I got my Sunsugar this year from the store, I would have pinched off the blossoms to allow it to have more early growth. Still not sure that would have been helpful.

July 10, 2015	#40
Slg Garden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Seattle area Posts: 76	Wow, I'm impressed that you got all those ripe ones already. I've only gotten Sungold, Golf Nugget and Stupice. When did you plant them out?