Phosphorus or disease?

yelnic · April 29, 2016

Hi Everyone.
I have been away from home for over 3 weeks and came home to a few sad looking tomato plants.

A neighbor has been kind enough to water them every few days while I have been away but I cant seem to figure out what is wrong with them.

The plants that seem to have the most issues are the Celebrity tomatoes. They look purplish/yellow and just sick. My Early Girl & Wild Fred look great! I figured the leaves got curled due to the aphids I found on them which have now been taken care of. But the purple/yellow leaves are throwing me off. I was thinking phosphorus problems. Hit them with some Miracle Gro Tomato plant food 18-18-21 and a tablespoon of Epsom salt 4 days ago and they look the same.

The weather in this area of Santa Monica, CA has been upper 60s day / 50s night for the last month.

Any idea on what I can do? Should I keep giving them this Miracle gro weekly? Or get some sort of high phosphorus stuff?
(bonus points if you can tell me why the tips of my peppers are curled like a candy cane.)

Labradors2 · April 29, 2016

They look very dry.

Linda

Gardeneer · April 29, 2016

I think there are few problems :

-- phosphorus deficiency
-- Sun scald.

What kind of potting mix are you using ?
what kind of fertilize ...??

Gardeneer

yelnic · April 29, 2016

I think they are getting enough water. 1 day a week I soak the pot till the water drains out and then on the 4th day i give them a light watering. I check the dirt almost daily when I'm home and it seems moist but not wet.

The fertilizer I water with is Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food 18-18-21. http://tinyurl.com/zrass95
I add 1/2 strength to a gallon and water weekly with it.
I will also mix a TSP of Epsom salt every 2 -3 weeks into it as well.

These tomatoes are growing in 5 gallon pots and I am testing out 2 types of potting mix.
The 1st potting mix is new Proven Winners All Purpose Potting Soil http://tinyurl.com/gnk3jue
The 2nd type of potting mix is PatioPlus Potting Soil http://tinyurl.com/hz8ovah
I grew sugar snap peas in these pots with this soil from Oct - Feb and they did great. Since I had peas growing in them I added a bit of compost to them and a TSP of http://www.amazon.com/Jobes-09026-Ve.../dp/B002YOJDAS before I transplanted the tomatoes into them.

Half of the plants are in the 1st type of soil, and the other half in the 2nd type. The plants in the 1st type of soil seem to be doing a tiny bit better, but not by much.

I never thought that sun scald could be a problem in my yard. My yard is between 2 buildings which is why I have the tomatoes in pots in the center the yard. That is the only spot that gets good light. 2 hours of direct morning light, 1 hour of shade from a tree, 6 hours of direct sun till sunset.

ChiliPeppa · April 29, 2016

Agree they look very dry.

AKmark · April 29, 2016

I see you have some that look pretty good, others are, as you already know, in bad shape. Because some are okay, that tells me your fertilizer may not be the problem. Yes, different varieties have different needs, but not on that scale.
If you want to save them, make sure they're not just cold, over watered, or too dry first. Second, take one and give it a good dose of fert., then walk away, watch for the new growth, if it's nice you fixed it.
Honestly, some are in bad shape, but I would experiment a bit with them to try and solve your mystery for the next time, but would also replace them for this round, you will be better off. Healing a plant that damaged takes time, and does cut into production time.
Last, I have had worse, so work on them, and the lesson will be yours forever, if you find a fix.

jhp · April 29, 2016

I think your neighbor forgot to water them, at least some of the time and/or didn't water enough when they did water. Anytime I've asked someone else to water for me while I've been away, at least one plant dies, sometimes more. I think it is hard to get someone else to do it the way I would, even if I show them. Anyway, sorry that happened. Hope you have some luck going forward.

Jen

MissS · April 29, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhp

I think your neighbor forgot to water them, at least some of the time and/or didn't water enough when they did water. Anytime I've asked someone else to water for me while I've been away, at least one plant dies, sometimes more. I think it is hard to get someone else to do it the way I would, even if I show them. Anyway, sorry that happened. Hope you have some luck going forward.

Jen

I agree that they have not had enough water. The plants that look the best are in the inner row which would be the last one to dry out. You have these plants sitting on asphalt which provides heat but will also contribute to them drying out faster. As the plants grow they get bigger and need more water. What worked 2 weeks ago will not be working for you today.

I would give the sickly ones a full dose of Miracle Grow and water them every day or every other day. Try to put your finger into the pots to see how dry they actually are.

yelnic · April 29, 2016

Thanks for everyone's insight on this.

I guess the bottom line is not to put faith in others watering your garden!

I'll up the watering on these and give them a good dose of the Miracle Gro and post an update in a week. Most likely I will pull the 1 romaine and celebrity in the back row, maybe plant 2 more Wild Freds. The 2 celebrity plants in the front may have a chance.

Been doing more research and it looks like celebrity is a variety that likes larger pots so these 5 gallon pots might not be the best for them. Probably why the Early Girl and Wild Fred in the center row are doing ok. The Wild Fred is a dwarf type.
Maybe its time to search for a smaller dwarf variety that likes 5 gallon pots.

jhp · April 30, 2016

Another thought, if you're traveling/away from home often, you might want to consider self watering containers/earth boxes. You can make them yourself. I've seen them made from 5 gallon buckets on the small side and big storage totes on the large side. Or you can just buy an EB or knock off. My thought on that is, that you can still have the neighbor water, but this way, they can't under water. Just fill until water comes out the overflow.

Jen

GrowingCoastal · April 30, 2016

'celebrity is a variety that likes larger pots'

Yes but I grew one Celebrity in a 5 gallon pot last year that performed extremely well though it was not on asphalt.

Gardeneer · April 30, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrowingCoastal

'celebrity is a variety that likes larger pots'

Yes but I grew one Celebrity in a 5 gallon pot last year that performed extremely well though it was not on asphalt.

Agree

Pot size becomes an issue later in the season, it it is not big enough to accommodate the root mass. Even then it you provide the nutrients and the moisture the plant needs it shouldn't make much difference.
I still think there has been nutrient imbalance. If you neglect watering seedlings on time, the lower leaves will wilt and die first. More plants die of over watering than under watering.

Gardeneer

ramapojoe · April 30, 2016

'patio' tomatoes grow well in 5 gallon buckets. not the best tasting but do well and still taste better than any supermarket tomatoes.
I agree with others that they look dry. plants in buckets need to be watered more often than ones in the ground. pots dry out quick.

yelnic · May 7, 2016

Just wanted to update everyone on the situation. I ended up pulling the 2 worst tomato plants as they just got worse after 1 day. The other 2 Celebrity looked like they might have a chance and even started putting out a few new leaves. Maybe it was due to more watering and a bit more food. Well I came outside today and both of them were all yellow and twisted. I'm not sure what happened over night but I just yanked those 2 out as well.

My Wilde Fred looks great though and has 7 tomatoes growing in it so far which I'm pretty happy about.

My Early Girl was doing well up till today. I noticed that it has spots all over the leaves now. The leaves still look ok but I'm worried it is set for a fall. I'm attaching some pics if anyone has seen this before.

drew51 · May 8, 2016

I have had plants look very similar to these, and I never did figure out what exactly was wrong. And like here, they never did well and were culled out too. Paste tomatoes seem the worst hit for whatever reason. The wispy foliage types. This year it didn't happen, all look great. Of course I'm not growing any pastes this year either.
My guess is the roots got into trouble, and never recovered.

April 29, 2016	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,894	They look very dry. Linda

April 29, 2016	#3
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	I think there are few problems : -- phosphorus deficiency -- Sun scald. What kind of potting mix are you using ? what kind of fertilize ...?? Gardeneer

April 29, 2016	#4
yelnic Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Santa Monica Posts: 5	I think they are getting enough water. 1 day a week I soak the pot till the water drains out and then on the 4th day i give them a light watering. I check the dirt almost daily when I'm home and it seems moist but not wet. The fertilizer I water with is Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Tomato Plant Food 18-18-21. http://tinyurl.com/zrass95 I add 1/2 strength to a gallon and water weekly with it. I will also mix a TSP of Epsom salt every 2 -3 weeks into it as well. These tomatoes are growing in 5 gallon pots and I am testing out 2 types of potting mix. The 1st potting mix is new Proven Winners All Purpose Potting Soil http://tinyurl.com/gnk3jue The 2nd type of potting mix is PatioPlus Potting Soil http://tinyurl.com/hz8ovah I grew sugar snap peas in these pots with this soil from Oct - Feb and they did great. Since I had peas growing in them I added a bit of compost to them and a TSP of http://www.amazon.com/Jobes-09026-Ve.../dp/B002YOJDAS before I transplanted the tomatoes into them. Half of the plants are in the 1st type of soil, and the other half in the 2nd type. The plants in the 1st type of soil seem to be doing a tiny bit better, but not by much. I never thought that sun scald could be a problem in my yard. My yard is between 2 buildings which is why I have the tomatoes in pots in the center the yard. That is the only spot that gets good light. 2 hours of direct morning light, 1 hour of shade from a tree, 6 hours of direct sun till sunset.

April 29, 2016	#5
ChiliPeppa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Mojave Desert - California Posts: 368	Agree they look very dry.

April 29, 2016	#6
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	I see you have some that look pretty good, others are, as you already know, in bad shape. Because some are okay, that tells me your fertilizer may not be the problem. Yes, different varieties have different needs, but not on that scale. If you want to save them, make sure they're not just cold, over watered, or too dry first. Second, take one and give it a good dose of fert., then walk away, watch for the new growth, if it's nice you fixed it. Honestly, some are in bad shape, but I would experiment a bit with them to try and solve your mystery for the next time, but would also replace them for this round, you will be better off. Healing a plant that damaged takes time, and does cut into production time. Last, I have had worse, so work on them, and the lesson will be yours forever, if you find a fix.

April 29, 2016	#7
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 492	I think your neighbor forgot to water them, at least some of the time and/or didn't water enough when they did water. Anytime I've asked someone else to water for me while I've been away, at least one plant dies, sometimes more. I think it is hard to get someone else to do it the way I would, even if I show them. Anyway, sorry that happened. Hope you have some luck going forward. Jen

April 30, 2016	#10
jhp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Danbury, CT Posts: 492	Another thought, if you're traveling/away from home often, you might want to consider self watering containers/earth boxes. You can make them yourself. I've seen them made from 5 gallon buckets on the small side and big storage totes on the large side. Or you can just buy an EB or knock off. My thought on that is, that you can still have the neighbor water, but this way, they can't under water. Just fill until water comes out the overflow. Jen

April 30, 2016	#11
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	'celebrity is a variety that likes larger pots' Yes but I grew one Celebrity in a 5 gallon pot last year that performed extremely well though it was not on asphalt.

April 30, 2016	#13
ramapojoe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: new jersey Posts: 97	'patio' tomatoes grow well in 5 gallon buckets. not the best tasting but do well and still taste better than any supermarket tomatoes. I agree with others that they look dry. plants in buckets need to be watered more often than ones in the ground. pots dry out quick.

May 8, 2016	#15
drew51 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Sterling Heights, MI Zone 6a/5b Posts: 1,302	I have had plants look very similar to these, and I never did figure out what exactly was wrong. And like here, they never did well and were culled out too. Paste tomatoes seem the worst hit for whatever reason. The wispy foliage types. This year it didn't happen, all look great. Of course I'm not growing any pastes this year either. My guess is the roots got into trouble, and never recovered.