Lots of problems PLEASE HELP!! PIX

[chanceysmama]

Thanks Feldon, I will definately get a jump on it next year from the get go. I spent way to much time trying to save these this year. They are surprisingly doing well now other than seemed like production was stunted there for a while, thinking maybe my insecticide ran off all the good bugs too. They are starting to go like gangbusters now though. I really appreciate all your help. I have another problem with my two plants I have on my patio in pots, BER.. I added some oyster shell to my watering buckets, not sure if that is going to be adequate or not. Just how do I add calcium to my soil if I cant mix it in. I read somewhere that you can spray calcium on the foilage, that the calcium is lost through the foilage when they get so dry. It has been 100' here almostt every day for quite a while now and very hard to keep the soil moisture consitant. I am using coffee cans with tiny holes and filling them twice a day. Any Suggestions?

[Suze]

Originally Posted by chanceysmama

I have another problem with my two plants I have on my patio in pots, BER.. I added some oyster shell to my watering buckets, not sure if that is going to be adequate or not. Just how do I add calcium to my soil if I cant mix it in. I read somewhere that you can spray calcium on the foilage, that the calcium is lost through the foilage when they get so dry. It has been 100' here almostt every day for quite a while now and very hard to keep the soil moisture consitant. I am using coffee cans with tiny holes and filling them twice a day. Any Suggestions?

Using those calcium sprays does little/no good, it's basically a marketing gimmick. It can also severely damage your plants when used in hot weather, as a former neighbor of mine found out the hard way. Also, I doubt the oyster shell in the watering can is going to do any good, as it's not going to release enough readily available calcium.

While results/improvement won't necessarily be instantly visible (some fruit may already be affected), I recommend dolomitic lime as a way to provide calcium to your container plants. When mixing up a container potting mix for tomatoes, I usually use about a cup of slow release fertilizer, and 2/3 - 3/4 cup dolomitic lime per every five gallons volume of mix. Also, I periodically add more lime and fert throughout the season every couple of weeks or so for containers.

Mulching thickly helps immensely in keeping the moisture levels even in a container. Just leave an inch or two clear space next to the stem so it doesn't rot.

Adequately sized containers for the variety you're growing can also help. I never use less than a 5-7 gallon pot for an indet, and really do prefer to use a 10-15 gallon container in my hot climate.

Even for most dwarf types, I consider 5 gal to be a minimum size.

[chanceysmama]

OK, so with the lime do I just sprinkle it on top of the soil?

[Suze]

Originally Posted by chanceysmama

OK, so with the lime do I just sprinkle it on top of the soil?

Now, yes.

If you add it from the beginning, it gets mixed in with the potting mix before it is added to the container.

[maupin]

1. Clean cultural practices reduce all fungal diseases. Do not compost tomato waste--burn it or throw it in the trash.


2. Mulch your soil so rain does not splash soil up on your plants.

3. Keep your plants and fruit trellised or caged with the bottom suckers pruned off so they do not touch the ground.

4. If you are a practitioner of the organic method, use aerated compost tea with molasses and baking soda as a foliar feed. Others use cornmeal or hydrogen pyroxide instead of baking soda and report success. Some folks spray milk, but that never worked for me.

5. Till in cornmeal in the spring and fall if you till.


6. Never touch your plants or fruit when they are wet. Keep a weak bleach solution in a bucket to rinse your hands and tools when moving from plant to plant so as to avoid spreading disease. I use torn Goodwill bedsheets to tie up my tomatoes to the trellis and soak them in weak bleach solution before I use them.

7. Continually improve the quality of your soil with compost and test for Ph to see if you need lime, as many mid-mississippi valley soils do. Better soil means healthier plants, which in turn are more disease resistant.

8. Make your garden attractive for predators who eat leafhoppers to reduce their role in spreading disease.

The first couple of years after I bought my formerly non-organic place I had a lot of trouble with fungal diseases. Things were out of balance. Not enough birds, bees, dragonflies, and insect predators, and nutrient weak soil.

Through the religious application of the above practices, I still get some fungal disease, but not very much, and the plants have a better fighting chance
In sum--look at things from the plant's point of view. Good food, reduction in opportunity for fungal diseses to attack through soil or animal (man and insect) sources makes the plant healthy and more capable of withstanding the onslaught.

[amideutch]

Maupin, good stuff. It also should be noted that molasses besides providing potassium and carbohydrates also is a source for CALCIUM, iron and magnesium. Ami