2017 greenhouse tomato plants

[Ricky Shaw]

Artwork. Everything looks great.

[AKmark]

I almost killed my plants, they were about to get the machete. My leaves started tweeking, they were blotched, gnarled, some looked like a fern leaf, others pale, some were tiny, and I am putting 1700ppm and keeping a 6.2 pH. I could not figure it out, some friends suggested a virus, others claimed a deficiency of different sorts.
I saw cold plants, purple veins, purple tips, it was the first time I did not elevate them off of the floor. I was a sad unit seeing the results.

My lab reports came back shining, a little Iron was suggested to offset slightly high Manganese. I also was reminded to keep my temps up around 64 at night.

Within a few days I started seeing results, fruit set exploded, they are looking jungle like again, many are loaded with fruit, and I have a ripe tomato, and several blushing.

I have some nightmare pics I will try to paste from my phone, and will take some pics of the plants in recovery.

[Ricky Shaw]

That is scary, my heart sank when I read they were close to getting the machete. Seems like it's been crazy cold at times this Winter for you, even for up there up. Glad that you got it turned around.

[PureHarvest]

Whew!
So are you saying temperature was the main culprit?

[AKmark]

I cannot find the horrible plant pics, but found a few that showed some symptoms, that I do not like to see.

[AKmark]

Now back to the good stuff. Plants are producing some ripe fruit on some of our stuff we are working on. Picked the first ripe tomato 95 days from seed sprout, and it was really good. It is Cowlick's Brandywine x Bloody Butcher f2 x BB X Dester f1, and is an F2 of that. The loaded plant is Bloody Butcher x Delicious F2, it has 5 trusses of beautiful fruit set, and is only about 4 feet tall. If these are good and if I can capture this trait, they will be a knockout market tomato.
The other plant with smaller tomatoes on it is Matina x Yellow Brandywine.

PH, yes, temps from my cold floor bit me, serious issues I have never had to deal with, or figure out, but that is almost behind me now.

[ddsack]

OMG those are trees! Stalks are really thick and what a great looking bunch of trusses. So impressive. I am happy that you came through the cold scare ok. Looking forward to more pictures of the newer crosses.

[Barb_FL]

What a come back!!! I'm so happy that problem was resolved.

Later on in your season, I would love to see a picture of all your SunGold plants.

[Cole_Robbie]

He's a month ahead of my high tunnel, and I'm in Illinois.

[AKmark]

We ate our first Mat-Su Express of the season last night, it was 103 days from seed. It was great as usual, and it was an A from plant 11, but several others across the board are ripening too. Here we go.

[Cole_Robbie]

Well done! Most people near me don't even have their outdoor tomato plants in the ground yet.

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Well done! Most people near me don't even have their outdoor tomato plants in the ground yet.

I managed to sneak 9 outdoor plants in between floods, got a hundred more to go if it ever drys out and warms up.

[BigVanVader]

Dang Mark..those are gorgeous and it's crazy your eating tomatoes already and the 12 fruit truss is insane. A slicer that sets like a cherry. To say I'm stoked to be growing them is an understatement.

[bower]

Mark, that's an awesome looking mater, and 103 from seed is excellent for any, let alone a large fruit in a cool climate. Great work on the breeding.

[AKmark]

The best this year so far is Mat-Su A. plant 8, then 11, next is Bloody Butcher x Yellow Brandywine F1 then BB X Delicious F2, or BB X Chapman F1, one BB x Delicious F2 was ho-hum. Mat-Su Super B has yet to to deliver what I am looking for out of two tries. The plant 8 Mat-Su was awesome, a serious complex tomato taste.
Many selections are ripening, we will report again soon.