fallout from the rain fall?

tanagerzoo · July 5, 2006

Just curious how others in the NE are coping with copious amounts of rain. We've had 10-12 inches of rain, plus another 1.5 last night with nothing showing but rain clouds in the 10 day forecast.

I'm on the brink of losing 2 plants: Green Zebra and Paul Robeson. Interestingly enough, they are the only 2 varieties I'm regrowing from last year. I had tried out soaker hoses for the first time last year and never quite got the hang of them

I've determined, that in my garden, GZ and PR don't like wet feet. They seemingly go from bushy and healthy to wilted, to crispy in the blink of any eye. Last year I had no fruit, but this year, both plants are loaded. I'm just hoping they can hang on long enough to give me something to taste.

The other 27 varieties are coping okay with some yellowing leaves. Some septoria is moving in. Whenever possible, I dance in between the raindrops and apply Daconil. Before the rains came, they were fruiting like crazy, but the rain seems to have encouraged a lot of blossom drop.

One interesting thing has been where the BER has shown up. The plumish varieties like Prue and Purple Russian haven't had any--yet. But the beefstakey types have had 1 or 2 small tomatoes affected--Indian Stripe, Lucky Cross, White Queen, GZ, Noire de Crimmee, ARGG, and Green Giant.

A Green Grape and a White Queen have ripened up for picking. They foretell a nice flavor, but we did find them to be pretty watery. I will likely pick an OTV today, but suspect it will be watery too.

Before the rains came, it was shaping up to be a stellar, stellar season.

Besides joining in on the tune of "rain, rain, go away..." how are the rest of you faring under the flooding rains?

Adenn1 · July 5, 2006

I think we are upwards of 15" of rain in the last two weeks...had more last night...more forecasted in days ahead

. I have pretty heavy clay soil...so I am surprised how well the plants are doing. The plot is a lasagna bed that is somewhat raised and has some drainage down into the yard.

Most of my plants are very lush, most setting fruit and have a good amount of flowers. I have had a lot of blossom drop and some plants have had terrible catfacing and related deformity...particularly my "faux potato leaf Azoychka" that is in a container. I have had some minor problems with what I believe is grey mold and early blight. Hard to determine exact nature of the disease. Like you, I have been trying my best to keep up with a regular routine of Daconil...should have sprayed again last night...but got busy.

The only plant that does not seem to be impacted by the recent rain is Anna Russian...lots of nice sized tomatoes--that will hopefully ripen soon

Tomstrees · July 5, 2006

I agree with the above -
I've not had to water since May 4th !!!
I'm curious though ... could too much
moisture contribute to BER ?

~ Tom

nancysil · July 5, 2006

I'm in Massachusetts and I grow over 70 tomato plants in self watering containers. I have a really strong lush garden this year with lots of fruit and flowers. I don't know why the plants are doing so well, unless they appreciated the foliage feeding I did, despite my better judgement. I was afraid to apply even MORE moisture to the foliage, but I crossed my fingers and did it anyway.

Also, I decided this year to prune the bottom leaves before they started to die off so they wouldn't harbor fungus. I don't prune suckers because I cage my plants, but I find the "outside" leaves that don't grow fruit tend to get pushed down as they mature and touch the soil. I took all of these off and continue to do so as the others mature and push downward.

It's been one deluge after another since the beginning of May. I haven't had to turn on the sprinklers even once this season and I feel like I live in the tropics!

cecilsgarden1958 · July 5, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomstrees

I agree with the above -
I've not had to water since May 4th !!!
I'm curious though ... could too much
moisture contribute to BER ?

~ Tom

Yepper! Too much water locks up the calcium and then you can get BER.

I have had a lot of rain too, but no where near 15"; but way too much. I think I have lost blossoms.
Luckily my soil is loose and not clay. Have no idea why I laid soaker hose this year.

Plants are a little blighty on the bottom limbs, but not too bad. Otherwise thin, but healthy. Does rain lead to thin stalks I wonder?

Healthiest and sturdiest plant, thus far is Pink Ping Pong. Planted at lattice on a small mound.

CECIL

bcday · July 5, 2006

Not much fallout in the mater patch, the plants look surprisingly good for the amount of rain we had, not even a yellow leaf. And we had nearly a foot of rain for the month of June, almost 8 inches of it from June 26 - June 28.

Our county was among those declared a federal disaster area, but the mater patch is high and dry and didn’t suffer any damage. I halfway expected an outbreak of Bacterial Speck or Early Blight, but it hasn't happened. No wilted plants, no diseases, everybody’s healthy. 8) It does look like fewer fruits were set than usual. The forecast says we'll have some good weather for a while now so hopefully there will be some improvement in fruit set now.

On the other hand, there is a PGA golf tournament scheduled to begin here in 12 days, and the golf course is still half covered with muddy flood water.

Tomstrees · July 5, 2006

CECIL -

Thanks so much to confirm my guess -
Will too much water give you yellow leaves ?
I'm guessing yes ...

~ Tom

ps.
who wil report another t-storm
tonight while I was trying to
grill chicken ~

**carolyn137** · July 6, 2006

I'm not Cecil, but yes Tom, water saturated soil can and does lead to yellow leaves.

When the soil is saturated no oxygen can get to the plants via the roots and no nutrients can be absorbed thru the roots. So the first thing one sees is usually wilting of green foliage, then to yellow, then to brown and plant death.

There were two low spots in the field where I grew so many plants for so many years, and from time to time those areas would be under water.

What was interesting was how some varieties would make it and others wouldn't. But that shouldn't be a surprise b'c we already know that different varieties handle water/nutrients differently in terms of susceptibility to BER in any given year.

Tomstrees · July 6, 2006

Thanks Carolyn ~

I also agree with you about certain plants
not minding - and others dreading more rain -

Ones that don't like the rains so far:
(yellowing)
Mortgage Lifter
Julia Child

And for BER:
Mortgage Lifter
Cherokee Chocolate ...

~ Tom

July 5, 2006	#1
tanagerzoo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Zone 7 Delaware Posts: 67	fallout from the rain fall? Just curious how others in the NE are coping with copious amounts of rain. We've had 10-12 inches of rain, plus another 1.5 last night with nothing showing but rain clouds in the 10 day forecast. I'm on the brink of losing 2 plants: Green Zebra and Paul Robeson. Interestingly enough, they are the only 2 varieties I'm regrowing from last year. I had tried out soaker hoses for the first time last year and never quite got the hang of them I've determined, that in my garden, GZ and PR don't like wet feet. They seemingly go from bushy and healthy to wilted, to crispy in the blink of any eye. Last year I had no fruit, but this year, both plants are loaded. I'm just hoping they can hang on long enough to give me something to taste. The other 27 varieties are coping okay with some yellowing leaves. Some septoria is moving in. Whenever possible, I dance in between the raindrops and apply Daconil. Before the rains came, they were fruiting like crazy, but the rain seems to have encouraged a lot of blossom drop. One interesting thing has been where the BER has shown up. The plumish varieties like Prue and Purple Russian haven't had any--yet. But the beefstakey types have had 1 or 2 small tomatoes affected--Indian Stripe, Lucky Cross, White Queen, GZ, Noire de Crimmee, ARGG, and Green Giant. A Green Grape and a White Queen have ripened up for picking. They foretell a nice flavor, but we did find them to be pretty watery. I will likely pick an OTV today, but suspect it will be watery too. Before the rains came, it was shaping up to be a stellar, stellar season. Besides joining in on the tune of "rain, rain, go away..." how are the rest of you faring under the flooding rains? __________________ Christine

July 5, 2006	#3
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	I agree with the above - I've not had to water since May 4th !!! I'm curious though ... could too much moisture contribute to BER ? ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

July 5, 2006	#7
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	CECIL - Thanks so much to confirm my guess - Will too much water give you yellow leaves ? I'm guessing yes ... ~ Tom ps. who wil report another t-storm tonight while I was trying to grill chicken ~ __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

July 6, 2006	#8
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I'm not Cecil, but yes Tom, water saturated soil can and does lead to yellow leaves. When the soil is saturated no oxygen can get to the plants via the roots and no nutrients can be absorbed thru the roots. So the first thing one sees is usually wilting of green foliage, then to yellow, then to brown and plant death. There were two low spots in the field where I grew so many plants for so many years, and from time to time those areas would be under water. What was interesting was how some varieties would make it and others wouldn't. But that shouldn't be a surprise b'c we already know that different varieties handle water/nutrients differently in terms of susceptibility to BER in any given year. __________________ Carolyn

July 6, 2006	#9
Tomstrees Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NJ Bayshore Posts: 3,848	Thanks Carolyn ~ I also agree with you about certain plants not minding - and others dreading more rain - Ones that don't like the rains so far: (yellowing) Mortgage Lifter Julia Child And for BER: Mortgage Lifter Cherokee Chocolate ... ~ Tom __________________ My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view. ~ H. Fred Ale

July 5, 2006	#2
Adenn1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philly Posts: 559	I think we are upwards of 15" of rain in the last two weeks...had more last night...more forecasted in days ahead . I have pretty heavy clay soil...so I am surprised how well the plants are doing. The plot is a lasagna bed that is somewhat raised and has some drainage down into the yard. Most of my plants are very lush, most setting fruit and have a good amount of flowers. I have had a lot of blossom drop and some plants have had terrible catfacing and related deformity...particularly my "faux potato leaf Azoychka" that is in a container. I have had some minor problems with what I believe is grey mold and early blight. Hard to determine exact nature of the disease. Like you, I have been trying my best to keep up with a regular routine of Daconil...should have sprayed again last night...but got busy. The only plant that does not seem to be impacted by the recent rain is Anna Russian...lots of nice sized tomatoes--that will hopefully ripen soon

July 5, 2006	#4
nancysil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: New England Posts: 13	I'm in Massachusetts and I grow over 70 tomato plants in self watering containers. I have a really strong lush garden this year with lots of fruit and flowers. I don't know why the plants are doing so well, unless they appreciated the foliage feeding I did, despite my better judgement. I was afraid to apply even MORE moisture to the foliage, but I crossed my fingers and did it anyway. Also, I decided this year to prune the bottom leaves before they started to die off so they wouldn't harbor fungus. I don't prune suckers because I cage my plants, but I find the "outside" leaves that don't grow fruit tend to get pushed down as they mature and touch the soil. I took all of these off and continue to do so as the others mature and push downward. It's been one deluge after another since the beginning of May. I haven't had to turn on the sprinklers even once this season and I feel like I live in the tropics!

July 5, 2006	#6
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Not much fallout in the mater patch, the plants look surprisingly good for the amount of rain we had, not even a yellow leaf. And we had nearly a foot of rain for the month of June, almost 8 inches of it from June 26 - June 28. Our county was among those declared a federal disaster area, but the mater patch is high and dry and didn’t suffer any damage. I halfway expected an outbreak of Bacterial Speck or Early Blight, but it hasn't happened. No wilted plants, no diseases, everybody’s healthy. 8) It does look like fewer fruits were set than usual. The forecast says we'll have some good weather for a while now so hopefully there will be some improvement in fruit set now. On the other hand, there is a PGA golf tournament scheduled to begin here in 12 days, and the golf course is still half covered with muddy flood water.