Opalka wilting

Jkinzer4 · June 3, 2014

My tomatoes are in rows of 20 plants each. The opalka row gets sun all day the other rows get shade for approximately 2 hours. The opalka are wilting down by evening I checked for bacteria wilt (stem in glass of water) no white from stem appeared. I water with a soaker hose. Is this normal? I have never noticed plants wilt like this before and it is the entire row.

VC Scott · June 3, 2014

Opalka tends to be a bit wispy. Not as wispy as German Red Strawberry or Fish Lake Oxheart, but you think it is getting ready to die. Then it sets a bunch of bomb shaped fruit and you wonder how a weak little plant can pump out so much fruit. I think its just normal for this variety. Take care that you don't overwater.

**carolyn137** · June 3, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jkinzer4

My tomatoes are in rows of 20 plants each. The opalka row gets sun all day the other rows get shade for approximately 2 hours. The opalka are wilting down by evening I checked for bacteria wilt (stem in glass of water) no white from stem appeared. I water with a soaker hose. Is this normal? I have never noticed plants wilt like this before and it is the entire row.

If it's only the Opalka plants what was the source of your seeds, if you raised the plants yourself or plants, if you bought plants.?

When the plants wilt, do they recover by the next morning?

Carolyn

Jkinzer4 · June 3, 2014

Yes they recover by the next morning but seem to be wilting worse. I ordered my seed from tomato growers supply.

VC Scott · June 4, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jkinzer4

Yes they recover by the next morning but seem to be wilting worse. I ordered my seed from tomato growers supply.

In my experience, Opalka wants to grow like this:

Fallbrook-20140527-00094.jpg

The leaves want to grow down and if you want it to grow straight up, you really have to prune it to just a couple of stems and stake it carefully. They seem to want to grow sideways, rather than up.

But the fruit sets look like this:

IMG-20140527-00096.jpg
It is a beautiful tomato. Can't wait to taste it.

**carolyn137** · June 4, 2014

I don't understand thewilting worse in the AM but I too wonder if you're referrring to the droopy leaves that Opalka has.

It's a variety I introduced, see the following link:

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Opalka

And here's a Google search for you and you might want to see how many sites say droopy looking leaves, and be sure to click on the IMAGES link as well:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Opalka+tomato

You;ll see lots of link references, with me saying that when I got it from Carl Swidorski that it didn't have wispy, droopy leaves. But if that's what others have been getting, and I often wonder if folks, seeing it as a paste variety just assume it has to have wispy droopy leaves, as so many paste varieties do have. But yes, I have seen thepictures that others put up as well.

I saw the entry for TGS in that Google search, where you got your seeds from, and Linda also said wispy droopy leaves.

Whatever, many folks think it's a great paste variety, and I concur, and thanks to Carl for giving me the seeds, and more importantly to his wife Mary, whose family brought it from Poland all those years ago.

Carolyn

Stvrob · June 4, 2014

I have Oplaka's growing in a row right next to cherokee purple, I can see that row from my house, and every time I look, I see the Opalka "wilting" and the Cherokee purple looking great. However, part of that is an illusion. The topmost leaves, when they very young, point upward, but as they mature they go from pointing up to pointing down...all the way down. I have some leaves like 20 inches up the plant whose tips touch the ground. Anyway, as the leaves transition from pointing up to pointing down, they give the appearance of wilt. If the plant where really water stressed, The growing tip would be flaccid.

All this being said, Opalka, in my garden, seems especially prone to blossom end rot. So don't just assume your Opalka is crying for attention and ignore it, it does need even moisture or you will get whole trusses of ruined fruit.

As an aside, I have noticed that the Leaves of Opalka can actually form a little twist to grab hold of support, I have never seen another variety that does this.

Also, people compare the leaves to Oxheart's, The one Oxheart I grow (Fishlake), holds it's leaves out horizontally (or slightly below the horizontal), not at all like my Opalka, which holds its Mature leaves vertically downwards.

VC Scott · June 4, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stvrob

I have Oplaka's growing in a row right next to cherokee purple, I can see that row from my house, and every time I look, I see the Opalka "wilting" and the Cherokee purple looking great. However, part of that is an illusion. The topmost leaves, when they very young, point upward, but as they mature they go from pointing up to pointing down...all the way down. I have some leaves like 20 inches up the plant whose tips touch the ground. Anyway, as the leaves transition from pointing up to pointing down, they give the appearance of wilt. If the plant where really water stressed, The growing tip would be flaccid.

All this being said, Opalka, in my garden, seems especially prone to blossom end rot. So don't just assume your Opalka is crying for attention and ignore it, it does need even moisture or you will get whole trusses of ruined fruit.

As an aside, I have noticed that the Leaves of Opalka can actually form a little twist to grab hold of support, I have never seen another variety that does this.

Also, people compare the leaves to Oxheart's, The one Oxheart I grow (Fishlake), holds it's leaves out horizontally (or slightly below the horizontal), not at all like my Opalka, which holds its Mature leaves vertically downwards.

Stvrob, you nailed the description. You can see in my picture above how the leaves grow downward.

Stvrob · June 4, 2014

VC They also grow well upright, clipped to a vertical hanging string. The vertical hanging leaves seem to protect the fruit pretty well in that position

Jkinzer4 · June 6, 2014

Stvrob I think you hit it. This is my first year for the opalka and I think I am worrying to much they are blooming and the leaves are not curling. The plants are continuing to grow I am looking forward to juice and sauce from them.

Stvrob · June 6, 2014

Are either of you having blossom end rot problems with your Opalkas? That is my only gripe about the variety, usually it outgrows the condition quickly, but for some reason this year It is still turning up on new fruit.

Jkinzer4 · June 6, 2014

Mine are just now blooming will be a little bit before I know.

VC Scott · June 6, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stvrob

Are either of you having blossom end rot problems with your Opalkas? That is my only gripe about the variety, usually it outgrows the condition quickly, but for some reason this year It is still turning up on new fruit.

I have no blossom rot this year on any of my 70 plants. Last year San Marzano was a big problem. That is why I switched to Opalka this year. The only other thing I changed is that this year I am using Texas Tomato Food.

epsilon · June 7, 2014

from what I've seen this season the only thing that looks more pitiful is Anna Russian. Whilst my opalka has had droopy leaves, the AR has basically disappeared under the surrounding growth of the other tomatoes. It has consistently grown almost parallel to ground.

June 3, 2014	#1
Jkinzer4 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 14	Opalka wilting My tomatoes are in rows of 20 plants each. The opalka row gets sun all day the other rows get shade for approximately 2 hours. The opalka are wilting down by evening I checked for bacteria wilt (stem in glass of water) no white from stem appeared. I water with a soaker hose. Is this normal? I have never noticed plants wilt like this before and it is the entire row.

June 4, 2014	#6
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I don't understand thewilting worse in the AM but I too wonder if you're referrring to the droopy leaves that Opalka has. It's a variety I introduced, see the following link: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Opalka And here's a Google search for you and you might want to see how many sites say droopy looking leaves, and be sure to click on the IMAGES link as well: https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Opalka+tomato You;ll see lots of link references, with me saying that when I got it from Carl Swidorski that it didn't have wispy, droopy leaves. But if that's what others have been getting, and I often wonder if folks, seeing it as a paste variety just assume it has to have wispy droopy leaves, as so many paste varieties do have. But yes, I have seen thepictures that others put up as well. I saw the entry for TGS in that Google search, where you got your seeds from, and Linda also said wispy droopy leaves. Whatever, many folks think it's a great paste variety, and I concur, and thanks to Carl for giving me the seeds, and more importantly to his wife Mary, whose family brought it from Poland all those years ago. Carolyn __________________ Carolyn

June 4, 2014	#7
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I have Oplaka's growing in a row right next to cherokee purple, I can see that row from my house, and every time I look, I see the Opalka "wilting" and the Cherokee purple looking great. However, part of that is an illusion. The topmost leaves, when they very young, point upward, but as they mature they go from pointing up to pointing down...all the way down. I have some leaves like 20 inches up the plant whose tips touch the ground. Anyway, as the leaves transition from pointing up to pointing down, they give the appearance of wilt. If the plant where really water stressed, The growing tip would be flaccid. All this being said, Opalka, in my garden, seems especially prone to blossom end rot. So don't just assume your Opalka is crying for attention and ignore it, it does need even moisture or you will get whole trusses of ruined fruit. As an aside, I have noticed that the Leaves of Opalka can actually form a little twist to grab hold of support, I have never seen another variety that does this. Also, people compare the leaves to Oxheart's, The one Oxheart I grow (Fishlake), holds it's leaves out horizontally (or slightly below the horizontal), not at all like my Opalka, which holds its Mature leaves vertically downwards. Last edited by Stvrob; June 4, 2014 at 12:16 PM.

June 3, 2014	#2
VC Scott Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 352	Opalka tends to be a bit wispy. Not as wispy as German Red Strawberry or Fish Lake Oxheart, but you think it is getting ready to die. Then it sets a bunch of bomb shaped fruit and you wonder how a weak little plant can pump out so much fruit. I think its just normal for this variety. Take care that you don't overwater.

June 6, 2014	#10
Jkinzer4 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Illinois Posts: 14	Stvrob I think you hit it. This is my first year for the opalka and I think I am worrying to much they are blooming and the leaves are not curling. The plants are continuing to grow I am looking forward to juice and sauce from them.

June 7, 2014	#14
epsilon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Desert CA Posts: 400	from what I've seen this season the only thing that looks more pitiful is Anna Russian. Whilst my opalka has had droopy leaves, the AR has basically disappeared under the surrounding growth of the other tomatoes. It has consistently grown almost parallel to ground.