Overhead Watering/Reduced Yields

Skip · December 22, 2006

Hi All

From when I was knee-high to a grasshopper I heard everyone say that tomato plants should never be watered from overhead, always only at the base. The reason given was that the water would cause blossom drop and thereby reduce yield.

Is there any truth to this, or is it an old wives’ tale?

Cheers.

Skip, in Oz

feldon30 · December 22, 2006

Dunno about blossom drop.

Do know that overhead watering, especially late in the day when there isn't enough time/sun for the leaves to dry off, encourages an array of debilitating foliage diseases which may splash from one plant to another or from the soil up onto the plants, such as Early Blight, Septoria Leaf Spot, Anthracnose (primarily a fruit disease), and other various rots and problems.

Soaker hoses are best IMO.

ddsack · December 22, 2006

Well, it's nice to be able to avoid water on the leaves, but it's kind of hard to avoid water from rainfall unless you are growing in plastic tunnels. I don't worry about it, and use daconil a couple of times during the growing season before tomatoes start turning ripe.

I would have to invest way too much money in soaker hoses to have enough for all my beds, and my water source is quite a distance from my gardens to start with. I periodically soak the beds with a hose, or with warmer water from large tubs I keep in the garden (since my well water is ice cold) and don't worry if some water splashes up on the leaves.

I guess if I lived in a climate where it it stays cloudy, rainy and humid most of the time, I might be more concerned. As with so much of this stuff, local conditions will affect your choices. And what about folks who use foliar feeding? Have to wet the leaves with that.

December 22, 2006	#1
Skip Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Canberra, Australia Posts: 25	Overhead Watering/Reduced Yields Hi All From when I was knee-high to a grasshopper I heard everyone say that tomato plants should never be watered from overhead, always only at the base. The reason given was that the water would cause blossom drop and thereby reduce yield. Is there any truth to this, or is it an old wives’ tale? Cheers. Skip, in Oz __________________ The day you give up hope a part of your inner self dies

December 22, 2006	#2
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Dunno about blossom drop. Do know that overhead watering, especially late in the day when there isn't enough time/sun for the leaves to dry off, encourages an array of debilitating foliage diseases which may splash from one plant to another or from the soil up onto the plants, such as Early Blight, Septoria Leaf Spot, Anthracnose (primarily a fruit disease), and other various rots and problems. Soaker hoses are best IMO. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

December 22, 2006	#3
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	Well, it's nice to be able to avoid water on the leaves, but it's kind of hard to avoid water from rainfall unless you are growing in plastic tunnels. I don't worry about it, and use daconil a couple of times during the growing season before tomatoes start turning ripe. I would have to invest way too much money in soaker hoses to have enough for all my beds, and my water source is quite a distance from my gardens to start with. I periodically soak the beds with a hose, or with warmer water from large tubs I keep in the garden (since my well water is ice cold) and don't worry if some water splashes up on the leaves. I guess if I lived in a climate where it it stays cloudy, rainy and humid most of the time, I might be more concerned. As with so much of this stuff, local conditions will affect your choices. And what about folks who use foliar feeding? Have to wet the leaves with that.