Piennolo del Vesuvio problem.

[lexxluthor]

Hello all and hope all is well. I received these seeds from the mystery mailer and so happy to receive so many of my choices. I planted 2 piennolo pants in my earthbox and they were doing great. When I got home yesterday one of the 2 plants was completely wilted. It had a lot of maters on it and the soil seemed moist. I watered it this morning and it never looked any better.
My question is could this have too much water or too little or possibly another problem. There is no discoloration of leaves other than a few on the bottom. This is my first time growing this variety and would appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks
lexx

[PhilaGardener]

Could have been too much water, but I'll let folks with Earthboxes answer that possibility.

[KC.Sun]

Has the weather changed? The leaves can look wilted even if you water it. They need constant moisture to move past the wilted look stage.

Once the tomatos start growing aggressively, they need more and more water. The water in the reservoir can disappear very rapidly so you need to fill the tank about 2-3 times a day.

I setup the Earthbox automatic watering system this year and it has solved the wilted look problem for me.

They need constant moisture and the heat waves this year makes them take on the wilted look very rapidly.

When I turn off the drip system, my tomatoes can look wilted.


It is possible that you are having a moisture issue. I have experienced a similar issue with some of the tomatoes I'm growing, but that was after high winds and low moisture. So I had to stake the plants in place and wait for it to regrow into a strong plant.

The water/heat/wind problem almost killed 3 of 4 plants that experienced similar issues. My plants regrew after I supplied constant moisture once I finished installing the automatic watering system.

But I haven't grown the tomato you are growing for more input.

[lexxluthor]

Thanks I will give it a try.

[ginger2778]

Did you use potting mix or soil in your EB?

[MrBig46]

The fact that the leaves Piennolo del Vesuvio and Principe Borghese in hot weather curls upward is varietal characteristic of those tomatoes from the area around Vesuvius. No problem.
Vladimír

[ContainerTed]

I tend to agree with Vladimir. Marsha makes a good point as well. Soil really should be avoided when using containers. The other thing that came to my mind is that it might have been lack of water. The fact that you watered and some hours later everything looked fine would suggest to me that lack of water is a possibility.

The main thing is that all is well again.

[ginger2778]

I interpreted it as watering did not help. "I watered it this morning and it never looked any better"

[ContainerTed]

Now that you mention it, Marsha, it might be understood either way. Maybe we can get an interpretation for the originator.

[lexxluthor]

I make my own mix for all my earthboxes. 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat moss. I add a cup of lime and 10*10*10 fertilizer to every box. This has been my same mix for the last 4 years.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by lexxluthor

I make my own mix for all my earthboxes. 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat moss. I add a cup of lime and 10*10*10 fertilizer to every box. This has been my same mix for the last 4 years.

If you read the EB forum, they say not to use compost because it can clog up and muddy the mix causing poor wicking, or also causing overwatering which can lead to root rot, and the vermiculite holds too much water, perlite is preferred for aeration.
The effects can be compounded over the years, until it finally reaches the tipping point and your plants start to fail.
The lime and the fert are good, so is the peat. For next year, I would increase the peat, change the vermiculite to perlite, and eliminate the compost.
You can do a mycorrhizae dip to put in the good microbes to replace those that were in the compost.

[lexxluthor]

Ginger.... I thought the same thing so I moved the other end to the higher side and it made no difference.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by lexxluthor

Ginger.... I thought the same thing so I moved the other end to the higher side and it made no difference.

I dont understand what you mean. The other end? Higher side?

[lexxluthor]

The ground isn't exactly level so I moved it so the end of the earthbox with the dying the plant was on the high side so the water would flow to the other end if there was excess. I hope this makes it a little easier of what I meant to say.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by lexxluthor

The ground isn't exactly level so I moved it so the end of the earthbox with the dying the plant was on the high side so the water would flow to the other end if there was excess. I hope this makes it a little easier of what I meant to say.

Yes it does, thank you. I dont think making one side higher will matter much in an EB, because the wicking system is still going to wick up water. So it wouldnt make much difference.