Good afternoon,
I planted out my tomatoes (Shirley and Ferline) in the border soil, in the greenhouse, last week. Tomatoes had not been grown in the soil previously. Now the leaf edges are going yellowish. Is this a deficiency in the soil and if so, of what. All help will be appreciated.
Regards, Gerry.
Tomatoes
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Monika, thanks for the reply.
Yes mine are in an unheated greenhouse too but we haven't had any night time temperatures below 9c for ages and the tomatoes in the tunnel,which has 2' of mesh arround the bottom, are fine. Could it be anything else do you think?
Regards, Gerry.
Yes mine are in an unheated greenhouse too but we haven't had any night time temperatures below 9c for ages and the tomatoes in the tunnel,which has 2' of mesh arround the bottom, are fine. Could it be anything else do you think?
Regards, Gerry.
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Rubykitchen
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Mine doing that too. Experimenting this year and risked putting them in borders mid april - as a relative always does who lives close by and she always has earlier crop than us. Fleece on stand by - but just think they're probably still in shock- it is still quite cold at night.
But as most of mine are getting flower buds/open flowers on already - I am thinking, is it too early to give a half strength feed??
But as most of mine are getting flower buds/open flowers on already - I am thinking, is it too early to give a half strength feed??
Hello Gerry
Temperature problems, such as too cold or widely fluctuating between day and night, show up as a blueing and curling of the leaves so I think it might be a deficiency problem. It could be an early sign of a magnesium deficiency. Toms seem to be rather sensitive to this. As Ruby says it is probably too early to give a feed even at half strength but what you could do is water it with a solution of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) - use two teaspoon measures to a gallon. It might not solve the problem but it won't do any harm.
John
Temperature problems, such as too cold or widely fluctuating between day and night, show up as a blueing and curling of the leaves so I think it might be a deficiency problem. It could be an early sign of a magnesium deficiency. Toms seem to be rather sensitive to this. As Ruby says it is probably too early to give a feed even at half strength but what you could do is water it with a solution of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts) - use two teaspoon measures to a gallon. It might not solve the problem but it won't do any harm.
John
The Gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives, the hours spent fishing Assyrian tablet
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
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PLUMPUDDING
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I don't think they've anything wrong with them. They usually look a bit under the weather until their roots get going again and then they'll thicken up and grow like mad. Some of mine that I'd left in their pots too long got yellow lower leaves and are now fine strong plants now they've been in the border a couple of weeks.
Forgot to say that if you do give them a watering with Epsom salt solution, water over the leaves as well to give a foliar feed - a drop of washing up liquid in the water will help the solution to stay on the leaves. It is often the case that the compost itself is not deficient in magnesium just that the young plant is growing very rapidly and cannot take up sufficient nutrients from it until it has a more extensive root system.
John
John
The Gods do not subtract from the allotted span of men’s lives, the hours spent fishing Assyrian tablet
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning Werner Heisenberg
I am a man and the world is my urinal
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Primrose
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I have a completely different problem with my tomato seedlings. I sowed them in the middle of April in some New Horizons compost (an unopened bag I had left over from last year). They are still barely one inch tall, seem to have stopped growing and instead of being a healthy green colour they are a bluish grey and seem to be regressing rather than becoming bigger.
I have about eight different varieties and they all look fairly sickly. I'm unsure whether it's worth persevening with them and fear I'll have to go out and buy some plants if I want a crop this year. Any ideas what the problem might be? Have never grown seedlings which look like this before. I've grown leeks, courgettes, cucumbers & lettuce in the same compost and they're all doing fine so I'm really foxed.
(I've been growing them on a sunny window ledge but have been putting them outdoors for a few hours on the really warm sunny days).
I have about eight different varieties and they all look fairly sickly. I'm unsure whether it's worth persevening with them and fear I'll have to go out and buy some plants if I want a crop this year. Any ideas what the problem might be? Have never grown seedlings which look like this before. I've grown leeks, courgettes, cucumbers & lettuce in the same compost and they're all doing fine so I'm really foxed.
(I've been growing them on a sunny window ledge but have been putting them outdoors for a few hours on the really warm sunny days).
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Nature's Babe
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Primrose,are they all heritage varieties? I hope your tomato plants pull through OK. If you need some seeds for next year, just ask and I will save some heritage ones for you.
Sit down before a fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconcieved notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.
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By Thomas Huxley
http://www.wildrye.info/reserve/
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Primrose
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The varieties are Tumbling Yellow, Gardeners Delight, Ferline, Black Cherry, Sungold, Ildi, San Marzano. I'm beginning to think it must be something connected with the compost because I've got various tiny self sown seedlings from last year's varieties starting to sprout up in last year's tomato border and they're all looking OK.
The mystery is why should the tomatoes be affected like this whereas other vegetable seedlings have been OK. I have just one tomato seedling which is looking normal and a few inches high. All the others seem to be stunted.
NB - thanks for the offer of seeds but my seed box is currently overwhelmed with half-used packets which will probably last me a lifetime. I've got four nice healthy tomatillo seedlings from the seeds you kindly sent me last year. I sowed eight but half of them died on me. Not having much luck this year, am I?
The mystery is why should the tomatoes be affected like this whereas other vegetable seedlings have been OK. I have just one tomato seedling which is looking normal and a few inches high. All the others seem to be stunted.
NB - thanks for the offer of seeds but my seed box is currently overwhelmed with half-used packets which will probably last me a lifetime. I've got four nice healthy tomatillo seedlings from the seeds you kindly sent me last year. I sowed eight but half of them died on me. Not having much luck this year, am I?
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PLUMPUDDING
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I've just thought, yellowing leaves are also a sign of too much watering. Could they be sitting in too wet soil?
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oldherbaceous
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They were my thoughts too, but i thought people might be getting fed up, with me always on about keeping the watering can on a tight leash. 
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
Thanks everyone,
John I think you are right I gave them a watering with epsom salts last Tuesday or Wednesday on the premiss that it wouldn't do them any harm and it seems to have done the trick. OH my soil is very free draining and I agree with you about over watering, particularly with tomatoes, in order to get the best flavour.
Regards, Gerry.
John I think you are right I gave them a watering with epsom salts last Tuesday or Wednesday on the premiss that it wouldn't do them any harm and it seems to have done the trick. OH my soil is very free draining and I agree with you about over watering, particularly with tomatoes, in order to get the best flavour.
Regards, Gerry.
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Geoff
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I have inadvertently got the same problem as Primrose.
In the discussion on Leafmould I mentioned I was doing a tomato experiment as part of my plan to reduce peat usage, not because I believe it is all that necessary but because it will become less available or more expensive, as also discussed under Home Made Compost.
My usual way of growing my earlier Tomatoes in a heated greenhouse with a concrete floor is by using peat based grow bags with ring culture rings on top of them filled with the same compost. I grow 10 plants of 5 varieties like this. This year I decided to make a wooden trough to simulate the grow bags and fill it with home made compost (6 soil, 3 leafmould, 1 sand, FBB fertiliser) again with rings on top filled the same. The idea was to grow 5 the usual way and 5 in the trough. When I went to buy the bags they only had peat free Shamrock ones so I am actually comparing home made with peat free.
I planted them up on 19th April and the results so far are very striking. The photos don't show it up all that well but as you can see they weren't the best of plants when I planted them up but the last photo taken today should show the "home made" plants have romped away but the grow bag ones are spindly and yellow. I fed them yesterday so I'll see if that helps. Those bags won't be on my shopping list again!
In the discussion on Leafmould I mentioned I was doing a tomato experiment as part of my plan to reduce peat usage, not because I believe it is all that necessary but because it will become less available or more expensive, as also discussed under Home Made Compost.
My usual way of growing my earlier Tomatoes in a heated greenhouse with a concrete floor is by using peat based grow bags with ring culture rings on top of them filled with the same compost. I grow 10 plants of 5 varieties like this. This year I decided to make a wooden trough to simulate the grow bags and fill it with home made compost (6 soil, 3 leafmould, 1 sand, FBB fertiliser) again with rings on top filled the same. The idea was to grow 5 the usual way and 5 in the trough. When I went to buy the bags they only had peat free Shamrock ones so I am actually comparing home made with peat free.
I planted them up on 19th April and the results so far are very striking. The photos don't show it up all that well but as you can see they weren't the best of plants when I planted them up but the last photo taken today should show the "home made" plants have romped away but the grow bag ones are spindly and yellow. I fed them yesterday so I'll see if that helps. Those bags won't be on my shopping list again!
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