Frusrated

[Dean6262]

I have a tomato plant which had signs of over watering,didn't water for two days now it looks like its dying ,leaves turning brown.what can I do??

 

[Chuck]

I have a tomato plant which had signs of over watering,didn't water for two days now it looks like its dying ,leaves turning brown.what can I do??

Wait. If it was watered too often you probably have root damage, meaning that the roots were unable to transpire water up and through the leaves. The leaves probably had severe wilt, turned a darker green color and are now turning brown and crispy. All you can do is hope the roots are able to make a comeback.. If not this then it is probably blight

 

[headfullofbees]

Ditto.
Welcome Dean6262.
Sorry to say, overwatering is by far the biggest problem we see.
The GOOD news is that tomatoes, as they are vines, stand the best chance of recovery; the bad news is, that's still not great.
I've had an idea; put another inch or two of soil around the stem of your plant, water it once, and not again for a week.
See if the vine will grow new roots.

 

[Corzhens]

I think you have to water your tomatoes everyday. When it is over saturated with water, you still have to give it water everyday but on a lesser amount. That 2 days without water may have dehydrated the tomatoes especially when the sun is too hot. We have a maprang seedling that also developed brown leaves because it is rainy season here so we do not water the plants anymore. However, there was a time that it didn't rain for 3 days and we forgot to water the plants. The maprang is like a plum tree that we got seeds from Bangkok last March.

 

[Jennifer Roussin]

@Corzhens, that may be true in your area, especially if you have sandy or loose soil, and very hot sun. However, here in Missouri in the USA, we have heavy clay soil, and watering everyday would be way too much. Watering frequency is variably dependent on weather, soil conditions, etc.

 

[Beth_B]

Hi @Dean6262 , if you're still reading this I agree with the overwatering comments. It is so so common. Even in a container and not mulched and in Florida, two days without water is nothing. It is totally fine to let the soil get dry and crispy between watering. Commercial growers withold water to force better fruit production.

My tomatoes get watered every 5-10 days (if that) depending on growing medium etc. And that's only if there is no rain.

If the leaves are going yellow from the ground up with brown and black spots, that's early blight. And guess what, overwatering exacerbates EB.

 

[Novelangel]

I have a tomato plant in a pot on my balcony. That thing demands water as if it were a fish. I have to water it at least every other day, and I really pour that water in there. If I don't give it gallons it will wilt practically right before my eyes. On really hot and sunny days, it's worse, so I have to keep an eye on it at all times. If I go away for the day, I make sure my tomato is watered first. It is rewarding me with a nice little crop of tomatoes, so I guess I'm doing something right. I always make sure that there is proper drainage, and the pot sits in a plastic dish that holds the excess water so the plant can suck it up whenever it needs it.

 

[kgord]

I am wondering if you could try some fertilizer at this point. I mean just a little bit wouldn't hurt I don't think. I am not an expert though. I do successfully grow tomatoes almost every year but generally they grow here, without any special intervention whatsoever. I hope it is not hopeless. Please give us a report of your progress, or lack thereof.

 

[rz3300]

Well certainly you are not alone here, and that is really the good news about a place like this. These situations are frustrating, but be careful because you do not want to overreact, and that me be what you did the first time. The one thing I can recommend is look for local resources. I know that when I had trouble with some plants, I was able to take one in to a local plant store and they looked at it for me to sort of diagnose it. It did not really work, but I did like having the service. Look to see if you have anything around you that is similar to that, you might be surprised.