Trying to grow Roma's in pots

[Photogwingsfan]

I am Trying to grow Roma's in pots and having no issues with them growing but as they get about 2x the size of golf balls a lot of them are getting end rot. I read it's about uneven watering and trying my best to water as it feels like the soil is almost dry. Is it bad to let them grow and ripen and then just cut off the bad part?

 

[Chuck]

Roma varieties are absolutely the most prone to blossom end rot of any tomato variety. It is possible that it is a watering issue but in my experience it is caused by the plants inability to uptake calcium which is caused by alkaline soils and alkaline water. Alkaline soils usually have an over abundance of lime and calcium present but the plants are unable to use it. I solved the problem where I live by using Epsom Salts. ES does something that allows the plant to uptake calcium. ES will not help fruit already affected but it might in your position cure your problem if you have alkaline soils. And no, it is perfectly safe to cut off the rotten part.

 

[Palladini]

Yep, Epsom Salts, sprinkled around the plant bottom and mixed in Sprayer and sprayed onto the leaves, ASAP, will solve this Problem. A dollar store Sprayer, fill it with no city water, bottled, rain is best, then add 3 heaping TBSP of ES and put top on and shake then spray all parts of the plant, they will absorb it an love you for doing this.

I spray my Peppers and My tomatoes every other week from small plant to end of season with an ES/Water solution. I also once a month sprinkle a small amount of epson salts around the base of the plants, then water it into the soil.

 

[Tommy89]

Hello,
I planted around twenty tomato seeds (some pots with Roma seeds other pots with slicer tomato seeds) in those really small pots a week ago. In each small pot, around 5 seeds have germinated and the plants are currently about 2 inches tall. I plan on moving the ones that grow into a larger pot in 3 weeks. Since each plant in a small pot is within an inch of all the other plants (in that very same pot), will one of the plants in the area live and the other die off, or should I cut off all but one plant per area, so it gets enough nutritions? This is my first time growing tomatoes. I wasn't sure if this was the correct place to post. Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

Hello,
I planted around twenty tomato seeds (some pots with Roma seeds other pots with slicer tomato seeds) in those really small pots a week ago. In each small pot, around 5 seeds have germinated and the plants are currently about 2 inches tall. I plan on moving the ones that grow into a larger pot in 3 weeks. Since each plant in a small pot is within an inch of all the other plants (in that very same pot), will one of the plants in the area live and the other die off, or should I cut off all but one plant per area, so it gets enough nutritions? This is my first time growing tomatoes. I wasn't sure if this was the correct place to post. Thanks.

You can, if you wish, wait until the seedlings have one set of true leaves and then gently run water over the soil washing it completely away. The roots of the seedlings will be intertwined but you will be able to separate them by continuing to run water over them and very gently pull them apart. Or you can just snip off all but the strongest.

 

[Tommy89]

You can, if you wish, wait until the seedlings have one set of true leaves and then gently run water over the soil washing it completely away. The roots of the seedlings will be intertwined but you will be able to separate them by continuing to run water over them and very gently pull them apart. Or you can just snip off all but the strongest.

If I were to snip them off, would I do it now or later? Also, what are true leaves, and should I wait for one seedling to have those before pulling the rest of the seedlings out? Thanks again.

 

[Chuck]

If I were to snip them off, would I do it now or later? Also, what are true leaves, and should I wait for one seedling to have those before pulling the rest of the seedlings out? Thanks again.

You would do it later because you don't know which of the seedlings is the stronger at this time. When a seed sprouts you will see two leaves and these leaves are called cotyledons. From these cotyledons a little trunk will start to grow and in a few days the first set of true leaves will begin to appear. You DO NOT pull closely planted tomato seedlings. You either separate them or you SNIP them. If you don't do this you will damage the roots of the seedling you want to keep.

 

[oneeye]

I just use rain water with 6 ml of nutrient per 2 &1/2 gallon of water each time I water. However I've just dropped nitrogen for more tomatoes and less leaves. I have to grow my plants in a cage to keep my dog Jack from eating them. Why use just Epsom Salts and only supply magnesium, one nutrient. when you can supply all the micro and macro nutrients with every watering using a complete nutrient mix. The low ppm nutrient will keep the pH stable and end blossom end rot by maintaining a perfect pH for tomatoes?

 

[Chuck]

I just use rain water with 6 ml of nutrient per 2 &1/2 gallon of water each time I water. However I've just dropped nitrogen for more tomatoes and less leaves. I have to grow my plants in a cage to keep my dog Jack from eating them. Why use just Epsom Salts and only supply magnesium, one nutrient. when you can supply all the micro and macro nutrients with every watering using a complete nutrient mix. The low ppm nutrient will keep the pH stable and end blossom end rot by maintaining a perfect pH for tomatoes?

I don't understand exactly what Epsom Salt does or how it does it. All I can say is that no matter what fertilizers you use or if it has all of the macro and micro nutrients needed, somehow the plant cannot uptake calcium even if it is abundant in the soil. And by some means magnesium sulfate enables the plant to do so. I don't know if it is the added magnesium or the sulfate. Magnesium really doesn't have anything to do with calcium in plants. It is the main force behind the chlorophyll in plants. I have never been able to determine exactly what the sulfate actually is or does either. All I positively know is that it is a 100% cure for BER in Texas Hill Country alkaline soils and many many other gardeners across the US have said it works for them too.

 

[oneeye]

It just lowers the pH and makes calcium available. When the sulfate goes into solution, hydroxide anions associate with the magnesium, increasing the relative ratio of H+ to OH-. With the extra "Hydrogen" or H+ to OH- the result is a drop in the pH. Sulfate is made from a sulfur atom and converted to sulfuric acid. In the horticulture business they use nitric acid for the vegetative growth stages and phosphoric acid for plants in flowering stage. The tap water has too much alilikinlty to allow the nutrients to dissolve well enough for the plants to pick up and use, The addition of acid into the water system with fertilizer Injectors allows the pH of the water to dissolve phosphorus and calcium so the plant can use more of it when needed. With a high pH the plant can't uptake major and micronutrients efficiently because there's no acid to dissolve the nutrients. The problem with using magnesium sulfate too often over many years is the accumulation can lock out other nutrients. If you already have a large amount of magnesium in the soil to begin with, then adding more magnesium will lock out calcium completely and will show up as blossom end rot.

 

[oneeye]

Its so much easier to just use a cal.- mag. fertilizer like Botanicare Cal-Mag Plus (2-0-0)

 

[Tommy89]

You would do it later because you don't know which of the seedlings is the stronger at this time. When a seed sprouts you will see two leaves and these leaves are called cotyledons. From these cotyledons a little trunk will start to grow and in a few days the first set of true leaves will begin to appear. You DO NOT pull closely planted tomato seedlings. You either separate them or you SNIP them. If you don't do this you will damage the roots of the seedling you want to keep.

Thanks Chuck, just one more thing. How tall should the one I want to keep be when I snip the rest, and are there any factors I should consider when choosing the strongest one.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks Chuck, just one more thing. How tall should the one I want to keep be when I snip the rest, and are there any factors I should consider when choosing the strongest one.

It's not how tall it is. It is the robustness of the plant. Thick trunk, well shaped leaves, large leaves, uprightness etc. If two or three plants are all even, wait to snip them. One will start to look better than the rest. Usually by the time the second set of true leaves are well formed it is easy to tell which ones to snip off.

 

[zigs]

Useful information guys

We've got a few Romas on the go this year

 

[Chuck]

Nice looking plants Zigs. What variety are they?