Tomato plant wilting

[fixit7]

I can not understand why my tomato plant is wilting?

 

[Chuck]

I would say the reason is because the plants root system is too big for the container and when you water it not all of the roots recieve enough moisture. The roots are in a ball which restricts water. A 5 gallon bucket is the minimum size for a tomato plant but that is for a determinate variety and yours is an indeterminate. If this picture was taken in the AM hours the plant needs water but if taken in the PM hours maybe not. To water a plant like this one takes at least 15 minutes of a slow stream of water or much better a steady drip over 3 or 4 hours.

 

[fixit7]

I would say the reason is because the plants root system is too big for the container and when you water it not all of the roots recieve enough moisture. The roots are in a ball which restricts water. A 5 gallon bucket is the minimum size for a tomato plant but that is for a determinate variety and yours is an indeterminate. If this picture was taken in the AM hours the plant needs water but if taken in the PM hours maybe not. To water a plant like this one takes at least 15 minutes of a slow stream of water or much better a steady drip over 3 or 4 hours.

Thanks. The water seems to flow through the soil quickly. I am wondering if it got compacted over time?

 

[Chuck]

What is your soil made of?

 

[fixit7]

Top soil.

 

[Chuck]

Top soil.

Do you mean bagged garden soil or soil you dug up? Is there any compost or potting soil mixed in? If you just dug it up it will compact but bagged soil shouldn't unless it was that cheap stuff. You cannot overwater a plant so when you water put the hose next to the trunk of the plant and turn it on very very slow and leave it for a couple of hours.

 

[YumYum]

You could poke a few tiny holes in a gallon milk jug and let it trickle out. Courtesy of @Mr_Yan .

 

[fixit7]

Do you mean bagged garden soil or soil you dug up? Is there any compost or potting soil mixed in? If you just dug it up it will compact but bagged soil shouldn't unless it was that cheap stuff. You cannot overwater a plant so when you water put the hose next to the trunk of the plant and turn it on very very slow and leave it for a couple of hours.

It is bagged soil I bought. There is no compost mixed in. Should I do so?

 

[fixit7]

You could poke a few tiny holes in a gallon milk jug and let it trickle out. Courtesy of @Mr_Yan .

I am going to water twice a day since I have drain holes on the bottom.

 

[Chuck]

It is bagged soil I bought. There is no compost mixed in. Should I do so?

It is too late for this year but next year get a larger container and mix a GOOD (not cheap) garden soil and mix it 70% soil to 30% GOOD (not cheap) compost.

I am going to water twice a day since I have drain holes on the bottom.

Watering twice a day will not work. That is NOT a deep thorough watering. If you have to, just let the hose barely drip at all and let it drip all day. Watering for a short time only leads to the water draining down the interior sides of the container and out the drain holes and not watering the entire root system. Your plant is root bound and cannot uptake water the way you are watering

 

[fixit7]

You could poke a few tiny holes in a gallon milk jug and let it trickle out. Courtesy of @Mr_Yan .

Thanks YumYum.

I did that and it is working pretty well.

 

[fixit7]

My Big Boy hybrid is not going to make it. Like someone said, the roots do not have enough room.

This is my 2nd failure with tomatoes.

My current container is 14 inches wide by 12 inches high.

What size pot would work given that the plant can reach almost 6 feet?

Would a pot this size work?

Exact dimensions are 20 in. Dia x 17 in. H and has 13.44 Gal. of capacity

Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

My Big Boy hybrid is not going to make it. Like someone said, the roots do not have enough room.

This is my 2nd failure with tomatoes.

My current container is 14 inches wide by 12 inches high.

What size pot would work given that the plant can reach almost 6 feet?

Would a pot this size work?

Exact dimensions are 20 in. Dia x 17 in. H and has 13.44 Gal. of capacity

Thanks.

That will work fine. If it is a hard container make sure it has plenty of drainage holes. If a fabric pot don't worry about it. I use 10 gallon fabric grow bags and find that 10 gallons works fine. 13 even better.

 

[fixit7]

Thanks, it has drainage holes.

 

[fixit7]

That will work fine. If it is a hard container make sure it has plenty of drainage holes. If a fabric pot don't worry about it. I use 10 gallon fabric grow bags and find that 10 gallons works fine. 13 even better.

Here is a post mortem pic.

I do not think that my planter size is a factor in it's death.

Bottom of roots did not even reach halfway down the pot.

That will work fine. If it is a hard container make sure it has plenty of drainage holes. If a fabric pot don't worry about it. I use 10 gallon fabric grow bags and find that 10 gallons works fine. 13 even better.