What did I do to these poor tomatoes?

[Ben F]

Hello forum and thanks in advance for your time and advice.

I'm a novice gardener in San Jose, CA. I planted beefsteak and supersteak tomatoes in April. I mixed in chicken manure when I planted them. They get lots of afternoon and evening sun.

At first I watered them deeply 2-3 times per week to make the roots grow deep. Eventually, they started wilting/browning so I tried watering more and then less. Neither seems to have made a big difference. Any ideas what is wrong with them so I can be better prepared for next year? P.S. I learned that the early girl variety grows best in my area, so I'll plant those next time.

Images here: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B9hgrzx-F95zQzNQQWRFb0ZfcEU&usp=sharing

 

[pollinator101]

What you have might be tomato blight, is caused by a fungus, Alternaria solani. You should remove the infected parts of the plants. Inorder to prevent it rotate your crops.

 

[Beth_B]

I'm agreeing with @pollinator101 here. No close-up pics but I'm also guessing blight. It's extremely common and most likely you did nothing at all wrong!. Google "early blight." Also check this thread:
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/talk-to-me-about-early-blight-on-tomatoes-please.5639/

 

[CanadianLori]

I usually grow from seed but this year bought a couple of tomato plants from terra greenhouses. Mainly because i wanted the pots. Ne ver again. First it was blossom rot, I thought, now they look like blighted b never again.

B

 

[headfullofbees]

Prune off all the dead material and feed with high nitrogen feed (bat guano is ideal).
Then spray at weekly intervals with Bordeaux mix.
This will not save what is already damaged, but will help to control it, if it is alternaria.
What is your soil type, as I'm thinking that overwatering is your problem?
That does not resemble early blight I've seen before; in my experience, there is usually far more evidence of chlorosis. (Leaves yellowing.).

You're a novice, so I take it you've not grown tomatoes there before?
How close is your nearest neighbour who grows tomatoes?
Alternaria is soil borne, so did you buy plants or start from seed?

 

[headfullofbees]

I usually grow from seed but this year bought a couple of tomato plants from terra greenhouses. Mainly because i wanted the pots. Ne ver again. First it was blossom rot, I thought, now they look like blighted b never again.

B

Alternaria is extremely unlikely to show on the fruits first.

 

[headfullofbees]

Worthwhile reading:
http://www.extension.org/pages/2987...nt-for-organic-tomato-production#.VaS4MHnbLIU

 

[Chuck]

That is not early blight (Alternaria) IMO. It is a watering issue I believe. Chicken manure is a good nitrogen source but you need a balanced diet for your tomatoes and you need organic matter in the soil too. Next year incorporate good compost into your soil and heavily mulch around your plants. Use a good commercial organic fertilizer or make you own out of manures, blood meal, bone meal, fish emulsion, kelp meal etc. Learn about making compost tea. Only water when the soil is dry down to about 3 inches and/or when the plants are wilted and droopy in the mornings. When you water them really give them a good soaking, usually about every 7-10 days.

 

[Corzhens]

We used to have American tomatoes in the backyard, that's the variety that grows up to 5 feet and yields a hundred fruits. But had stopped having tomato in our garden because of the aphids. It is annoying and too difficult to control. We spray water with dishwashing soap. It kills the aphids but the leaves of the tomato is also affected so it's not a good idea. Our last tomato plant was 2 years ago.

 

[Chuck]

We used to have American tomatoes in the backyard, that's the variety that grows up to 5 feet and yields a hundred fruits. But had stopped having tomato in our garden because of the aphids. It is annoying and too difficult to control. We spray water with dishwashing soap. It kills the aphids but the leaves of the tomato is also affected so it's not a good idea. Our last tomato plant was 2 years ago.

All you have to do after spraying the aphids with soapy water is wait a few minutes and wash the soap off with water and your leaves will not be affected. Or better yet spray the aphids with an organic insecticide like neem or spinosad and your leaves will not be damaged in the first place. Tomatoes are tomatoes whether in the Philippines or in America. You were growing a cherry type tomato which is the about the only type which will reliably set fruit in the heat.. I grow small tomatoes all the time that come from Thailand and Malaysia with no problem

 

[Beth_B]

0

We used to have American tomatoes in the backyard, that's the variety that grows up to 5 feet and yields a hundred fruits. But had stopped having tomato in our garden because of the aphids. It is annoying and too difficult to control. We spray water with dishwashing soap. It kills the aphids but the leaves of the tomato is also affected so it's not a good idea. Our last tomato plant was 2 years ago.

I wonder if you are talking about "Sweet 100s" - an incredibly prolific cherry tomato plant. I grew some last year.
When I lived in Colorado I had a significant aphid problem, plus the ants that were attracted to them. A local garden store sold bags of 1,000 live ladybugs - they eat aphids - and I released several thousand of them in my yard. That seriously worked, it ended my aphid issue for the remaining years I lived in that house.

 

[CanadianLori]

I trimmed all of the bad growth. Hoping this will work. By the way, I do not like eating fresh tomatoes, I'm doing this for my hubby.

think I deserve a reward for nagging the plants instead of him!!!

 

[headfullofbees]

I trimmed all of the bad growth. Hoping this will work. By the way, I do not like eating fresh tomatoes, I'm doing this for my hubby.

think I deserve a reward for nagging the plants instead of him!!!

That'll be your problem then...

 

[Ben F]

Thanks for the responses. I pruned the plants as suggested and am watering more sparsely now. They already seem to be doing better. These were from nursery starters, not seeds. I did not mulch the ground much at all. Next year I'll make sure to thoroughly prep the soil. Thanks for all the excellent advice!

 

[headfullofbees]

Thanks for the responses. I pruned the plants as suggested and am watering more sparsely now. They already seem to be doing better. These were from nursery starters, not seeds. I did not mulch the ground much at all. Next year I'll make sure to thoroughly prep the soil. Thanks for all the excellent advice!

You're quite lucky.
Often because roots have rotted, there is not enough going to the plant, so they wilt, and the response is often to give them more water.
By the time the problem is realised, it's too late and the tomatoes are goners.
I'd be inclined to put another inch of soil around the plant, at a radius of six inches, to encourage more root growth.
DON'T change your rduced watering regime yet, though.