I do not think watering everyday is great, you only need to water when soil is dry, but, over watering will rot roots off causing plants to wilt and those plants do not appear to be wilting, nor do they seem to be herbicide affected. Herbicide would make the growing tips yellow. The pots are a little small, I think, but with proper care they could work. I do not know what is causing this, apart from blight perhaps, but do not think that is it. Try putting your plants out of the hothouse and see how they go. It may help.
goldy5,
Dec 20, 2:57am
Late frost. ? You don't notice until a few weeks after.
kam04,
Dec 20, 3:19am
Thanks. That's been very helpful
kam04,
Dec 20, 3:41am
I was only watering every 2nd or third day depending on temperature etc. I was watering from the bottom, ie, filling the tray which was sucked up within 5 mins but as the day went on I found the plants wilting and quite stressed so I increased the watering to every day still filling the tray which still got sucked up within 5 mins but helped cure the wilting. The top of the pot always remained quite dry. When applying feed I went from the top. I now water from the top as I have always done every other season. This hasn't made much difference. I have always grown my tomatoes in these pots without too much problem apart from a little leaf curl and bottom end rot but this year has been the worst ever. I watched a program on TV that recommended watering from the bottom when in pots. The plants were doing very well until about half the size they are now and then all of a sudden they went like this. The main part of the plant that's being affected is up near the top, that's where all the yellowing is and where the fruit/flowers are dropping off. We couldn't believe how good they looked, good coloured leaves, good thick stems. As you can see we grow a cucumber plant, chilli plant and a capsicum plant in the glasshouse. I'm sure these aren't causing the problem. We've always done this every year without any hassle.
dibble35,
Dec 20, 4:08am
I had one plant do that this year (curled over leaf)- I wasnt sure what it was, it wasnt tomato blight. Anyway I accidently knocked the top out of the plant, and all the new growth from the bottom is coming thru normal. I was going to pull the whole plant out but as this new growth is fine im holding off.
kam04,
Dec 20, 4:27am
Funny you should say that because I did exactly the same on one plant when it was a lot smaller and a new main stem has grown from the near the bottom and it's only plant that's not affected. May I should 'accidently' break the tops on the others.
skyblue17,
Dec 20, 5:25am
I'd be watering from the top, at least to dilute your fertilizer.Sounds like not enough water to me, especially in a hothouse and in such small pots. Move them outside.?
poppysinger2,
Dec 20, 6:33am
Maybe it is the dreaded psyllid infestation ?
aj.2.,
Dec 20, 6:48am
Those pots will dry out very fast , so the roots will cook , more so later on when the fruit are big and filling out , best bet would be a wee sprinkler into the top of each one , even a drip feed that you can adjust , and have it going during the day , but turn it of at night . Remember tomatoes are heavy feeders and need a good supply of food and Even water supply . Next time , or even now if you can , use the bigger black bags as that will hold in the moisture, looks as if there were 2 of you , you could handle those ok , just put some mix in the bag then soak the pots that you have , then transfer and add more mix as needed.
aj.2.,
Dec 20, 6:59am
Other thing OP , is the sun straight onto those tomatoes thats not a good thing , make up a thin white wash , or even better just get some shade cloth and hang that over the outside , that way you get the heat but not the burning effect . I have 5mtr long by 2.5 mtr glass house and i have a cover i put on the top each year , and goes over the sides about 1/3 - 1/2 way, cuts down the sun , less drying out of plants , but still gets the heat that they need .
dibble35,
Dec 20, 7:21am
Ah-ha, you could be right. I better go get rid of that one dodgy plant in my garden tomorrow
russell.s.c,
Dec 20, 7:24am
How low are the night-time temperatures getting too? Looks to me like some I had a few years back when we got unusually low night temps. Still got good toms.
piquant,
Dec 20, 8:54am
My concern would largely be the potting mix. If there is compost content that has been made from recycled garden waste - there are no controls over what goes in to it. People are not supposed to dump grass clippings, for example, that have been sprayed with the likes of Versatil - but they do. Tomatoes are very susceptible to the effects of such sprays and you will get the effects of curled and wilting foliage. it won't kill them, per se but they certainly don't look over healthy! I'd guess that there are probably a variety of causes, some of which have been mentioned above. It maybe also that you have transplanted reasonably large plants and that can knock them back a bit too. Definitely you need to shade them a bit and you can overdo the feeding - too much is as bad as too little.
deanna14,
Dec 20, 5:56pm
I think a lot of heat would build up in there even with everything opened up. Hot pots I'd say. You won't get much fruit, watering often, even though with all that warmth they will need it.
gsimpson,
Dec 20, 6:49pm
Direct sun may be too intense. Try some shade cloth.
kam04,
Dec 20, 8:21pm
Yes the full sun does shine in but over the years the glass has become a little murky except where I've replaced the odd pane. The thing is I've been growing tomatoes in this glasshouse for the last 16years or so, using the same method - pots - and have never had too many problems. About 5 years ago I changed to larger pots which are the ones in the photos. I have some shade cloth which I might try. We have considered using this before but we are quite exposed to the nor'wester and I can see the cloth being ripped to shreds.
kam04,
Dec 20, 8:36pm
I was concerned about the potting mix I used this year. It seemed more like compost. It seemed to have a bit less soil content and quite chunky bits through it. As I said it seemed more like compost compared to other potting mixes I've used. I did plant larger plants this year, a lot larger than normal. I suppose the would have been about 30cm (1ft) high. I don't normally transplant plants this big, in fact I usually go for the smallest, but these were the only ones available. From the day I planted them they just took off and I couldn't believe how well they were doing. I feed them once a week with the feed as shown in my photo. The mix is 5ml/ltr water. The watering can I use holds 1.5 ltrs and that amount is spread over four plants when they are small but over three plants when the plants are large and growing fruit. This is the method I've used for years with very little problems.
kam04,
Dec 20, 8:42pm
What I would like to say is that I am really appreciating all the comments and advice that is being posted here. I've always enjoyed growing tomatoes right from my early teens ( I've got grey hair now) and have been proud of what I've produced. I haven't changed my methods in all these years but as I mentioned earlier, this year has been a bit of a disaster and very disappointing.
kam04,
Dec 20, 8:44pm
We are still having quite low temperatures at night, even the odd light frost !
annies3,
Dec 20, 8:45pm
I would take careful notice of piquant ! where did you get your potting mix? we have grown in glasshouses commercially but straight into the ground so the heat wouldn't affect the roots the same, at present all I have is one tomato in a large bucket, in front of the bay window, we are eating the tomatoes off it already, it only had a tiny pot which I left it in till it became so top heavy it fell over so it is now in the big one.
piquant,
Dec 20, 11:40pm
kam04 wrote:
I was concerned about the potting mix I used this year. It seemed more like compost. It seemed to have a bit less soil content and quite chunky bits through it. As I said it seemed more like compost compared to other potting mixes I've used.
All potting mixes are essentially soil-less media. They are made up of bark fines, shredded peat and coir, sometimes sawdust, sand, vermiculite, pumice, various mineral additions like rock dust, calcium, and usually, slow release fertilizer etc. etc. All mixes are by no means created equal, some have additional compost and other "fillers", Some are designed specifically for plants/shrubs - others more generalised. Like everything in life - you get what you pay for in general but bear in mind the slow release fert contained within starts to deplete when it meets moisture. And that is essentially, when it is added to the mix. So, don't use old and dry mix! It is quite hard to re-wet potting mix so if it is drying out too quickly - you are better to dunk pots rather than top water. And mixing soil with potting mix is NOT the answer if you are using pots. Leave the soil in the ground and improve the soil with the addition of conditioners like compost. You will get better results generally, by planting in ground provided you have done the groundwork (no pun intended!)
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