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  • Help - tomato problem!

    After returning home on Sunday I was oh so proud of my seven tomato plants, with three in particular looking so big and strong I couldn’t believe my beginners luck at growing these from seed.

    On Sunday and Monday with the temperatures 18 – 20 degrees and lovely strong sunshine, I put all of my tomato, red pepper and chilli plants into the blow away with the door slightly opened for the day. Giving them some much needed fresh air and a gentle breeze to toughen them up a little. I brought them in at night to stay warm and cosy with the night time temperatures still dropping quite low.

    On Tuesday temperature were lower during the day (about 14 degrees) so I decided to put the tomatoes in the blow away but leave the chillies and peppers indoors. I have also begun watering all of my plants ‘from the bottom’ into the trays they are sat in rather than into the top of the pot in an attempt to make sure I don’t over water them. This seems to be working well.

    So what is the problem I hear you cry? Well, getting home from work on Tuesday evening and moving my toms indoors I notices that some of their leaves have lost their intense lovely green colour and started to turn a rather pale green / yellow. I had thought they looked rather bleached and hoped that putting them outside hadn’t caused all of this.

    Looking online I think I may have discovered the problem to be a magnesium deficiency. Hmmmm. The tomatoes were down on 21.02.2011 and I thought the compost would have enough ‘food’ for about 8 weeks which will be in about a weeks time. So how do I fix this magnesium problem?

    a) Begin feeding my tomatoes with Tomatorite which has added magnesium? I though however that you were not supposed to start adding extra feed to tomatoes until they begin to fruit?

    b) I have read about Epsom Salts (dissolved into water in a spray bottle, spraying the plants leaves to give them the magnesium they need). My question is though, do you spray the whole plant? Just the leaves affected? How often? How long for?

    Also, lets say I go for option B, should I still start to feed my tomato plants something at the moment as the compost will have run out of ‘food’ and if so, what? Tomatorite? Or something else entirely?

    I will upload some photos when I can later this evening.
    My Blog - Tiny Kitchen Garden @ blogspot.com

  • #2
    I've had pale yellow leaves on my indoor French beans. I nipped them off, potted them on and they're fine again
    All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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    • #3
      i think your compost has run out of steam,i would pot on the plants to get them as they should be,most composts only have nourishment that lasts about 6 weeks or so...good luck

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      • #4
        Give em a seaweed feed. I find if I repot from small pots to ever increasing ones then the compost stays mostly strong enough to feed them. The last pot though gets some sort of boost - usually organic fertiliser. And then they get comfrey feed from then on in.

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        • #5
          Wonky, I just want to say that you have made such effect to look after your plants. Put shame on me.

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          • #6
            Hi wonky. Check the drainage holes in the pots. If there are roots starting to show out of them it's time to pot them on - the compost will have run out of feed.
            When the Devil gives you Cowpats - make Satanic Compost!

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            • #7
              Epsom salts are the old tried and tested method as you suggest applied as a foliar feed. I am feeding seaweed concentrate watered right down to mine although Epsom is cheap - any chemist sells them
              Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better...Albert Einstein

              Blog - @Twotheridge: For The Record - Sowing and Growing with a Virgin Veg Grower: Spring Has Now Sprung...Boing! http://vvgsowingandgrowing2012.blogs....html?spref=tw

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              • #8
                At this time I like to give my toms a little Miracle Grow a high nitrogen feed for the foliage.

                Colin
                Potty by name Potty by nature.

                By appointment of VeggieChicken Member of the Nutters club.


                We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public office.

                Aesop 620BC-560BC

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                • #9
                  Thank you so much for all of the replies. I really don't want my hard work to become undone so it's really appreciated.

                  A couple of the plants are already in 5 inch pots and I was hoping not to have to go any bigger than this before they were then to go outside but I guess it is needed.

                  I think I will try a combination of a few things. Epsom salts, potting on into larger pots, especially those still in 3 or 4 inch pots, and maybe a bit of miracle grow.

                  It's all an experiment isn't it!
                  My Blog - Tiny Kitchen Garden @ blogspot.com

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by zazen999 View Post
                    Give em a seaweed feed. I find if I repot from small pots to ever increasing ones then the compost stays mostly strong enough to feed them. The last pot though gets some sort of boost - usually organic fertiliser. And then they get comfrey feed from then on in.
                    I started my toms in modules, potted onto 3 inch pots, 4 inch pots and then a few got big enough to go into 5 inch pots which they are in now. Maybe it is just some time for a boost in nourishment then rather than potting on? I can't see roots at the bottom of the pot yet.
                    My Blog - Tiny Kitchen Garden @ blogspot.com

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