help please - tomato plants

[saffron]

Help! my Tumbler tomato plants are looking a bit sickly. Some leaves have brown spots on them and some are turning yellow. they both have flowers on and I can see tomatoes forming.

The plants are in a tall planter 2 to an 18" across fixed basket, I used bought compost and added water retainng granules and also some Miracle grow slow release food tablets. They are outside, althogh we moved them close to the fence when the high winds and rain was forecast last week to give them some shelter.

I hope the pic is clear enough to show what i mean and hopefully someone can give me some advice as to what's wrong and any remedy.
Thankyou.

saffron

[saffron]

think i've managed the pic as well now!

[smallblueplanet]

Saffron your picture hasn't posted. - Well it has now!

But I don't know whats wrong, sorry.

[dwrudd]

Hi Saffron

It could well be a deficiency of minerals. One of the best tonics is a solution of epsom salts (from the chemist) and spray it onto the leaves. Do it every other day for a week and if this is the problem then the results will speak for themselves.

Most of the time it is a process of elimination, I would certainly remove them from other plants if you can, if not, keep aclose eye and dose them all each time you dose these.

I am sure that they will pick up.

Darren

[poultrychat]

saffron it looks like a deficiency to me, just don't ask me what of, but the yellowing looks like a lack of something

[Lesley Jay]

I have to agree. Magnesium deficiency causes yellowing of the leaves and as Dwrudd said spray with Epsom Salts. (half an oz. to a pint of water.)

[Marylou]

Yes - Epsom salts are excellent, and also a foliar spray with liquid seaweed is a very effective, fast cure-all.
Regards,
Marylou

[saffron]

thanks for the replies everyone - a deficiency did cross my mind but because of the slow release tablets I did not really think that would be it. Perhaps they haven't had time to kick in yet.

I will try the epsom salts solution and see what happens, these are my only tomato plants and it would be a shame to loose them when i can see tomatoes forming.

Thanks again

Saffron

[supagranz]

Saffron....have you been pinching out the side shoots ?

[Lesley Jay]

Saffron according to The Vegetable Expert it can be made worse not better with standard feeding. So, I don't know what is in the Miracle Grow slow release tablets but if they don't improve with Epsom Salts I would replant in fresh compost without any Miracle Grow. I use Miracle Grow liquid feed on my vegetables but use a tomato feed on the tomatoes.

[andrewo]

You need to feed them with tomato feed or comfrey feed. Some of the lower leaves will go like this as the trusses form. Noticed that the first flowers have set, when are you going to plant them in situ? If indoor, you should do it now and they will pep up, if outdoor, would advise the feed or pot on.

[saffron]

thanks again for the responses.

supagranz - no i have not been pinching out the side shoots, i did not think that i needed to with tumbler plants - do i need to?

andrewo - the plants are in their final plantng places, the planting bowl is 18 inches across and i did not think that two plants would be to many. I will try the epsom salts on them and see what happens.

I have managed to fish out one of the slow release tablets!

saffron

[SueA]

Saffron, no you don't pinch out the sideshoots on 'Tumblers' as you thought. They don't look too bad in your pics. I would just try some tomato or seaweed feed on them & keep them weel watered.

[Amanda1]

Some of mine look at bit yellow as well. There are no flowers yet, when are you supposed to start feeding with liquid feed? I thought it was after flowers had formed, should I be doing it now?

[Lesley Jay]

We feed ours when the tomatoes have started forming.