www.dirtdoctor.com
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/

Overwated Tomatoes, can I save them?
https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/overwated-tomatoes-can-i-save-them-t4033.html		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  tjf1975 [ Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:58 am ]
Post subject:  Overwated Tomatoes, can I save them?
Hi,

With all the rains this past week, my garden is completed soaked. I'm really concerned about my tomato plants. I have them caged, but a combination of the high winds and saturated soil let them fall over onto each other and the ground. I was able to fashion some means of keeping them up after the fact, but I went out this morning and it seems like they are all wilting as though they haven't been watered in weeks!

From what I've read on dirtdoctor.com I shouldn't overwater the tomato plants, but it's clear from all the rain that they are. Is the excessive water the problem or was it the falling over that's the culprit? Is there anything I can do to save them?

Prior to the rains, they were all doing really well. A lot of blooms, a lot of leaves, a lot of tomatoes. Don't know what to do now :(

I took a picture of the plants, http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/share.jsp ... Name=Photo if that helps anyone at all. Thank you.
Author:  sandih [ Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:53 am ]
Post subject: 
Man, they don't look too happy do they? How's the drainage? Do you have a lot of compost in the soil to help drainage, and lots of mulch? Mine have gotten just as much rain (I'm assuming) and don't look so wilty. You shouldn't have too much rain for a few days so maybe they'll dry out, which is what they like between waterings.

Do all of your tomato plants look that way?
Author:  tjf1975 [ Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
For the most part, yes they do, of the 5 I have, one looks a little better than the others (it's at the other end of the row). I put down quite a bit of compost early on, and I have a lot of cedar mulch. Maybe my version of 'a lot' isn't enough. This is only my second year with a garden, and I've been slowly getting into using organics. Thanks for your reply!
Author:  khwoz [ Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:00 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mixing a bit of Horticultural Corn Meal in the soil around the plants will help them get over the water problem. I would also spray them with a corn milk juice to resist/cure fungal problems. Good Luck!
Author:  tjf1975 [ Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Little update
Thanks for the advice! I'll give that a shot and see if it helps. The wilting has gotten a bit worse, and it's spread to a row of green beans next to tomatoes. Could the moisture in the soil activated some sort of bacteria/fungus/rot which may be damaging the root systems of these plants?

To mix the Horticultural Corn Meal, do I need to move the mulch off the soil first? or do I mix the mulch into the soil with the meal and then cover it up with new mulch? Sorry if these questions are mundane, but I don't want to mess it up.

Assuming the worst and the plant just plain dies, should I go ahead and harvest all the green tomatoes? Thanks again for your help.
Author:  sandih [ Sat Jun 12, 2004 8:56 am ]
Post subject: 
This is interesting, let us know if it helps. We had tons of rain and someof my tomato leaves turned yellow but I've never seen plants wilt like that and then to have it spread. Sounds worse that just a fungal disease.


Howard, if you're reading this, what do you think??
Author:  khwoz [ Sun Jun 13, 2004 12:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
I would probably mix the cornmeal into the mulch around the plants to keep from disturbing the roots. Next time you plant, mix it into the soil along with your other amendments. Definitely keep your green tomatoes; they ripen just fine on your window sill. When spraying your corn juice, mix it with compost tea or Garrett Juice for additional benefits.
Author:  DAMAMA [ Sun Jun 13, 2004 2:00 pm ]
Post subject:  "mater" matters
This has been interesting reading. Our plants sound worse off than yours. :cry: Or maybe just further along in this sad ordeal. Our rains were extremely heavy and our winds are always terrible, even on a good day! We still have standing water in some places. The stems are now brown and have begun to die. We will attempt some CPR with the corn meal idea, but we will probably harvest the tomatoes we have and replant. It breaks my heart. We will just prepare for a Fall garden and canning when the weather is cooler.

What we are wondering is this...We have extremely black "gumbo" soil. We have spent 2 yrs mixing different elements to "lighten" the soil. Minimal success. Does anyone have experience with a good recipe for producing good soil from this thick, airless gumbo? Our garden is 35'x 55' so we are looking for something on a grand scale. Is corn meal the best solution? Any other suggestions? We were cautiously considering straw or hay. Is top mulching beneficial to both wet and dry conditions or just dry? Soil has been a frustrating issue for us, can you tell? :oops:

Thanks!
Author:  Kathe Kitchens [ Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Sick tomato plants
In my experiments with cornmeal, best results come from pulling back the mulch and mixing the cornmeal in gently to just the first inch or so of soil. If the soil is still very moist, use a hand fork or spade and don't add any water. If it's already dry, water the cornmeal in lightly. Then put the soil back.

For some extra oomph, add about a cup of cornmeal to a gallon of water and let it sit for an hour or so, then mix in a cup of Garret juice or other foliar feed (like Bioform) plus some garlic tea. If you are making it from scratch, for a gallon just use one little finger from a clove of garlic and mash it in. Then mix this well, strain and give the plants a nice gentle but thorough misting. Mist them with this combination every 2-3 days for about a week and you should see some good results.

I recommended this technique to a friend of mine for her sick tomato plants last year and it worked beautifully. I think it was the combination of the soil treatment and foliar feed that really kicked things into order. Hopefully it will help you, also. :D
Kathe
Author:  Kathe Kitchens [ Sun Jun 13, 2004 8:04 pm ]
Post subject:  My Boo-Boo...
Oops... :oops:

The last sentence in the first paragraph should have been, "Then put the MULCH back".

Guess I oughta proof read my writing a little more often, huh? :wink: :roll:

Kathe 8)
Author:  DAMAMA [ Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Thanks!
I was glad to see your reply. I have seen your responses on some other forum questions and you seem to be pretty savy in the gardening field!

I spent the evening yesterday doing my mater CPR with the corn meal. They did not look better this morning, but did not look any worse by this evening! That was actually good to see! I will try the foliar feed also. Thanks again for the info! I will try the garlic tea also. I have used compost tea, but never the garlic. We'll see!
Author:  unklmike [ Fri Jun 18, 2004 2:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
According to my rain guage I had about 9.5 inches of rain over the week. I have raised beds (4 inches) and my walkways between the beds were FULL of water for almost three days. :shock: I have decent drainage but there was just too much water in too short a period of time. I have already lost 5 plants. The remaining 5 are just barely hanging on. I have previously added corn meal to my soil and they are well mulched do i need to add more? My thought was to let them go, see if any suckers emerge from the base, or lower stems, prune back to there and hope for the best with a fall harvest. What about adding dry molasses to help stir activity? I have PLENTY of earthwom activity in the top 4 to 6 inches.
I also lost all but two of my squash and my onions were beginning to rot (it was time to harvest anyway so I managed to save my crop) The only things that have seemed to survive are my peppers (which supprisingly were between the tomatoes and the squash) and my herbs.
Author:  culdeus [ Tue Jun 22, 2004 6:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
I'm just wondering if my problem is water related. I haven't had an absurd amount of water and things have been drying out slowly, but I'm not getting blossoms anymore. Is this a result of the temperature? I can't remember if late June vines just sort of shut down.
Author:  unklmike [ Wed Jun 23, 2004 1:43 pm ]
Post subject: 
Well I finally lost the battle :( There are two Merced (I think) plants that had small suckers that I left, but every other plant died. It was root rot. When I pulled the plants I could tell. I still have my peppers and herbs but everything else is gone :( Does anyone have any ideas about anything I could plant this late or should I just wait for my fall garden? I miss not being able to go out everyday and spend my time in the garden.
Author:  BOBBY SHEPHERD [ Thu Jul 08, 2004 2:19 am ]
Post subject:  TOMATOE PLANTS STARTING TO DIE
This is my first garden in over 12 years and I am having trouble with my tomato plants.I have very good black sandy soil with very good drainage and have my tomatoes planted in the same spot as 12 years ago.This crop started like last time and soon after planting I had plants 6 feet tall with many blooms and small green tomatoes.Then much of their folage started to turn brown and die.Out of 15 plants I now only have a couple which still look ok.What is the problem? HELP

BOB IN HALTOM CITY
Page 1 of 2 All times are UTC - 6 hours
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
https://www.phpbb.com/